I'm blown away by the amount of comments on this video, I'm happy that I resonated with so many people but at the same time I'm sorry we are all struggling. Still, I suppose that's life! I'll respond to as many comments as I can and make a follow-up video on this topic. Appreciate all of you!

"laid off" videos are very popular on KZfaq these days, unfortunately.

DO NOT make it a habit of going home to code after spending the day coding at your day job. You WILL burn out.

"The amount of work that you just have to do to stay relevant in this industry is just nuts!" Damn so true.

I have been a software developer for 35 years. I keep my skills up to date and have reinvented myself every 5 or so years. I refuse to go into management because you have to lie to and cheat people (if you are in management, yes that is what you do). I end up carrying people and get shit on constantly. If you protest you’re labeled difficult. This isn’t just software development. It’s all non-management positions. Management IS the problem.

Just a quick reality check, the only job security you have a software engineer is the ability to find a new job.

I was trying to find a programming job as a new starter and after zero responses to my applications I gave up (I was able to solve FANG programming questions with ease and have a few projects on my github). In the UK truck drivers earn more than the majority of SE and one takes 2 months to learn and pass exams and the other is years of hard work and studying never ends. And let's be honest 99% of tech jobs is as boring as driving a car. That 1% of cool jobs requires you to have a deep knowledge of math, physics, or biology. In the past if you were able to code a for loop you got a job (I know a few people that got their jobes with just basics around 2013) Now you need to know 3 languages, 15 frameworks, and all algorithms only to get a 10-stage interview. It's ridiculous.

Having been laid off several times, I understand your frustration. And right now the job market is the worst it's ever been in my 10 years in the industry. I'm done relying on companies and, while I still need a job for now, I'm positioning myself to be my own boss.

I've been a developer since 1998. The last 10 years have been hard. I felt like I'm doing the same thing, just with a different set of tools every 5 years or so. I recently decided I'm done looking at computers all day and started my own lawn mowing business. I've been at it for a little over a year and half and now I'm at 90% of my old salary as a principle engineer and I never have to worry about being laid off/fired again. Plus, I'm outside all day and I don't bring my work home with me. I sleep better than ever and have gotten a lot healthier. Maybe this is your opportunity to break away from the cubicle prison ;)

I got out after 27 years. People see my resume and go "wow" because of all the prestige names but have no idea of the stress involved. And it's never the actual work it is overpaid management who force us into the latest 'cool' methodology so they can appear to be doing something. I never had a job I really liked and am sorry I put myself through those awful decades.

I think we’re all now coming to terms with SWE being just another job. We were sold the idea of it being the most lucrative job, that’d provide all sorts of perks, benefits and security. In reality, it’s just like any other job, with daily tickets waiting for you to complete each working day. And managers, CEMs, clients pinging you to find out when you’re gonna get shit done. People playing the corporate game and sending tasks over the fence for other teams to complete. And somewhere in between all of that noise, you get left alone to code a bit. At the end of the day, you just need to work, make some money to support yourself and your family. So I’m not too hung up on the title. Make some money and stay out of debt.

Don't do photography dude. AI already taking jobs. I'm losing work in my publishing company to AI. Just check out what AI can do now with film and photography. Do it as a hobby but for job you are going to be in for a rude awakening

I am 42, 16 years of exp. In software industry and now since last 2 years acted as an Eng.Manager…. Exactly what you said, I am experimenting to move towards management and don’t want to stay in coding forever…. Unemployed since 4 months and struggling though… hate companies when they ghosted me after 6 rounds of interview lately…

The burnout is real! So many people are in the same boat! Good luck with the job search!

It's cool to hear you being real with yourself. I've had many people over the years ask my advice about bootcamps, etc, and I always encourage them to spend 6 months to a year learning on their own before spending a dime. After this period of time, if they find themselves losing sleep with the desire to solve the problems, then it's worth pursuing further. Coding is absolutely not worth going into for the money; you should love it or leave it. Otherwise, you will likely be miserable when the deadlines hit. I was lucky and got into coding as a hobby before I even knew making money with it was possible. Deadlines aren't always fun, but I'm thrilled to be coding 95% of the time. I even demoted myself years ago from the CTO track so I could keep my hands on the code. If this isn't you, it's probably worth considering a different path. I hope you find what you love to do! Don't worry about the degree; it's all transferable (my degrees are in music.....most job skills are learned on the job, not in school).

