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0 points__natty__3d ago0 comments

I’ve just been thinking about this and would like to ask those of you with more experience in the industry: do you prepare yourselves in any way for crises? Do you have any techniques for dealing with uncertainty?

Let’s say someone is entering the IT job market today. How should they prepare for the responsibilities of adulthood, starting a family, buying (perhaps on a mortgage?) their first flat, and planning for a family? I’m not writing solely in the context of AI layoffs but broader. Over the last 10 years that I’ve been in the IT industry from EU/US perspective, I’ve perceived the market as economic cycles, the sine wave of which has narrowed significantly (more often markets demands changes and instability) and accelerated in the past years.

0 points__natty__3d ago0 comments

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6 comments · 4 top-level

glimshe3d ago· 2 in thread

There's really nothing special about the current situation. Throughout history, jobs have been rarely anything close to guaranteed.

You save a good deal of cash for emergencies, live below your means, keep your skill set up to date and face the world.

dalyons3d ago

The speed of change is what’s special this time. Careers are being eliminated faster than people can reskill or change careers.

robertlagrant3d ago

I'm not sure that's true. Jobs have moved overseas at a rapid rate in the past. What careers have been eliminated, and over what time period?

bob10293d ago

The only sure thing is to live significantly below your means as often as possible. Becoming accustomed to life as a peasant when you could live like a king is what makes you economically bulletproof.

I can go for a decade without another dime coming in the door. If I started using DoorDash and Amazon Prime every day, I'd last maybe 18-24 months. Just barely treading water is actually a great position to be in. It keeps you honest and any amount of work you do find on top of that feels like a windfall. An extra $500/m is a lot if you can make it happen consistently.

cbm-vic-203d ago

Live within your means. Save aggressively. Invest wisely.

(Source: I'm one of the 21,000, let go via a 6am email after 15 years with the company in engineering and management roles.)

delusional3d ago

Nope, you just get up every day and do your best. If the ghouls at the top decide to axe you, then that's their loss. Humans have existing far longer than capitalism, we can survive without a boss.

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