I just got laid off and I went through a layoff in the early 2000s and it was brutal. Had to do contract work with tech I didn't like and now with the added pressure of having kids that I have to care for financially it's definitely more stressful.

One thing I'm doing different this time around is that I'm building a project that could be useful for some friends and might actually scratch an itch. It allows me to get back in the latest technologies and adds something to my portfolio.