Gen Xer who can't find job 2 years after layoff. Struggling to rebuild identity.

businessinsider.com

3 points·AbstractH24··4 comments

Suspect a lot more people will start saying this in the coming years. I already see signs of it my generation (mid-30s millennial)

On a related note, recently started a project outside of tech where I work with early-70s/late-60s man who just can't keep up with what is being asked of him because he's trying to do it without meaningfully using tech, let alone AI, and also happens to be pro-Trump and it's given me a much better understanding of why people in his cohort find Trump's message appealing.

It's going to be a slow burn for the working age population to realize your job is just a job and it isn't your identity, and for them to support politics enabling a comfortable life (living wage, universal healthcare, etc) regardless of job status.

> It's going to be a slow burn for the working age population to realize your job is just a job and it isn't your identity

This is the stage a lot of my millennials friends seem to be in.

What I struggle with is spending most of my waking hours doing something that isn't part of my identity. Particularly as half of a DINK couple.

Most work is meaningless and just to pay the bills. That is the necessary foundational realization. If you quit, are fired, or die, the req is going to go right out to replace you (or maybe not; they'll just give the work to those who are left). There is no meaning in it, find that elsewhere.

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