Can losing a job be an opportunity? I don’t want to sugarcoat or give a feel-good answer. But let me share a few experiences.
When I was running my last startup, the first Covid lockdown forced us to shut shop. Within a week, we had no business, no revenue, nothing.
Having nothing to do, we were forced to ask — ‘Does our product have a good product-market fit? Should we wait till Covid got over?’
The answer was ‘no.’
In fact, this answer was staring at us all along but it was Covid that forced us to acknowledge it.
Since I was now practically jobless, I started reading books on various topics (e.g., discipline, psychology, focus) and from that, came out my current startup, HabitStrong.
Even today, almost all our progress comes from setbacks and challenges.
So two things are clear:
1. When you are constantly chasing things, you have no time to think whether you should even be in that chase. And if not, what path should you seek next?
Without the burden of a job, this might be a good opportunity to reflect on it.
2. If you want to change the direction of your career, you might need a sabbatical, be it to learn a new skill or re-orient your mind.
If you lost a job, this is your sabbatical.
Losing a job is painful — I don’t want to play it down. I wouldn’t wish a job loss on anyone. But if you are in that spot, don’t fall prey to idleness and despair — you have work lined up.
Not having a job is not that different from being between jobs. The only thing you need to figure out is what the next one will be. For that, this is as good a time as any.
– Rajan