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 essay is based on a conversation with James Strawn, a 56-year-old former senior software quality engineer in Colorado, who worked at Adobe for 25 years before being laid off in June 2025. After a difficult job search , he landed on a completely new career path: being a school bus driver. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I had every intention of retiring from Adobe on my own terms, aiming for age 59 ½. I always pictured what I would say at my retirement event.

Adobe had other plans.

I worked at the company for 25 years

For the first eight years, I worked at the headquarters in San Jose. I was hired in 2000 as…