I was laid off from the software tech industry after 14 years. Time for a new beginning

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

WATCH NEXT - What it's like Working for Amazon and Big Tech - kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYnKgJmqbL-GjtU Why This Former Amazon Employee Is Boycotting Returning to The Office - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zoi9l2WBpdxrkMk

[@TheBowersj]

Apply to aerospace companies or AI thats the new markets. I hope you know and understand Python

[@bmeht]

"get people to mars" is nothing but a massive investor grift. most tech is a scam, especially him.

[@QueefMcGeesHouse]

Buddy let me explain something to you: No one wants a deep "personal connection" with our bosses. You can built team camaraderie to a certain level but we're just looking to get paid and move on with life. You built a personal connection by being a good boss and mentor to the people under you.

[@MongoLolz]

23 years of dev experience. Lost job 2 yrs ago and still can't find a job. 300+ applications, I'm done. Created lawn maintenance business and now I'll never go back to slaving away for corporate prisons.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Way to go!

[@flybearone1865]

I personally know six software engineers who found dev jobs after layoffs in the Puget Sound over the last two years. In 1970, when Boeing was the only real high-tech employer here, engineers were pumping gas or left town after the SST program was canceled. Billboards were posted leaving Seattle saying "will the last person leaving Seattle turn out the lights", and recovery took years! Back then, this area was either logging or Boeing! We have it so much better now with many more companies here, but it's not like "shooting fish in a barrel" anymore! My aerospace engineer father was pumping gas, fixing cars and working as a short-order cook until Boeing started hiring engineers back again!

[@MongoLolz]

@@flybearone1865 That's good that Seattle area is doing ok. I'm in Dallas and we're not so lucky here. Either way, I've started my own business now and I'm much happier doing this and can't see myself ever wanting to sit in front of a computer or work in an office ever again.

[@dishcleaner2]

4 years experience. It took me 500+ applications to get my next role. It could also be ageism for you

[@critzilla9722]

Can't you drop your salary requirements?

[@my_late_night_thoughts]

I'm Ukrainian and have also spent 20+ years in the industry (mostly outsourcing), reaching senior manager/director roles. But now, everything seems to be falling apart. The war has scared away businesses, and there’s an industry-wide collapse. I haven't been laid off yet, but things could go south at any moment.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

I visited Ukraine to commission some software work in 2016. Best of luck!

[@rottenwormeaten7897]

Кажуть багато айтішників виїхали звідси ще у 22му

[@ivanonyshchenko]

Якщо менеджмент не скорочують, значить не все так погано.

[@etcetc3800]

It's not just war. AI is big part of job losses

[@bringoff]

@@etcetc3800AI is just yet another hyped thing (like machine learning in general several years ago). It has nothing to do with post-COVID driven recession. Maybe just as an excuse for layoffs in a couple of companies.

[@stuff4418]

Not gonna lie, I’m in a similarly precarious situation at my tech job and I am TERRIFIED of getting laid off. Respect for your positive outlook.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

I hope it works out for you, it's not easy at all right now

[@tonyroberts3013]

Life goes on for people with a positive attitude, goals and dreams! God has a way of helping people who help themselves! Been laid-off over the years myself--keep your resume skills sharp and don't take it personally! Trust me--they will be sorry when you're gone! 😎

[@alastairtheduke]

I agree with everything you said.I was a software dev for 14 years like yourself. At the end, I had crazy health problems and couldn't work anymore. All I got was a zoom call talking about my imminent layoff....and then, the corporate machine is done with you. The cog is replaced and you're on your own.

[@BogdanDumitrescu-nu1ss]

What did you do afterwards?

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

I hope you have recovered your health! It matters most

[@Markus-iq4sm]

did you expect anything else from corp? how foolish are you?

[@PipBoy3k]

I graduated with a degree in computer science in 2008. I never got a tech job and lost alot of income in entry level healthcare, but I became a nurse in 2018 and never looked back. The pay ceiling is lower but at least it's a reliable income.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

That was a really rough time to get in. I barely did

[@JoshtheFifith]

@@GeminiWalkandTalk health care is like bonds less volatility and tech is like stocks you get smacked up

[@lawrencemanning]

@@PipBoy3k good move for so many reasons, not least is you get to interact with (mostly) appreciative “customers”. And you are not on you arse most of the day, which no human was meant to do. I wish you well!

