r/cscareerquestions • u/aaplh • Nov 21 '24
Laid off after 2.5 years
Not much to say. Grinded my ass off to land my first software engineering job at my company and was laid off today. Typical corporate “restructuring” that led to me getting let go for no good reason. I did get 3 months of severance along with reimbursement for all my unused PTO, etc. at least.
Sucks because I remember posting here about how happy I was that all my leetcoding and resume review paid off and now I’m back to doing all that again. Along with the terrible market I’m already feeling a ton of demoralization to even start the grind all over again.
Any tips for someone like me who still feels inexperienced as hell but should technically be considered mid-levelish at this stage? My job was frontend focused with heavy React/Typescript usage but I’m open to any roles obviously. This was my first and only job out of college so I’m thinking stick to focusing on applying for frontend roles? Could I still apply to new grad/junior positions? Feeling really overwhelmed, any advice would be appreciated!
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u/Schedule_Left Nov 21 '24
You are on the cusp of mid. That opens you up to mid or junior roles. More opportunities.
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Nov 21 '24
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u/besseddrest Senior Nov 21 '24
just look for a bunch of mid-level/non-junior roles. Go through all the descriptions. If you think you can do that type of work, handle those responsibilities, apply to them.
If you don't, but think you're almost there, still apply to them but really build the skills you're lacking in while you wait for responses. Level up
No to new grad, because you're not. Yes to junior positions only if you actually evaluate yourself at that level. I can't determine your level just by this post but maybe you're borderline into a normal level (i don't know how long juniors stay at junior) but in general being over-qualified isn't gonna get a lot of traction
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u/Anewbeesh Nov 21 '24 edited Nov 22 '24
Mid level market is hard. I have 5 years of experience and I’m barely getting any interviews. Same story for a lot of people in the market I talk to since there’s a lot of non junior but also not quite senior folks out there searching. So if you can and are willing to expand yourself to both mid and associate level (while also negotiating higher up since you have more experience) that might be better.
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u/Straight-Fix59 Jr. SWE Nov 21 '24
I'd say junior roles are around the 0-3 year experience mark and you can still apply for them, but you are on the more experienced end. New grad likely not unless they state otherwise that they'll accept more experienced applicants. Most beneficial for you would to apply to mid-level SWE and similar roles.
I also got laid off recently from my first role barely after a year, and it really sucked. Then the first interview with a local place the following Monday I secured a new job (started this week, definitely feel dumb but I'm taking others advice it gets better). I felt so down in the dumps that initial weekend after because the job hunt is absolutely terrible right now, but I'm hopeful you will get another!
My new boss said that they have been seeing more and more frontend engineers but not a lot with at least some backend experience. I'd look into maybe making a full-stack project for your portfolio (or to at least get experienced) and learn something like C#/ASP.NET or Node.js so you can be more comfortable applying to full-stack or other roles.
My game plan if I didn't get a job before the holidays was to just take through the new year off on unemployment and enjoy time with friends and family. Obviously, I'd apply to jobs and structured my days with at least 4 hours of applying - but hiring doesn't usually pick up again until around the new year (at least I am told). Since you have a severance, I'd just take some time to grieve and then put a plan together for the next 3 months.
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u/PlasmaDiffusion Looking for job Nov 21 '24
My new boss said that they have been seeing more and more frontend engineers but not a lot with at least some backend experience. I'd look into maybe making a full-stack project for your portfolio (or to at least get experienced) and learn something like C#/ASP.NET or Node.js so you can be more comfortable applying to full-stack or other roles.
Is this actually true? I'm mostly front end but had a bit of full stack bullet points in one of my roles. Plus I got a few full stack projects on my portfolio (used python with flask and node JS). Similar boat as OP I've been laid off with at least 2.5 YoE as a dev and have had barely any interviews all year. Canada's market sucks so bad. I'm building stuff with .NET now to see if it makes any difference whatsoever.
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u/Straight-Fix59 Jr. SWE Nov 21 '24
I know the students that are coming out of the state university in my town are 100% more frontend than any actually good backend. I can’t say it definitively for other places, but seeing other new grad/junior/almost mid level people that there is leaning in how I described. Frontend technologies rapidly evolve, people want interactive UIs, etc so I see why people are drawn to it. Just less and less are skilled in backend fresh out of school (me included).
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u/hubschster Nov 21 '24
At your previous role were you onsite or remote? What about your new role? What about change in salary?
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u/Straight-Fix59 Jr. SWE Nov 21 '24
Was remote, new role is in office (big change). Salary increased but not by much more.
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u/hubschster Nov 21 '24
Nice! Facing a potential layoff soon next week for me :( 4 YOE. Are you willing to share which city the office is in?
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u/Straight-Fix59 Jr. SWE Nov 21 '24
Not ‘city city’, I don’t want to totally ID myself/company but will say its in one of the bigger cities in MT!
