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The season after a layoff, mapped calmly.
Practical reference for the paperwork, the money, the story, and the nervous system. Written for people between jobs, and for people using AI at work who still have to defend the call. No hustle, no forced cheer, no email wall.
The first 48 hours after a layoff
Stillness before tooling. What actually needs to happen in the first two days · and the long list of things that genuinely can wait.
Negotiating severance, calmly
What's typically negotiable in a severance agreement, how review timelines usually work, and when it's worth consulting an employment attorney.
COBRA vs. marketplace coverage
How continuation coverage and marketplace special enrollment actually work after a job ends, and how to compare them without panic.
Filing for unemployment, without the dread
How unemployment insurance generally works, why you should file promptly, and what to expect from the process · state by state, it varies.
Runway math for a calm search
How to turn severance, savings, and monthly burn into one number you can trust · so money anxiety stops making your career decisions for you.
Explaining a layoff in interviews
Dignity-first scripts and reframes for the 'so what happened?' question · brief, honest, and pointed firmly at what comes next.
Rebuilding your skills with AI, at your pace
A practical, hype-free starting map for learning AI, code, and data during a career transition · small daily reps over heroic sprints.
Layoff grief, identity, and the nervous system
Why a layoff can feel like losing a person, why your body reacts the way it does, and what gentle recovery actually looks like.
LinkedIn, references, and owning your story
Announcing (or not announcing) a layoff, lining up references before you need them, and keeping narrative control through the transition.
Using AI at work without handing over the decision
A practical map for copilots, drafts, and agents at work: the stop, the check, and the call you can still defend.
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Prefer the argument to the checklist? Read Field Notes, our essays on the category itself.