#careerpivot

I didn’t want to have to start interviewing again, but the situation left me no choice. The thought of sending out resumes and preparing for interviews feels draining, but staying in a place that doesn’t value your work to this extent is even worse. I'll rather be uncomfortable then staying here longer than I have to.

I was laid off, and I don’t have regrets. I’d been bracing for this, the anxiety had been building for a while, so in some ways, it feels like a relief. I’m also grateful it gave me the push I needed to start looking elsewhere. I stayed at Oracle too long, became complacent, and lost sight of other possibilities. Staying in one place for too long isn’t great for self-confidence or professional growth, especially with how companies have been operating over the past decade. The job market is tough, but here’s hoping I prove I’m tougher.

Good luck to the rest of you, and don’t let yourself fall under the psychological pressure the corporate environment, and especially layoffs, can create. There are always other options, and other opportunities to prove to yourself that you’re good at what you do.

For those of you who are still with the company and are unhappy with the state of affairs, you need to start designing your exit plan. That may mean updating your resume, looking for new roles, hitting your network for opportunities and/or brushing up on new skills. Don't wait for senior leadership to tell you it's time, you control yours and the future for your family. Secondly, set a date. Once you have a set date of when you want to exit, whatever nonsense is happening will impact you less and you will be working towards something productive besides feeling unhappy about what senior leadership is doing and not doing. My last comment is about the topic of Toxic Leadership which has seem to come on to this board as a main point of concern. Toxic Leadership is always 100% a problem with the tone at the top. A top research in labor studies told me that these type of leaders learned, at a very young age, that if they did not have absolute control that they had no value. It is why the behaviors are so pronounced when they are in position to oversee others and to maintain it they surround themselves with yes men or those that will help create a work environment that normalizes the behavior. Remember, good people don't go around trying to destroy others.