I lost my job a few times early on in my design career. In the process of getting back up after a job loss, it has made me a better designer not only in terms of hard skills but the soft skills required to be more resilient and empathetic, which is important to me for my career in UX/UI Design.

在設計生涯的初期，我幾次失業。 在失業之后恢復工作的過程中，這不僅使我成為一名更好的設計師，不僅在硬技能方面，而且在韌性和同情心方面需要的軟技能，這對我在UX / UI中的職業至關重要設計。

I find that not many my age, 1–2 years out of university, went through this kind of traumatic experience. Those who do go through it never want to talk about it. As much as we publicise success and achievements, I think it’s equally important to write about overcoming setbacks as success always comes with obstacles. I believe this is relevant especially during this time of economical uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and plenty of people losing their jobs.

我發現，我大學畢業的1至2歲年齡段經歷過這種創傷經歷的人并不多。 那些經歷過它的人永遠不想談論它。 在宣傳成功和成就的過程中，我認為撰寫克服挫折同樣重要，因為成功總是伴隨著障礙。 我認為這是特別重要的，因為COVID-19大流行和許多人失業導致經濟不確定。

Depending on your circumstances, losing your job and stability can be scary. My intention of this article is to show the positive sides on the situation and turning a setback into an opportunity.

根據您的情況，失去工作和穩定可能會令人恐懼。 我的這篇文章的目的是向形勢表明積極的一面，并將挫折變成機會。

Disclaimer: I am writing this article from my perspective and experience. I define “losing your job” as getting dismissed by a company regardless of your work performance and ability.

免責聲明：我是從我的觀點和經驗寫這篇文章的。 我將“失去工作”定義為被公司解雇的原因，無論您的工作表現和能力如何。

了解企業就是企業 (Learning that business is business)

It’s easy to be angry or upset at the company for their decision to let you go especially if you’ve made a massive contribution to the company. However, the hard reality is that a company is a business and their purpose is to generate revenue to keep them running at the end of the day.

他們決定讓您離開公司很容易生氣或不高興，特別是如果您對公司做出了巨大的貢獻。 但是，現實是公司是一家企業，其目的是產生收入以使它們在一天結束時保持運轉。

Friedman concludes that “there is one and only one social responsibility of business — to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits.

弗里德曼總結說：“ 企業只有一種社會責任 ，即利用企業的資源并從事旨在增加其利潤的活動。

If the company is facing financial issues, they would have to revaluate and action on things to keep the business afloat. Unfortunately, one of the options for the business to take it to cut people from the payroll.

如果公司面臨財務問題，他們將不得不重新評估并采取行動以保持業務的持續發展。 不幸的是，企業選擇它來削減薪水的人之一。

Consider a different perspective. In truth, redundancy effects existing employees as well. There will be a decrease in team morale and they will fear if they’re next in line to be made redundant. In addition, if the decision-makers were genuine about investing in their employees before the redundancy occurred, making a decision would be a hard process for them too.

考慮不同的觀點。 實際上，裁員也會影響現有員工。 團隊士氣會下降，他們會擔心自己是否排在下一個被裁員的位置。 此外，如果決策者在裁員之前真的對員工進行投資，那么對他們而言，做出決定也是一個艱難的過程。

The consideration of a different perspective is definitely easier said than done. When my redundancy occurred, it took a hit to my self-esteem and I find myself questing my worth in what I do. However, redundancy doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re bad at your job or that you're not good enough. Depending on the situation, it is often about the business. Unfortunately, there are factors that are occasionally out of your control. Best to get up and move on. Trust me, from my experience, it is not healthy for you to hold on to any ill feelings or thought that arises from the redundancy.

說一個不同的觀點絕對說起來容易做起來難。 當我裁員時，我的自尊心受到打擊，我發現自己在做自己的事情時追求自己的價值。 但是，冗余并不一定意味著您在工作上很糟糕或不夠出色。 根據情況，通常與業務有關。 不幸的是，有些因素有時會失控。 最好起床并繼續前進。 相信我，根據我的經驗，您會因冗余而保持任何不良感覺或思想，這是不健康的。

In the case where you redundancy was poorly handled due to poor communication, dodgy tactics or not given enough time to leave, see it as a blessing in disguise that you dodged a bullet for working at an unethical company and saved from a future headache.

