I was laid off by Microsoft and can't find a job. I'm weeks away from giving up my apartment and moving across the country to live with family.

Mihaela Chircă

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ian Carter, a 33-year-old job seeker in Redmond, Washington, who previously worked as a technical program manager at Microsoft . It has been edited for length and clarity. On May 13, I was getting lunch at a Panera Bread when I just happened to check my email. When I read it, it felt like a gut punch. I'd been laid off from my Microsoft job . My mind started racing. Could I have done something different? Could I have been better? However, I