Laid Off Tech Worker Suggests That Unemployed People Should Sell Their Blood to Survive

"My chances of obtaining another great-paying [full-time] job are next to zero."

One-Two Punch

As the tech sector reels from round after round of layoffs, one underemployed worker is urging others in her position to do anything — including sell their blood — to make ends meet.

In an interview with SFGATE, 55-year-old marketing writer Nina McCollum said that after being let go from what she thought was her dream job at an HR tech firm last spring, finding substantial work has been a struggle.

Since that fateful termination last March, McCollum has rejoined the ranks of the un- and underemployed folks in the tech sector forced to contend with increased competition and lowered wages.

That layoff, however, was far from the first for the tech-adjacent writer who went viral in 2019 for submitting more than 200 job applications without being hired. She's gotten so good at handling the aftermath of layoffs that she's become something of an expert in it — and now, she's urging others in her position to do whatever it takes to survive.

McCollum's advice to others impacted by the tech industry's pivot to AI is to, essentially, not go for broke. Instead of taking on jobs that pay too little for the heaps of responsibility they pour onto workers, she advises people quite literally sell their plasma or their belongings to keep the lights on. Ego, McCollum suggests, is the enemy — and there's nothing wrong with doing whatever job will pay the bills and not burn you out.

Bleak Outlook

As for her own prospects, the mother of one who also takes care of her ailing mother knows that the realities of her age and the responsibilities she holds make her an unattractive candidate to employers.

"They want someone young and cheap," McCollum told SFGATE. "My chances of obtaining another great-paying [full-time] job are next to zero."

We'd wager that doing menial side hustle tasks like driving for UberEats will likely end up being as (not-so) lucrative as plasma donation, which pays on average about $30-70 per donation.

But then again, with Silicon Valley tech execs' obsession with young blood, you might be able to get more if you're young or know someone.

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