About a year ago, I was pulled into a Zoom meeting with the COO of the digital agency I worked for. It was my last day, along with all of the other U.S. national engineers (the agency had somewhat of an international presence). I was given severance and asked to return my work laptop.
I won’t get too deep into the weeds about my emotional and mental state through this past year, but this whole experience has taught me to not get too comfortable in one place for too long. Even during the years I worked at my last company, I realized that the job market for software engineers wasn’t great, so I stayed put. I felt that I had a good relationship with my team (including with the COO) and I always put good effort into my work, so I didn’t feel threatened by being just a line to be crossed off on a budgeting spreadsheet. However, obvious to me now, that was a mistake.
I have struggled with getting much in interviews. I’ve probably redone my resume several times throughout the year. I had friends look over it, I’ve watched videos and read articles about resume tips (e.g. adding impactful, measurable achievements, etc.). However, it feels like if there has been any improvement, it’s been negligible. Hell, I think I may have had better luck in the first few months after I got laid off (I also hadn’t updated my resume for my lay off at that point, which may have been a factor). My friends’ referrals have also helped to get my foot in the door for some interviews. I have at least 3+ years of work experience as a developer, and I think that’s probably helped compared with what I’ve heard from young people that are just getting into the market.
So, I’m trapped in this place where I don’t really know what I can do. Any savings I had are going to be completely exhausted in the coming months, and I’m getting concerned. I’m also thinking about pivoting to something else just to keep my head above water while continuing to search in this field, even working at a bar or restaurant if I need to.
Here are a few things I’ve been thinking about doing:
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Find any job that will stop my savings from rapidly dwindling at the very least
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Try to build more projects and put out a portfolio site. I have been working on some projects while I search since at least March, but I think building a new portfolio site might give me a better edge.
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Rework my resume again. I feel like I struggle to make impactful statements. I know that I’ve done a lot of impressive things in both of my previous positions, I just wonder if it’s coming across the right way to a recruiter or hiring manager.
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As much as I’ve been dragging my feet about it, I have been trying to utilize AI tools more. I hate the use of AI in writing and art with a passion, but I will admit that it has made my coding faster if I’m intentional about how I direct it.
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Continue to learn about new concepts and technologies, especially system design and best practices.
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Hone in on what I already know; things like React and WordPress. Get to a more advanced understanding of these technologies.
If anyone has any advice for me, I’d appreciate it. Please feel free to let me know if I should adjust anything with the points above, or add anything else as a supplement.