‘Been out of work for 7 months’: Jobless product manager asks how many are in the same boat, Reddit’s answer is sobering
A post on Reddit’s r/jobs from a product manager in telecoms who has been unemployed for seven months and is starting to question whether his entire career path still has a future has drawn responses that paint a grim picture. The original poster described the job market as “beyond abysmal” but qualifies it immediately: “I’m just one dude. How many of you are experiencing this?”
One commenter had been in the same situation for two years before landing something last month. Several others were currently living the original poster’s situation, and the detail in their responses made the thread feel like some sort of a roll call.
A 40-year-old who had worked continuously since the age of 15 described unemployment benefits running out and the shock of finding that a strong resume was not the asset they had assumed it would be. “I thought it’d be so easy to find something with my resume. WRONG.”
A 42-year-old in Texas had been searching since late April and described the state’s unemployment system as inadequate for the situation they were in.
A 43-year-old laid off for the first time in February had been applying and interviewing since March. “I’m exhausted,” they wrote, succinctly describing the weight they carried for months.
One commenter offered an assessment of the current market’s status: “That’s how bad the market is today. Unless you have an extremely niche skill set that’s in demand or know higher-ups in companies that can get you in, I wouldn’t bank on it being easy to find anything.”
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For the original poster specifically, the question of whether to reset his product management and telecoms career is one the thread does not directly answer. But the pattern in the responses suggests that the difficulty he is experiencing isn’t just because of his field or his credentials, but it is also a function of a market that is producing this outcome for experienced workers across industries.
Read also: 'You can always ask for help': Reddit names the management trap hiding in plain sight