[@rodneyh1947]

Healthcare is the most reliable income field. Tech is short-term, you will eventually get laid off if you dont move into management, consulting or create your own company.

[@JoshtheFifith]

@@rodneyh1947 yup totally agree

[@bartlebob]

25 years in the industry here. I work for a small family owned company in a very niche but lucrative domain. There’s a lot of work. Many such companies are still making money on Visual Basic desktop apps. They’re now moving to web apps. For young lads starting in this field, I’d recommend you look for small to medium companies operating in a domain that is not software but a real industry.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Really good point

[@oldgraycoder]

Yep. 37 years in, converting vb6 apps to web apps. Not great, but it's work.

[@curiousgeorge6921]

Describe their business please

[@deshawn4077]

Is it worth going into IT, security, etc in the tech field?

[@JT-mr3db]

I’m hearing stories like this all the time now. Crazy times!

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

It's very common right now

[@Eclectic]

Hey Gemini, we worked together in Amazon Ads, during your time as Sr Front End. Those were good times, indeed. Unemployed since June 2024. I’m also very disappointed of the tech industry and struggling to find my path forward. For now, I’m exploring my passion on entertainment learning video games.

[@thelaid-backlad-kj8ey]

The morale of the story is "It's Better To Be Wealthy And Healthy Than Poor And Ill".

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

So true

[@alastairtheduke]

The moral of the story is if you want to be wealthy in America, it will take away your health.

[@dr4t]

You should start a podcast to spread this wisdom 😂

[@philipnaggs]

It's better to be poor and healthy than wealthy and ill

[@u2b83]

​@@philipnaggs Try going to a Dr with Medicaid (in the US) and you'll quickly see why wealthy and healthy goes hand-in-hand lol. You'll get bottom of the barrel Docs and will be severely limited to what diagnostics are covered.

[@MSG-V]

You’re brave to see this layoff as a new beginning. So many friends of mine have been laid off and have no idea what to do with themselves. I hope your new venture(s) go well!

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

I think it's really important to always have back up plans

[@rockpadstudios]

Getting laid off is scary but it does make one realize that saving money is necessary. I was weeks away from having to live in my car back in the early 2000's and it was scary.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

This time I'm doing better than the last 2

[@rockpadstudios]

@@GeminiWalkandTalk good for you - I found saving gets addictive.

[@steverich136]

Don’t worry guys, when the industry recovers from its AI hangover they will need devs again. I’m sitting here watching all the software tools that I use degrade because the bean counters laid off all the experienced software support personnel.

[@navedrizv]

Been through a layoff, it took me 9 months to get a job. IT career after 40 is not so smooth.

[@Flyingpengui3]

Im in a role right now at a business. Im solo, meaning i do front end, back end, product management, devops, architecture. Everything. Roles like this are what companies want. I think specialized roles are done for.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

I started my career that way

[@Budaeku]

Gosh that’s unreal

[@Flyingpengui3]

@@GeminiWalkandTalk I started as a specialist ironically

[@Dacode28]

Inspired me to look into starting a small business

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Best comment yet

[@kearamitcham1971]

What kind of business?

[@dishcleaner2]

5 years in the industry in America. I was laid off from Disney about a year ago before finding a new role. I’m about to buy a truck and a trailer because getting a mortgage is too risky. I’d rather get used to living mobile and save more money instead of paying rent or mortgage. AI and offshore will take all jobs I will be eligible for in the next 5 years probably. That is what I’m planning for. Hopefully it will be better. Trying to figure out side hustles and skills that will be useful. Glad I have no kids or wife. Good luck

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

I'm lucky to have secured a home. Good luck to you

[@cbaesemanai]

Same here but I simply stepped away from working for big tech firms. Now I only work for small non software domain companies, its an entirely different world (work is now pleasurable)

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

It's a possibility. I started that way actually

[@smalltiny]

Life can bring anything, to the young people fretting on these comments, the bad news is, life will happen to you and you will have a bunch of “worst time of my life”s. The good news is, that’s life and you will persevere. Bad times pass because you’re human, you’re equipped with adaptability and even in the direst financial situations, you will figure it out and have the basics. Don’t worry about if something will happen, it will. When it does, reassure yourself that this too shall pass.

