Staying Current: Hope Despite Doom and Gloom
Yes, layoffs in tech continue. No, you should NOT pause your search. Excellent insights emerge from this chaos. This is information available to focus your transition and demonstrate your value.
Check out these two articles for education and wisdom:
20 Things I’ve Learned in my 20 Years as a Software Engineer. While Justin Etheredge records experience from a technical perspective, his lessons resonate for the former fed:
Software is a means to an end
Justin describes how software engineers must be ruthless about delivering value. Use this same approach to describe how you will drive the bottom line for the jobs you are targeting in tech.
People don’t really want innovation
In government, how many times have you encountered negative feedback when attempting to change a process? The same reactions await you in tech. During loops, bring up how you overcame such roadblocks and you’ll be that much closer to another offer!
Interviews are almost worthless for telling how good of a team member someone will be
This is a useful reminder of the reality of interviews. Keep this in mind to save yourself from emotional investment. Often the loop doesn’t work out because it’s an imperfect system and not because you failed.
Is a Venture Studio Right for You? For those looking for a start-up path, Steve Blank breaks down an alternative to incubators and accelerators. Venture studios are an “idea factory” with their own employees searching for product/market fit and a repeatable and scalable business model. They do the most to de-risk the early stages of a startup. Knowing more about these studios helps determine the viability of a potential employer who is participating in one.
On the other hand, it’s always good to be current with statistics like these:
Google - 12,000 jobs (6% of the workforce)
Microsoft - 10,000 jobs (5% of the workforce)
Amazon - 18,000 jobs (6% of the workforce)
Meta - 11,000 jobs (13% of the workforce)
To continue to track layoff trends, check out this slick graphic. The same site has a smooth process for finding open roles. Articles like The Era of Happy Tech Workers Is Over provide an understanding of fears and concerns.
Stay informed, stay positive and stay the course. When the going gets tough, the former fed never quits!!