I was laid off 1.5 years ago and still can't find a full-time job. I feel like I'm working harder than ever, yet making less than I did before.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Alex English, a 38-year-old marketing and communications professional who has been unemployed for over a year and a half, based in Tampa. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I've been unemployed for a year and a half. Before being laid off, I lived in LA and worked in marketing and communications at a startup. I was making around $125,000 and still felt poor.

After five years at my last job, I was handed a layoff like it was nothing. I moved back to where I grew up in Tampa, Florida, because I didn't have the savings to sustain myself in LA.

I've relentlessly networked to find a full-time job, taken on freelance projects, and worked in retail. I feel like I'm working harder than I ever have and yet making significantly less money than I did before. My friends who aren't dealing with long-term unemployment don't see my crisis as a crisis. That can be really hard, but I've worked on removing the emotional intensity from the situation.

I was a little bit relieved after my layoff happened

I hadn't been happy at work for a while. I was well paid, and the company was successful, but it didn't feel like we were improving anyone's life or solving any real problems. It all started to feel like, What am I doing? Where's the value here?

In my 20s and 30s, I never really believed in my own capabilities, so I never saw that job as a stepping stone to a better role or company. It was comfortable, predictable, and seemingly quite stable.

I've never been good at saving money, so after getting laid off, I was most worried about my finances, but I had a false sense of security, getting unemployment and three months of severance. At the time, I was burned out and not very interested in immediately hitting the ground running to find my next role.

When my financial situation became an emergency, I moved back to Florida

I was always spending almost everything I made and never had an ingrained ethos of saving for a rainy day or investing. Going out to eat and shopping ate into my savings.

I got laid off at the end of June, and by September, I was freaking out.

By early 2025, my financial situation had become an emergency. I was getting some interviews and working with a recruiter, but the job market felt pretty locked up. My lease in LA was up in May, and I decided I could stay until it ended, but then I'd go back to Tampa.

I made all the plans to come home and live with family, figuring out how to move and ship my car, and bring my two cats. It was just a lot of stress, but I needed to do it.

The job search has been tough in Florida, but I'm happier here

It's been hard finding a job in Tampa. I've been reintroducing myself to people and trying to get ingrained in the ecosystem. It's changed and grown up without me. The job market here feels like it's a lot about who you know and having people vouch for you.

I'm happier here even though I'm still trying to find my next opportunity. I loved visiting big cities growing up, but leaving LA, I realized I wasn't hungry enough or career-oriented enough to compete there.

I just didn't feel like I had the energy or the stamina to stay in LA, stick it out, and fight to climb over people to get somewhere. The pressures of the cost of living and just getting attention in a crowded market were too much. I have all these supporters here in Tampa with my family and friends. LA is a beautiful place, but it can be very lonely. I honestly felt like I couldn't deal with that anymore.

I'm still optimistic about my future

I think we are often so fixated on a steady ascent in our lives, with things always moving in an upward, positive direction. When it all comes crashing down, it feels like a personal failing. I've had to focus on what's been good in my life, even if it's not a fantastic, sparkling career. I have a good family, good friends, and my health.

If I found a job that paid $65,000, was something I'd enjoy doing, and felt meaningful, I'd probably be like, "Praise the Lord."

I've been forcing myself to write down things that I'm grateful for and absorb content, whether it's podcasts or other things that help me feel better and less alone. I take these steps, instead of living on Instagram and looking at what everybody else is doing.

I've also worked on realizing that these things do happen to people, and that it's not the end of the world. Overcoming a layoff might require rethinking some of your assumptions or how you're going to progress in your career.

Do you have a story to share about long-term unemployment? Contact this reporter, Agnes Applegate, at [email protected].