[@MarcoB837]

Hello from France, turning 40 this year. Been 15 years in the tech industry. I might be laid off in the next months because they are sending all the work to India, among other factors. The only difference with you is that I don't have children. For all the rest, I feel exactly the same as you. Maybe it's the sign for something new. There's one good thing in France, you can get good unemployment benefit for almost 2 years. If the lay off happens, I will seriously think about caring for myself in the first place, and do other things than sitting in front of a computer taking care of for example Indian guys that are miles away and don't give a shit about you. Do sports, maybe write books, travel, stuff like that. For the last year I realised my mental health is very low, and that's partly to do with my Software Enginner job.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Hello, France is one of my favorite countries. I was just there in May. I will be back soon 😃 I wish all the best

[@johndorian473]

It is shameful that companies outsource jobs when they should be helping the people of France rather than being dictated by corporate greed.

[@nagpoore]

All these companies are based out of US and most of the money they make is through their customers in the US. Once the money goes down they move jobs outside of US, it goes everywhere around the world where they can find competent employees at a fraction of price. I lost my job twice in past year once to outsourcing of jobs to employees in Poland and second time to Czech Republic. So its not about India or Vietnam it's all about making profit for shareholders.

[@Rob-u3c]

Don't know if your company is making a wise decision sending their work to India. I worked in the Middle East and all of our IT guys were from India. There were too many bugs in the software and you could never get them to cooperate or fix anything. All the really talented guys from India go to the US, Canada, Australia or Europe. Anyway good luck.

[@NikosKatsikanis]

@@nagpoorestuff em

[@Jess-whl]

Thanks for this refreshing point of view. I'm hoping you keep up the video series and keep us posted on how your post-layoff journey pans out. P.S. I love this walk and talk video format!

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thank you for your support. It means a lot right more

[@madimakes]

this was a great morning listen; thanks for sharing it. Moved to Virginia from Seattle (which i miss so) during the pandemic to be near aging parents. as a result, about to not be employed where i have been for the past 8 years. had to make a decision to abandon them (again) and could not do it this stage in my life, to sit in front of the same screens the majority of the time that I can where i now live. The last year i've been focused on some heavy AI foundational work on the design/prototyping side, so we'll see what there is for me in the future. :)

[@johntommervik]

Lot's of interesting info and insight. Cool to hear your story.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thanks for watching!

[@syp7904]

It's a tough time for the tech industry right now. Thanks for sharing your story.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

It's hard true, but we have to remember almost everyone has had it harder all along

[@mistress707]

Hi! Thank you for this ❤ I just got laid off last week - and am thinking of starting few things on my own. It's encouraging to see you're having the similar opinion and thank you for sharing this bigger picture ❤️ let's smash this! And congrats! 😅😂🎉

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Yes let's do it. Thanks for watching. I wish you luck

[@JeffSchwenke]

Your comment about the donuts and coffee made me think about my office where many of my co-workers go crazy for free bagels every Friday, free snacks at 3 p.m. every day, and the nitro cold brew coffee keg.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

I always found it unnerving

[@lawrencemanning]

@@JeffSchwenke it costs em pennies and looks great to perspective new workers/drones. Cynicism can be healthy and this is one of those times where it comes in useful. It’s a ploy, nothing more.

[@dlg7150]

Thanks for your perspective , I really needed this ❤

[@HowlingFantods]

So much insight! I enjoy your thoughts on the subject. I am a man very similar to you. Two young children, financially well off but understanding the pressure of providing for the family for the long term. The sacrifices that requires.

[@ardhi_m]

Thank you for sharing your story. I am glad you found what matters to you. I'll be following along your journey.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thank you for your support. It means a lot right now

[@ardhi_m]

@@GeminiWalkandTalk I just realized the first video I watched from you was about the new Seattle waterfront video :) I am in similar mindset to want to start enjoying our surrounding after 15 years in tech. You have a lot of experience. You'll do just fine!

[@MilesRayne]

Thank you for this video. Insightful, interesting and inspiring. I'm only in the third year of my tech career and I'm across the ocean in Serbia, so there's quite a gap in age, experience and circumstances, but I relate with many of your observations and thoughts, especially regarding life and personal goals on a larger scale. Wishing you and your family the best.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thank you and good luck on your career. I'm a neighbor from Bulgaria

[@clearskies1523]

Excellent video, I've been a software engineer for the last 13 years and the last 15 minutes of the video resonate deeply with me.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thanks. You get it

[@ec188]

I am in different industry, working in fabs as an engineer. But I can relate many things you are talking about. I am very tried working in the office everyday. In 10 years, I should have more than enough if the market is doing relatively well. Thanks for sharing.

