Wayan Vota knew that there was something wrong.
VOTA 20 years ago has been accustomed to changes in the industry after the opening of a new president-there is always a period of resets during which agencies and contractors will turn into compatibility with the priorities of the incoming management. But this time it was different.
The newly advised President Trump signed Executive order In mid -January, all external aid programs were stopped by the United States Agency for International Development (the United States Agency for International Development). VOTA expected a great defeat in his company, Humentum, which was often funded by federal scholarships, and estimated that it would lead to demobilization of about 80 % of the company. But January 31 is when he discovered that he would also be included in these cuts, and he lost his job with most of his colleagues.
“I cried in my daughter’s arms,” ​​he says luck. “All my colleagues, everyone who thought about talking to, were also unemployed.”
VOTA is only one of the thousands of federal workers and contractors who have lost their jobs this year due to the freezing of the Trump administration financing, unprecedented resignation offers, and explicit workers. almost 75000 Before the workers, the deferred resignation of the administration, and many were affected by other ways, with a promise More next pain. There is no official number for the total number of federal workers and contractors who have been demobilized, but 62,530 government jobs Cut To date this year, according to Global Outplace Challenger, Gray and Christmas. Some areas were affected by others, and international aid was particularly Beating.
After spending 24 hours riding a bicycle across different stages of sadness after its layoff, VOTA decided to take action. I woke up and said: “Well, I will not sit here and be a chaos crying. I will wake up and do something about it. “
On February 1, he started an alternative “Job axis,” In order to create a community of relief workers and help them find new roles outside the sector. He now has more than 9000 subscribers, runs their interests and specialties a series of artificial intelligence to health care and data analysis. VOTA says that a large percentage of the average to the upper employees spent most of their career in the international development sector.
“There are people who spent a contract or 20 years within the US Agency for International Development, or have obtained a master’s degree in international development, joined the Peace Corps, then joined the American Agency for International Development, and never worked anywhere,” he says.
“Each one is one who suffers from pain”
Career Pivot is a mixture of blog publications, common questions, success stories, job lists, mental health resources, discussion paintings, and communication events.
It provides information and guidance for federal employees and former contractors looking for work, focusing on highlighting the experience that can be valuable in another field, becomes marketable in the private sector, and sharing knowledge with others. “A large part of the functional axis helps people translate their skills into conditions that the private sector understands,” says Fotta.
Articles on the site contain newspapers like “10 ways to rethink your job job addresses: How to translate your wide development experience into companies friendly to companies”, “Resistance is not useless”, and “What are health insurance options now?”
Alex Collins, a social health specialist who specializes in mother and child health, has worked with VOTA several years ago in a non -profit organization. When she lost her job last month, she participated in the job axis as soon as it happened. She says the site has strengthened “an incredible value, not only our direct networks of people, but the networks that each of these people bring – a second category of communications.”
While the site was initially dedicated to international development workers, VOTA says the subscriber’s base has grown to include the workers affected in other agencies, such as the Old Warriors Affairs Department and the Ministry of Education.
Vota has an eight volunteer team that helps it on the site, and offers free and paid subscriptions. The latter costs $ 20 per month or $ 100 annually, and includes more coordinated and personal content, such as “AMA” zoom calls with recruits where people can ask specific questions related to the search for a job. VOTA says it uses the money he achieves to re -invest in work.
“My wife is very disappointed because at this point I am emerging. All the money I earn is directly due to the services, operations and content of people.”
Society finding
Pivot Career certainly provides practical tools for job seekers, but many workers say the best thing they get is a feeling that they are not alone.
Laura Wigzlth has worked as a global health and development employee in the international development sector for a period of 25 years, and has lost her job as a result of freezing financing. She was an early joint and participated in VOTA workshops, where she learned things like how to improve her autobiography with artificial intelligence. Because of its professional experience, it also helps others to move in the process of searching for a job.
“Hunting jobs is arduous, frightening and unit, and it can be very frustrated,” she says. “Especially if you do not have a support society from the people who are going through what you are going through.”
This feeling was echoed by Joel Levisk, whose job as a federal contractor earlier this year when the US Agency for International Development was dried up. He worked for Millennium Partners Consulting Consulting as an activity manager, and had left four years in his contract when he was expelled on February 24. Leavesque Substack in February, providing people with guidelines on how to take advantage of artificial intelligence in the search for a job. It also also works with VOTA and the functional axis through guest posts and Amas. While the comprehensive information site it provides is estimated, he says it was not the main reason that he participated in.
“What I found is that it was a society.” This was really a painful thing that happened to people who are already working in this sector. I don’t think anyone expected this. In order to be able to engage in a society where people are like me, and the same thing, it made me feel that I was not crazy. “
“I cannot predict the future”
While many federal workers have just started searching for their work, VOTA began to see his work results.
“I received someone via email to me today, saying:” I have canceled the subscription because I have a job. “Oh, this was the most beautiful email ever! This will be a sign of failure, not a sign of success. “
Many former international relief workers, including VOTA, are still hoping for the future of the sector, although they know it will look different. “The American Agency for International Development, such as the agency that we have known on January 20, will not be present in the future. External assistance, which is the largest concept of helping other countries, will continue.”
How, exactly? It is completely not sure. It can be years before the reversal of the financing discounts. This may also depend on the results of the 2026 and 2028 elections. But Fota has no time to hold his breath.
“I cannot predict the future, but I have a strong feeling that most of us should find a new profession only to survive.”
This story was originally shown on Fortune.com
adxpro.online