This As Told Essay is based on a conversation with Tanvi Pisal, a 29-year-old UX designer from India. He went through two layoffs in one year while working in the United States. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I have always seen the United States as the land of opportunity.

I grew up in Pune, a city in western India, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in software engineering. After graduating, I I worked in software, user experience and interface design.

In 2019, design was still a relatively new field in India. I saw much greater opportunities in the United States, especially in Silicon Valley, where I could work with brilliant minds and innovative technology. That’s when I decided to apply to master’s programs in the United States.

In the fall of 2021, I moved to California to pursue a degree related to human-computer interaction at San Jose State University.

During my senior year, I interned at a Bay Area health tech startup that hired me after I graduated.

I was working on STEM OPT, which allowed me to work in the US for up to 3 years after graduation, and I was hoping to stay longer on an H-1B visa. My company sponsored me, but I was not selected in the lottery.

Consecutive layoffs

I could see that AI was revolutionizing SaaS companies like mine.

So around June 2025, I anticipated the layoffs and started applying for other full-time positions. I thought I would have more time, but I was laid off a few months later, in October.

I aggressively applied for new positions, and in November, I received an offer for a product design position at a New York City recruiting company, where I would be designing their mobile app. They asked me to move and I did, although I was not offered relocation assistance.

I sold most of my furniture in San Jose, sublet my room, packed my life into five U-Haul boxes and shipped them to New York.

On short notice I found a shared apartment in Newport, New Jersey. For $1,800 a month, it was all I could afford. I traveled an hour each way for 12-hour office shifts.

My world was turned upside down when, one day at the office, I was abruptly fired just two weeks after starting. The company gave only vague reasons for its decision.

I had moved to New York just 15 days before. I couldn’t understand why the company made me move from the west coast to the east coast just to say goodbye.

I remember leaving the office that day and sitting on the snow-covered sidewalk, wondering if coming to the United States had been the right decision.

Packing my life in boxes twice a month

I got up and started returning the things I had bought for my new life in New York while I still could.

The only thing I couldn’t return was my desk, which I sold to the person who took over my sublease. I told my roommates to use the food I just bought.

The whole ordeal (packing twice a month) cost me about $6,000.

I flew back to California on December 25th.

My Hail Mary attempt

At that moment I thought: “The worst has happened.” He had lost everything. My STEM OPT was about to expire and I had 60 days to find a way to stay in the US before having to return to India.

So I decided to give it one last time. attempt.

Back in California, I spent three hours each day on LinkedIn Easy Apply, then focused on applications before creating AI-powered design projects to strengthen my portfolio.

It paid off. I got an interview on January 5th. From that week on, I had at least two interviews every week.

Finally, I interviewed for a UX designer position with a product team at a large tech company in Silicon Valley. After two interviews, I was offered a contract position in February. I couldn’t believe it. I felt very relieved.

My nervous system has not recovered

Although I have settled into my new apartment in San Jose and am enjoying my new job, I still have not recovered from the trauma of consecutive layoffs.

I’m always afraid. Every time I receive an email or get a call for an unscheduled meeting, I feel anxious. I need to know what it is about beforehand.

I have decided to continue my studies in parallel, enrolling in a doctorate. program in business administration at Westcliff University, with a specialization in human-computer interaction. It allows me to stay in the US on a student visa.

I don’t really have a plan for the future right now, given how volatile the immigration situation is. I’m just taking it one day at a time, getting back into the routine and trying to live my life normally.

Looking back on my journey, I wouldn’t change a thing. The fights have taught me a lot.