I'm in my 50s, can't find a job, and am already draining my 401k. I've never felt closer to failure.

Laura Lynch is taking a coding course and leaning on family to get by. Olga Pankova/Getty Images Laura Lynch was laid off from her middle manager role in 2025 and has struggled to find work since. She's eating into her 401K and considering downsizing while skill-building to create opportunities. Lynch says her daily struggle is giving into feelings of failure. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Laura Vandemark Lynch, in her 50s, based in Long Island, New York. I was an of...