In 2025, unemployment! It is no longer someone else's issue.
Once upon a time, seeing people in my social circle who 'quit their jobs' always made me think they were the confident ones. Daring to cut off their income stream to pursue an ideal was once a symbol of courage and freedom.
But I don't know when it started that 'leaving the company' is no longer an individual choice for a few, but has become a common fate for many. Unemployment is transitioning from a state that people feel ashamed to speak of into an increasingly common reality of this era.
It’s not just you who has a problem; the whole era has changed its rhythm.
While scrolling on my phone, the updates about 'friends quitting their jobs' always inadvertently catch my eye; during gatherings, as the topic flows, suddenly someone quietly says: 'I've been unemployed at home recently.'
Unemployment no longer signifies failure but feels like being passively caught in a structural transformation. It’s not just you being eliminated; the professional ecosystem we rely on is being constantly rewritten by technology and cost logic.
In the past, you could plan your life based on 'stability', but now stability itself has become a scarce resource.
Technology evolves rapidly, but people have not learned how to cope.
AI customer service, automated design, low-code platforms... You once thought the experience you accumulated over the years was solid enough, but you didn’t expect that a single technological iteration could turn you from a 'key employee' into 'cost redundancy.'
What is most terrifying is not the lack of job opportunities, but suddenly realizing: I don’t know where to go next.
Life used to be organized and rhythmic, with meetings, reports, and KPIs. You knew where to go every morning and what time you could go home at night. But once you are detached from that system, life becomes hollow and boundless.
Like a weightless astronaut, floating in the vacuum of reality.
Freedom is not a lifeline; it's a sunk cost.
Some people have started to try 'freelancing': taking on contracts, becoming self-media creators, driving for ride-hailing services. It seems flexible and unrestrained, but in reality, they are constantly anxious and making mistakes every day.
The price of freedom is not time freedom, but you have to be responsible for everything yourself: creativity must be generated by you, rhythm must be managed by you, income must be created by you, emotions must be digested by you.
A friend who used to work as a brand manager at a top internet company transitioned to short videos after being laid off. For the first few months, he had almost no income, cutting videos and doing live streams every day, barely getting by on borrowed money during the toughest times. Until the fourth month, he had a viral post that slowly opened up opportunities. He said:
The stability of the past was a roof built by others for me. Now that I'm on my own, I have to learn to build houses and shield myself from the storm.
The difficulty of finding a job is not just about finding a 'job'.
Many people think the most terrifying part of unemployment is 'being broke.' But what truly torments people is the lack of direction.
When you are in your thirties, holding a pile of past experiences, yet discovering that the market cares more about whether you can 'sell products', 'lead teams', or 'drive conversions,' that kind of gap is palpable.
You were once a standout in a certain industry, but once you leave that stage, your identity becomes suddenly vague. At this point, you will realize—work is no longer just a means of survival; it is an anchor for many against uncertainty, providing a sense of order.
Without this anchor point, even what time you wake up every morning becomes meaningless.
The so-called 'starting over' is not about returning to the starting point but finding a new track.
Today's job market no longer looks at how long you have been qualified but whether you have the ability to 'solve problems.' It's not about how long you have worked at a company, but whether you can create five times the results for a company today.
True security does not come from how long the platform has built a roof over you, but from whether you have an awareness of building your own capability system.
Peter Drucker said: 'The only stable competitive advantage in the future is the ability to continue learning.'
You are not meant to beat everyone; you are meant to continuously evolve into a more resilient self.
Written at the end:
Our generation is at a turning point: stability is unattainable, and uncertainty has become the norm. Unemployment is no longer a shameful defeat but a node that we may encounter repeatedly.
Do not be ashamed to say 'I am unemployed,' nor should you fear saying 'I am confused.'
You are not alone in this. We are all readjusting to the rhythm of this era, trying as we go, making mistakes and adjusting, feeling anxious while also growing.
You may be temporarily trapped in the eye of the storm, but as long as you keep moving, there is a possibility to get out.
Not everyone can turn things around, but everyone can gather energy in their lows, waiting for the next breakthrough.
May you reshape order amidst change, retain passion in loss, and find your own direction through trial and error.