Former Meta Employee Shares Career Path After 2023 Layoff

Emily Pitcher was laid off from her content design position at Meta in 2023. After repeated rejections in the job market, she began working full-time as an indie game developer and content creator. Pitcher is now partnering with a publisher to release her game "Lily's World XD" by the end of the year.

Reaching out to brands Pitcher created a list of brands she wanted to work with and contacted them directly. She secured several brand deals that taught her how to negotiate rates and handle invoices.

Posting about her experience Pitcher shared videos on TikTok about her layoff and ongoing job search. One video received millions of views and led to direct messages from people in similar situations. A viewer later helped her enter voice acting, which became an additional source of income.

Learning new skills Pitcher had never coded before starting her game project.

A friend taught her basic programming, and she continued learning through online resources. She said sharing early mockups of her game helped her receive feedback and stay motivated. Pitcher noted that she does not have a mortgage or family responsibilities.