I was laid off by LinkedIn, so I spent 3 months writing a 112k-word novel. I don’t regret it, but now I’m struggling to find work.

• Oscar Cecena Fujigaki was laid off by LinkedIn in May.
• Rather than diving into the job hunt, he decided to finish the science fiction novel he’d spent years on.
• He’s now struggling to land a tech job, but he doesn’t regret taking time off to finish his book.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Oscar Cecena Fujigaki, a 47-year-old job seeker in Toronto who previously worked as a customer success manager at LinkedIn. Business Insider has verified Fujigaki’s income and employment with documentation. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Earlier this year, rumors started circulating among my LinkedIn colleagues that layoffs were coming.

One reason for the speculation was that in 2023, before the announcement of a major round of layoffs, the company canceled the in-person sales kickoff event — usually held in Las Vegas each July — and switched to a virtual format. So when we found out around March that this year’s kickoff was also being canceled, everybody was like, “Okay, it’s happening again.”

On May 13, around 10:30 a.m., I received an email stating that I had been laid off.

I was shocked to be affected. Based on our performance metrics, my understanding was that I was doing well. It was the first time I had ever been laid off, and I didn’t know how to process it. I felt angry, sad, and confused all at once.

After getting laid off, I decided to finish my science fiction novel

On May 22, I flew to Mexico — where I’m originally from — to attend my cousin’s wedding, which gave me time to reflect. After returning home a week later, I made a decision.

About five years ago, I came up with an idea for a science-fiction novel. I’d been writing it on and off for years, but progress had been very slow.

It had been nearly impossible to write consistently while working full-time. By the end of the day, I was usually too drained to think clearly. I’d typically write for 30 minutes once or twice on weekdays and get in a couple of hours on the weekend. At that pace, I knew I was never going to finish.

I thought, What if I took a couple of months off and focused entirely on finishing the book?

And I did. Starting around June 1, I began treating writing like a 9-to-5 job. I woke up early, made breakfast, and instead of logging into work, I opened my manuscript. My goal was to write 2,000 words a day.

When I started in June, I already had about 30,000 words written — but I rewrote a fair amount of it. My final manuscript, which I finished on August 11, came out to about 112,000 words.

My novel is in the cyberpunk subgenre, and the story is about an assassin who hits the wrong target, and everything spirals out of control from there. There’s still a long road ahead if I want to get it published, but finishing the manuscript was a huge personal achievement.

Landing a tech job in the current market has been very challenging

Financially, taking time off to write instead of job hunting wouldn’t have been possible without a few key things: my severance, unemployment insurance, an emergency savings fund, and the fact that my wife works. But I knew I’d eventually need to find a job.

While I was writing, I tried not to think too much about job hunting, but it was always at the back of my mind. If I hit my writing goal early in the day, I’d sometimes browse opportunities on LinkedIn. I applied for some roles and landed a few interviews.

At the time, I was applying for customer success jobs that were more senior than the role I’d just lost. Looking back, I think I was still feeling a bit bitter toward LinkedIn, and subconsciously I wanted to prove something — to land a better job than the one I’d just been laid off from, which had paid almost $160,000 CAD, or about $114,000 (USD).

In hindsight, that mindset wasn’t helpful. I was applying for roles that didn’t quite match my experience, which made it harder to land a job.

Now, I’m done with long shot roles. Over the past couple of months, I’ve cast a wider net. At this stage in my life, I’m focused on finding a job that I don’t hate, pays enough to live comfortably, and provides the flexibility to continue writing.

The tech job market has been really tough, though — both in the US and Canada. I recently heard the phrase, “When the US sneezes, Canada catches a cold,” and I think that’s happening right now. I’m one of the fortunate ones who can take a few months off to write and live out of my emergency fund, but I know most people can’t. For them, it may be the worst financial situation of their lives.

I’m hopeful about my future prospects

When it comes to my novel, it’s still early in the process, but my goal is to go the traditional publishing route rather than self-publishing. I sent the manuscript to the writing group I’ve been part of for years and am working on incorporating their feedback. I plan to complete the revised draft by mid-November and then begin searching for a literary agent.

And as I look for work, I’ve been trying to lean heavily on my network, reconnecting with former colleagues and reaching out to new contacts.

If I find a company I’m interested in, I send a LinkedIn message to people who work there, and sometimes it leads to a referral. Those referrals have been my best shot at landing interviews, and I’m hopeful that one will help me land a role in the months to come.

I have three pieces of advice for people who’ve been recently laid off

First, remember: It’s not about you or your performance. Your confidence will take a hit. You’ll ask yourself, “Why me?” — probably more than once. But layoffs are business decisions made by people who don’t even know your name or situation. Don’t take it personally.

Second, if you can afford to, take some time for yourself. Start a personal project, go on a trip, spend time with family — whatever matters to you. For me, it was finishing a novel I’d been working on sporadically for years.

Third, focus on the present. The past is gone. The future you’re stressing about will likely unfold differently than you imagine. Focus on what you can control today, whether that’s your project, applying for jobs, or networking. The present is all that really matters.