Teri

I want to tell you about Teri.

She spent over 16 years at J.P. Morgan Chase — and another 8 in banking before that. That’s nearly a quarter of a century of experience. Wisdom. Loyalty. Showing up. Delivering. Mentoring. Navigating change after change. She wasn’t just employed — she was invested.

Then one day, like 1,100 others, she was told her position was “eliminated.”

Just like that.

No parade. No proper sendoff. No acknowledgment of 25 years of expertise.

Just… thank you for your service, good luck out there.

Let’s call that what it is: brutal.

At 64, after dedicating decades to an industry that’s quick to say “we’re like family,” Teri was thrown into a job market that doesn’t value age, doesn’t appreciate experience, and is flooded with scammers pretending to be recruiters just to exploit seasoned professionals.

She took down her “Open to Work” banner.

She stopped answering calls from fake “opportunities.”

And like many of us, she probably sat with the sting of wondering: Was all of that loyalty for nothing?

But here’s the thing about people like Teri:

They don’t stay down.

They don’t make noise — they make moves.

Because despite the heartbreak… despite the disappointment… despite the exhaustion that comes from repeating the same story to people who’ll never understand the cost of it…

She kept going.

And now? Just six weeks later — she’s walking into her second interview this Friday.

That, right there, is what this job search really looks like.

It’s grief and grit. It’s laughter through tears.

It’s the terrifying belief that maybe, just maybe, you still have more to give — even if the market doesn’t see it yet.

So if you’re reading this and you’re feeling discouraged… if you’re tired of rejection emails, fake recruiters, or being told you’re “overqualified” for a role you could do in your sleep — remember Teri.

Remember that value doesn’t vanish because someone else couldn’t see it.

That expertise doesn’t expire just because a system prefers cheaper labor.

That there’s power in persistence — even when you don’t feel powerful.

Teri, thank you for sharing your story. You reminded me — and so many others — that sometimes the best way to fight back isn’t with noise, but with a next step.

We’re rooting for you.

Not just to get the job, but to show the world what 25 years of fire and focus looks like when it walks into the room like it still belongs there.

Because it does.

And so do you.