I've been in the industry for 30+ years now and getting ready to retire. The BS you all have to put up with now is crazy. I did see and talk to people that thought the gravy train would never end. They acted like the were is the city on the clouds. I survived most recessions except the one I was in during a divorce. I was months away from living in my car. I finally found a startup gig that lasted 6 months that got me back in the rat race. It is frustrating interviewing.

I feel you brother, I was lay off in one of the most strage ways, on june last year I switched jobs from a small startup to a bigger "startup" for money reasons, just 3 months in they fired me on the pretense of "Business needs" in actuality they expected me to work non-stop outside of work hours just to appease upper managemenet, basically sell my soul to the company. I didn't and complaint about it so that was it. The funny thing they call themselves a startup with 10 years in the market and 200+ employees is plain stupid. Lucky for me I ended up having two freelance projects that helped me until end of last year, and just next week I'm starting a new position on a real company, no more startup BS. I feel this is going to be demanding but at least meaningful, creating software for important clients and it seems that in a good team of people, also with a strict check-in and check-out hours, so much better in comparison to the "work whenever but deliver when I say" mentality. Also I started picking up hobbies I go to boxing classes twice a week and started playing bass, things I mentioned on this new job interviews and got a possitive response so that is also good. I like to watch these "doomer" Software Engineer videos since I suffered it and it seems we share similar perspectives, I already grinded the shit out of programming, now I just want to work and live normally, like if I could switch careers in an instant for something that pays me 50% less but is a mature industry with a defined career path I would do it but here we are... For now I just hope you find a job that fullfils you and take care✌

Hey man I just quit a toxic tech job and now back on the market. This is a could time to assess your options. There may be other jobs out there that provide a better environment. Just be careful when they start saying, "We are family and we are friends".

The thing is, no matter what career you choose, you will have frustrations, and nothing is certain and there is no such thing as "job security", which has been something of a myth that came out of the 1950's when there was such a thing (and only for a short time after WWII). So you have to steel yourself as a human being to working hard during your lifetime. Now this does not mean you shouldn't seek to do what you enjoy. However, you need to view that through the lens of your lifetime... If the thing you enjoy cannot make you enough money to eventually retire on, despite your wish that it would, then pursuing that because you enjoy it is only going to make you suffer in the end. And you may say, "Well that's a long time from now", but you will be surprised as everyone else has ever been how quickly that time goes by and you find yourself there. Your life decisions will impact whether you live later in life with regrets and hardships or not. And the truth is, you may have hardships regardless of what you do... but if you live your life thoughtfully and make the best and wisest decisions you can, and don't look for the easy way, but instead look for the right way, then you don't ever need to have regrets. And when it's your last breath, whether or not you have regrets will be the only thing that matters, really. Live your life in a way that you won't regret later. Don't be lazy, work hard, be honest, help others as best you can, and live well. That's my best advice. Also, I have been a programmer / analyst since 1997, and I'm still doing the same work now. I never wanted to get into management. But I picked, luckily, a set of skills that have remained useful over this entire period of time without having to vastly upgrade my skills constantly. However, I also worked for companies that provided training as part of the job (two weeks per year). So yes, I agree, you shouldn't be spending all your time doing programming, even if you are a professional. But you need to look ahead and see what is most likely to be useful over as long a time horizon as possible and go do that. For me it was ASP.Net / SQL Server. Great combo. Last long time. And all that said, this entire past year I spent doing a deep dive into python and AI ... because that's most likely the next big wave. If you want to stay in an interesting industry for a long time, then follow my lead. I've totally enjoyed it the entire way through, and still do. Not even close to feeling burned out. But that's also because I never let management bully me. I do a good solid job, and don't work myself to the bone, but I do high quality work every time. Anyway, just somethings to think about. Wishing you well, you seem like a good person. But don't be lazy. And don't be too idealistic. You will need to retire some day, and if you have a wife and kids, you'll need to provide for your family, whether now, or in the future. Consider it. It's important. Happiness comes to those who live their lives well, and have no regrets. Be one of those people and you'll do well, no matter how things go. My best wishes to you. Ciao.

