A IT professional with over 25 years of experience recently shared his experience of being laid off in his late 40s on Reddit, sparking discussions about career longevity and work-life balance in the tech industry. The individual, who has worked across multiple continents including the US, Canada, UK, Switzerland, and other parts of Europe, detailed his extensive career journey spanning support, business analysis, enterprise architecture, and leadership roles.
Navigating Corporate Transformations
“My recent layoff wasn’t unexpected—more anticlimactic given the writing had been on the wall for months. My manager, the Regional VP, and I were let go together,” he wrote. The Redditor explained that survival in large organizations often depends on navigating both technical and organizational transformations. Over the past 5.5 years, he had experienced four major internal transformations, each altering reporting lines, teams, and stakeholders.
He added, “Every new CIO, CFO, or CxO wanted to leave their mark, and ‘organizational transformation’ inevitably affected headcount. It was only a matter of time before I was next.” Despite the layoff, he noted that his severance package included a few months of “garden leave,” gratuity, and outplacement support.
Reflections and Next Steps
The IT veteran also discussed his approach to life after the layoff, focusing on financial prudence and personal projects. “The timing of this layoff is somewhat fortunate. It has given me the opportunity to untangle a long-standing Gordian knot: unlocking the documentation around a parcel of land my father bought years ago that has been stuck in bureaucratic red tape,” he wrote.
Other pursuits include mentoring professionals on work-life balance, consulting on organizational transformations, and exploring AI technologies. He emphasized the importance of separating AI hype from reality: “While some concerns about AI impacting jobs are valid, it’s important to separate hype from reality.”
The post concluded with advice for both mid-career and early-career professionals: “For those in their 40s looking to switch jobs, it’s not impossible if you dig into your network and hustle smartly. For those just starting out, think of an IT career as a long marathon—pace yourself rather than treating it as a short sprint.”