[@MongoLolz]

Just finished the video and you're 100% right about the aging tech people at corporate hell holes. If I ever hear "I've got a case the Mondays" or have to listen to another boss walk around the office to talk about what they cooked in their Traeger grill, I'll probably snap. It all starts to feel like you're in a movie and these people are just playing their role.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

You know it. The struggle is real

[@Timzhil]

Amazing video and thoughts!!! So helpful and still inspiring!!! Thank you

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thank you! Very nice comment

[@zuma4847]

Congrats on your very perfect life and for building the infra that now looks over our shoulders 24/7

[@KS-np4us]

My team is being replaced by devs from the cheaper location right now. I think tech guys don't see that we are much smarter than most people doing business. We learn much faster than others and have this issue finding and solving approach. We also become proffesional very fast in whatever we do. There are so many paths. Recently, I started arborist (trees cutting/pronning) side hustle and it's satisfying and bonding with nature.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

I was just talking about this to my wife. Smart people can do many things fast

[@AndreyMakarov-i7h]

Too bad business and coding are too entirely different things. Coding is much more pleasant and predictable. Business is insane.

[@1111undici1111]

A great story, thanks for sharing. I can relate to it. I was suffering too and I escaped the IT industry in 2021.

[@cbrunnkvist]

16:00 resonated a lot with me actually. Being 24/7 with small children can be quite stressful but really we should be looking at it as a quite unique and very valuable opportunity. Not just for you but really, for your WHOLE family. It should create a platform to build from, be grateful for.

[@rahuldinesh2840]

Good that you have freedom now. That is most precious. Don’t lose it again. I think people can have freedom if more and more if their expectations become less and less.

[@ggcc3261]

Hey, thanks for the insightful video. I've just started in the tech industry fresh out of university in Norway and I've wanted to find a job in the US with the big tech firms. Not good hearing that the industry is in recession... Hope it will be better!

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

It’s not very easy but it’s possible

[@informativem5248]

Been in the industry for over a decade now myself and have been laid off many times. I agree with you across the board. The government has messed everything up and will have to keep stimulating indefinitely to keep everything from falling apart, which will only work for now. Everything is leading toward massive inflation. And like most other industries, tech has prioritized profit over everything else. So much of it is predicated on giving shareholders the headcount that they want to see. There's very little focus on actual innovation, much less employee well-being and fun. Lately everything is about who can complete xyz product manager's tickets the fastest without causing production issues. Everyone has to learn everything on their own and fall in line. It's completely joyless imo. It's rough out there, but there are still companies that are hiring skilled people if that's the path you choose. Best of luck to you.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thanks. You get it. I think it gets worse before it gets better

[@AndreyMakarov-i7h]

It's brutal

[@mohamedyusuf4777]

I am glad I came across this. I hope things go well for you in the next venture.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thank you

[@Mary-tj5qx]

Everyone should aim to be ready to retire by age 50 at the latest. This involves saving a significant portion of your income in both retirement and cash, to enable an exit from the workforce at 50. The truth is, very few people will be able to work much longer than that, even if they want to. Ageism and becoming too expensive compared to offshore workers is the issue. Don’t assume the gravy train will last, and plan accordingly.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

I agree!

[@nobbynob-mq2rn]

yeah right and the cost of living will eat up all your savings before you're 50 anyway. Id get out of the industry right now and leave coding for the indians. AI - Actually India.

[@NetScalerTrainer]

we have a workers shortage, so unless you have 5 kids ready to work when you retire ... your country will be flooded by 3rd world migrants.

[@haarew8336]

@@nobbynob-mq2rn Which industry to get in, if leaving tech?

[@AndreyMakarov-i7h]

Capitalism is great.

[@ladedalounge]

Thank you for sharing, I can so relate.

[@icametorock]

My intution says that VR/AR will also become very popular generating job opportunities, given how quickly hardwares for these devices are becoming powerful. How is the current VR/AR job market and did you gave any thoughts on this domain?

[@creativelyengineered4993]

Hello former tech co-worker, that I never met. I was not caught up in the latest round of layoffs but lost some great co-workers in them; 3-4 of them also from the Seattle hub. Glad to see you taking a break from the normal 9-5 to re-center/re-train/re-boot yourself. Looking forward to watching your journey as a form of motivation.

