THEM or YOU. It is about you.
$YOU = folks impacted by tech-sector layoffs.
$THEM = the people behind the tech-sector layoffs and the financial predicaments leading to the layoffs.
Nothing I say will change $THEM, so I choose not to waste my time (or your time) on inconsequential prose.
However, if any of you want to know root cause, I am happy to share first-hand lessons from 30+ years in tech. hubbert@hubbertsmith.com
what is important is $YOU.
We have all been there before.
I’ve been let go, multiple times, despite exceptional measurable results.
it is inconsequential to $YOU.
What is consequential to $YOU is what you do next.
Everyone needs a $PLACE. Everyone needs a $PURPOSE.
These days $PLACE = good people.
These days, in tech $PURPOSE is more relevant than ever.
My point, $YOU choose what matters to $YOU. its your choice, yours alone to make. Surround yourself with good people, work on something relevant to you.
Its going to take a minute, you will feel unmoored, without a place or a purpose. Use the time to take a breath to reconnect with family and friends.
Your hobby (exercise, hiking, music, building, creating) puts you in the moment, there is no past, there is no future, there is only now.
Your volunteering also puts you in the moment. The other volunteers you meet are almost never a$$holes.
Your skills can be expanded: learn, teach, write: there have never been more opportunities.
Ask for advice, intros, there are a billion good people out there willing to help you make your way through this imperfect (and often bruising) world.
Start your own biz —
Consulting, Upwork, Fiverr, Grants.gov, rfpdelivery.com.
Find an underserved market. Validate, then boldly go where the competition is not — tech+yourspecialty. Of course, its fine to continue to search for full time work. No law says you cannot have a second job.
Exactly what is stopping you?
$YOU got this. Drive it like you stole it. Prove those nay-sayers wrong.
p.s. what to avoid in your next gig — if its a startup:
I do NOT suggest all investors and board members are bad; there are plenty of good ones. BUT investors and board members are the forcing factor behind over-hiring and over-firing “business adjustments”. So take a hard look at their body of work.