I just got laid off for the first time as a JR dev after a year of work. It douse suck as you never see it coming and then you are back to the grind again. Anyone else in this situation, I wish you all the best. Keep going. 💪

There is more to life than IT.

Yes, it's a complete bullshit that you automatically get job security just because you're a software engineer. As software engineers, we often work hard to maintain or expand our already broad knowledge and skills, but we may still be the first ones that are laid off. These are facts. Many companies do not value software engineers enough. Furthermore, even if you genuinely enjoy software engineering, after 8-10 hours of work, you've had enough. I absolutely love programming, but programming requires constant thinking, which can be exhausting. So, you also need to relax to recharge our batteries for the next day. If you don't do that, you'll eventually burn out.

Thank you for sharing. I graduated top 3 of my class in june 2023 and I have had 7 jobs since then just to pay rent. Some people tell me to work harder but I already work as hard as I can and i'm mentally exhausted since school and depressed because of how things turned out for me

First brother, i'm sad to hear that. I guess it happens from time to time but since right now you are somewhat frustrated, you can take a free time to make sick pictures and enjoy yourself, coding skills as we know them are very easy to transfer from one tech to another so you shouldn't be worried about those skills dissapearing or something. Just take a deep breath and enjoy yourself for a minute. Then if you want you can try the industry once more. Hope everything gets better from here and my best wishes to you.

Engineers are like bank loans. Highly in demand when interest rates are low, less so when companies need to save money. I am a software engineering student and the idea that I might be unwanted after finishing my education terrifies me. I am also a people person but I think this is a good thing! As a matter of fact, I was recently offered a paid internship *after* the employer discovered I was a people person and I don't code in my spare time. Software development is a team sport! Like you said, your relevance in this industry is highly dependent on market trends. You don't need to internalize a problem you didn't cause. Good luck on your job search!

HI Jaul, I feel the same way. I am currently working in game development, and its the most unstable thing I've ever been to. I was blinded on how amazing it would be to create games and see myself in credits, but the amount of work required to stay relevant is as you say, WAY TOO MUCH. It has eaten up part of my life, to the point I come home and then do some portfolio work. But lately I have reduced the amount of work to spend time with Family and my pets. This has cleared up my mindset and feel a lot better with my life. I don't see myself staying in game dev if this continues on, as im not even making a lot of money but being put into a lot of work, to the point of burning out and losing motivation to complete the task at the office. Not sure what to do, but all I can say is I hope we find a brighter future for ourselves :). Looks like your photography hobby sounds cool, I will need to find something similar that can motivate me in the days ahead!

I've been in tech since around 2009, full time since 2012. I want out as well. My brain feels like a lump of concrete, I'm not progressing and don't want to. Absolutely no idea what I want to do instead. I'm thinking about a career break or sabbatical just for some "me" time for once.

Bro chose the wrong career.

I have been in tech for over 20 years, much of the time coding and sometimes leading teams. Spending lots of time studying for coding interviews or spending hours after work learning something you think you might need for work should be done with caution. You really have to know when enough is enough

Well said dude, well said. Remember everything happens for a reason, you'll be okay. This happened to me a year ago and i was able to snag a new position within a few months. Believe in yourself and you'll make it

I’m not on tech but I can relate to a lot of what you’re saying. I got laid off 1/4/24. My frustration is I played by the rules. I financed a bachelor’s degree with debt. Held a job since I was 15 years old. Spent $70k of my savings on a MBA from 2019-2021. Did that with work and a kid. I didn’t quiet quit or participate in the great resignation. Got rave reviews on my work from my last boss. Now, I can’t seem to get a call back. No s teens. No interviews. One thing about your video that I’m having a hard time with is this message of acceptance. I get it. This isn’t in your control. You have choices as to how you approach this. But we’re all being told by people with jobs to be patient. Keep at it. Something will pop. But no one is trying to create more jobs or ease restrictions on hiring. In fact, they’re doing the opposite. A, “year of lean.” So we’re missing out on earnings, 401k and other benefits. Idk. I get that we can’t all just implode. But this shit has gotta change.