[@censoredeveryday3320]

20+ years for me. Don't even know if I want to go back. Driving a truck now and also run another business on the side.

[@ericshayhoward]

I was always okay with tech, but never really learned coding or software development, so I stayed in coordinator roles. Sometimes I wonder if I should have tried it, but I keep seeing all of these videos like yours and I'm kinda glad I avoided it. Of course, I'm no better off in education right now.

[@olivernjoku3110]

Thank you for sharing these very valuable information. The sceneries in the video are really nice. 👍🏾

[@travelmanMN]

I'm 50 yrs old and work in retail. 2013 to 2020 ish I was employed by one company. After after sometime, it was time to move on. Since moving on I have been up ad down with jobs. One job for 3 months, cut hours forced to leave picked up another and worked until my body said don't go back. I keep moving on and on and on. Sometimes a week without a job sometimes a month or 2 months. Best advice is just keep moving. Don't let them get you down. I produce and if they don't like it then I let them make the decision.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Good advice. I just made a video about what I'm up to next.

[@stuartrobinson4217]

I resonate with everything you say in this video. Sounds like you are going through burnout which is totally common after so many years in this industry. I hope you are able to take a back seat for 6/12 months and re-energize. We are going through a wholesale transformation right now. My advice is use the time and your skills to get onboard the AI/LLM revolution. We are on the precipe of a whole new World of opportunities.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Yes burn out sounds right. I'm enjoying my break thoroughly and doing things I've wanted to do for years

[@thecyberseer]

That's really interesting about the cliff year. It's like they push you out

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Yes they'd rather get fresh meat and squeeze out whatever they have in them

[@lawrencemanning]

There’s a fair few vids on KZbin about this. I don’t believe it’s unique to Amazon though I think they are notorious for it. I’m guessing that kind of crap is illegal in the EU…

[@madpuppet666]

yeah, cliff year sounds like a deliberate plan to get rid of experienced devs before they start costing too much. Churn through younger ones that still have that 24/7 energy left and no kids.

[@madpuppet666]

@@GeminiWalkandTalk I would guess that in your first 10 years of career you worked like crazy. Thats the people they want.. not the older family oriented people that want some life balance.

[@ddwfw]

@@madpuppet666 That's insane..you have every reason do be a mad puppet.

[@MontrealKid628]

I work as developer and my company is doing poorly as well. We had a lot of layoffs. I'm not sure how long my team will be around. I'm fortunate that I'm near the retirement age. Although my intent was to work a few more years, if I get let go, I may decide to retire permanently.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

It seems to be widespread. Good luck

[@MontrealKid628]

@@GeminiWalkandTalk It happened. I just lost my job. My team got eliminated. I have good savings so I am ok for the time being. It's definitely not a good time for me now.

[@remyrflIt]

Very thought-provoking and candid sharing. Thank u

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thanks for watching

[@ZMusician]

I'm also laid off for the second time, just taking time to think what's next... Best wishes on your next journey.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thank you. The best to you too

[@ZMusician]

@@GeminiWalkandTalk Thanks 🙏🏽

[@innovm_creative]

Thanks

[@AntiTheismForever]

Such relatable content. In the IT space, you learn at somepoint you're an expendable resource with loyalty and sacrifice usually going unrewarded yet expected. Even if rewarded monetarily, it's hollow compensation for the lack of work/life balance. Was made redundant recently myself and the timing was good as it forced me into retirement instead of me delaying this decision for the sake of just making more money. I will not miss one minute of sitting in a chair, glued to a monitor and keyboard 8-9 hours a day and attending multiple daily meetings dreaming of the day I can escape this soul sucking environment to live a more meaningful, happy, health lifestyle.

[@gaprak1]

There was a line in movie "Taxi Driver" something in the line as " a man takes a Job and then he becomes the job" . Its uprising how tech people think is almost the same across geography . Cheers from India

[@borisbranden7127]

Intresting Video. I am a Teacher for Software development. My students are bit older and experienced. And sometimes I have programmers in my course who can not see code anymore. They hate it, they told me that they started programming by the age of 16 and now 20 years later they have to womit when they see code. I was in that business for a while too. Doing Java and Ruby on Rails. Then I went teach people programming, and this is really pleasure for me! We need teachers for our kids like you. They will be impressed about your experience what you told us here. And you can give back something for society.

