First, I think this is a pretty clear sign from the universe that it's time to go get that other offer. If they are good people, it's okay to give extended not

First, I think this is a pretty clear sign from the universe that it's time to go get that other offer. If they are good people, it's okay to give extended notice of your desire to leave. A lot of places would love to have time to bring someone else up to speed and for you to wrap up what you're doing. It also means you have an easier time going to interviews and such and can use your current superiors as references. The only case where it is in their best interest to terminate you right away is if they are hemorrhaging and need to cut labor costs fast, but if that's the case your job isn't particularly safe as it is. I would suggest having a conversation with someone who would be a decision maker in such a scenario about long term vision to get a sense of how things would go down if you were to take this approach before taking the plunge. If you think they might act out of spite, wait until you have an offer. If your giving notice would have prevented a layoff, odds are they're just going to try and rehire that person so it would at worst result in a few weeks of stress. You're not a dick for quitting after a layoff, they're dicks for mismanaging a company to the point they need to lay people off and not being good at determining who to lay off.