Sorry about your job loss. I was lucky, I worked in Metrology and never was without a job. I'm retired now. My last job I was working in Dubai. The labor laws would only allow people over 60 to work if the company paid a penalty. I made it to 63 and got the boot. Life is full of surprises so always be prepared.

Same thing at my end! Glad to hear your experience - I’m glad I’m not crazy. Currently, going through cyber security certification cuz that interested me. Just trying to get my desire to go back into tech

I've been a software engineer over 15 years now and I totally recognise what you're saying. I am lucky to have found a job I'm comfortable in and get some enjoyment out for the last 7 years but obviously at some point that may come to an end. If I was laid off tomorrow I would find it an absolute pain in the ass to have to brush up on the data structures, algorithms and whatever is the latest hot framework or some AI crap just to find another job. You mention you are not 'exceptional', but most programming jobs don't really require 'exceptional' people: all that 'exceptional' stuff is just performative guff you have to do to get through the hiring process. Despite the competition for jobs as someone who can write code and adapt a little on the job you skills are still in a huge amount of demand compared to a lot of other fields. That said I think we are at a stage of reckoning where the frankly unsustainable huge salaries developers, particularly in the US, have been being paid is going to have to fall a bit. I wish companies hiring for tech jobs set their bar a little lower and did away with all the tech BS about employees having to have work well under pressure, be exceptional, be a part of us changing the world etc. It would encourage more applications from more diverse people. As far as my own ambitions go I would like to shift my career into doing more design work both on the UX / product side and / or possibly technical architecture. I feel tech companies undervalue proper design and testing in favour of hiring a bunch of software engineers whenever they get investment (then laying them all off when they run out of money). I really don't get much enjoyment out of writing code for poorly designed / managed projects. What I do enjoy more is when I have a chance to work with stakeholders and provide input into the design and product direction. Some of the most satisfying work I've done is where I've talked to a real user, they've told me about something annoying about a product or that they would like added and I've pitched the idea, got the buy in and written the code. And that can be as simple as adding a 'bulk update / delete' feature so users don't have to delete or update individual rows in a table one at a time. So much of the time 'simple' stuff like this is actually what matters to users, not some AI assistant BS they didn't ask for. Anyway best of luck in your future endeavours! If I ran a tech company I'd want to hire people like you that are pragmatic, not some 'exceptional genius' who doesn't understand there's more to life than trying to prove how smart you are or working all the hours for nothing but tech-bro kudos.

I respect your brutal honesty. I’ve been a software engineer for nearly 30 years. While I still enjoy it at my job, I am totally with you on how it loses its luster when I’m back at the computer trying to get my side hustle going. Also, most of the programmers I’ve worked with don’t have your nice communication skills so you have a tremendous edge with that.

Sorry to hear that. I was there a few months ago. Prepare prepare and prepare yourself. It's crazy out there.

If you do not keep up with Technology, you are in Deep Sh*t. I am a Fire Protection Engineer, when I started all plans were drawn by hand like an Architect, then comes Computer Hydraulic Calculations, AutoCAD, REVIT, Ect............................It just never freaking ends.

Yeah, 💯. Unless someone truly enjoys development and is not just doing a bootcamp or something to get a 'better job,' stay away from this field. Well said.

I was laid off from my job as an embedded systems software engineer for a defense contractor in 2001. That's why I have been a paralegal for 16 years, and taking the California Bar Exam next month! I have never looked back.

Take it from someone who has been in the industry for decades. Find something to do that you're passionate about - and see what monetary value to others can be derived from it. There is nothing worse than waking up each morning wanting to be doing something else in your career. Software engineering will require large amounts of time to keep up on technology. It's a sacrifice that can only be made if you're having a blast doing it.

