FénixA year ago today I got the notice that I was being laid off. I knew it was a terrible time to be on the market, though that was before Trump's unpredictable policy decisions were in play, and I was aware I might have a long job search in front of me. I'd seen tough periods in tech before, my parents having been in it since the 80s, and I have friends who've been out of work longer than I. Still, I wasn't really prepared for how demoralizing it is.
I have talked to 5-10 recruiters in the past year, not counting a few spammers. I've had three interview cycles that made it past the recruiter screen. I've been ghosted by a small company a former coworker referred me in to, and by the only company that I've managed to get past the recruiter more than once with. Even during my mother's last multi-year slog trying to get back into industry after years of parenting, she was getting actual interviews pretty regularly. I am not.
Friends send me job listings, and I apply. I've been applying to five jobs a week since January. I've reworked my résumé multiple times, and prepared separate versions with and without my "DEI" credentials. I've tried for jobs incredibly close to what I was doing in the last gig and for jobs doing completely different things I know I'm capable of. I've taken crash courses to add Skills. I keep trying, and trying, even though I'm burned out on the whole nightmarish process by now.
I'm not an ambitious person, in the capitalistic sense. I want to be paid enough that I can pay my mortgage and bills and do small nice things for my family and friends. But I'm min-maxed towards knowledge work, can't easily pivot, and have a strong sense of Honor that makes me incompatible with whole swaths of the tech industry. Possibly I'm simply too autistic for the world. I just want a stable gig doing computer stuff that is at least mostly harmless, is all. And I worry that's not possible.
If I can stretch my savings long enough — which I might, it depends on how long that is — I suspect the jobs will come back with lower pay, fewer shiny benefits, and tighter control. Maybe we'll finally organize, though? In the short term, anyway, I'm worried because my household does sort of depend on my earning potential, and outside of tech I don't really have any. We're months away from tough decisions, but months feel like they go pretty fast.
Andrea@spacelogic I'm so sorry to hear this.
Sending a hug if you want.
Sending a hug if you want.