如果您由于溝通不暢，策略不明智或沒有足夠的時間離開而無法很好地處理冗余，則可以將您視為躲避在不道德的公司工作的一顆子彈并免于日后頭疼的掩飾，這是一種祝福。

重定向到我真正熱愛的工作 (A redirection to do work I’m actually passionate about)

According to research run by Deloitte Insights, 64% of the workforce are not passionate nor engaged in their work. Statistically, this could be you. I saw redundancy as a kick in the butt and a way to redirect myself to go towards something I truly want which my previous job couldn’t give me. From my experience, this could be an opportunity for you to also go on to do something you’ve always wanted to try or a new field of design to go into. This could also be an opportunity to start “future-proofing” your design skills and see where the industry is heading towards.

根據Deloitte Insights進行的研究 ，64％的員工不熱衷，也不從事工作。 從統計上講，這可能是您。 我認為冗余是踢屁股的一種方式，并且是使自己重定向到我真正想要的東西的一種方法，而以前的工作無法給我帶來幫助。 根據我的經驗，這可能會為您提供一個機會，讓您繼續做自己一直想嘗試的事情或進入新的設計領域。 這也可能是一個機會，可以使您的設計技能“面向未來”并了解行業的發展方向。

Some positive quotes to provide a new perspective:

一些積極的報價提供了新的視角：

• Redundancy is like a new lease of life.
  冗余就像新生的生命。
• Redundancy is a lifeline from the universe to go do something you actually like.
  冗余是從宇宙中去做您真正喜歡的事情的生命線。
• Old ways don’t open new doors.
  舊的方法不會打開新的大門。

對我放置身份的評估 (An evaluation of where I place my identity)

Being young and new to the workforce, my career takes first priority because I believe that it will form a strong foundation for my career progression. Because of that, I would prioritise work and place my identity in the quality of design work I produce, believing that there will be a reward at the end of the tunnel. But what happens after giving your all in a job that chooses to let you go? A huge disappointment and a sense of displacement.

我的職業生涯年輕而又年輕，因為我相信這將為我的職業發展奠定堅實的基礎，因此我的職業是當務之急。 因此，我會優先考慮工作，并將自己的身份放在我制作的設計工作的質量中，因為我相信在隧道盡頭會有回報。 但是在全力以赴地選擇讓您離開之后，會發生什么呢？ 巨大的失望和流離失所的感覺。

Over the years, I learned not to place my identity and sense of worth in my 9 to 5 job, but rather in my life mission and purpose.

多年以來，我學會了不要將自己的身份和價值觀念放在9到5份工作中，而要放在我的人生使命和目標中。

In Mark Mason’s book of ‘Everything is F*cked’, he mentioned that the more you place values on things, the more you’re afraid of losing them and thus being unhappy and anxious most of the time. However, attach yourself to your character and own life because that will always be yours no matter what.

在馬克·梅森(Mark Mason)的著作《一切都糟透了》中，他提到，對事物的重視程度越高，就越害怕失去價值，從而在大多數時候不快樂和焦慮。 但是，請始終堅持自己的性格和生活，因為無論如何，這永遠都是你的。

相信美好的事情發生在您的舒適區之外 (Believing that good things happen outside your comfort zone)

Being unemployed is outside everyone’s comfort zone, but why is being outside your comfort zone a good thing? It can force you to think out of the box for new and innovative solutions rather than using conventional ones.

失業在每個人的舒適區之外，但是為什么不在舒適區是件好事呢？ 它可能會迫使您跳出框框思考新的創新解決方案，而不是使用傳統的解決方案。

This could be beneficial especially for creatives to think outside the box and coming up with new ways to solve the problem, adapt or develop yourself. If you don’t take risks and challenge yourself, you’ll find yourself playing it safe most of the time and not reach your full potential.

這可能對創意者特別有益，他們可以跳出思路，提出解決問題，適應或發展自己的新方法。 如果您不冒險并挑戰自己，那么您會發現自己在大多數時間都在安全地玩游戲，而無法充分發揮自己的潛力。

Design is also a powerful tool to evoke emotions, solve a problem and communicate a message, often drawn from personal experiences. Being outside of your comfort zone might help you emphasise with your audience better and help push you to experiment with new ways of design.

設計還是一種激發情感，解決問題和傳達信息的強大工具，通常是根據個人經驗得出的。 在舒適區之外可能會幫助您更好地向聽眾強調，并幫助您嘗試新的設計方式。

“Sometimes it is good to be in uncomfortable situations because it is in finding our way out of such difficulties that we learn valuable lessons.” Idowu Koyenikan

“有時候處于不舒服的狀況是件好事，因為這是在擺脫困境的過程中我們學到了寶貴的經驗。” 伊多烏·科耶尼坎

采取可行的步驟 (Actionable steps to take)

If you’re experiencing a job loss, here are some ideas on actionable steps to get back up again.

