I was laid off after 25 years at Adobe. After a soul-sucking tech job search, I became a school bus driver.

This as-told-to effort is based connected a speech pinch James Strawn, a 56-year-old erstwhile elder package value technologist successful Colorado, who worked astatine Adobe for 25 years earlier being laid disconnected successful June 2025. After a difficult occupation search, he landed connected a wholly caller profession path: being a schoolhouse autobus driver. The pursuing has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

I had each volition of retiring from Adobe connected my ain terms, aiming for property 59 ½. I ever pictured what I would opportunity astatine my status event.

Adobe had different plans.

I worked astatine the institution for 25 years

For the first 8 years, I worked astatine the office successful San Jose. I was hired successful 2000 arsenic a contractor, and they made maine a regular worker later that year. In 2008, the institution fto maine activity remotely, truthful I moved to the Colorado location that I'm still in.

It was a bully job, 1 that I loved astir of the time. I started connected the Illustrator team, past moved to the Premiere squad for complete 20 years.

Adobe was ever bully to maine — I person nary complaints. The activity could beryllium frustrating, but I was capable to do it. It was fantabulous to activity successful the tech industry remotely and to gain the salary I was getting.

My layoff caught maine by surprise

One time past year, I sewage a almanac invite. When I joined, the personification started reference the layoff script. I retrieve my look pouring and being successful disbelief.

I had a fewer weeks earlier my past charismatic time connected payroll, truthful I took a family picnic we already had planned.

When I came back, I spent a batch of clip each time looking astatine soul positions, trying to scope retired to group to telephone successful favors, and getting the connection retired that I was looking.

August 1 was my past charismatic day. With no occupation lined up, I lived disconnected severance for a while. My occupation hunt during that clip was very informal. At that point, I still thought, I'll wholly find a replacement role; this will beryllium great.

The occupation hunt became exhausting and humiliating

I applied for unemployment successful September. The hunt became overmuch much charismatic and demanding and took up a batch much of my time. I did everything I could: I hired a coach. I took seminars. I redid my résumé, customizing it whenever I could.

I was looking astatine tech jobs that paid astatine slightest $100,000, arsenic I'd been making complete $150,000 astatine Adobe astatine the end, but arsenic clip went on, I lowered my desired pay.

I either heard thing backmost aliases I'd hear, "This is great. We'll get you an interview." It would consciousness really promising — and past crickets.

It was by acold the worst play of my life, career-wise. There were immoderate bully things — I was spending much clip pinch my family and sleeping successful — but it was truthful demoralizing and difficult. I wouldn't wish that connected my worst enemy.

I felt for illustration a nonaccomplishment because, according to LinkedIn, it seemed for illustration each different personification I knew who'd been laid disconnected had immoderate awesome occupation already, a fewer months later. I was like, What's incorrect pinch me? I still don't cognize why.

It felt for illustration a cleanable storm. I'm old, truthful I person ageism moving against me. The tech occupation marketplace was particularly competitive. The 3rd portion of the large wind is AI — filtering my résumé retired earlier humans moreover spot it and causing panic successful the workplace.

I was trying to beryllium positive, but it really felt for illustration I was ne'er going to get hired.

Unemployment benefits stopped

Once my unemployment checks ran retired this past spring, I said, I'm not looking for tech jobs. This is going obscurity and conscionable sucking my psyche away.

I went to Costco to inquire if they were hiring. I tried to use to 1 of the fittingness centers successful my area, but it was crickets. Finally, my friend started moving astatine the autobus barn successful the area, and said they're looking for schoolhouse autobus drivers.

My first guidance was, No measurement I'm doing that. But past I thought, it's clip to humble yourself, and it's a bully job. It's steady, pinch a bully schedule. It's AI-resistant, and it could beryllium fun.

Another friend who has worked location for years introduced maine to the proscription head and the superior trainer. We met and had a really bully conversation. It was much individual than a tech interview, and the questions were simple, specified arsenic regarding really to show the kids that you care, not really large and fancy my projects were. They told maine that they expected a one-year committedness to the occupation if they were going to train me.

The gathering ended pinch them asking whether I wanted to travel backmost later for a autobus ride-along.

The occupation is hot, loud, and exhausting

I sewage the job, which was a drastic salary cut from my Adobe earnings.

After the first ride-along, I wasn't judge if I could do it. It was hot, loud, and exhausting. In tech, you're ever free to locomotion distant from your work, unless you're successful a gathering aliases something. This was much successful your look and wide physically and mentally exhausting.

I did 2 months of training, which included getting a commercialized driver's licence and license, a batch of on-the-road time, and student guidance training.

I had the summertime off. My family had immoderate savings that we were still surviving on, and past the schoolhouse twelvemonth began successful August.

The stakes are overmuch higher arsenic a schoolhouse autobus driver

It was really difficult for the first week and a half.

In tech, the biggest correction that I could make is simply a bug getting retired to a user; nary 1 was going to get hurt.

As a bus driver, you person to beryllium focused each the time, and get everything correct erstwhile you do a train crossing aliases a student stop. Children's lives are astatine stake, and there's nary room for error.

I had a mates of meetings pinch my supervisor and said honestly astir really difficult it was. But I conscionable kept astatine it.

I'm emotion bully now, and yet enjoying it contempt immoderate very difficult days. I person everything down to musculus representation — kids' names and the route.

I thrust a fewer hours successful the mornings and a fewer hours successful the afternoons, to and from the elementary, middle, and precocious schools.

I unrecorded successful a beautiful area. I get to spot the sunrise each morning, mountains, and tons of wildlife. The kids are usually beautiful quiet and well-behaved successful the mornings.

I still deliberation astir whether aliases not I could do this for 1 twelvemonth aliases 5 years. But I'm enjoying it, and I don't person immoderate regrets. The supervisors and the autobus drivers are each exceptional people, and they've been truthful encouraging.

The support I've gotten has been unbelievable

When unemployment ended, I went wholly disconnected societal media. I conscionable wanted to beryllium done pinch it for a while. However, I decided to make a station astir my caller job.

The consequence was unbelievable. I've ne'er gone viral aliases thing for illustration that, and I wasn't trying to. There's an online organization of group who were inspired by my story, and they're trying to run connected my behalf to get capable money donated to thief maine discontinue early. I group up a memecoin for group willing successful supporting my family and me. I still person to make it until I'm astatine slightest 59 ½, erstwhile I tin tie from my status without penalty.

Unless personification reaches retired to maine pinch immoderate awesome tech job, I'm not readying connected going back. If I do determine to time off the autobus barn earlier 5 years — that's erstwhile I tin get the afloat vesting for the Colorado authorities status money — I'm definite I'd only look astatine different driving jobs.

Have you made a profession pivot, aliases person you been occupation searching for a while? Reach retired to this newsman to stock astatine [email protected].