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Losing two jobs in one year

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Re: Losing two jobs in one year

#151
post #48

This is something i think has been slowly changing in the US. At least among the people i know. Work is now just work. Five years ago it had to be your passion it is what you wanted or at least i wanted to be defined by. After seeing how little any company cares about people work is what i try to spend the least amount of time doing. At 5 or ideally 4 i clock out and only respond if I am paged. Additionally i have ch…

I think it’s mostly (corporate) disconnection from reality.

It’s understandable that a failing business lays off a bunch of people to try and stay afloat, to survive.

But companies thriving, making a bunch of money and seeing their share price increase… and still laying off a bunch of people?

If that’s the game companies play, it’s understandable that people will adapt sooner or later.

Re: Losing two jobs in one year

#152
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear this argument and I should point out that it can hurt people saying something like that. I understand where you are coming from and I disagree strongly with your statement. Around age 12 I discovered software development and became my greatest passion. It helped me escape MMORPG addiction and being happy (have a family, buy a home, pursue my hobbies). If I lost my job I would be sad, no doubt, but I would stil…

And parent is right that it’s not ideal to have your eggs put in one basket like this.

I should point out that also my eggs are not in one basket. My passion for board games, videogames, my children and my wife cover everything else, but if my job wasn't software development, I would include it in some way in my life

Re: Losing two jobs in one year

#153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear this argument and I should point out that it can hurt people saying something like that. I understand where you are coming from and I disagree strongly with your statement. Around age 12 I discovered software development and became my greatest passion. It helped me escape MMORPG addiction and being happy (have a family, buy a home, pursue my hobbies). If I lost my job I would be sad, no doubt, but I would stil…

I started programming in 6th grade in assembly on Apple //e in 1986. By the time o graduated from college in 1996, I programmed as a hobbyist in assembly on four architectures - 65C02, 68K, PPC and x86. The last time I programmed as a hobbyist was 1996. For the next 15 years my hobby was teaching fitness classes, running and lifting weights. I got married in 2012 and became a father to a 9 and 14 year old. When the y…

Congrats! If it was impossible for you to go back as a software developer, would you resume software development as a hobby?

Re: Losing two jobs in one year

#154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately you have to project substantial economic value to live a life of dignity (esp with a family) and so there’s no getting away from it with the current state of affairs You can’t just “live a nourishing life”, you have to do both

What a ridiculous statement, are you saying that lower income families don't live a life of dignity because they can't project "substantial economic" value? If your argument is about providing enough to have a roof over your head, then that doesn't equate to "substantial economic value". I find such obsession with wealth very unhealthy.

Roofs aren’t getting any cheaper. Neither are healthcare or education. If you really want to experience indignity, try obtaining all that on a low income.

Re: Losing two jobs in one year

#155
post #48

This is something i think has been slowly changing in the US. At least among the people i know. Work is now just work. Five years ago it had to be your passion it is what you wanted or at least i wanted to be defined by. After seeing how little any company cares about people work is what i try to spend the least amount of time doing. At 5 or ideally 4 i clock out and only respond if I am paged. Additionally i have ch…

The “great recession” didn’t seem to impact tech like the dotcom bust did. So millenials and younger really hadn’t lived through a lean era in tech like we’re living in now. This is easily the worst jobs market since that dotcom bust. So it’s been a while.

Nothing like seeing how arbitrary layoffs are to seeing how shallow leadership decisions can be.

This is the period that actually defines good leadership. A good leader, at least to me, won’t be led by investors to making largely short term decisions. They will define how their organization needs to evolve and challenge them to make it happen. But what I mostly see, are leaders doing stupid things like RTO then layoffs (goodbye, loyalty!), and then shrug and whine about having to maintain margins while cutting money losing projects that shouldn’t have been started in the first place. And then turn around and say “the future is AI” without really having much of a plan.

The leadership BS really stinks during these times, and it’s something that the younger generations haven’t really experienced.

Re: Losing two jobs in one year

#156
post #106
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard to know, right? I think that COVID knocked the crap out of a lot of social norms, one of those being "live to work". But it could also be aging, as nothing helps you understand life is short like seeing obituaries of people only a few years older than you (or even younger than you).

I'd guess the sequence is people start off young and naive, live through a downturn and then discover that the contract lays out precisely what their employer thinks of them. Doing the job then going home is not a new philosophy. The people living to work are just gullible.

As you work in tech for a number of years you discover that (a) employers don't become permanently more loyal or generous to you if you "work your ass off" and (b) working long hours doesn't actually make you more productive overall anyway. I suspect one reason for ageism in the industry is that management are too inexperienced themselves to have discovered either of these.

Re: Losing two jobs in one year

#157
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am almost 50 and on my ninth job. I haven’t been “passionate” about my job ever. It has always served as no more than a means to support my addiction to food and shelter.

How booring. Has there really not been anything fun and exciting in any of your nine jobs?

if you have hobbies it’s much more fun to spend time on that.

Re: Losing two jobs in one year

#158
post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a young 30 something I cannot disagree more. I'm flabbergasted at have met my bff's ex and found out he was an old school company man. I've never seen a person so used and so unaware of it in my life and of course he finally left with nothing to show for years of being a victim of labor laws violations. His dad was like a life long Walmart mid-upper-level person. No one I know, besides him, has job loyalty. Not th…

I don't know about this. I have found a few places with great bosses/owners that deserved my loyalty. They proved it by investing in the team, making hard choices to cut their salary rather than lay people off, and in general being loyal first. When you find a place like this, I advise hanging around for a while.

I agree with this. However, the flip side is, a great company can get bought out by a horrible one. A great boss who appreciates the good stuff you did might leave for a another job. (though maybe you can follow them). Things can change quickly. Public sector is different. Its far more long-term. Which is great. Although, OTOH things that are wrong with it remain the same for a long time. Ironically, the reverse is true. I know someone that worked for a company that was horrible and he thought about leaving, then it got bought out by a decent one.

Re: Losing two jobs in one year

#159
post #48

This is something i think has been slowly changing in the US. At least among the people i know. Work is now just work. Five years ago it had to be your passion it is what you wanted or at least i wanted to be defined by. After seeing how little any company cares about people work is what i try to spend the least amount of time doing. At 5 or ideally 4 i clock out and only respond if I am paged. Additionally i have ch…

> This is something i think has been slowly changing in the US. At least among the people i know. I think your cohort is just aging.

Very likely. For context im 33 and mostly hang around people from 28 to 38 range. Although I also notice a different attitude with the new devs that we hire who are 24 to 26.

Re: Losing two jobs in one year

#160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You do the work for the money, but you don't invest yourself in the work: you care about the people who love you back at home. In the end, the work (caveat edge cases) will be meaningless. You're converting time into fiat you need to pay for life. You can always make more money, time is non renewable. "Today is your last day." "Meh, whatevs, going home to my family." https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/life-weeks.html htt…

I found out I was getting Amazoned in the 13th city of a year long “nomadding” journey with my wife where we were booking one way flights across the country. My wife asked me what was the plan. I told her nothing is changing, we went to our 14th city, I interviewed for three companies remotely and had two offers in three weeks. I accepted one and flew from there to meet my cousin in NYC for the US Tennis Open and met…

Happy to hear you landed somewhere after Amazon.
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