The Reboot Era
Layoffs. Burnout. Reinvention. Welcome to the messy middle of career change — and the community that's not afraid to talk about it.
Hosted by Dray Jankowski, a former tech program manager laid off in 2025, The Reboot Era is part unfiltered storytelling, part emotional support group, and part career comeback plan. Through weekly solo episodes and candid guest interviews, we explore what it really means to rebuild your life — professionally, emotionally, and financially.
We’re not here to sell you hope. We’re here to tell the truth — with humor, heart, and a little chaos.
Each episode dives into one of our seven pillars:
• Layoffs & Unemployment
• Motivation & Momentum
• Strategy & Income
• Redirection & Reinvention
• Mental Health & Renewal
• Closure & Reflection
• Identity & Calling
If you’ve ever screamed into a throw pillow after reading a rejection email — this is your place.
🎧 New episodes every week.
💬 Got a story of your own? Come tell it. This isn’t just my era — it’s ours!
The Reboot Era
Reboot 24 | RR7 - The Future Belongs to the Unconventional: Vivian’s Story
In this episode of The Reboot Era, I reconnect with my fellow Bryant University alum Vivian to explore her unconventional career path — one defined by global adventures, freelancing experiments, and fearless reinvention.
After graduating in International Economics, Vivian skipped the corporate route to pursue a fellowship in LA, a cultural exchange in Brazil, and eventually five years of freelancing as a writer. She shares how she built a career on her own terms, the highs and lows of freelancing, and why AI ultimately pushed her to pivot again — this time into business development in New York’s electrical industry.
We discuss:
- Why freelancing can be both freeing and unpredictable
- How to build a personal brand on LinkedIn that actually drives opportunities
- The realities of AI’s impact on creative careers
- Why blue-collar entrepreneurship may be one of the most future-proof industries
- How to recognize — and act on — the right career pivot
📍 Connect with Vivian on LinkedIn: Click here
If you’re rethinking your career path or curious about freelancing, entrepreneurship, and AI’s role in shaping the future of work — this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
💼 Partner: Jobhire.ai — Apply to jobs while you sleep. 30% off in Sept. 2025 with code DRAY30 → jobhire.ai/job-matcher/?imutm=dray (you must use that link)
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Everything shared on this podcast is based on personal experience and opinion. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, no content should be considered professional, legal, or career advice. Any mention of companies, products, or individuals is done in a personal capacity and does not represent the views or endorsements of those organizations or people. If a sponsorship or paid partnership is ever included, it will be clearly disclosed during the episode.
