Ask HN: Feeling so happy after being laid off in Bay Area, how are you doing?

2 points by narenarya 2 years ago | 5 comments

I am a senior engineer working in a mid-size company in the Bay Area. I hope this post gives ideas to people who have been impacted by uncertainty in life, encouraging them not to worry but to embrace it. I've been working at my current company for over 2.5+ years on an ambitious project. Unfortunately, the project didn't kick off as expected and had to be shelved suddenly due to a high project burn rate.

I was laid off, but I have to say, the company treated me well. They provided me with a decent severance package and 4 months of paid health insurance. I am truly thankful to them for that. Surprisingly, the news articles and LinkedIn posts about layoffs didn't hit me as hard as I thought they would. Instead, it gave me some time to take a breath from constant work and focus on the important things in life. It was helpful that I had saved up 6 months of living expenses and had significant work experience from around the globe. So, my advice to my fellow engineers is to always keep some money aside and maintain good connections from your past and present to navigate through uncertain times. The only thing that worries me a bit is the visa transfer (H1-B) for those in my situation, but I'm not desperate because I have global connections who can help me find new opportunities.

Now, for those who have been laid off like me, I have a few tips on how to make the most of this opportunity in life:

* Take a break and enjoy the period of not having to work. Use this time to relax and recharge. * Start working on something that you've always been scared of doing before. Maybe it's building a product that will be used by people or raising capital for a new venture. Embrace the challenge! * Explore different work opportunities. Consider going remote or even moving to a different country. This could open up new doors and experiences.

With that being said, I would love to hear your thoughts on how you see the positives in your own life.

k310 2 years ago |

Back in 1980 or so, (almost) laid off from an aerospace company on famous Route 128. Got a transfer to a west coast division of the company, a bonus, a raise and moving expenses.

Eventually married, got to be the proudest Dad, and never stopped taking photos, from the days of film to mirrorless cameras.

Being a generalist, every job change involved some adaptation and big challenges. Aerospace, University, Investment banking, Sales team, Startup, consulting.

phendrenad2 2 years ago |

It's good to keep a positive attitude, even if it's a self-imposed positive attitude that doesn't match how you really feel. They say that forcing yourself to smile actually raises your endorphins, right?

That said, it's truly a tragedy that silicon valley was so unprepared for the market downturn we're going through. "Economy is shit so we laid everyone off" is something that most bay area engineers, I think, believed only happened at old, last-gen, dinosaur companies. Think Exxon and Bell Telephone. Certainly the software rocket ship is going to the moon, right? Software is eating the world, right? I truly feel for the people who smoothly transitioned from university where they studied their passion (software) into their dream job at FAANGAMANGA, casually throw their entire paycheck at the greedy landlords and NIMBYs in Palo Alto or San Mateo, and now find out that, while reaping record profits and promising that the party will go on forever, software companies were quietly speedrunning replacing their foundations with sand. And now, I doubt silicon valley has any real value, other than proximity to Stanford and Berkeley.

bpiche 2 years ago |

That kind of severance is a pipe dream for many if not most engineers in the bay. I am happy for you but the rest of us have to make our own severance by never taking an hour of PTO until we’re laid off or a project ends. It’s nice to hear your story because it’s a reminder that it’s not all bad and some companies value in house talent.

Edit: a word

larryfreeman 2 years ago |

Each time I have been laid off, the opportunity afterwards has been significantly better. Perhaps, I have just been lucky.

After my first lay off, I got a job at Sun Microsystems in 1999. I was able to buy a house. After my second lay off from Sun in 2007, I was able to receive a significant promotion as a director. After my third lay off in 2017, I was able to find a great opportunity at Walmart where I no longer have management responsibilities.

If I hadn't lined up my next job so quickly, I definitely would have started my own company or consulting business. The most important thing is to believe in yourself, stay current, and prepare to ride the next wave in technology. :-)

k310 2 years ago | |

Small world. That sales job was a sales/system engineer at Sun. My world-class sales rep left. For a while, I handled both jobs at once, and it was easier than working with the ding-dong they hired in her place.

Left for a startup where I had the title of I.T. director, though that soon became the entire I.T. department. (ouch) But such is life. It tends to be maximally weird.