Here is something I learned after nearly 15 years in corporate tech. Layoff readiness is not a feeling, and it is not about being a hard enough worker to be spared (plenty of excellent people get cut for reasons that have nothing to do with their performance). Readiness is a set of specific, slightly boring, measurable things: how much cash you have, how current your resume is, whether anyone would actually pick up the phone to be a reference, whether your skills still sell.

"What if I just went back to school instead?" On the surface that can seem like a great solution to your job search frustrations. It allows you to do something productive with your time while allowing for market conditions to potentially change and make your re-entry into the job market easier with the help of a new degree.

Did you notice this guide says prepare, not what to do? That word choice is deliberate, and it is the whole point. When you still have a paycheck, you hold the one advantage nobody scrambling after a layoff has, which is time. You can study the market calmly, see where your skills actually fit, and close your gaps before you ever need to send a single application.