I graduated with a computer science degree (BS) in the late 1980s. At that time, I tried to keep up with the latest things as best I could. I held my own for a while, but at some point in the 1990s, I determined that I just couldn't keep up with everything related to technology. Over the years, my focus got narrower and narrower. At some point, you burn out and decide that it isn't worth it to invest the time in learning new things that will be obsolete in just a few months. You can't win that game. Some skills, like troubleshooting and design are pretty similar no matter what the technology. I spent the last few years mentoring less senior folks on those skills. I just let them do the code. Good luck with the next adventure.

Damn, finally a relatable video. I'm so done with people telling me to waste away my free time by self improving, call me selfish but I have better things to do. I love coding but doing it as a career drained all my passion for it

I've been in the software business for 40+ years. This shit is nothing new, I'm sorry to say. There have been times when just being good at your job was enough to keep it, but now is not one of those times. A company can decide to change direction with their product line, and your reason for being (as far as the Company thinks) just disappears. My wife summed it up nicely: "There are more engineers who want to be cowboys than cowboys who want to be engineers."

I was laid off back in November 2023 from IT consulting project management work. I have come to the same realization as you, working in the software development field is very demanding as you always need to "update" your skills. Also, the barrier to entry is very low, lots of people enter IT by doing some random 2-3 months bootcamps, work on little projects here and there then enters the field. The market is then oversatured and you realize your 3-4 year degree is now compared to the same level as some bootcamps "grads", which obviously feels like undervalue. Also in project management, you always end up getting all the blame and criticism when things don't go to plan which is all the time since companies always underbudget their projects and you somehow have to make it work when you should have at least twice the funding to make it work. Your job is always on the line because of this since you essentially need to deliver without the resources needed/required for quality work/deliverables. It took me 4 months to find a new job, but thankfully since my background is in electrical engineering, I decided to switch to electrical/civil engineering field. Basically switching career, leaving all this tech field behind. In those 4 months, I continued self-education in trading the financial markets, developing manual/automated systems which is something I've been doing for +10 years on and off. Having been laid off really helped me to understand my goals and take action towards it. If you can, switching career might be the best move for you as I can sense you lost the passion to continue in this field. Better to come to realization now imho. Best of luck!

I been coding for over 30 years. Starting off as a system administrator, then networking, then databases, then programming. At every single company I been at I would be 1 of a very few that understands completely how our systems work. Yes I love tinkering and spend hours every day after done with work learning new things and fixing things up with lately dealing with fixing up macbooks and iOS programming. It is the curiosity that fuels it. Good luck on your next journey.

Absolutely true, I also hated practicing DSA even after 5 years of work exp. but sad reality is all good product based companies ask DSA in interview processes even for 5+ years exp folks

same with me, our company recently informed that there will be layoffs next quarter and most affected positions are on the senior level. my skills are not that competitive though since I mostly handle requirement documentations, client meetings (requirements discussion) etc. (more on business analysis). as of now, I have started getting my skills back in programming and hopefully I could use it in the near future.

I can relate to your resistance to learning tech 24/7 to stay current. When I got into IT, it was 1980 and I taught myself how to program BASIC and away I went. Back then, only the devoted hobbyists played with computers and some were lucky enough to program for a living even though it was not a common job back then. Fast forward a few decades and everyone was learning coding and jobs were plentiful. Now, things have specialized and coalesced so much that you have to be a Staff Engineer or higher to get noticed. I went the way of management from individual contributor / team lead in 2010 and immediately my skills rusted. Now I'm a computer hobbyist again, pursuing my computing interests on my own. Full circle.

A career last decades, this is a minor setback. You might consider looking into a program support role, like marketing, working with customers as quickly as you can after you return to work. It's a path that leads to a management role and good compensation However if you want to stay close to the technology you will have to spend your own time on getting better and staying current. To be forced into unemployment is unpleasant so good luck.

Thanks for sharing. Also reevaluating. There was a time when I was obsessed with learning and coding. But these last years think that drove me in a burnout.

Let's be honest. Most of what we build as software engineers is not necessary. We're well paid to do superfluous work, and are often only hired so companies can show shareholders they are staying current in the digital economy. It's all a facade and most engineers are expendable. This industry is built on smoke and mirrors except select few services that are actually necessary.

