I went from wedding DJ to Meta engineer, then was laid off after 13 years. My last years there brought constant change.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Henry Chen, a former Meta tech lead who was laid off in May. He’s 38 and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

After I left college, I worked as a DJ for a few years, taught myself to code, and eventually found my way to Facebook.

I started at Facebook as a contractor in 2012, and then worked my way up into a full-time engineering role. After more than 13 years with the company, I was laid off in May.

I’m grateful for everything I learned during my time at Facebook, later Meta. Overall, it was a very positive experience. But after the…