[@suejensen6243]

For your new baby, wife and other child, you should be thinking about them and their futures instead of dwelling on all the negative things you can think of. Software engineering is your chosen profession even if it entails going into an office. There are soooo many other crappy jobs out there that pay only a faction of what a software engineer makes. Just do my job (Amazon fulfillment worker) at my pay rate ($22 per hour) to support a family, and you will then understand.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

I've already done that. I appreciate your comment though. It's a valid point of view

[@vzlomer1000]

Lol 😅😅😅, go in Ukraine, and u will be richer than 99% of population

[@CloudSecurityGuy]

Love your transparency .. good luck ahead

[@alena5484]

I couldn’t agree more with everything you said about tech. I can’t wait to be able to afford to get out and do something that actually matters. The unfortunate truth is not a lot of us can afford it.

[@Paco1337]

Atleast people in the US are paid for their work, in my country (and I live in Europe) I have like 800$ per month as UX Designer. 😮‍💨😮‍💨

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

That's why I moved!

[@arielgoldfarb4118]

Seems like in the us people who work in tech live like kings. Life its so unfair.

[@derekpaints]

Hello from Time Inc! Really neat to see you on youtube after 10 years.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Hey Derek! How is it going? Where you find yourself working now? Me - nowhere 😆

[@laius6047]

My friend lost a job in tech industry, web security. he cant find a job for at least 14 months or so. Nothing works so far. He has to sell his house at the moment. Crazy, i guess tech gold rush is over

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

That's terrible!

[@leadershipcoachnz]

Awesome video, thanks so much for sharing. I'm in NZ, I'm actually a leadership development coach but work with lots of people who are really worried about job security. Have shared your video. E.g. with one who's young and only about 4 years of experience and is in a crap tech corporate role (and getting politics and pushed out). Your bigger picture thoughts are really helpful and inspiring After all that University, maybe it's time to consider something different.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

That's great to hear! Hope the video helps

[@leadershipcoachnz]

@GeminiWalkandTalk thanks for your reply! Yes, definitely is super helpful. I was wondering why yours stood out from the thousands of other similar stories, and I've shared yours with my husband and my tech son too to see their response (they both really liked this video too). Lots of things come to mind for me, happy to share more if of interest (just ask) but for example, I really liked your bigger picture and strategic thinking. (I'm thinking here with a "vertical development" leadership lens. Others tend to focus on a smaller/narrower world view and practical advice - which is good too but different . I liked that you are walking outside too - totally aligns with a wider and deeper world view. Well done. And thank you.

[@adnandzindosoda]

Most toxic industry. I do not know for rich countries, but in countries in development it brutal and toxic you are burned in 5-6 years. Only positive things is that you can get contract for usa, and live from 2 salaries whole year and save 10. Whenni working for usa for me it is like holiday if i compare domestic companies.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

I don't know about most, but definitely toxic

[@God.Almighty]

have been a tech worker at a few companies for 35 years non-stop since graduating engineering school. it's been a love hate relationship. love it because a good project can be fun, exciting and a great learning experience. hate it because the intense competitive learning to stay relevant never ends, it's exhausting. i mostly do devsecops now and find the mix more satisfying than just software and also i'm not interested in learning cutting edge dev skills anymore. the kids have long grown and flown, as did the ex with a nice chunk of my assets, so it's just me to worry about. stacking as much as possible as i coast to the finish line. on balance no complaints, tech has been a rewarding career for me. but now i'm counting the years to retirement.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

City and State laws can override the local resistance

[@shahinsafaroff]

Another DevSecOps guy with 20 years non-stop and exactly the same life :-(

[@WisdomofHal]

Brother. Don’t leave the industry! Go somewhere special. Amazon isn’t special. I was at AWS. You’re a number there.

[@denniszenanywhere]

I used to code tje whole day as a hobby on weekends. I have a different profession but when the layoffs happened and ai stated., I lost interest in coding. I thought i could make a career out of it but with no one hiring, it’s hard to think of it.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

The future is questionable

[@guicampell]

thanks for this, really insightful :)

[@vladimir.petric]

Spot on! I loved the videeeeeeeo! I'm also at the same point of my life - thinking about the next chapter...

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

You get it!

