I was laid off from Oracle after almost 10 years. It felt cold, but it taught me an important lesson about priorities.

• Pamela Price learned via email that she was affected by Oracle's recent mass layoffs.
• The layoff shocked her — but she leaned on three career lessons to quickly pivot.
• She says the experience revealed she should've prioritized her personal life sooner.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Pamela Price, a 65-year-old former employee at Oracle, who lives in Michigan. Business Insider has verified Price's former employment with documentation and edited her words for length and clarity.

At the end of March, I received an email at 7:10 in the morning letting me know my job at Oracle had been eliminated. It was a shock.

I had worked for the company for nearly 10 years as a senior principal technical account manager. I oversaw accounts across state government, schools, colleges, and universities, ensuring that when they purchased Oracle products, everything ran smoothly and met their expectations.

I had heard rumors of possible layoffs in March on social media and private employee platforms. I was still surprised, and while I understand that thousands of people were impacted, finding out over email felt cold.

I'm glad I had a backup plan

I'm on Oracle's payroll until April 10, even though I'm no longer working there. While this was my first layoff, I've always believed in having a backup plan. Because of that, when the layoff happened, I was able to pivot and lean into the nonprofit I started years ago, Priceless Dreams, which focuses on financial literacy and education.

There are a few lessons I've learned throughout my career that I'm glad I implemented — and one I'm now learning through this experience.

1. Build your network before you need it

Networking is huge. While at Oracle, I made a point to stay connected with people across the company's global footprint. I've built relationships with colleagues in places like Peru, Brazil, Germany, Ireland, and Japan. Those connections weren't just professional — they helped me understand different ways of life.

A lot of people have reached out to me on LinkedIn and said, if you're looking for a job, I know people who are hiring, and I've had people offer to write me a recommendation, too.

I realized that you form real bonds with the people you meet within your company. That doesn't have to end when you leave.

2. Keep learning so you're ready for what's next

Another lesson for me has been the importance of continuing to build my skills. Any opportunities that help you grow — whether it's classes, certifications, or job shadowing — are worth pursuing. That way, if you're no longer with a company, you're better prepared for the transition to your next opportunity.

I've always considered myself to be a lifelong learner. I have several degrees, I've worked across different industries, and I've taken classes at multiple universities and colleges. At Oracle, I completed many free courses and earned certifications for various technologies and specializations.

3. It's important to have more than one income

I provide consulting and notary services through my nonprofit, and that contributes to my income. My passion is helping students succeed, and I've been doing that on the side for about 20 years now.

If you look at the trends over the past 30 or 40 years, companies change all the time — whether through bankruptcy, acquisitions, restructuring, or AI. It's important to think about what you are going to do if you're affected by a layoff.

Ask yourself, how am I going to survive financially?

A good goal is to have about six months of savings. That gives you time to restructure, take a mental break — maybe two weeks or even a month — and then start planning your next steps and your next source of income.

4. Prioritize work-life balance

One of the biggest lessons I've taken from this experience is the importance of work-life balance. To be honest, I didn't have it. I put in a lot of hours at my job because that was my main focus.

Now, I see how important that balance really is. Yes, you should put in the hours required and have a second income, but you also need to make time to enjoy your life — whether that's time with family and friends, or taking a vacation.

I'm now looking forward to relaxing

At first, when the layoff happened, I felt anxiety. By the fourth day, that waned, and now I'm relaxed and looking forward to vacation.

I want to do more relaxing things, such as taking vacations with my family, going to sporting events, and going to the beach.

In retrospect, I am pretty satisfied with my career and how it progressed, and that work-life balance is what I'm learning now.

Do you have a layoff experience you'd like to share? Email this editor, Manseen Logan, at mlogan@businessinsider.com.