GoKawiilPersonal essay: tech worker describes job loss and autoimmune flare-up
The author recounts being laid off from a tech job on 18 August during a company restructuring, after being called into an unexpected 1:1 meeting and given until lunch to say goodbyes. Still in a probation period, they received two weeks of paid leave before becoming unemployed for the first time in about ten years. Soon after, they fell ill with suspected Covid, which triggered a pre-existing autoimmune condition, leading to weeks of exhaustion before cortisone treatment brought relief.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The account offers a personal window into how sudden job loss and health crises can compound each other, a combination likely familiar to many workers amid ongoing tech-sector layoffs. It also illustrates, through one individual's experience, how illness can interact with chronic autoimmune conditions and complicate recovery and job-seeking at the same time.
- Author was laid off on 18 August during company restructuring while still in probation.
- Paid leave lasted two weeks before unemployment began for the first time in roughly a decade.
- A suspected Covid infection triggered an autoimmune flare, relieved only after starting cortisone treatment.
Source: tilschuenemann.de — Til Schünemann, 2026-10-23
Published there as: “Job Loss and Cortisone Mania”
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