I love that this showed up on my feed, nice one mate! ❤️

I was just laid off as a software engineer AND I don’t want to spend my spare time learning new frameworks, libs, and languages AND photography is my hobby and side hustle AND I’m a good software engineer but not exceptional. Everything you said is spot on, unfortunately. FML

I got a EE degree and ended up in hardware development. I move processors around all day and get given "day job plus" projects which can range from low level project management to figuring out company specific software/processes to ship parts to other places. I quickly realized job security here is trash after multiple rounds of layoffs and the fact i have next to no real experience on anything (on paper is a diff story) I have to deal with constant anxiety. If my boss says something weird it throws me into a spiral all day. Same if i see coworkwrs cliquing up into little groups and forming new projects. But what other job can i get when the market is this bad. Feel like im warding off the inevitable most weeks

Seems like most of the tech crunch is with the big companies like Apple, Amazon, etc. Seems like there are still lots of tech jobs around that don't pay astronomical salaries. As a survivor of Y2K, the 2004 recession and 2008, tech will bounce back in a different form. One of my key takeways is to develop your network and keep in contact with people. My contacts have led to jobs. Second, your knowledge and skill is what keeps you employed. Yes, it's difficult to keep up with things, but make the most of your opportunities to learn. Lastly, AI will be a big help, but it won't solve everything. Let them try. Completition will eat them alive.

The IT Field (specifically Network Engineering) has made my physical and mental health horrific. Its a thankless job, fix problems all day, have managers that have no network engineering background, on call 24/7. All this equals disaster. The never ending learning is the biggest burnout.

Manager role is more crazy than just being a developer. Planning and meeting all day long coordinating different teams. You also need know the product and the brand you’re selling very well.

Yeah. Find something you like doing. I’ve been doing this for 30+ years because I enjoy it. You can’t be a successful as a dev long-term if you don’t want to reinvent yourself every 3-5 years.

I had an interviewer ask me if I do additional training on the side? Well, I do but it is not in SWE. I am interested in mathematics, quantum physics and computation neuroscience! I am a parent and take care of the house. These take up time too!

No one has job security in any field.

I think the last part was really important. Technologies change, concepts dont. If your company decides on a new framework your skillset gets outdated quickly but identifying business cases, enabling key users to comunicate their requirements preciesly and managing tasks has been a reqired skill for business baiscally forever. Dont be content with just coding, try to take on responisbility for business cases.

I’m sorry you went through this… I was recently put on pause (not laid off but I’m not working) from my 1st job outside of college. I do animation and I have been learning to code in my free time. I’m planning to work in a retail job temporarily. I live with family but still it sucks. I’m planning to work a job and do a side hustle because job security just doesn’t exist.

Nailed it! Most videos on tech fail to mention how bad job security can be in this industry. I have been working as a developer for about 4 years now and since then I have had 3 jobs and been laid off twice. The industry has term called "sink or swim", and that basically means u have to perform at a certain level with little to no support, or else u are out, and that usually means they treat u like shit until u resign or else they just fire u. There is very little room for training and mentorship, and u r expected to learn most things on your own. So u either need to be a really fast learner, a natural at coding, or willing to spend most days learning just to keep up with industry in order to have employment. It's basically a rat race between employees to see who can create best solution in shortest amount of time, and if u find yourself struggling near the end of the pack watch out because these companies can get real nasty real quick.

I wish you the best for your journey! I'm a semester away from graduating in CS and I'm overwhelmed with how many of my classmates can't find a job. It's funny because software engineering will have your typical elitist that shame you for not being a "super passionate coder" who can't have normal and even exciting things to do outside of work. In part, they are right, the best engineers are the ones who devote themselves in a similar way a catholic monk would, but why is it then that many people are in the field mainly for the money? My S.E friend told me that most people do after I told him how I felt like I was a fraud. Perhaps I did choose the wrong degree, but that's okay. God still has a plan for all of us. I don't see myself coming home and grinding + coding for hours because I have a LIFE.

I love software engineering. I code in my free time. I have run startups. Now I'm at a major tech company. I've worked at other big box swe companies. A LOT of times it's the company and their engineering practices that I absolutely come to hate. These companies want cogs they can fit into their machines. They do not want people who don't want to be cogs.

