To all people who have been laid off by companies whom they trusted the most

Dear people who have been laid off,

I know this layoff has come as a big shock to your lives. Some of you seem to have crossed even 10 years at TCS. Some of you trusted them so much.

But when companies have grown so huge, it is quite difficult for the decision makers so high in the pyramid to think about the people so way below them personally. For them it's more of just a profit-loss decision that they have to take, even though they know they will have to face much pressure from the people who have been affected.

Well, this is quite the reality elsewhere.

In such companies, you are just ordinary chess pieces - never the king. Sometimes ordinary chess pieces have to be let go off, and the chess player is not so much concerned about losing ordinary pieces, than someone very close and powerful like the queen or the rooks or the bishops or the knights.

This is going to be quite the case elsewhere.

You have 3 choices here:
1. Try to get back into the company which kicked you out.
2. Try to get into some other company which will kick you out, just like this, you don't know when.
3. Or try to start something on your own. And make your own decisions.
And stop taking such shocks that affect both you and your families which depend on you.
Most of the "risks" that people usually say about starting on your own is much less than forever trusting blindly a decision maker way above your levels, with your entire career.

Moreover, the returns -- are so high that it would be foolish not to try this.

Take control of your lives. Create a career for you out of something you really love doing.

Remember those old "plans for life" you had in your mind, when you were a child? Brush up those. See which of those you can bring back to life.

Start a small "business".
What most people don't tell you nowadays is that, there are plenty of easy ways to run a business now. This is a very good time.

Most of the time, you don't even need much of any investment. The internet and a little bit of creativity is just what you need most of the time.

Start selling your capabilities to people who really see your worth.

Set your own work hours.

And spend more time with people whom you care about the most.

Nothing is as risky as trusting with your entire life, an entity that has been created to just make profit for its shareholders. You are just a replaceable tool in their hands.

You have much more to achieve in your lives than just 9 hours of daily work for people who don't even really care about your life, except for the bare minimum required to retain you till they want to kick you out.

The world around you is full of opportunities. You just need to be prepared to open your eyes and ears to them.

This is an opportunity to change your life for good. Grab it.

And you have a life to live. Live it!

Cheers,
Anto

P.S.: Read "The Four-Hour Work Week" (http://www.amazon.in/4-Hour-Work-Week-Escape-Anywhere/dp/0091929113) - that helps a lot!