This is an important perspective to take. Getting laid off, for someone unfamiliar or unprepared, can be very scary. But I can honestly say that every time I've

This is an important perspective to take. Getting laid off, for someone unfamiliar or unprepared, can be very scary. But I can honestly say that every time I've been laid off (4 times thus far...mostly back in the .com days when smaller companies either imploded or started trending that direction) has been beneficial to my career. The first few layoffs I was young and needed experience. Getting to experience as many different work environments and perspectives of senior engineers was hugely valuable. I saw both how to do things right and wrong and it helped me get to a senior level, both in ability and through getting pay bumps after each move. My most recent layoff was hard personally, because I was leaving an amazing group of coworkers that I still consider friends. But it took me about a month to find another job, which ended up being a company that almost immediately got acquired. Beyond being pretty lucrative for me, the relationship with the CEO of that company has led to him now investing/advising my new startup. It's natural that we panic a bit when circumstance takes the reins and starts to direct our lives. Being in control is just so much more comfortable. But when we learn to take a step back and see the full situation, layoffs can be a really good thing for a lot of people. Ideally, we'd all like to work at hugely successful companies. Having to look for a new job may not be ideal, but the worse situation is continuing to work at a company with limited prospects for success. Being in the group that's laid off first stings a bit, but it's usually better than being one of the the ones that's retained.