[logicalmonster]

1) You should consider yourself lucky that you (hopefully) learned the lesson that there's no such thing as a "safe career" before you got too old and were put in a shitty position where you were laid off in maybe your 50s-60s. It's harder to start over in another company as an older person in tech.

2) Organize your life accordingly knowing that you can be let go anytime. Save your cash to have a very solid emergency fund. Always keep your resume up to date. Always keep your eye open for different jobs. Have multiple income streams so you can survive losing your main job. Don't try and live above your means.

[silverquiet]

3) Go out for a ride and never go back. I kid, but if anyone is wondering why fewer people want to have children these days, maybe they should consider that precocity might drive people to work harder, but it does not yield a comfortable environment for raising kids.