Out of the Office: Lauren Lasch
on Choosing Not to Drown
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When Lauren Lasch left her role as a Support Services Specialist with the U.S. Forest Service, she assumed she’d be back on her feet quickly. She had solid experience, strong references, and a work history that had always made job searching feel straightforward.
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Instead, she found herself navigating a job market that feels impossible to predict—one where even being a top candidate can end in a hiring freeze, a budget cut, or a rejection. Based in Medford, Oregon, Lauren speaks candidly about how unemployment disrupts routine and identity, how repeated rejection can erode confidence, and why she’s now determined to pursue work that offers not just stability, but genuine fulfillment. After an extraordinarily difficult year, she’s still recalibrating—clear-eyed about the challenges, but unwilling to give up on building something better.
Q: Let’s start with the job you had before you became unemployed, what was it and how did it end?
Lauren: I was a federal employee with the Forest Service. There’s this myth that it’s nearly impossible to fire federal employees, but in 2025, the Trump administration came in and just wreaked havoc without any sense behind it.
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Around the time of the administration change, my mom got really sick, was hospitalized, and passed away very quickly. I was dealing with grief and trauma while things were shifting at work—no flexibility on remote work anymore, intimidation, and the creation of DOGE, which was just a train wreck. There was this pressure to be “loyal” to the administration, and at the same time they were trying to do mass layoffs. The intimidation tactics were rampant.
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In my agency alone, within weeks, we lost 25% of our workforce. The Forest Service employs tens of thousands of people across the country, with national forests in nearly every state. They created a hiring freeze, and then people left through early retirement, or were fired, or left for other reasons. It created a tense environment for those of us who were left. We were doing more work, and positions weren’t being filled.
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When the union started pushing back on some of the illegal firings, the administration created a program to incentivize people to leave instead of firing them. It was called Deferred Resignation. If you signed the contract, you agreed you wouldn’t reapply for a federal position for a set number of years—it varied across agencies. The deal was you’d still get paid through September 30, the end of the fiscal year, but your last day in the office would be April 30. And that you can’t come back to federal work.
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Given the changes and the stress, I opted into Deferred Resignation. I thought, “Okay, I’ll still have income for a few months, and I won’t have to job hunt right away.” I’ve never struggled to find a job, so naively, I thought I’d be fine. It’s now February, and I’m still unemployed.
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Q: What was your job title?
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Lauren: Support Services Specialist. It was mostly administrative work, but it was a key role for the agency—purchasing and procurement, HR-related tasks, managing the front desk and interacting with the public. It wasn’t a “shiny” position, but it was integral.
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Q: You stopped working in April, but were paid through September. Did you receive severance on top of that?
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Lauren: Not severance exactly. They paid out my annual leave. And because I was vested—I was a federal employee for over five years—I was entitled to my retirement savings. But HR told me that to access it and transfer it into a rollover IRA, I had to submit a form within 30 days of my termination date, September 30.
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There was a government shutdown that lasted over 40-something days. I submitted all my paperwork, and to this day I’ve heard nothing. It’s past the 30 days, even though I submitted everything. I don’t know if it got lost because of the shutdown or what. It’s in limbo. All of that money I’m entitled to—I have no idea where it stands right now.
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Q: What did your first day of not working feel like?
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Lauren: A multitude of emotions. I was grieving my mom, so that was layered on top of everything. In some ways, I felt relief because I didn’t have to deal with it anymore. But I also felt defeated. I thought this would be my lifelong career. I have a deep passion for public lands, and I had a very romanticized idea of what it would be like to work for a public lands agency. I was trying to work my way up the government ladder, which was way more difficult than people make you believe.
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It almost felt like I had wasted the last five years of my life because of how it ended. But when I talk to old coworkers who are still there and hear what they’re going through, I know I made the right decision for me. Even if they paid me double my previous salary, I wouldn’t return to those conditions.
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Q: What has been the biggest challenge in your day-to-day since losing your job? How are you creating routine and staying afloat?
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Lauren: It’s been really difficult. I don’t think I have a routine. From the outside that might sound appealing, but when you don’t have a routine for an extended period, you lose a part of your identity. That’s how I’ve felt. Also, I’m a single income earner, and the financial stress is very real.
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Lauren: When I started applying for jobs, I had this false idea that I’d find something easily. I have great references, I like interviews, I have a good resume—and it’s been really challenging.
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Q: Since you agreed not to return to government work, what kinds of roles are you looking for now?