[@stevo-dx5rr]

I’ve been in tech working for the big five for 15 years now. Probably not on track to promote, but also not suffering the so-called cliff as much, since I didn’t hire on recently, and I generally get good or top ratings. I like working with most of the people I work with, and generally like what I do, but the hours can be long, the oncalls painful, and I’m recently a bit burned out. I’m probably in a similar place financially to what you described, but I also have a young family and two kids, a mortgage, daycare, and family ties in high cost of living areas I won’t be leaving. I don’t see layoffs coming for me any time soon, but I don’t want to continue working in tech for another 10 years, nor do I see myself having continued good health if I continue on my current path. I feel like I need a drastic change in my lifestyle, but so far I don’t know what that looks like in terms of being a provider. I’m thinking I want to start a low-barrier-to-entry business that would include me doing some physical work for a few years while it gets off the ground.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Truly nothing is easy in this life.

[@sunshadow9704]

Good video. Thank you man.

[@sonderexpeditions]

I feel this as a swe who previously worked in Seattle big tech. Wfh just isn't it for me tbh. Sorry about the layoff. Being a parent or on a visa makes things in this industry 10x more stressful.

[@bankruptpensioner]

all dev work is off to india - its much cheaper to supply tech resource - that said, the products they supply from india are generally the wrong product and crap

[@nikitachirich7985]

Lost job 18 months ago hundreds of applications few interviews now driving uber full time thinking of obtaining a CDL .

[@danielgareth4205]

That sounds really hard! Hope you will find your dream job soon. Did you also work in tech as a developer?

[@HridayNarayanMishra-d4z]

In usa?

[@nikitachirich7985]

@@danielgareth4205 Yeah I was a tech project manager for over 20 years.

[@nikitachirich7985]

@@HridayNarayanMishra-d4z LOL yeah ..where else?

[@nvrbetrwhoohoo3941]

This is what I did. Doing Regional OTR. No office politics. Not worried about layoff at all. Massive pay loss. But what’s the price of freedom? I’m never going back to corporate slave life. After working from home, no stupid meetings, no boss breathing down my neck. Life is too short!

[@UCameu]

Outsourcing and H1B visa exploitation are driving millions of qualified US engineers out of jobs, as companies prioritize cheaper, less experienced labor from India. It’s time to fight back and protect American talent.

[@ronburgundy3172]

You know where I can get a visa sponsored job all they offer is home office work

[@KordTaylor]

🔥 I feel you. I'm on the tech marketing side (music software and services) for over 30 years. Got laid off as a contractor (so no unemployment). And the RTO think is a bummer as most of my business is in LA, Berlin, etc. and I am not interested in moving (I'm in Tacoma btw). Also I'd guess you put in much more than 9-5 as that is how tech tends to be. Seems like many in this situation are coming together creating startups or working for startups at less $. You sound smart so I am sure there is something. Happy to meetup if ya ever want for coffee.

[@ms10000]

Wow agree with all the details. Great video!

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thank you. Lots more to come

[@derekcarday]

Apple fired me three years ago and I still haven't found work.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

That's rough!

[@derekcarday]

@@GeminiWalkandTalk It's super rough

[@derekcarday]

@@GeminiWalkandTalk mostly fresh grads getting jobs now that money isn't as cheap

[@germankopytkov]

Thank you for the video!

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Welcome. Lots more coming

[@aidanwelch4763]

This really has me worried, I'm a self-taught programmer, I don't even have a college degree. It really is my hobby and passion. But I'm worried I won't be able to compete on paper when people as qualified as you get laid off

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

It’s a legitimate reason to be worried

[@nobbynob-mq2rn]

I wouldn't bother. Instead of "Learn to code" ... "Learn to plumb".

[@aidanwelch4763]

@@nobbynob-mq2rn The thing is I've already learnt to code, its been my passion for 10 years, and I haven't found anything else I enjoy as much

[@benpurcell591]

He's laid off from a top fang job. Really he could walk into a job at many companies tomorrow with his resume, but he wants something different now

[@robh_tex]

​@@benpurcell591maybe... but some are skipped because they feel these guys will expect too high a salary and hiring manager might be intimidated by the "well at company xyz this is how we did it" et.

[@dezinerg]

Perhaps you can combine your tech skills will health care or fitness industry or wellness industry? Good luck! Nice to hear about tech life in Seattle.

