• I was laid off from my first real job out of college. The owner laid off about 30% of the staff and did not consult managers in the decision, so it was not really merit based, basically bad luck.

    I stayed positive and got a new job in less than 3 months. It had no benefits, but paid better. I was replacing a woman who really needed benefits and thats why she wanted to leave. After 2 months or so, she couldnt find anything and asked for her job back. So I once again got fired for no fault of my own.

    That hit me hard and I was unemployed and horribly depressed for 6 months.

    I survived that time with amazing support from my girlfriend. We burned through my savings then most of hers. She stuck with me through it all. I finally got a very low level job in state government.

    It turned out to be a great change. Better insurance allowed me to get medicated for ADHD and shots for my allergies. I got promoted over and over. I’m doing great now, but it would have been the end of me if not for my girlfriend, who is obviously my wife now.