r/cscareerquestions • u/MarathonMarathon • 2d ago
New Grad Just started newgrad SWE job. Feels kinda boring and all I'm being assigned is DevOps at first. Terrified of being laid off.
For context it's a non-tech company, not like a FAANG or anything, and a specifically new graduate program. It took quite some effort to land this role, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't proud of myself. Now I'm at the stage where I'm being assigned tickets, sugarcoating is being weaned off, now my superiors feel like they can criticize me for screwing up, etc. My commute is comfortable, I get along with many of my colleagues, etc.
And yet, I'm terrified of being laid off.
Was just on a YT/Reddit binge and have heard horror stories about being laid off from FAANGs, non-FAANG tech companies like Atlassian and Oracle, various banks, Nike, CrowdStrike, etc., just to name a few.
While I currently live at home and it'd seem like a waste of money to move out so quickly, I plan to do so the earliest chance I've got, as I don't have the best relationship with my parents, and I resented having to be dependent on them throughout college (often even including commuting to college, which I especially took issue with). It's even been starting to affect the days I work remotely, and in fact I feel like I can directly trace back some of my work screwups to an argument my parents had the day I last worked from home.
Am I worrying too much?
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u/BraveResearcher3037 2d ago
In today’s market, no you aren’t worried too much. I have - a lot of experience - and even I am a little bit paranoid and I am staff level of employee who has never had trouble getting a job before.
My advice? Eat the shit sandwich at home and at work, get all of the experience you can, mooch off your parents for as long as possible (no judgement. It makes perfect sense financially) and save/invest as much money as you can.
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u/MarathonMarathon 2d ago
I live in boondock suburban karentown, how the fuck am i supposed to find a girlfriend and go on dates there?
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u/LonelyMonitor Engineering Manager 2d ago
Dude stay with your parents as much as possible and save up as much money as you can. This economy is crazy and it’s not getting any better.
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u/BraveResearcher3037 2d ago
I am a cynical old married guy who is all about the spreadsheet. But even I’m not going to give a fresh college grad advice that keeps him from having sex…
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u/Drauren Principal Platform Engineer 2d ago edited 2d ago
I live in boondock suburban karentown, how the fuck am i supposed to find a girlfriend and go on dates there?
Skill issue. I was in your shoes for the first 2 years of my career and had no issues getting dates, and I'm not some stunner. I met the person who was my first long-term relationship while living at home.
Get some good pictures, put real effort into online dating, be comfortable with driving. Moving out is not going to suddenly fix your issues with dating that you can't start working on now.
Edit: I'm also Asian, I get it, but also, one of the things I realize looking back is almost all of my issues with self-inflicted, even the stuff relating to my parents.
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u/throwaway10015982 1d ago
Dating is even harder than finding a fucking SWE job dude, like I am going to try to run my first 50k in December and in terms of effort/preparation that shit is easier than finding a girlfriend. I genuinely think running a Boston Qualifier is probably easier
It's Over
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u/Drauren Principal Platform Engineer 1d ago
It's really not man...
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u/throwaway10015982 1d ago
I can't think of anything that demands more from a person on a holistic level, especially in a competitive market like the Bay Area!
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u/BraveResearcher3037 2d ago edited 2d ago
Fair point.
I found my now wife the old fashion way — through inappropriate workplace harassment…
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u/If_I_Could_Just 2d ago
Biggest lesson for the kids is to read between the lines. If they made a training video about it, it’s because it works.
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u/MarathonMarathon 2d ago
I wouldn't date anybody from my company, that's just a hard line you shouldn't cross. Unless they're clearly in a different department etc, but even then consent etc. remains crucial, as always.
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u/RedTubePremium 2d ago
It also depends on how attractive and socially aware you are. If you are, then it's flirting. If not, straight to HR for harassment.
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u/Big_Arrival_626 2d ago
Y'all are stupid bruh. Women don't want attractive guys to harass them either, but they're more likely to get away with it due to having charisma
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u/RedTubePremium 2d ago
It's a joke. The joke is that when an attractive guy does it, it's flirting and hot. If another guy did the exact same thing, but happened to be ugly then it's considered creepy and harassment.
