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Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
421–430 of 594 posts
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#422I don’t understand the thinking behind #7, especially when it contradicts #2-#4… Surely if the job market is so tight, it might be worthwhile to take what jobs you can get?
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#423Earlier quoted context omitted.
Even when applying to companies that are LGBTQ friendly? I sometimes self identify on applications if the company has a good reputation with that kind of thing because I’d expect It would give me some diversity points. But maybe that’s not the best idea.
I do not trust "LGBTQ friendly" companies, unless their board of directors is predominantly LGBTQ. Once bitten, twice shy.
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Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#424Earlier quoted context omitted.
"We brought along the people we thought were the best, who we got along with, who would get the job done" I really appreciate the sentiment. In my experience such networks have been self-serving and mostly exclusionary, rewarding loyalty more than competence. "You need to make some changes" is not particularly helpful when you're outside the fold. What's typically unstated is something about loyalty, esp. not disclos…
> In my experience such networks have been self-serving and mostly exclusionary, rewarding loyalty more than competence. I think that's all true except for the "more than competence" part and it's a good thing. Competence is directly related to loyalty. When you recommend someone for a job and they excel, it makes you look good. It makes you loyal to them and giving the opportunity makes them more loyal to you. If so…
Seconding this. I'm wondering if the person you are replying to might be having a bit of a dunning kruger issue
I only recommend the people that I have worked with that I would want to work with again. Not because of loyalty, but because they are good, and will make me look good for recommending them
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#425I survived the dot com crash (yes I'm old). I have hired (interviewing team member, or hiring manager) hundreds of engineers. If you are hearing "let me know if I can help" (number 5) you might be doing something wrong. You should be hearing some version of " I will talk to my boss" or "I will call for you" or "XXX person I know is looking". I have a list of about 30 people who if they call me I'm going to go out of…
I thrived in the dotcom crash while I watched many of my friends go to companies with generic names like "Global Digital Media" with silly business plans like putting Internet kiosks in U.S. airports. It was incredible - their entire business plan was to ramp up over the next 5 years with a massive capital outlay just in time for smart phones to make them completely obsolete. This is an actual example: https://www.ny…
>I would add to it - don't waste time.
In the dotcom crash, when I was laid off I think the first email I sent the next day was to someone who we were a client of at a previous employer. And we had stayed in touch because I had moved onto a competitor of his (until I was laid off). Just a "Hey. I was laid off. Love to pick your brain." sort of thing. Took me out to lunch with his COO the next week. Discussed some contracting but they ended up making me an offer in about of month.
Things got rocky for the company later. And it was touch and go for a bit. Not the greatest period for me financially but I was never really unemployed and it was a pretty great job in a lot of ways which set me up for my current one. Had I decided to take the autumn off, I could easily see myself being unemployed for 2 or 3 years. Other people I knew never really recovered from the dotcom bubble bursting.
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#426Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, when lots of companies are cutting back to their most essential employees, it helps provide a little cover. But, y'know, regardless of the environment, what does it say about your abilities that your employer didn't consider you essential? This is a very pessimistic way to view things that I don't fully believe, and of course any reasonable person knows that being part of a layoff is very rarely just the employe…
> But, y'know, regardless of the environment, what does it say about your abilities that your employer didn't consider you essential? In the case of a startup, there's often not much you can do to be seen as valued if you're not a founding engineer. I've been a part of 3 layoffs. 15%, 90%, and 75% reductions, all at small or medium-sized startups. At a startup, they're going to keep founding and early engineers first…
Yeah, and all of this is relevant, and the kind of stuff you would wanna talk about with a new potential employer. Maybe you did really amazing work with a killer team, but that team got cut as the founders tried to reduce scope.
But... it's still set against the default backdrop of "they kept some people, but not me", so it's important to be able to tell your story well.
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#427Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ok looked the guy up: https://www.stevenbuccini.com/about/ - Studied at Berkeley - worked at Apple and Uber And I’m supposed to feel bad for you not wanting to spend a few weeks grinding at leetcode? This reeks of someone who is very well off, and not an “Everyman” engineer.
I actually agree with the parent here; grinding leetcode is some dumbshit waste of time that I'm not going to bother with -- I've got code to put in production and this simply is never a good use of my time. When you have an obnoxious hiring process that will take multiple hours for your special company, why would I even waste my time? I can click a few more buttons and have offers elsewhere anyways...
Well the guy who wrote the post had the same opinion as you and his job search took a year as a result…
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#428Earlier quoted context omitted.
> a job gives you a basic social identity Just because this is a norm doesn't make it healthy. When your identity is rooted in something that can easily go away, it makes for a weak foundation. Lot of examples of jobs that are relatively short-lived (athletes, military, etc.) can show how difficult transitioning is when your identity is tied to your job.
We need to distinguish between being at some particular job and being in a profession or similarly in any job at all. I think it's unhealthy to have your identity tied to your specific employer, job title and tasks that you do for them. You as a person should not be defined by the tickets in your current sprint. However not having a profession or any job is much different and worse. Unless you're older and retired, o…
Part of the distinction I was trying to make is that it's dangerous to have one's identity tied primarily to any singular thing. In western culture, it just seems like a job/profession is the easiest identifier.
Will Storr writes about this much better than I can explain it here. But his point is essentially that the healthiest approach is to have your identity tied to many disparate parts of your life so that if one falters, the way you view your status doesn't hinge on that one failure. Just like you stated that "people identified themselves as successful", is a measure of status. If your esteem/status is based on that one domain, you're putting yourself at greater risk. It doesn't matter if a buggy-whip maker was the best tradesman around, he's status is still at risk when cars become popular.
The other part is that I believe research shows it's typically unhealthy to have one's social circle centered around work because those aren't very tight bonds. Again, it's a point to spread your social circle across shared interests and values rather than a job.
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#429The number one thing I've learned from being laid off was never to trust your employer. Trust people, if they've shown to be trustworthy, but never, ever trust a company. A company is not family, they're not your friend, and the perceived loyalty you think you've "earned" doesn't mean a thing if layoffs are coming. Treat your employment as a business arrangement. You get a paycheck in exchange for labor. Nothing less…
I second this. Institutions come and go but the people and connections you make throughout your working life is what counts and transcend your workplace. This is especially true for technical people, if you are middle management/executive your skills are far less transferable.
Re: Hard truths I learned when I got laid off from my SWE job
#430Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just wondering, what is your TC? My understanding is that story works at Tier 3 companies that lack a structured interview process and are desperate for candidates (e.g. startups).
Reversing a binary tree is a reference to a FAANG interview. Money makes life easier. It isn’t the goal of your life. We aren’t playing a video game where the person who made the most money “wins” at life.
I’ve worked at small startups and dev shops with low hiring hiring bars and I find way more “princesses” than I have working at Tier 2 companies with leetcode interviews.
“Princess” - people that don’t take feedback, are extremely opinionated about their work, and act irrationally in regards to career or business decisions.