I was laid off from Google last month. I still haven’t told my parents — and won’t until I find a new job.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jason Zhang, a 25-year-old former Google employee based in Seattle. It’s been edited for length and clarity.

When Google hired me as a software engineer at 22 years old, it felt like a huge accomplishment. It wasn’t just a milestone for me, but for my family.

Both my parents are immigrants, and they did everything they could to provide for me. My job at Google meant I was making more money, so I could give back to them and start…