Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
stevenbuccini.com
Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
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Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#2> Very few of us are going to bat 1.000 during our careers, especially with the industry reshaping itself under our feet.
This feels like it may be an iceberg. Could you expand more on what "reshaping" you're seeing? Are you referring to the mass layoffs specifically or is there some broader context to this comment?
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#3I'm guessing #7 contributed to the fact that it took the author 1 year to find another job. If you're desperate, you can most likely find an _okay_ job in 3 months. If you don't have the luxury to wait for a "good" job, finding a job tends to happen faster.
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#4Hey everyone, author here.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I decided to spend Christmas break in CDMX[0] by myself in order to reflect not only on the past year, but just how far I've come since I got laid off. This is the result.
Thanks for making all those hours at the café (instead of at a museum or bar or whatever) worthwhile.
[0] I'll be here for a few more days if you'd like to meet up!
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#5> You will have to interview for jobs where you will use a language you despise. Maybe even Java. Definitely Javascript.
No.
Or rather, maybe?
I have been fortunate enough that in a couple decades in this industry, including two major downturns, I've never been in a position that I /must/ find a job on a particular timeline to pay the bills. While my life situation helps with this, I do recognize that luck is a major part of it.
As a result, this line in particular fails to resonate with me. If I take a job doing something that makes me miserable, I will be miserable. Maybe I can put up with it for six months, but what's the point? During those six months, between working full time and being miserable, I will not be effective at looking for a long-term role I enjoy. Better to take a personal bridge loan and keep looking for something that works for me.
We're software engineers. If, like me, having someone pay you to build cool shit is about as good as it gets -- hold out for that, don't settle for doing what you "despise" instead.
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#6If you have to be an employee- nobody is forcing you to make the job your whole life.
Whether you are at risk of getting laid off or not - not having friends outside work is a bad idea.
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#7> Very few of us are going to bat 1.000 during our careers, especially with the industry reshaping itself under our feet. This feels like it may be an iceberg. Could you expand more on what "reshaping" you're seeing? Are you referring to the mass layoffs specifically or is there some broader context to this comment?
I think SWE is a very young field. Just 50 years ago GOTO was commonplace (apparently?). In any case I think the future hold some interesting prospects, with copilot and gpt and all.
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#8[dead]
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#9Coincidentally(?), "Laid off tech workers quickly find new jobs" (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161528) is also on the HN front page right now.
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#10>Do not disclose the current status of your interviewing process
Not sure exactly what this means but it's pretty common for recruiters to check your timeline and try to work around it. For instance, they'll try to expedite you if you already have offers on the table or relax the timeline so it fits with interviews.