The empathy post tsunamis after layoffs are imminent. This post is inspired by some technical issues that tend to transpire in reality as human behavior. The post is my personal opinions with links to facts wherever necessary. The fake empathy consuming the professional world is alarming.
If you are someone affected by recent layoffs, I am helpless in making a difference to your situation. As someone who has been through some uncertain times in past, I understand why next few days will be hard. Just remember, this is about survival, not victory.
Tune out the noise, ask for help clearly, get it done and move on in life.
What’s wrong in “faking” empathy?
A lot. Sending mixed signals to networks and colleagues is not the best way to make a integrity driven career. Many people going through the experience will be facing a failure for the first time in life. Top ranks, top US universities, Top company, Top compensation and load of attention on any portal by uttering employer name. The social media has become a snowflake creation factory. The last 30 seconds of the movie Peepli Live are etched in my memory since I never saw that coming.
I got a taste of reality quite early in life in 2001. The refills keep coming too. Its circumstances, I neither chose them nor wish them on anyone else but the way systems are structures it imminent for someone. The best way to stay in touch with reality is to read the offer letter every six months. Trust me, the day the termination clause stops striking fear in your mind either you should retire to pursue some social cause or seek help!
Getting fired is hard, realizing your network was fake is harder!
RougeNeuron
The ” I am so sorry for your situation” posts are waste of readers time. There are only two things one can do to make a statement, give the person a job without interview or quit one’s job in solidarity. Rest is just optics. Harsh, yes. But true. The “CFBR” assumes your network is vast enough to help everyone.
Atleast 300K+ people in tech were affected by layoffs since 2020. Guess what? I know at least 200 people who are not on that list, because I was one of them! No one can help everyone. LinkedIn seems to have missed biggest opportunity to innovate in hiring space since 2008. The field is ripe for disruption. It doesn’t need innovation, just integrity.
The Thundering Herd
Thundering herd problem is a perennial bane for system programmers. In essence, when everyone tries to do the same thing when only one can, the system freezes. The social network feeds filled with opportunist posts buries the posts of people in need. The people in need have been inactive in their romantic bubble of perks. I am suddenly seeing posts of second degree connections who have repeatedly ignored connection requests for years because I didn’t belong to a big brand company or post memes to keep everyone entertained.
The sentiment is moving but after a scroll its superficial nature is evident. Employment is a contract. Showing being a “good person” gets easier by the day and hence doing the right thing to be a good person gets tougher. The 300K+ who got affected will make it back to the workforce within a few months. For most the experience will help them stay afloat even if they end up losing visa. But the real ripples will be felt by the people waiting in queues with fresh degrees and big dreams. The last mile stories will never even make it to your feeds until some of them work at a brand you choose to be associated with on Linked.
Do I have a solution or just rant?
Yes, I have a partial solution and its already reaching people as well. We never learn software as a business before it hits us hard. Learning by trauma has become a habit. The last mile of software engineering jobs is becoming brutal with every course launch that promises expertise in close to no time. I even have the whole life of software engineer in third world available as a book. That’s how confident I am about my findings!
I take the unchartered path. I create courses with an ethos my mentors chose.
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”
Anon
Does is work all the time? No. Does it work sometimes? Yes. That’s enough to stay at it.
The reason for not creating traditional courses is simple, I have lived a life where the traditional ceased to exist. I have “failed” at projects people couldn’t dream of. Technology is a tool to shape reality nothing more, nothing less. Software as a business converts that tool into a mirage of prosperity. We all have our rendition of that mirage.
On social media we like to be Dorian Gray but every EMI take a slash at our principles like the portrait he locked away. Please don’t fake empathy. Don’t post unless you can make a difference. DM first, before broadcasting. Majority of people have good intentions, some even act on them but unless its all we have a problem.
Do checkout the solutions and help some people getting started in industry with facts instead of fiction about layoffs. Udemy has a 30 day refund guarantee. If you feel like trying out teaching do reach out and I will be happy to be a sounding board. Saving people from burnout is a worthy investment of time!