Unfortunately in software you have to learn new skills/technologies all the time or become a domain expert.

Thats completely true... I hate how it seems that to be relevant in this industry we are expected to program MORE at home after leaving work. No! I wanna go to the gym, see friends, go for a walk, practice some martial art... Not doing the same thing that I was already doing for 8 hours straight. I like programming but not enough to do it 12 hours per day.

my brother in christ, i hear you and i stand with you.

Yeah, back 10 years ago when I worked for a company that went down due to the CEO being an idiot, they laid me off literally on the day I was sitting on a flight to my brother's wedding and when I scheduled a 2 week vacation... I had like 6k in the bank for savings because I had just started being a professional in the industry. That was ridiculous, but they were like "uhm, yeah, just call me when you get back and we'll work through the documents then. Sorry!"

I spend my days usually about 10-15% coding nowadays, is it something that I moved towards? No, but when people start turning to you asking for questions and help it's natural your individual coding time will decrease even though overall the effort is amplified because you are helping less experienced people level up their skillset and knowledge. I hope you find your passion!

You could probably have better job security picking certain companies to work for versus others. I personally know some software engineers who have never been laid off and have ended up working for that company for years if not decades, bro.

I have been a software engineer for 43 years and are still learning. By it's nature, software engineering is a creative job about solving problems with computers. Sounds like you need to follow your passion instead. For me programming and simple hardware has been my hobby for 50 years. So for me back then things were a lot simpler in terms of what was available in hardware initially. Find your passion and get good at it. Network and be open about opportunities. Volunteer in your town / state / country. I volunteered for a computer user group. two years later they sent me to the USA and through meeting people, a company in the USA offered me a job a few years later. Never imagined that volunteering would lead to such a big life change !

Wish you the best - hope you find a job that you enjoy soon

Aside from the gaming industry being garbage nowadays, people stop playing when they get older because they have no time. Work + commute + family time + chores and appointments on the weekends all while attempting to get 8 hours of sleep

uff, myself as a software developer for almost 20 years without a degree. Just a mediocre apprenticeship ... 1) Get real! Life is not a walk in the park. 2) The work culture and worker rights just suck af in the US, join a union or vote for someone who is not dead in his head. 3) To work on skills in your sparetime to some extend is required in every job. Even the lowest job will require you to do so. It all comes down by how much time you want spent on it. The least minimum amount of effort would be to read articles related to your field. Automation is a large field for big potential like any field in IT. 4) Pick a job you have a passion for. Otherwise every job will be tedious after a while 5)Job security is more on the term of finding a new job within a short amount of time. Sure laid offs suck and I as german don't experience such thing, but I switch my developer job every 2-5 years to another company. 6) IT is a very fast pace industry. Either you pick an area that is slower or does not require constant learning and just awareness or just pick a different industry. You mentioned photography, just in the corner of my mind I could think of different stuff that could be used in conjunction with automation ...

This sounds like trucking lol. Everything your saying is what I was saying about OTR(over the road) trucking before I quit. You got to have some passion to do this job otherwise your gonna hate it. It’s not just another job where you can turn off at the end of the day. It’s a lifestyle. Trucking is supposed to have done job security but there really isn’t unless you take pay cuts. There’s a lot of BS you have to deal with at your stops before, during and after that most outsiders don’t see. It’s not just “drive forward”.

Very refreshing to hear someone speak out about this grind culture. It should be OK not to want to go home and code after doing so all day. The endless treadmill of learning isn't sustainable or healthy for most which is why so many people escape into management roles before they're 30.

This is something that makes me hesitant to get into the tech field at 23. I’ve heard that you constantly have to learn and keep up to date with the latest developments, and of course, it’s in your own time (unpaid). I think I could like a few jobs in the tech industry, but I don’t want to make my job my life. It’s the same reason why I decided against med school. Too much debt for too much schooling, not to mention the grueling hours of residency. And even for medicine, you have to keep up to date, although not as much as tech.

The value I took is that you see your strengths, and you don't seem afraid to walk in that direciton.

