I've been laid off 5 times. The first one was devastating — but I wouldn't have reinvented myself without them.

Fri, 04/05/2024 - 05:00

An illustration of a businesswoman holding a briefcase in one hand and balloons in the other, floating in the sky. A large hand holding a pair of scissors looms above her, poised to snip the strings of her balloons. — Betty Wong Ortiz has experienced five layoffs in the span of eight years.
Andry Djumantara/Getty Images.

Betty Wong Ortiz has worked in media, startups, and tech.
She's been laid off five times — and has learned a lot along the way.
Ortiz said layoffs helped her to reinvent herself professionally, and she no longer fears them.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Betty Wong Ortiz, a 51-year-old content marketer, about her experience of being laid off several times during her career. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

My first layoff was devastating.