I left my cushy job to join CNN+ before it shut down months later. The layoffs were jarring but I don't regret my decision.

• CNN+ launched as a streaming service on March 29. By the end of April, it no longer existed.
• The shutdown left hundreds without a job, including a designer who'd left a cushy role to join CNN+.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with a designer at CNN+. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect their career, but Insider has verified their identity and employment. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

At the end of 2021, I was recruited for a role at CNN+. I was happy at my job as a designer, which paid well and had great benefits, but the CNN+ job was alluring.

The network told me that I'd help with branding and marketing, so I'd be able to hone the skills that would grow my career. It was a huge step up from my previous position.

My new job was everything they promised

At my old position, I primarily designed social-media graphics. Now I'd be working on shows that would be watched by potentially millions of people on an exciting new streaming network.

Working as a designer at CNN+ was so exciting and creative. It pushed me to be better, and I was thrilled to go to work every day.

I'd been at CNN+ for only a few months when we got an email about a mandatory meeting

The meeting, on April 21, was led by Chris Licht, the incoming chairman of CNN following Discovery's merger with WarnerMedia, the network's parent company.

I arrived late to the meeting, but I instantly felt the energy was off. Shortly after the meeting started, we all got an email stating that CNN+ would cease streaming by April 30. I remember texting my roommates and telling them I was getting fired.

Everyone was utterly shocked. We had already shot and edited the show I was working on; now, I have no idea what will happen to it. I was so excited to see my name in the credits on TV for the first time. Multiple teams produced an astonishing amount of work that may never see the light of day, including a project starring Anderson Cooper.

Over the next three months, we'll be wrapping up projects and hoping that another network picks them up

Then our six months of severance pay will kick in, so I have time to figure out what's next for me.

We were sent a link by CNN listing open positions available in other parts of the company and told we would have first dibs, but there aren't enough jobs for the hundreds of people laid off.

It's funny, not long before this happened, someone I worked with said, "The merger's coming soon. I'm looking for a new job."

Getting laid off for the first time in my life was jarring. The worst part was that I couldn't resist going on Twitter, and it crushed me to see so many people responding to the news with glee.

There was so much talent on the CNN+ team that we didn't get a chance to show off. We launched with 150,000 subscribers — which was a big step in the right direction, and we would've gotten the numbers higher.

I didn't have a backup plan in place because I hoped to be at CNN+ for many years

But I can't cry about it; I have to move forward, work on my portfolio, and get another job. Currently, I'm exploring other streaming services for possible job openings.

I've made lifelong friends, and I'm much more confident and ambitious than I was when I started. I was challenged creatively every day at CNN+, and I believe that I will see my name in the credits of a TV show soon. Recruiters on LinkedIn have already started reaching out.