A Mumbai-based frontend developer struggling after a layoff seeks help online, prompting users to share job advice, personal experiences and messages of hope
A Mumbai-based frontend developer has opened up about the emotional toll of losing his job at a startup, revealing how unemployment and fears surrounding a career gap have affected his confidence.
With around two years of professional experience, the techie said he was struggling to cope with the setback and had started viewing himself as a failure, prompting him to seek advice and support from Reddit users.
In a post that gained traction online, the developer revealed that his last working day was the previous day. He admitted that the uncertainty surrounding his professional future was becoming increasingly difficult to manage, particularly as he struggled to clear job interviews.
“Yesterday marked my last day. I’m already feeling suicid*l,” he wrote, explaining that he had worked as a frontend developer at a startup for two years before losing his job.
The developer also spoke about the emotional impact of being unemployed in his mid-20s, saying the gap in his career was affecting his confidence. Despite having attended five interviews during his job search, he felt disheartened after failing to clear two of them.
“I don’t know what to do ? The gap in my career is killing makes me feel like a failure,” he wrote.
Seeking assistance from the online community, the developer said he was open to opportunities in Mumbai and elsewhere for frontend developer positions. He mentioned having 2.2 years of experience and stated that his salary expectation was Rs 6 lakh per annum (LPA).
Laid-Off Developer Receives Encouragement From Reddit Users
The post prompted several users to share their own experiences of unemployment, layoffs and difficult job searches.
“Bro listen. I got fired from a startup on 25th September and I’m still unemployed. Don’t worry, it’s just bad phase for us. The best thing to do right now is to take a short break and regroup. Think about how you will upskill and make yourself better. And you’re not a failure, you’ve been hit with a wave and it’ll pass soon too!” said one user.
“Bro until death all defeat is psychological. Every single person who made on his own knows this. Keep grinding, applying and one day you would be glad to do so,” said another.
“Bro when I was laid off I had emis 1.7L in monthly emis and 40k in monthly expenses I am the breadwinner in my family as well that means my family had 0 income whatsoever. All I did was went into attack mode and gave every interview possible I planned the min salary I needed to survive and then applied to 1000s of companies and gave regular interviews.
There were times where I was interviewing for companies offering 60-70lpa and everything felt like I would clear the interviews but then I would fail in the final round for extremely weird reasons but that is life I didn’t stop and finally ended landing a job. If you want I can help you out by guiding you as well don’t lose hope and keep trying. Just a bit of advice keep convincing yourself that you can do it and you will do it,” said a third.
‘Job Is Just A Small Part Of Life’: Users Share Different Perspectives
While several users focused on finding employment, others encouraged the developer to reconsider how much importance he was placing on his professional identity.
“Is your life only valuable so long as you are a corporate slave? Enjoy this gap brother. Start truly living. I understand financial pressure can be massive but you need to sit down and re evaluate what life actually is. Your purpose in life isn’t to make websites,” said a fourth.
“Hi man job is just a small part of life don’t give up.I am also jobless and have been preparing for government IT roles.Do checkout your eligibility and apply,” said another.
“I had a gap of 8+ years. Had thousands of rejections at almost all stages for both private and public enterprises despite having a decent education and score. Some rejections were so bad/brutal that they literally broke me for years. Trust me you are doing really good. If its mental health issues that is affecting you, try NIMHANS. Do not quit trying under any circumstances. Best of Luck,” one user wrote.