May 19, 2026·5:0013Preparing for Layoffs and Career Identities ft. Obinna Ugwu, Oyinloluwa Ogunseye#layoffs—5:00transcripttap a line to jump0:01Okay, so we are having a very short segue into talking about layoffs and career identities.0:08So I have Obina here and I have Oini here.0:10I'm going to move to Obina very quickly so you can talk us through preparing,0:14what it's like preparing for a likely impending layoff.0:18And then its resolution from that experience in general.0:22Like how is your sense of self and identity changing based off of that experience?0:26Yeah. So I'll just take us back into a few decades ago,0:33back when the Gen X and the boomers were working.0:37They would stay at the company for 40 years.0:39Loyalty was a thing. Being prideful of their work was a thing.0:44Right.0:44But then in today's world where we are approaching and we're already in late-stage capitalism,0:51there is more and more push for chief executive officers of companies to focus on each quarter,0:58the bottom line each quarter.0:59So there is a push on the employees of the company to be more productive and also to cut costs.1:08So right now, yeah, you can be doing some interesting work,1:11but if you work in industries that are susceptible to this, you are likely feeling a lot of tension.1:17And what you learn is different from the way Gen X's and baby boomers approach to work.1:22What you learn is that what's more important is your own sense of self, your own well-being,1:28and not just some feeling of company pride, some feeling of company loyalty.1:33So, yeah, maybe when you join the company, you believe in the mission and the vision,1:38and you will then rejoice in the whole land.1:41Well, yeah.1:42I think everyone starts us that way.1:43On the level you believe, like, things are interesting.1:46Let's go!1:47You get jaded after the point and you realize that, yeah, you need to learn what you can1:55and don't be loyal to anybody.1:57Nobody's loyalty is basically.2:00Purr.2:03That loyalty left me a little bit short of work.2:07But, yeah, Oni, talking about career identity and individual identity,2:13why, like, why does that conflation even happen in the first place?2:16And why does it matter so much that our career identity is one with our individual identity2:21in a very specific way, such that we care about how we are perceived2:26through the length of career, like, particularly?2:30I think that I will go back to, like, fundamentals,2:33where, like, growing up in a Nigerian home, living with educated parents,2:41they already, like, drum these things into you where, like,2:44to be successful, you have to go through formal education,2:48you have to go to the best schools, you have to work at certain places,2:52you have to do a certain type of job, like, be an engineer, be a lawyer, be a medical doctor.2:59And so, like, people have attributed success or what success means to them, you know,3:06in line with all of these things.3:07Like, growing up, I always wanted to be an architect.3:11And today I'm not an architect.3:13But, like, in a way, I could have felt that not being an architect kind of...3:19Not being an architect meant failure, which it's not.3:24Like, I'm good where I'm at today.3:28But, like, a lot of people, you know, kind of have that mentality where3:31if you're not successful in the way that you're supposed to be,3:34it means that you have failed.3:35Yeah.3:36Life is too short.3:36You know, I have a take, right?3:37I feel like our parents are not entirely wrong, though.3:40I think that we still ended up in relatively okay positions3:44because we went through that very rigorous event.3:46Like I'm anxious for the stars.3:48Yeah, yeah, yeah.3:48You shall land somewhere.3:51I think that's the reason why a lot of us ended up somewhere, Shah,3:56is because we did the really difficult things very early on.3:59It's not like you're going to start off doing some non-essential degree4:03or study something that is non-essential.4:06But I also think that there wasn't the balance where, like,4:08you can actually have a life or live like a normal person4:12without attributing yourself to all of these things.4:15That's fair.4:15I agree.4:16But think about it again.4:17Our parents did not really have so much to work with, though.4:20And even the way country is set up, it's like,4:22all you do is church, work, home, family, children.4:26That's it.4:27Like, there's not much else to go for.4:29And if you're lucky and you're well-to-do,4:31you have, like, your society groups to be doing no one,4:35whatever, whatever.4:36Country club.4:37Have you made some makeup?4:39I saw that episode and I'm like, what are y'all?4:42Like, what are y'all is makeup?4:43Did I say what I said?4:45Cruz.4:46Oh, Adam.4:46You need to watch that episode.4:48It was so, I'm just like, really?4:51Oh, Obina and I were having a conversation.4:53I won't give you details, but, like, he was talking about how, like,4:56you can perceive somebody to be a church.4:58Peace.4:59Peace.