Mumbai, January 25: After layoffs, many of the affected individuals find it hard to land another job quickly, not because of lack of talent but due to many reasons, including a sudden dip in confidence and the high pressure of a competitive market. However, an Indian data engineer has recently gone viral after sharing a detailed roadmap of how they successfully navigated a sudden termination on December 15 to secure a new role with a 50% salary hike in just 30 days.

The professional, who had two years of experience, revealed that the layoff came without warning, initially causing a sense of panic. Working in a support-heavy role, the individual realised that their technical skills in core areas like Python, SQL, and AWS were not yet at a production-grade level. Instead of succumbing to the setback, the techie treated the period of unemployment as an intensive "upskilling" phase, dedicated to closing these knowledge gaps. Amazon Layoffs 2026: Andy Jassy-Run E-Commerce Giant To Cut Thousands of Jobs Next Week Global Layoff Target; AWS, Prime Video To Be Affected.

Viral Reddit Post of Laid Off Techie 

Reddit Post by General_Diamond3849 User (Photo Credits: Reddit)

Layoffs and Tech Job Search Strategy

The individual treated the job application process as a full-time professional commitment, applying to numerous companies daily without dwelling on individual rejections. According to the viral post, the key to gaining traction was the consistent management of digital presence. By regularly updating their profile on various job portals, the candidate remained visible to recruiters, which led to a steady stream of interview calls despite the challenging market conditions.

The techie noted that they had "barely touched" several tools required for modern data engineering roles before the layoff. To combat this, they completed a vast number of tutorials and online lectures for Python, PySpark, Kafka, and Airflow. While the initial interviews resulted in failures and rejected Online Assessments (OA), each instance was used as a diagnostic tool to identify and fix specific technical weaknesses.

Upskilling During Career Transitions

The recovery process involved a shift in mindset, moving from survival to growth. The engineer admitted that much of what they discussed during successful interviews was learned in the weeks following the pink slip. By being transparent about their learning journey and demonstrating a quick ability to grasp new technologies, the candidate was able to convince employers of their potential, eventually securing an offer that was a significant step up from their previous position. Layoffs Due to AI: Artificial Intelligence Impacting Global Labour Market ‘Like a Tsunami’ Amid Mounting Job Loss Fears in Employees in 2026.

This success story comes at a time when the global tech sector continues to face fluctuations and workforce reductions. The narrative has resonated with thousands of professionals online, serving as a reminder that the period following a layoff can be transformed into a productive learning chapter. The individual concluded that while layoffs can damage one's confidence, consistent effort and a structured approach to addressing skill gaps can lead to outcomes that exceed original expectations.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 25, 2026 09:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).