Rohan's blog

Getting fired is a scary feeling. Imagine you have all the responsibility of your family – the solo bread earner. You do your job diligently, with care and honesty. And you are happy that you are working on something amazing.

But then, one fine day, you are told to pack your bags and go.

No warning, no rebuttal and no explanation needed.

It seems out of the blue, you are taken aback, but you hold your emotions. And carefully spit out words to not seem weak.

You want this job to stick; there is so much riding on this. And it’s gone; all you can do is seem strong and hope this is a dream.

But as you smile through the pain, you realize the dream isn’t ending, and you are thinking about all the mishaps that will follow.

From your employer’s point of view, it’s a simple transaction – the terms and the employment didn’t work out. And they will move on with their business. For you, it’s a matter of survival. The savings fund will dry out, and if you don’t find the next job, you are doomed – even worse, your whole family is doomed.

The Desperation

Life plays a dirty game. When you are out of your job and desperately need one, your confidence drops to zero. Suddenly, you fumble in your interviews.

Your desperation peeks from your eyes, and the potential new employer tries to take the opportunity to lowball you. Sometimes, they play around and offer the bare minimum wage because where else would you go.

The game keeps on happening. But the game is deadly for you – one wrong move and your family wipes out from existence, slowly and then eventually.

Your experience doesn’t seem to help you because you have been fired. And when you are fired, you are a nobody. It’s as if you haven’t even worked. Sometimes it’s worse because there is an excuse or explanation for not working. But being fired only means one thing – you weren’t up to the mark. And this is enough for a new employer to not give you a job. And if they offer you a job, it’s often with less pay as legally possible. Because they know you are desperate. And in this cruel world, everyone is looking to take advantage of you.

Self Reflection

As a human being, you cry, hope and feel scared in this situation. But you have to come out of it. This is the time for self-reflection and, more importantly, acceptance. You have to take a bird’s eye view of the situation. Why were you fired? Is it because the communication wasn’t clear, the employer failed or tricked you or, in fact, you didn’t level up to the expectations. And why were there such expectations in the first place? Were you in the wrong job?

The more questions you can answer honestly, the more deeply you will understand the situation and the more abled you will feel to take the next step. What type of job should you apply for? Is there a training program you can take to equip yourself, or was it simply a game of being there in the wrong place? Layoffs are often hard. If you had seen it coming, you would have done something to improve or consider the next steps.

But often, it’s a shock. And you are left with a sudden change of feeling. One day you are being awarded the best employee award, and the next day, you are being stripped of access and told to go.

It’s a tough time, and the road ahead will be even tougher. You can make the transition good by accepting reality, doing the self-reflection and taking steps to grow yourself.

Multiple Sources of Income

There is no way you can stop such things from happening. But you can make situations such that the trauma and tension are less. If you live in a joint family or have multiple breadwinners, then the tension is less. They will take care until you can find your footing again.

Or you can have multiple sources of income. It can be a side job, a freelancing thing or an investment. This way, you don’t go out of money because of layoffs. Saving and investing money are safe assets that give you security and strength in tough times.

The goal here isn’t to have different income sources that pay equally. It should be able to pay for the groceries and rent – the basic amenities. If you can find a part-time weekend job that pays for groceries and some of your rent – that’s ideal. Don’t send this income; save it up. And if some bad things happen in your primary job, you can use the savings and part-time job to be stable until you find your next full-time job.

You Have to rise

It may sound cheesy, but it’s the truth. You have to rise again. There is no other option. When you are at the lowest, the only way to go now is up. Keep the faith and try again. You will rise and get back to a comfortable position.

Sad, hurt and feeling low are all emotions. And it’s okay to get them. But it’s not okay to not move from it. Life’s about ups and down and then again up. You have to accept that you are low and hurt but then work to improve and get back to being all right. Be happy that you are growing and slowly getting things to a normal state. Don’t rush; take your time. Don’t compare. It’s alright to be slow. Define your happiness and be happy. Don’t wait for it. And don’t let others’ yardstick decide what makes you happy.

It’s scary when you get burned down, but then this is the time to get reborn from your ashes.