如果您正在失業，這里有一些可行的步驟可幫助您重新恢復工作的想法。

1.安排時間表 (1. Keeping a schedule)

I forced myself to continue my days as if I was still working full time — waking up in the morning and relaxing in the evening. I worked on job applications or attended interviews during the day and take the rest of the evening off binging shows and doing things to relax. I do this so that I feel I still have my life in order, reducing my level of stress so that I can stop worrying about my next job. It is so tempting to wake up late but one plus point of waking up early is you’ll feel happier too! According to Healthline, exposure to sunlight is thought to increase the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is associated with boosting mood and helping a person feel calm and focused.

我強迫自己繼續工作，仿佛我仍在全職工作-早上醒來，晚上放松。 白天，我從事求職工作或參加面試，而其余時間則不參加必應表演和做些放松的事情。 我這樣做是為了讓我感到自己的生活仍然井井有條，減輕了壓力，使我不再為下一份工作擔心。 這么晚醒來很誘人，但是早起的一個多點是，您也會感到更加幸福！ 根據Healthline的說法，暴露在陽光下會增加大腦釋放的一種稱為5-羥色胺的激素。 5-羥色胺與改善情緒，幫助人感到鎮定和專注有關。

2.有機會探索您真正想做的事 (2. A chance to explore what you really want to do)

Free time is a luxury when you are a working adult and a break don’t come often. With the free time you have, you can take the time to explore things you never had time to do while you were working. Who knows? You might find something you’re passionate about from taking a different path than your previous job.

在工作的成年人中，空閑時間是一種奢侈，而休息時間很少出現。 有了空閑時間，您就可以花時間探索工作中從未有過的事情。 誰知道？ 您可能會從與以前的工作不同的途徑中找到自己感興趣的東西。

Some ideas to explore:

一些想法探索：

• Take up a short online course to complement your existing skills like Coursera and EdX.

  參加簡短的在線課程以補充您現有的技能，例如Coursera和EdX 。

• Start on that personal design project you’ve always wanted to do or explore!
  從您一直想做或探索的個人設計項目開始！

• Learn a new skill from Youtube. (eg. crafts, lettering, coding, a different area of design etc.)

  從Youtube學習一項新技能。 (例如Craft.io品，刻字，編碼，不同的設計領域等)

• Read books that you’ve always wanted to read.
  閱讀您一直想閱讀的書。
• Try a new workout routine or exercise.
  嘗試新的鍛煉程序或鍛煉。

Be open and you’ll never know where these random skills might take you in the future! During my redundancy period, I dabbled in 3D modelling and ended up doing a commission for my dream client. This is the time to try, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain if it succeeds!

開放，您永遠不會知道這些隨機技能將來會帶您到哪里去！ 在冗余期間，我涉足3D建模并最終為夢想中的客戶做委托。 現在是時候嘗試了，如果成功了，您將不會失去任何東西，也將收獲一切！

Turning my negative experience into an opportunity, I designed a series of quotes that helped me change my outlook on the situation.

將負面的經歷轉化為機會，我設計了一系列引文，幫助我改變了對形勢的看法。

It is okay if you don’t feel like being productive or doing anything at all, take this time to rest from a challenging experience. Look forward to a bright future ahead rather than a bleak past.

如果您不想要生產力或做任何事情，也可以，請花點時間從充滿挑戰的經歷中休息。 期待著光明的未來，而不是黯淡的過去。

3.不要害怕變得脆弱 (3. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable)

I was embarrassed to tell people I lost my job because of my pride. Especially coming from an Asian culture, being unemployed or having no job security is frowned upon. Slowly, I realised that redundancy is something pretty common but people don’t talk about it often enough. Thus, when others go through it, they don’t know where to get support from. It’ll be good to lean on your support group to go through this challenging time.

我很尷尬地告訴人們我因為驕傲而失業。 尤其是來自亞洲文化，失業或沒有工作保障的人對此感到厭倦。 慢慢地，我意識到冗余是很普遍的事情，但是人們對此的討論并不多。 因此，當其他人經歷時，他們不知道從哪里獲得支持。 依靠您的支持小組來度過這個充滿挑戰的時光是很好的。

Vulnerability is not about winning or losing. It’s having the courage to show up even when you can’t control the outcome.Brené Brown

脆弱性不是贏或輸。 即使您無法控制結果，它也有勇氣出現。 布蘭妮·布朗(BrenéBrown)

Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 situation, many people have lost their jobs but some found the courage to post on social media platforms, such as Linkedin, asking for help. In the end, due to their plea, most of them managed secured a job despite the tough environment. We often dislike talking about our weaknesses but it could be very relatable to a majority of people and, for the majority of the time, people are always willing to help others when they are at their lowest.

