Breaking into tech, getting kicked out and trying to get back in

The year is 2022.

I stand on the edge of completing my degree. I’m taking my time with it because I’ve already achieved my primary goal. I’ve got Software Engineer job at smaller tech company and it’s going well. I’m contributing, learning a ton and making friends. I’m happy in my career for the first time and optimistic about the future. After all my hard work, I’ve finally made it and it’s all up hill fro-

The year is 2023

For the first time since my teenage years, I’m unemployed. The tech layoffs that I tried my damnedest to ignore, took me out at the knees. The tech labor market, once a dense archipelago of companies with seemingly endless ports of opportunity now feels more like a couple of bobbing life boats in a desert sea and here I am treading water.

barely.

I have plenty of references and industry connections. I have a (short-lived) engineering role on my resume. In 2020, perhaps this would have been plenty. In 2023, surrounded by ten’s of thousands of nervous graduates and recently laid off engineers, not so much. I’ve put out nearly 100 applications and have gotten nowhere.

So what to do? Luckily, I have a stellar support structure of friends and family. I may not have a job but I won’t go hungry. I’ve sped up my education again and should graduate much sooner. I’ll continue to hone my programming skills and make connections in the market. I’ll be able to step back into a sales job to make ends meet but I’m determined to get back into the industry. I guess that will be a main theme of this blog is my journey from reaching the summit, plummeting off a cliff and my attempts get back to the top. Starting over is hard, but one way or another I’m getting back in.