I still remember when my friend Srinivas Goud messaged me one evening, his text full of those three words nobody wants to see: “I got laid off.” No explanation, no real warning — just gone. He didn’t even know why. And honestly? That moment felt like the ground shifted under him. One day, everything seems fine. The next, you’re staring at your email, reading a sentence that ends your routine, your income, your identity — just like that. If you’re reading this and you’ve recently lost your job, I get it. I’ve been there. Or someone close to me has. It’s confusing. It’s frustrating. And yeah, it feels personal — even when they say it’s not. What do you do when you get laid off? You Google it, like I did. Like Srinivas did. And you hope someone out there gives it to you straight without making it sound like a corporate checklist. So here’s the truth: being laid off is a career setback , not a life sentence. It feels like everything’s falling apart — but it’s not. It’s just b...