Ask HN: Devs who were let go, how did you spend your notice period?

8 points by neo1691 6 years ago | 3 comments

I was today given a termination of contract as the company is cutting costs all around.

I was the only developer in the company who had three other developers working as freelancers remotely from two countries. It made more sense for my company to let me go and outsource the tech to the freelancers.

The hr even offered to set up a meeting with a COO of another startup she knew who is already interested in hiring me. I think it was nice from the HR but it also shows how fast the company wants to get rid of me from their books.

After thinking a lot, I personally feel I need time to take a step back and slowly rediscover my lost passion for writing code just for fun. I worked 5 years very hard and the last year I moved to another (non-English speaking) country to work as a backend developer. I now feel that in trying to fulfill my dreams of moving to another country I ended up burning out really hard and it’s time to take a step back and think about everything.

I start with slowly learning / practicing some of the concepts that I wanted to learn for a long time. I’m a backend dev who can write code in python and use frameworks like django/drf or flask to bootstrap SaaS products from scratch. I know how to use docker for local development and setup k8s for production. I know the value of CI/CD to get constant feedback from product owners and stakeholders. I can also fix small bugs in front end stack written in VueJS/Nuxt or vanilla JS.

I don’t have any immediate family or any loans. Savings are zero but the next three months salary is good enough to keep me going for 6 months.

My question to fellow devs here. How would you spend your three months of notice period and what skills would you focus on next ? I’m thinking to build some fun projects on the side and strengthen my database and software design skills. But most importantly I’m also going to sleep well, exercise daily and take it easy for a couple of months now.

sloaken 6 years ago |

2 points:

1) the company might not 'wants to get rid of me from their books', they might actually be doing the right thing. The fact that they gave you three months notice is very impressive. I have been let go twice, the first gave me a month notice. The second showed me the door immediately. Guess which one I felt better about?

2) Get a new job! You are never worth more than while you have a job. If you wait, you will be lucky to lose only 10%, although from what I have seen it often costs you 20 to 30%. But then again the economy is strong now.

When people ask why you are leaving, you tell them is it obvious to you the company has issues and you need to move on.

When the first company let me go, I worked hard at making sure I left good turn over information. I regret not looking for a job, but I struggled with the resume. If you struggle, get professional help, its worth it. You have 3 months to leverage a raise Tick Tick Tick....

ceekayvilla 6 years ago |

Hi neo1691. I'm sorry it happened to you, I was in your shoes about 4 years ago. I spent a lot of my time learning React&ReactNative since I was already good with backend coding using PHP.

Swtrz 6 years ago |

Dont burn bridges, keep the lights on but dont dig into anything new, document that might effect continuity, reevaluate finances if you dont have anything lined up.