[@jessicaleash8774]

After 25 years in tech, my husband was laid off. He now works a blue collar union job. Union-negotiated healthcare paid for my cancer treatment in full. Tech would not have done that.

[@ronburgundy3172]

Better work for a company that offers job security as the freelance tech jobs are Too volatile they may pay you well but you never know when the rug is going to pull right out from under you

[@SkyNhett]

7:54 - Interesting perspective. I could see CEOs hearing this a number of times and deciding to pull the plug on remote work. Probably why Andy Jassy went the direction he did.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

I have another video about the return to office where I talk about that

[@ShDog78]

My ideology: a rich is not who has a lot of money, but who has enough. Cut your expenses, use computer skills for what matters in real world and keep rights to products of your labor to yourself.

[@Karg537]

I think traditional business is more promosing. It is less speculative and the market is more apparent. Startup boomed because investors willing to throw money to explore potential markets.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Yes I agree

[@thedownunderverse]

What do u mean traditional business?

[@A_View_From_The_Shire]

@@thedownunderverse What Finance bros might call "boring, but steady dividend payers" - insurance, banking, energy, utilities, healthcare, consumer staples etc.

[@dwainunfinished]

Thanks for your raw video; it was very encouraging just hearing your story; I didn't know about the Amazon cliff thing. Taste Freedom! That's the key word! Once you discover true flexibility, you never want to go back! Start a consulting business; it will be hard at the start, but once you find your niche, you will be happy. There are lots of small businesses with $10m - 15m in revenue that can use your skills. I'd be glad to chat more about this; I have some ideas on how to tackle new markets outside North America.

[@b-art6098]

I still see the chairs my father built everywhere, even in the movies. The code I wrote over the last 10 years is probably all gone; maybe only the last 2-3 years are still in use.

[@klyxrasta]

this only proves that this recession is gonna be even more brutal . And we are already in it and I'm not sure if we gonna get over it. Well we gonna get over it but how the world will look like afterwards.... who knows. 14 years experience and laid off. what to entry level software tech guys have to look forward to?

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

You are correct

[@IdoCareForPeople]

peopel have seen nothing yet... last year when US banks started failed they printed whole bunch of money to save banks and gov went on spending rampage... thsi will end horribly...

[@robh_tex]

young unencumbered talent fills the gap and trades their time for $ with incremental pay bumps until you are older, married w/ kids and less committed to the job at a higher expense, so get put to pasture and the cycle goes on.

[@AndreyMakarov-i7h]

He was laid off because of ageism. It's rampant in such a demanding field.

[@OzgulEzgin]

Best of luck. Not an easy era for tech people and small companies. 😢

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thank you. Luckily we have a business

[@Liv.Bradford]

I survived the first wave of layoffs, nevertheless now our company lost the contract, and we are having over 30 people on the bench. This constant pressure is really affecting my psychological well being. If they will lay me off eventually, or better to say when, I won’t be back. I foreseen this coming, before it actually started happening in tech, so I was back to college in 2021, and getting completely different degree.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Hopefully we found our true vocation

[@ronburgundy3172]

Working in the IT field is a stressful road most men end up having a heart attack or putting on weight from all the stress at work

[@Liv.Bradford]

@ well some people have this super power- not to give a fuck. To my regret I’m not one of these people lol 😂

[@jasono.1629]

Great perspective! Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thanks for watching. More to come

[@cultofhercules]

At the point in my life where I believe the world would be a better place if software engineers quit their job and spent their time and energy building semi-sustainable chicken & tomato farms at home.

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Haha yes

[@AndreyMakarov-i7h]

Even just reading your sentence, filled me with so much joy.

[@socrs]

Always a challenging industry and now much more so. Good luck.

[@RandysContext]

71 this year, 25 years at current company, avoided. Management roles so that I could build software systems and full stack architectures. Front end gui skills became a commodity so long ago. The industry today is actually to exciting to leave.

[@nvrbetrwhoohoo3941]

We’re you a LAMP stack guy? Visual Basic? COBOL?

[@iamyoda66]

My wife was an L7 at AWS. Her team was super toxic. She is glad to have left…there are better ways to spend your time than in corporate politics.

[@krishsangs6610]

There is plenty of $$ to leave on table

[@mo_mo_meaw]

wish you a happy self employment jouney SIr ,It is the future

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thank you. I’ll do an update

[@Tony-so1zl]

Best of luck friend

[@GeminiWalkandTalk]

Thanks!