Big problem for US and some parts of Europe engineers... is the replacement by third world countries engineers like South America or India/Bangladesh. Senior US engineer = u$ 15k/month right? Senior ThirdWorldCountry engineer = u$5k/month

Some events in our life they might be presented in a negative way, but they are a great opportunity. Please remember that the world is vast. Look around you, and you will find birds finding their livelihood without high Tech job. May God bless you!

I went the STEM route and ended up in medical school. Good luck with your job hunt. Cheers!

Too bad that this happens during vacations, hope you find a good job soon. Also, as a Peruvian, hope you are enjoying your visit to Peru

Don't forget all the hiring managers who think the technologies you learned on your own time don't count because you didn't use them on the job.

It's funny because at least in Sweden there has been a trend going on for a decade where the employee has to sign a paper that says that all IT related stuff that the employee produce even during free time belongs to the company. At the same time you are expected to do hobby projects and join open source communities according to job interviews. You even have to write a POC application during a weekend in order to get the job. But if you already have signed such agreement with your current employer it's impossible to apply for a new job while still working for a current employer because you are not allowed to do open source and the weekend POC also belongs to your current employer.

We need to extend the OPT tax break to all students and the unemployed. This would encourage companies to stop with the ridiculous requirements (which exist only to reduce the number of candidates, and for no other reason). And give companies and incentive to train. If you leave the job early, say before 3 years, you pay back the tax. If you stick with it, then you will at least have learned new skills, if not a new profession. This would also end the prejudice OPT induces in the economy to prefer foreign workers over locals.

Do you think being self taught is feasible?

At this point im interviewing for entry level jobs and going back to college. It sounds like you may have a hard time finding a job unless you use your people skills because i was a top performer and its hard for me to find a job.

I can relate to this. Tech industry expects us software engineers to up-skill at our own personal time (outside work) in order to be classified as passionate, if your skill is not exceptional, you’re out. Becoming toxic. Good luck and all the best to you man! ❤

Your bit on the hustle mindset, could not agree more. It's fun in your twenties, but not when you have a life. I would not recommend anyone to go into tech for that reason.

Steven Covey said, "Begin with the end in mind." Now, it's time to pay the piper!!

Is this the USA? If it is, there is no such thing as job security in the USA, especially in tech. I have worked in corporate America for nearly 30 years. In all those years, I have gone through almost 2 dozen layoffs, two of which I got affected. It can happen anytime and to anyone. You should always be ready. Always assume that tomorrow may be your last day. I never leave anything in my cube that I will miss. If you want to work in this industry, you must constantly improve yourself. That is always a must. You will need to constantly learn new things. If you cannot do that, then you won't last. It's a tough profession, and that is why it pays well.

The future may not be finding a major full-time position at a company, but instead leveraging AI tools to facilitate our own visions and ideas. Within the next several years, there will be a major paradigm shift in business development and startup ventures as more individuals will capitalize on the same technology causing big businesses to axe numerous positions. It’s an interestingly ironic ouroboros cycle.

Welcome to the real world brother.

I have been laid off before. One of the things i realised is i can't identify or base my identity on a career that didn't exist 100 years ago. 100 years ago, my skills would be used for something else.

You'll bounce back sooner than you expect. You have the right mentality.

This is kinda good to hear. I can't hear these software engineers that brag about their $8000 / month internships anymore and the law students that say that hey won't even start to work for less than $100k / year.

I hope you find a job you enjoy and develop more of your photography skill. Remember that the smartest person in the world was smart enough to realise that he wasn't happy with his job.

Its not that people dont like to code in free time but Its exhousting. Human brain is not constructed like that. You cant work 12h for whole life. Where is family, friends and hobbies? I pursued career in IT but got laid off year ago(still unemployed). Now my skills are outdated, and I just cant sit again for free and learn whole day. And the worst part is that i have friends with much lower ambitions that earn more in their trades, They have families hobbies etc. In my opinion IT is overhyped and kinda feels like hell and I mean it.

I had 7 job offers last week. I am a mid-senior developer at best depending if it is something I know, or kinda know. But I got the offers not because I am an exceptional developer. And I can get a job whenever I want.