u/1throvvavvay

I'm in my mid-20s. I worked as a marketing coordinator starting in local government, then a nonprofit (laid off at 18 months due to restructuring), and lastly at a startup (2 years). The startup laid of 20% of us because of poor finances in November 2024.

Overall, I’ve had junior-level marketing experience in 3 different sectors (public, nonprofit, private) and want to continue being in tech. I've done a lot of marketing generalist duties, but I haven't developed seniority in a specific area of marketing. I have been applying to associate field marketing tech jobs (hosting events is the strongest part of my resume).

After the last layoff, I took my savings and went backpacking for half a year in Asia. I heard the job market was bad at the end of 2024, so I hoped it would be better after I came back. Unfortunately, I was shocked that the job market in 2025 seemed even worse. It's been 8 months since I returned from backpacking. I sent out 300 applications so far, and with an 18-month gap on my resume, I'm getting stressed out. I have much fewer interviews this time compared to the first time I was laid off from the nonprofit. I entered three final rounds and didn't end up getting them.

A referral got me a contract job in operations at a FAANG company. It is slightly less pay than my startup job, and it requires me to move to NYC (I’m from SF). I think it would be a great way to get exposure to how a corporation works (as I've only worked in smaller companies), and it would also be a good personal development chapter in my life as I would begin anew in a different city. The hiring manager was supportive, saying I should leverage my time and jump to a full-time position if I found one that interests me later on. The agency said the contract is set to be extended for the foreseeable future as there’s huge need on that team. I honestly am not super familiar with how contract roles work as this would be my first one, but I do get benefits like PTO and health insurance, just not as good as regular employees.

This is a career pivot as I'm going from marketing coordinator roles to now an operations analyst role. I know I would learn a lot just from being at a FAANG environment. I can always come back to marketing, but I'm just self-conscious that I'm not going up the marketing ladder and I'm unsure of what my career narrative would look like.

The alternative option is to reject the role, stay home, and keep churning out marketing job applications. I have a safety net living with family now, and they are understanding of my situation, but I feel guilty being here rent-free. I am not in any interview funnels right now and the ambiguity is stressing me out. I feel like life is passing me by with unemployment restricting how far out I can plan my future. The worst case scenario is I will be unemployed for several more months, making a 2-year gap on my resume.

Has anyone made a pivot like this? What would you do in my situation?

I'm in my mid-20s. I worked as a marketing coordinator starting in local government, then a nonprofit (laid off at 18 months due to restructuring), and lastly at a startup (2 years). The startup laid of 20% of us because of poor finances in November 2024. 

Overall, I’ve had junior-level marketing experience in 3 different sectors (public, nonprofit, private) and want to continue being in tech. I've done a lot of marketing generalist duties, but I haven't developed seniority in a specific area of marketing. I have been applying to associate field marketing tech jobs (hosting events is the strongest part of my resume). 

After the last layoff, I took my savings and went backpacking for half a year in Asia. I heard the job market was bad at the end of 2024, so I hoped it would be better after I came back. Unfortunately, I was shocked that the job market in 2025 seemed even worse. It's been 8 months since I returned from backpacking. I sent out 300 applications so far, and with an 18-month gap on my resume, I'm getting stressed out. I have much fewer interviews this time compared to the first time I was laid off from the nonprofit. I entered three final rounds and didn't end up getting them.

A referral got me a contract job in operations at a FAANG company. It is slightly less pay than my startup job, and it requires me to move to NYC (I’m from SF). I think it would be a great way to get exposure to how a corporation works (as I've only worked in smaller companies), and it would also be a good personal development chapter in my life as I would begin anew in a different city. The hiring manager was supportive, saying I should leverage my time and jump to a full-time position if I found one that interests me later on. The agency said the contract is set to be extended for the foreseeable future as there’s huge need on that team. I honestly am not super familiar with how contract roles work as this would be my first one, but I do get benefits like PTO and health insurance, just not as good as regular employees. 

This is a career pivot as I'm going from marketing coordinator roles to now an operations analyst role. I know I would learn a lot just from being at a FAANG environment. I can always come back to marketing, but I'm just self-conscious that I'm not going up the marketing ladder and I'm unsure of what my career narrative would look like. 

The alternative option is to reject the role, stay home, and keep churning out marketing job applications. I have a safety net living with family now, and they are understanding of my situation, but I feel guilty being here rent-free. I am not in any interview funnels right now and the ambiguity is stressing me out. I feel like life is passing me by with unemployment restricting how far out I can plan my future. The worst case scenario is I will be unemployed for several more months, making a 2-year gap on my resume.

Has anyone made a pivot like this? What would you do in my situation?

I'm in my mid-20s. I worked as a marketing coordinator starting in local government, then a nonprofit (laid off at 18 months due to restructuring), and lastly at a startup (2 years). The startup laid of 20% of us because of poor finances in November 2024. 

Overall, I’ve had junior-level marketing experience in 3 different sectors (public, nonprofit, private) and want to continue being in tech. I've done a lot of marketing generalist duties, but I haven't developed seniority in a specific area of marketing. I have been applying to associate field marketing tech jobs (hosting events is the strongest part of my resume). 

After the last layoff, I took my savings and went backpacking for half a year in Asia. I heard the job market was bad at the end of 2024, so I hoped it would be better after I came back. Unfortunately, I was shocked that the job market in 2025 seemed even worse. It's been 8 months since I returned from backpacking. I sent out 300 applications so far, and with an 18-month gap on my resume, I'm getting stressed out. I have much fewer interviews this time compared to the first time I was laid off from the nonprofit. I entered three final rounds and didn't end up getting them.

A referral got me a contract job in operations at a FAANG company. It is slightly less pay than my startup job, and it requires me to move to NYC (I’m from SF). I think it would be a great way to get exposure to how a corporation works (as I've only worked in smaller companies), and it would also be a good personal development chapter in my life as I would begin anew in a different city. The hiring manager was supportive, saying I should leverage my time and jump to a full-time position if I found one that interests me later on. The agency said the contract is set to be extended for the foreseeable future as there’s huge need on that team. I honestly am not super familiar with how contract roles work as this would be my first one, but I do get benefits like PTO and health insurance, just not as good as regular employees. 

This is a career pivot as I'm going from marketing coordinator roles to now an operations analyst role. I know I would learn a lot just from being at a FAANG environment. I can always come back to marketing, but I'm just self-conscious that I'm not going up the marketing ladder and I'm unsure of what my career narrative would look like. 

The alternative option is to reject the role, stay home, and keep churning out marketing job applications. I have a safety net living with family now, and they are understanding of my situation, but I feel guilty being here rent-free. I am not in any interview funnels right now and the ambiguity is stressing me out. I feel like life is passing me by with unemployment restricting how far out I can plan my future. The worst case scenario is I will be unemployed for several more months, making a 2-year gap on my resume.

Has anyone made a pivot like this? What would you do in my situation?