If you look around at the people in 2024 acting all goofy and entitled, one would think 2001 and 2008 and 2020 didn’t happen. I was around that long and remember exactly what happened.

In 2001 after 9/11, I seen people making $350k lose it all – investments, homes, cars, spouses in a matter of months. In 2008 during the Great Recession, we seen people lose their McMansion, their jobs, and that six-months of savings didn’t save them, they had to take lower wage job just to survive. 2020 was artificial COVID-19 responses that were overreach – they basically shut business down where service workers lost their job immediately and office workers were told to work from home.

This is all 21st century since the beginning of 2000 – 25 years of this going on and we still got goofy folks on the Internet want to floss like they rich and chasing status and money and all these regular folks following nonsense online. You and I know these goofy cats following others online will be the first on those streets broke and crying and struggling to cope. Remember, people stay on stupid until life get stupid on them and then they start acting like life is not fair.

In 2024, we are seeing a new wave of layoffs and this was predicted. Many people are saying it is AI causing the job losses which is false. The technology that is laying people off is micro-services and virtualization because these are automated processes that can be managed by an outsourced entity.  But 2024 going to be really bad because of historical patterns.

The worst layoffs occurs during election years. What happens is companies tend to withhold layoffs to avoid creating political perspective and on the day after Election Day, November 6th, they just unleash the layoff monster and you hear about mass layoffs weeks before Thanksgiving. This happens every election year. Once one company announce big numbers, other companies follow suit quickly and the layoff waves, job freezes, offer retracted start escalating real fast.

There is a lot of young clowns on social media and YouTube with their “I got laid off” videos and many of them are fake because they got money and savings and well-off parents – most real cats out here are living paycheck-to-paycheck and don’t have next month rent. Also, these “analysts” who talk about career and what to do after a layoff are just around for clicks and views and sell content.

I have real-world experience on how to deal with downturns and keeping your head on a swivel. I want to admit one thing – I never was laid off in my career even though hundreds around me were laid off. I know what the real reason because I was talented and underpaid as a Black employee, that made me a low-cost, high-value asset.

Here is the strategy core on dealing with layoffs – you don’t wait for a layoff; you prepare right now to have continuity in your life first and foremost. Just like a business have a continuity plan to stay in business in case of a disaster or unforeseen event, you need one of those plans for your life. You need to start prepping and making you are in position to stay ahead of anything, including layoffs.

Here are the steps I have done and these steps come from the real-world based on my personal need to survive in the real world on my own and not be out broke in these streets.

Learn to read job listings. Always look at job listings and learn what they require and how much they pay. I said over and over that Jenkins/Cloudbees engineers make well into the six-figures, work remote, and the software is free to download. So, if cats didn’t listen to what I said and they get laid off, and they applying for gig economy jobs, don’t come around Dream and Hustle looking for a solution after the fact. Always look at high-paying jobs and their requirements and write down the skills and get the skills.

Keep a contact list of recruiters. Do you know how many recruiters I had in my contact list? I had 450 recruiters that I wrote constantly even when I was fully employed to look out for me or any new opportunities. I want to ask you right now, how many recruiters or headhunters you keep in touch with right now, even if you are currently employed? Yeah, thought so and you are not taking care of yourself and leaving your career to chance. When you see a job listing, there is always a contact of a real person – get them in your rolodex.

Save Money: Stop Dating and Socializing. I learned early on dating is a waste of time and money while I have a job. Trust me, as soon as you lose your job, they will disappear on you real fast and you will see how loyal those people are you wasted your money and time around. I’m not messing with any women that does not give me automatic real chick/wife vibes. Instead, stay at home and build up your savings and your skills. Trust me that you can do all that stupid casual sex stuff way in your 40s and 50s if your money and situation is right.

Save Money: Take your 401K Seriously. The best thing you can do on day one of any job is take advantage of the 401k and company matching.  Even if you have only $5,000 or $10,000 after the first few years, that money will be a lifesaver for you to use in an emergency if you need to. Don’t worry about the penalty – pay it and pay off the taxes as well, whatever leftover is good enough for you.

Save Money: Always Buy Stuff to Pawn. Every time you get paid, go to one pawn shop and see what is selling, buy it and stash it so when you need money, you take it to another pawn shop and get cash in an emergency. This helps you avoid desperate predatory loans such as payday loans and title loans. Make sure you keep the original box and receipt – I learned this technique in Tokyo when I realize how their pawn system work and Japanese chicks be selling off their Louis Vuitton bag they purchased just for that rainy day fund.  Purses, watches, cameras with original boxes, motorized tools are some of the best items to get nice pawn prices. Never try to sell gold/silver at a pawn shop, you will never get a good deal.

Prep: Get a Storage Unit. I will say this is the best thing that made me sleep better. I de-cluttered my place and moved all of the non-essential stuff into storage. I have slowly recycled the electronics, gave to Goodwill or Salvation Army, and sold stuff on eBay and put the money made into a side fund. The goal is to stay lean in your house and have only things to pack and move and stay on that mindset. Just keep only the necessary stuff and dump everything into storage, then begin the process of cleaning out the unneeded stuff.

Situated: Stay Near an Office Hub. This is where people mess up the most – you always stay near your job, not 30 miles out in some suburb. If you want to network, there are plenty of people that frequent the after-hour spots you can associate with and be cool with who work at office parks nearby or heard about a new opening. Also, your transportation cost is cheaper and, in some places, you can get away with biking or using a scooter.  If you lose your job and you 30 miles out in some place you have to fill up your gas tank or repair your car, hurting your budget, you will see why it was a mistake.

Here is the thing, you incorporate all of this into your life right now, not when the layoff wave hits. The problem I see over and over is people set themselves up to be at the mercy of their employer to tell them they no longer have a job. You focus on keeping yourself ready for whatever at all times.

You keep your head on a swivel at all time. The last thing you better be is shocked and surprised if you get laid off. Instead, you already have your stuff setup right and you know how to move next. Don’t ever put yourself in a position to be worried about getting fired, laid off, cancelled or whatever. Prep and build up your continuity plan right now and get it ready because there will be a massive layoff wave incoming the next day after the November 5th elections.