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Lauren: At first, I tried to go in a totally different direction and pursue another one of my passions: travel. I applied to travel agencies, airlines, cruise lines—more administrative roles, because that’s my background. Every rejection had the same theme: “You have an impressive resume, but we’re looking for someone with travel industry experience.” The first time I heard it, it was one thing. By the seventh time, I was like, “Okay—how do people break into an industry if they’re not given the opportunity?”
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So I re-evaluated and tried a different avenue—I have experience working with children and youth. A lot of those jobs were lower-paying, and some said a college degree wasn’t necessary. I have a degree and experience, and I was still getting rejection emails.
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At that point, I decided to focus on what I have the most recent experience in: administrative work. Since then I’ve had three interviews. One was a county position—a local government role. Another was at a college as a youth programs coordinator position. The same thing happened with both of those jobs—I made it into the top two candidates, and the other person had more recent experience.
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Then there are the other issues I’ve encountered. I interviewed for a school district role, and they told me they wanted to hire me—but they’d had recent budget cuts and eliminated many admin positions. Recently, I interviewed with a neighboring school district, and they called me on Monday to say they wanted to hire me—but that there were budget changes, and now the position is only active until June.
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Even when I’m leaning into my strengths, the ripple effects in the economy are hitting everything. It’s terrible timing to be looking for a job for a lot of reasons.
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Q: How do you deal with all the rejection?
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Lauren: In some ways, I’m in shock. Prior to this, I had a 100% success rate: apply, get an interview, get the job. I’ve been struggling these last few months. I’ve felt like a loser—like, “What is wrong with me?” I don’t always have confidence in my personal life, but I’ve always had confidence in my work capacity. That’s really taken a hit.
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I’ve reached out to the companies asking for feedback, and most places either don’t provide it, or say they hired someone else for a specific reason but I was their second choice. That doesn’t really help. If I were a hiring manager, I’d want to give a reason.
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Q: How has this changed your relationship to work?
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Lauren: It has changed. When I was a federal employee, I disillusioned myself into thinking it was worth it because of benefits and job security. But I didn’t feel passion or fulfillment, and I was only making enough to barely stay stable. Even though I’ve been financially stressed and job hunting has been brutal, I have a different perspective now. I want to be able to financially support myself, but I also want enjoyment—some kind of happiness or fulfillment—from my job.
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I think we’re of a generation where it’s okay to say you want that. Maybe previous generations felt like you’re just lucky to have a job. But we only live this one life once. I think it’s okay to say, “I want some semblance of happiness or fulfillment.” That’s what I’m striving for.
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Q: How has this period changed your relationship to money?
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Lauren: I underestimated stability. Even though I was unhappy and still financially stressed while employed, now I don’t have any of that stability. Being a single income earner in a rough economy—it’s a lot.
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Rent alone is insane. Even the idea of moving is stressful because it’s starting over again financially, and I’ve done that enough times to know it gets harder and harder. I’m not motivated by money, but we live in a time where you need income to have a roof over your head and the bare essentials. I wish everyone could have that, but we don’t live in that world.
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Q: What makes you feel hopeful right now—about work or life?
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Lauren: Sometimes I think I’m a very cynical person. But this last year I’ve had the death of my mom, my dad died a few weeks ago, another family member passed away, other family dynamics, the loss of my job—it has just been a lot.
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I look at it like I have two options: drown or refuse to drown. And I refuse to drown.
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I tell myself: things can be better, but they can be worse. And even when you’re going through a struggle—employment, personal, relationship—it’s temporary. Even when things are out of your control, however you’re feeling right now won’t be permanent. That’s what I tell myself to get through this. But it’s still very challenging.
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Q: I’ve experienced a lot of trauma over the last year as well so one part of unemployment I’ve appreciated is being able to show up for my real life. I wouldn’t have been able to do that in my old job. I hope you can take some comfort in knowing you’ve had time to be there for other people and for yourself.
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Lauren: I definitely second that. From April through September, we did my mom’s funeral and two celebrations of life—my parents lived in two different states at different times of year. I was able to go home, support my stepdad, and help go through her things. I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I was employed. Despite the struggles, I’m grateful I had that time.
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Q: Last question—if you could give one piece of advice to someone who loses their job tomorrow, what would it be?
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Lauren: Don’t give up. It’s going to be hard, and you most likely will face rejection. But use that to propel you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve redone my resume, recalibrated what jobs to apply for, and adjusted how I approach job hunting. Use it as fuel. It’s okay to feel angry and disappointed—it’s okay to feel all the feelings. But use that to drive you.
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If you’re inspired to share your own story, I’d love to hear it. You can send me a DM on LinkedIn or reach out here to arrange a time to talk.
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