“You could do everything right and still come up short.”

I was never meant to be in tech. I was a writer with a day job. Then I found out I liked product work. But after 3 years it felt like it got taken away from me. I also thought I had prepared well for the job hunt. I got lucky(?) that I wasn't just laid off, but the whole company was shutting down. I had a long runway, with some calls both during and immediately after unemployment. But 2026 turned into a slog and I eventually had to move back in with my mother. It's frustrating because it feels like you could do everything right and still come up short and it seem neither party (candidate and employer) know what's supposed to work or can agree on it.