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Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job

stevenbuccini.com

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Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job

#181

Post by the_only_law »

eulers_secret wrote: post #108
greesil wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope, I need that time to grind leetcode.

This is exactly what happened to me when I quit. “Now I’ll have time for my projects!!” Instead it’s been “Grokking Algorithms”, “The Competitive Programmers Handbook”, Alex Xu’s “System Design”, and enough leetcode that I’m actually doing more than I did at work. What sucks is that there are still lots of medium problems I cannot do. Hards are right out. Dunno what I’ll do.

God I wish I could get to suffer leetcode interviews, but right now I can’t even get past automated ATS screens.

Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job

#182

Post by enraged_camel »

scarface74 wrote: post #137
tra3 wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The intent is to learn and produce and be an able to talk about rather than try to make money.

So if you aren’t “learning and producing” at your day job, what are you doing 40 hours a week?

Speaking as someone who has juggled both a full-time job and a part-time startup on the side before, I can answer this: both of them contributed immensely to my professional development, but in different ways, since the business domains were very different (which also meant developing proficiencies with different technologies and tooling).

Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job

#183

Post by inthepipe »

I was laid off four months ago. I haven’t started my job search in earnest yet, so maybe my opinion will change, but being laid off has been amazing for me. Here are my thoughts:

1) You should not be broke if you’ve worked a few years as a software engineer. You’ve been earning good money and it is important to save during the good times so you’re prepared for the bad. I’m not saying this necessarily applies to OP, but it’s generally good advice to keep some money lying around for a rainy day.

2) If you feel secure financially and get laid off, it’s a great time to do something time consuming. I have a toddler, so it’s been a lot of fun to hang out and bond with her. Friends have made video games or picked up a new hobby. Most people I know who got laid off who felt secure financially love it.

3) Your network is your best asset. After the layoff, multiple old contacts reached out with job offers. I was very grateful for these, but declined them for the reasons above.

TLDR: being laid off can be a blessing if you’re financially prepared.

Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job

#186

Post by eulers_secret »

fein wrote: post #139
eulers_secret wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is exactly what happened to me when I quit. “Now I’ll have time for my projects!!” Instead it’s been “Grokking Algorithms”, “The Competitive Programmers Handbook”, Alex Xu’s “System Design”, and enough leetcode that I’m actually doing more than I did at work. What sucks is that there are still lots of medium problems I cannot do. Hards are right out. Dunno what I’ll do.

What situation are people in that they have to result to this? Is this an issue with getting laid off and trying to find a FAANG job? I was laid off from one consulting company back in 2018 or so and had a new gig with more pay a week or so later. No leetcode or dev tests, just talking with people in phone interviews. It was a company I had previously done contract work for, and they called me, but nothing at the FAA…

For what it’s worth in my 15+ year career I have also never had to do leetcode interviews… until now.

Part of it is that I’m pivoting from systems software (Linux kernel) to webstuff. I have zero network here, if I wanted to do systems again I’d have an easier time of it.

Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job

#187

Post by ctvo »

rjh29 wrote: post #143
blagie wrote: post #74

My advice: Have one or more side projects going all the time. If you get laid off, immediately start doing a startup, open-source project, or volunteering full time. A year of unemployment? Lonely, depressing, and not good on a resume. A year of launching an unsuccessful venture? Running coding classes for the underserved? Focusing full-time on contributing to pytorch? That's a lot better, both at the time and in ret…

I have a decent amount of savings and a side project I want to do which could potentially earn money. Are you saying if I quit my job and do this for a year or so, it'll fill a hole in my resume and not affect future interviews?

Everytime I read these comments I feel like I work in another industry. Who cares about the gaps in your resume? Truly, have recruiters commented in anything but passing? Your interviewers?

I've hired candidates with large gaps in their resume and their reasoning for the most part was I wanted time off or I went traveling or N other things that have nothing to do with work. We. Did. Not. Care.

Pass the interview. This is the only thing we cared about at Big Tech Co.

Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job

#188

Post by stcroixx »

cheschire wrote: post #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?

Not OP, but the significant change I see is FAANG can't hire simply to keep talent away from their competitors anymore. Not sure what overall percentage of people working in those jobs were hired for that reason, but they'll likely never see that kind of salary again.

Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job

#189

Post by nicoburns »

anon50118810 wrote: post #160
fein wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What situation are people in that they have to result to this? Is this an issue with getting laid off and trying to find a FAANG job? I was laid off from one consulting company back in 2018 or so and had a new gig with more pay a week or so later. No leetcode or dev tests, just talking with people in phone interviews. It was a company I had previously done contract work for, and they called me, but nothing at the FAA…

In very large part what your interviews look like depends heavily on when and where you're searching, what type of job you want and what your background is. It's hard to overstate this. 2018 might as well be an entirely different universe. That said I would be a little suspicious as a mid/senior-level developer if I got hired at a place that didn't ask me to do any coding for them at all beforehand.

> That said I would be a little suspicious as a mid/senior-level developer if I got hired at a place that didn't ask me to do any coding for them at all beforehand.

I'd be suspicious if they didn't ask me to do any coding, but I'd be just as suspicious if the coding they asked me to do was leetcode.

Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job

#190

Post by bilvar »

oldstrangers wrote: post #157

Getting laid off is a great introduction into class solidarity with your fellow workers. We have literally nothing in common with the capitalists at the top. You are closer to homelessness than you are to being a billionaire.

Most capitalists are not billionaires or even millionaires, the divide you are creating is outdated and frankly asinine.
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