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u/yinyan10 Nov 21 '24
Don’t just haphazardly start applying to companies. Take a couple days to get the head clear and relax. Then start doing standard questions on leetcode and some machine coding/LLD. Give yourself 3 weeks to get the basic level prep done. Then jump on applying for positions. Main thing is to leverage your network. Any position you feel good because of work or company, leverage your network to get a referral for that position. Connect with your friends, colleagues to get referrals in their company. I assume there will be others too who got laid off. Connect with them. Leverage their network, let them leverage yours. And don’t stress much. Everyone has to someday or the other has to go through this situation. It’s very common now. Take this as an experience and an opportunity to get into someplace better.
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u/Turbulent-Week1136 Nov 21 '24
Don't waste your 3 months severance licking your wounds. Apply for unemployment insurance immediately. Also immediately go looking for a new job right now. I know it sucks but you need to just have a stiff upper lip and keep moving forward. It's a bad situation but at least you have 2.5 years experience so you can leverage that. The key is to keep moving forward because the faster you get a new job the faster you will get a chance to take a break.
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u/ewhim Nov 23 '24
Yeah get back into that meat grinder you are hardly chewed up. Keep that hustle in high gear but don't let it burn you out. Take these holidays and weekends and enjoy them. Then get back to it.
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u/P4ULUS Nov 21 '24
Layoffs are very common in the tech industry. I was laid off 4 times in 5 years through Covid. It’s likely this won’t be the first time but the good news is made it past 2 years so there won’t be questions about your performance should you have been let go within a year.
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u/mkg11 Nov 21 '24
You are still junior i wasnt getting any attention from mid-level non-associate roles at 2.5 years
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u/icecreamangel Nov 21 '24
Very similar situation. I am not sure either, I haven't had a lot of luck applying to front-end only roles, junior or mid-level. It was a mistake not fighting to do more backend work at my previous jobs, but also maybe the market just sucks for everyone.
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u/whoopsservererror Nov 21 '24
Make your LinkedIn cheesey. Reach out to people on LinkedIn (recruiters, hiring managers, etc.).
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Nov 21 '24
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u/DojoLab_org Instructor @ DojoLab / DojoPass Nov 21 '24
Don’t let being laid off impact your confidence—trust that you can land another job. Update your resume and apply to multiple positions, understanding that rejections mean not every fit is perfect.
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u/NEEDHALPPLZZZZZZZ Nov 21 '24
Change your LinkedIn to looking for opportunities. Leave your current employment on. Apply to places. If you were at a sort of well known company you should get recruiter DMs a few weeks in, when LinkedIn decides you actually are looking for a new role
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u/johnmaddog Nov 21 '24
>My job was frontend focused with heavy React/Typescript usage but I’m open to any roles obviously.
You will essentially be competing with all the bootcamp grad. Source: a full stack dev in Canada
It is hard to get out of the web dev hell.
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u/Joram2 Nov 21 '24
3 months severance and PTO pay is very generous. The most generous severance I've ever gotten was 3 months + no PTO after 8 years. At most other places, it's just two weeks severance.
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u/boki345 Nov 22 '24
Hey man I'm here sending positive vibes. My best advice is take a few mental days to yourself. Easier said than done I know. Recharge your batteries. Realize you're more than your job. Start watching some motivational movies and get back in grind. Keep us updated
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u/OneMillionSnakes Nov 22 '24
I mean you probably shouldn't target senior positions but if you see them at a place that doesn't have lower experience roles it's probably worth a shot. Senior has always had a loose correlation with experience in our field. Same with new grad or junior roles probably don't target them, but if the place has nothing else that seems right it couldn't hurt. If they have mid-career or software engineer, software engineer II roles that's probably where you'd do best.
Good luck it does seem to be thawing a little bit.
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Nov 22 '24
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Nov 22 '24
No matter what level you are, going back to job hunting sucks an insane amount of ass. I job hopped every 18 months or so for a few years, which was exhausting enough. I really wanted to stop doing that.
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u/TrifectAPP trifectapp.com - PBQs, Videos, Exam Sims and more. 🎓 Nov 22 '24
Sorry to hear about the layoff, but it’s great you have severance to give you some breathing room. Focus on frontend roles since you’ve built solid experience with React and TypeScript — it’s a strong niche.
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u/VStrideUltimate Nov 21 '24
I think you’ll probably find the most success applying for anything labeled “software engineer”. I think as far as levels go generally it’s: software engineer -> senior software engineer -> staff or principal software engineer. Companies normally have in-between roles to provide extra granularity. You’re not a new grad anymore so it doesn’t make sense to apply for those roles.
Don’t let the lay-off impact your personal self worth. There are many things in the corporate world which you need to protect yourself against, that’s one of them.
And remember, you got a job the first time, you WILL do it again. Get that resume updated and start flinging it around to any position that you find interesting.
Don’t let rejection get you down. Rejection isn’t really what it seems, it’s just misalignment between you and the company you pursued.
Good luck!