(Not at E*Trade anymore). Last week I was laid off from a unicorn start up as a PM. Quite frankly it was a bit surprising at first. I was working on a top company priority with high LT viz, but even then I was still part of a 20% company wide layoff round that occurred last Monday. The huge pile of work I had, which was a large part of my personal stress, suddenly disappears into thin air, and no longer happens to be a problem. This strangely felt bittersweet, although in the back of my head I realize that my severance duration clock is ticking. I thoroughly enjoyed the company as the culture, colleagues, and role was solid, so I would be lying if I were to say that I wasnโt disappointed, but if anything this taught me, it was to always stay on your toes: - LT will lie: They state how after a first round of layoffs, the second one is no where near the horizon, but that certainly wasnโt true in my case - Donโt fall in love with a company/job: I had to keep myself in check, I was warned by other blinders here with certain anecdotes. If you die, a company will not hesitate to replace you in a heartbeat etc. - Test the market, stay fresh: Doesnโt hurt to keep your resume updated and interview here and there to avoid rust. The tech market is trash right now yes but you gotta give yourself some sort of edge. -Have a 6 month emergency fund: Fortunate that I was able to receive the WARN act payment and severence, which gives me an additional 3 month cash cushion, but this market is trash and Iโll never know how long Iโll stay unemployed. -Stay in touch with your network: I know this sounds super clichรจ but itโs true. I was in a role where I engaged with external partners quite often and had a great relationship with, so they were easy to contact for new roles. All the above made the layoff news much easier to process and move forward with a peace of mind. With all this being said, thanks for reading my pseudo vent. Iโm back in the market now obviously, so any referral suggestions for PM roles will be much appreciated as well! TLDR: Got laid off, feel ironically relieved. Always stay on your toes and be ready for anything.
Which unicorn?
Will dm you, if I say it Iโll get doxxed easy lol
at least you donโt seem completely defeated. recruiters can smell that delicious defeat. wishing you luck
Thanks brotha. Hereโs to finding something in this crap market
Sorry to hear this, OP. This market has been especially brutal for startups, and too many people are being hit by layoffs during this time. Hereโs hoping you bounce back on your feet.
Thanks MRM. Also congrats on the badge!
Thank you!
Dm for Raytheon
-Always be leetcoding
What was the subject of the non-leetcode-esque interviews like?
Wow, a sample size of 5???? You must definitely be correct about leetcode being dead ๐