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Where have all the laid-off tech workers gone?

economist.com

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Re: Where have all the laid-off tech workers gone?

#181

Post by [deleted] »

0xbadcafebee wrote: post #159
gumby wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Zero of my friends laid off from google are even looking for a new job. My wife was always asking me to retire, but after a year or so she’d say “it would be good for you to have a job”. Then repeat. Retiring isn’t that fun when you’re in your 30s. So I suspect a bunch of them will be back in the job market eventually.

> Retiring isn’t that fun when you’re in your 30s I would kill to retire. All I want to do is make art, music, cook, hike, kayak, and travel on the cheap. I have about.... 1/20th of the savings needed.

[deleted]

Re: Where have all the laid-off tech workers gone?

#182

Post by throwbadubadu »

Zetice wrote: post #168
0xbadcafebee wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Retiring isn’t that fun when you’re in your 30s I would kill to retire. All I want to do is make art, music, cook, hike, kayak, and travel on the cheap. I have about.... 1/20th of the savings needed.

I get the impulse, but why isn't this viewed as profoundly selfish?

> I get the impulse, but why isn't this viewed as profoundly selfish?

I get that impulse, but that is like saying that most of our current jobs are reasonable and for the greater good cause?

Most of the real value providing and necessary jobs are currently underpaid, while on the other spectrums end few people can reap automations fruits that actually should be shared by society, or somehow like that.. ( I know, opinionated can derail into endless discussion topic and other's may express better).

Also, why isn't seen making music and art as a contribution to society while some of the current jobs are hurting society?

Re: Where have all the laid-off tech workers gone?

#183

Post by swamp40 »

Zetice wrote: post #172
shagie wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SaaS companies that are linking one business function to another where the entirety of the product is some software running on the cloud. This isn't saying that they don't do development, but rather that they're not breaking new ground in tech. They aren't working on any cutting edge problems or developing frameworks to enable development at scale. I worked at a company that did some logistics. There was an app for p…

I'm the lead engineer at one of these and you nailed it. If I catch anyone "innovating" we have a talk about what it is they're working on to make sure it's part of our core business. It very rarely is. I probably suck to work for in that way, but the reality is this is not a job about pushing the envelope, it's a job about executing as cleanly as possible. You work at one of these if you love to implement simple tec…

> If I catch anyone "innovating"

Re: Where have all the laid-off tech workers gone?

#184

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

wonder_er wrote: post #150

Laid-off tech worker here. (backend engineer, ruby/rails/javascript). 5 years of experience. I'm working on not ever going back into tech. I've changed careers a number of times in my 34 years of life, and am doing it again. I'm only a mediocre software developer, have always had strong people/business skills, informed by my pre-software experience of commercial construction, teaching/training at a climbing gym, cust…

How does a business like this make money? It sounds almost like it could be a nonprofit.

Re: Where have all the laid-off tech workers gone?

#185

Post by happysadpanda2 »

Zetice wrote: post #168
0xbadcafebee wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Retiring isn’t that fun when you’re in your 30s I would kill to retire. All I want to do is make art, music, cook, hike, kayak, and travel on the cheap. I have about.... 1/20th of the savings needed.

I get the impulse, but why isn't this viewed as profoundly selfish?

Is your reasoning here that it is selfish, because not everyone can do that, and if everyone could/did, then society would collapse due to no food production, garbage collection, emergency services, law enforcement etc, as all those people would also be out painting/kayaking etc?

I ask because as I first read your comment I was unable to see the selfishness, since GP outlined that they lacked the financial means to support that lifestyle (also implying that taxes would still be paid and money would flow through the system all the same). It took me writing out a reply to you, asking how you thought it selfish, before my brain came up with the potential answer I outlined in the first paragraph.

Re: Where have all the laid-off tech workers gone?

#186

Post by mywittyname »

Zetice wrote: post #168
0xbadcafebee wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Retiring isn’t that fun when you’re in your 30s I would kill to retire. All I want to do is make art, music, cook, hike, kayak, and travel on the cheap. I have about.... 1/20th of the savings needed.

I get the impulse, but why isn't this viewed as profoundly selfish?

It's freeing up a high paying job for someone else to take.

Re: Where have all the laid-off tech workers gone?

#187

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

Zetice wrote: post #168
0xbadcafebee wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Retiring isn’t that fun when you’re in your 30s I would kill to retire. All I want to do is make art, music, cook, hike, kayak, and travel on the cheap. I have about.... 1/20th of the savings needed.

I get the impulse, but why isn't this viewed as profoundly selfish?

a) What's wrong with being selfish?

b) What about it is selfish?

Re: Where have all the laid-off tech workers gone?

#188

Post by ecshafer »

wonder_er wrote: post #150

Laid-off tech worker here. (backend engineer, ruby/rails/javascript). 5 years of experience. I'm working on not ever going back into tech. I've changed careers a number of times in my 34 years of life, and am doing it again. I'm only a mediocre software developer, have always had strong people/business skills, informed by my pre-software experience of commercial construction, teaching/training at a climbing gym, cust…

> Working on going independent here in Denver, acting as a 'broker' between businesses and their staff/customers to convert single-occupancy-vehicle-users to scooters, to increase the functional number of parking spaces in a given parking lot by 10% or more.

How do you make money doing this?

I also don't see how you really achieve this as a business. The best way to do this would imo run for city council with the backing of developers, remove zoning, and then implement road improvements.

Most cities have parking requirements for cars, so they legally can't remove paring spaces. This needs to change at a legal level.

Re: Where have all the laid-off tech workers gone?

#189

Post by stcroixx »

BirAdam wrote: post #125
toomuchtodo wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most shocking thing to me I’ve observed during my career is how many good technologists lack empathy. I hazard it’s because the same neurological structure that optimizes for what makes a good dev/technologist is also what makes empathy and social skills lacking, very broadly speaking. You can learn/fake it with enough time and practice (I’ve met those who do), it just doesn’t seem to be that common of a hack. ht…

I am not a psychological professional, and I should keep my mouth shut, but I don’t believe this is terribly unique to the tech sector. I think this is more closely linked to institutionalized people. That is, people who spent long amounts of time in schools, the military, prison, and so on. These large organizations themselves lack empathy. A person formed by such a machine will begin to find that treatment normal a…

Empathy doesn't seem particularly valuable in a work context. Wether I empathize with a non technical manager who creates more problems than they solve or not doesn't change the impact that person has on the people around them. Is it empathy that keeps someone like this employed? We tolerate their meddling and chaos because we feel bad for them?

Re: Where have all the laid-off tech workers gone?

#190

Post by CuriouslyC »

htrp wrote: post #138
Beaver117 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It will be painful to get a 50%+ paycut but I'm willing to accept any job - but like others guessed small companies instantly reject me. I only get interviews with other companies similar to FAANG, only for them to tell me they have a hiring feeeze. Or very early stage startups, like seed or series A, which I'm not comfortable joining.

> but I'm willing to accept any job > Or very early stage startups, like seed or series A, which I'm not comfortable joining. Pick one of these two statements please.

He said any job, not any company
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