不幸的是，由于COVID-19的情況，許多人失去了工作，但有些人發現有勇氣在Linkedin等社交媒體平臺上發帖尋求幫助。 最后，盡管環境艱難，但由于他們的請求，他們中的大多數人還是設法找到了工作。 我們經常不喜歡談論自己的弱點，但這可能與大多數人非常相關，而且在大多數情況下，人們總是愿意在處于最低點時幫助他人。

4.積極主動，不被動 (4. Be proactive, not reactive)

This was inspired by the book, ‘7 Habits of Highly Efficient People’ by Stephan R. Covey. In the first habit, he talked about proactive people being able to recognise their ability to choose their response and not blame circumstances for their behaviours. Reactive people, on the other hand, are affected by their physical environment and build their emotions based on the behaviours of others. I think the quote below sums up why we need to be proactive instead of reactive:

這是受到斯蒂芬·R·科維(Stephan R. Covey)的著作《高效率人士的七個習慣》的啟發。 在第一個習慣中，他談到了積極進取的人能夠認識到自己選擇React的能力，而不是為自己的行為而怪罪環境。 另一方面，React靈敏的人會受到其周圍環境的影響，并會根據他人的行為來建立自己的情感。 我認為以下引言總結了為什么我們需要主動而不是被動：

It’s not what happens to us, but our response to what happens to us that hurts us. Most of our difficult experiences become the crucibles that forge our character and develop the internal powers, the freedom to handle difficult circumstances in the future and to inspired others to do so as well.Stephan R. Covey

這不是我們發生的事情，而是我們對我們發生的事情的React傷害了我們。 我們大多數艱難的經歷變成了塑造我們的性格和發展內在力量的坩堝，這些自由是將來處理困難情況的自由，也可以激勵他人也這樣做。 斯蒂芬·科維

現在會發生什么？ (What happens now?)

I can’t promise you that life will be sunshine and rainbows after going through a challenging experience but the next time it happens (if it does), you are equipped with the knowledge and resilience to overcome it as you did before. There will always be setbacks in life but hey, life is learning how to dance in the rain.

我無法保證您在經歷了具有挑戰性的經歷后，生活將是陽光和彩虹，但是在下一次發生時(如果確實如此)，您將具備與以前一樣克服挑戰的知識和韌性。 生活中總會有挫折，但是嘿，生活正在學習如何在雨中跳舞。

放眼大局 (Looking at the big picture)

This will be a little setback in your long and rich story. This is where the importance of resilience comes in, to be able to pick yourself up and have the willpower to continue. Resilience could help you in other aspects of life too such as starting a business, accepting failure, saving a relationship or having the courage to do what makes you happy.

在您漫長而豐富的故事中，這將是一個小小的挫折。 這就是恢復能力的重要性所在，它可以使自己振作起來并有繼續前進的意志力。 韌性還可以在生活的其他方面為您提供幫助，例如開辦企業，接受失敗，保存一段關系或有勇氣去做使自己快樂的事情。

From a terrible experience like losing your job, it can go both ways:

從失去工作之類的糟糕經歷中，它有兩種可能：

1. Give up on your career goals, settle on what you can get and play it safe.
   放棄自己的職業目標，選擇可以得到的東西，安全地工作。
2. Learn from this experience and equip yourself for tougher situations to come to achieve your goals.
   從這種經驗中學習，并為遇到困難的情況做好準備，以實現自己的目標。

Sometimes you need experiences like these to prepare you to be who you want to be in the future. Here is a video that inspired me to look at the big picture:

有時，您需要像這樣的經歷，以使自己成為將來想要成為的人。 這是一個啟發我看大圖的視頻：

“Oprah got fired at 23 years old, imagine firing Oprah!”

“奧普拉(Oprah)在23歲時被解雇，想象一下解雇奧普拉(Oprah)！”

“Yeah but that was a mistake.”

“是的，但這是一個錯誤。”

“No, it wasn’t, because she was not Oprah. She was a 23-year-old punk who needed to get fired to become Oprah.”

“不，不是，因為她不是奧普拉。 她是一個23歲的朋克，需要被解雇才能成為奧普拉。”

All the best and take care!

祝一切順利，保重！

Hi, I’m Sarah Tan and I am a Visual Designer based in Sydney, I mainly do product design, graphic design, illustration and AR experiments. Check out more about my work or connect with me on LinkedIn and Instagram. If you would like to support me, buy me a coffee!

嗨，我是Sarah Tan，我是悉尼的視覺設計師，主要從事產品設計，圖形設計，插圖和AR實驗。 進一步了解我的工作，或通過LinkedIn和Instagram與我聯系。 如果您想支持我，請給我買杯咖啡 ！