news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

according to "business insider", in early 2023, due to the uncertainty of the economic environment and the need for business restructuring, google conducted large-scale layoffs worldwide in order to improve efficiency and optimize resource allocation. lois kim, a 54-year-old asian woman, lost her job. after a 30-year career, she decided to take a year off to experience a different life.

"business insider" headline screenshot

this article was compiled from a conversation with kim kyung-sook, and business insider has verified her work status.

being laid off is like "breaking up with your boyfriend"

one day in january last year, i was awakened by an email informing me that i was one of the 12,000 people laid off by google.

i was shocked. because for the past 30 years, i have always thought that my job was very secure. the moment i saw the email, i was very angry at first, followed by disappointment and frustration. because five years ago, google gave me a position as global communications director. i moved from south korea to the san francisco bay area and lived a life away from home.

it felt like breaking up with my boyfriend on a cliffhanger, and i was the one who was "dumped." for a moment, i began to question myself, why was i the one who was laid off? have i lost value?

after my mood gradually calmed down, i began to think about a question: "i have worked in the workplace for 30 years, and this is enough. what else do i want to do?" so one day, i sat down and started to list some of the things i have been doing. the job i’ve wanted to do since. i listed about 10 jobs, such as a cashier at trader joe's, a ride-hailing driver, a bartender, a librarian, etc.

working three jobs at the same time, working 70 hours a week

writing this list re-energized me and i wanted to take action on it immediately. so, just 10 days after receiving my pink slip, i became a part-time employee at trader joe's.

the first day i started working at trader joe's, i was anxious. this anxiety was different from the anxiety of being laid off. i cared about what others would think of me because i was a former google executive.

in asian culture, people are very concerned about "face". i haven't yet accepted the huge gap in my job from high to low. but fortunately, i quickly adjusted my mentality!

after i got my first job, i signed up as a lyft driver and started driving within a few weeks. after that, i worked part-time as a barista at starbucks.

initially, i worked 20 hours a week at trader joe's, 15-20 hours a week at starbucks, and 15-20 hours a week at lyft, for a total of about 70 hours a week.

six months later, i was promoted to a department manager at trader joe's, and my working hours also increased.

working three jobs is not a financial consideration. this is difficult and unsustainable in the long term. the main reason i chose to do this was to challenge myself and learn to cope with and overcome the difficulties i faced.

this experience taught me a lot and gave me the opportunity to learn how to complete a job from scratch. one of the biggest gains it brought me was that it made me understand myself better and realized more clearly that i can what to do and how well you can do it. it also gave me a lot of confidence and allowed me to meet a lot of amazing people.

i have always considered myself to be a very efficient person at work. i used to think that i was proficient in everything. but it turns out i’m not a great barista. almost a year later, i quit my job at starbucks and was promoted to store manager at trader joe's.

get back on your feet

if you happen to be in the same situation as me, being fired after many years of career, then you might as well treat the next planning as a "project". it can be three months or half a year. there’s always a “project” to get you back on your feet! because it allows you to shift your focus and allow yourself to have a whole new experience.

additionally, i would also recommend that you continue to make new friends. often when people lose their jobs, they feel disconnected from the rest of the world. however, communication with old and new friends may bring you new opportunities.

what i'm proud of is that i learned almost 100 people's names in my first month at trader joe's, something i couldn't have done in my previous job.

to be honest, at first i just didn’t want to have a gap period after losing my job, so i wanted to find a way to keep myself busy. three months into my part-time job, i realized that not only was i enjoying the process, but i was also learning a lot, so i extended the “project” to a year.

now, i will record my personal experience this year and share it with you, hoping to help people who also feel "lost themselves" in the workplace and encourage them to calm down and then pick themselves up again!