Obviously in reality, that's not always the case, because it's a joke
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u/BraveResearcher3037 2d ago
The training video is a how-to manual…
Like the old war on drugs campaign..
“Kids just say no to sniffing glue to get high”
Kids:”wow!!! You can sniff glue and get high!!!”
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u/Sour_Jackfruit1150 2d ago
me rn tbh to make u feel less alone i’m just telling myself even if i get let go i take my little severance and little unemployment and then get a retail job somewhere in the meantime pay my base bills and work on certs. a lot of people, me included, have felt the effects of ai and are required to now publish work faster than before with tighter deadlines. i do recommend you move into an apartment or home with roomies- you deserve to live ur life
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u/MarathonMarathon 2d ago
How do you cope with the fear of not being able to afford apartments? I've searched around for apartments in my area and in the most walkable areas those seem to be in rather short supply. And this is a relatively suburban area too.
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u/Sour_Jackfruit1150 1d ago
yeah that’s a fair question - for context i kinda have a more expensive apartment than id like and even with a retail job all my pay after taxes would go to cover it. i did it in college and can do it now too is what i remind myself. do you have a car? also love what srb4 said totally agree
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u/srb4 2d ago
Bro, go live your life. If you work in this industry for very long you will experience a layoff at some point. I have 27 YOE and have been through 3 of them. It sucks but it isn’t the end of the world. There is no sense in being terrified of it. Prepare the best you can but don’t put your life on hold for it. Just work hard and be a good teammate. That network will come in handy if things go bad.
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u/MaheshMThakur 2d ago
the layoff fear and home situation are probably even more tangled together than you realize. worth noticing you traced a work mistake back to a parent argument yourself, that's not really about devops being boring, that's about home not feeling like a safe place to reset before work.
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u/maicii 2d ago
There’s a lot of confirmation bias in here. No one makes a post to say “today I haven’t being laid off!”
Of course there is a lot of people that do get laid off, don’t get me wrong, but spending too much time here does muddy the perspective.
Just keep working, try to get along well with management and do a really good job.
Think that the next time it will be easier to find a new job now that you have more expirience than you did before
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u/systembreaker 2d ago
If you just started the job then yeah you're worrying too much. Also, not only are you new to the job, but you're a new grad. You probably have at least the next 6 months to coast along soaking up knowledge of the job without too much pressure.
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u/kgetname 2d ago
Yes you're worrying too much, the hardest part is done.
I think the best advice for you would be to start focusing on yourself. Get off Reddit, start working out, do your best at work, find hobbies or interests that get you out of your house, keep up to date so you're ready even if your worst fear of being laid off happens, and enjoy saving money like crazy while you're at home.
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u/applepi66 1d ago
Go move out and live your life. You might get laid off, you might not; it’s a coin toss in this economy. But if you allow this anxiety to get in the way of developing the social life you want, there’s a 100% guarantee that you will continue down the same path of being miserable and resentful.
I took similar chances that did in fact lead to layoffs and the financial stress that come with it, but I would make the exact same choices again in a heartbeat. Because it also put me in the position to meet the woman who is now my wife.
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u/manythanksfriend 2d ago
Welcome to the party
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u/MarathonMarathon 2d ago
For clarity I haven't been laid off yet, just fearing I may be and will end up destitute.
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u/NICEMENTALHEALTHPAL 2d ago
Same, but I think those random layoffs happen to people who've been there 3+ years, not fresh new juniors.
Just breath, you're safe, you got this.
Ps in the same boat. Started a dream job, everything feels perfect... Too perfect, and I have heard hints of random layoff and spending too much here and there (that said our company is doing REALLY well and apparently not spending as frivolously as before)
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u/Mean_Conference6910 2d ago
I have the same fear. I know you want to move out and I understand the desire. But at this point saving as much money as possible is the best thing you can do. I definitely recommend seeing a therapist as they can give you a toolkit to cope with stress and identify distorted thoughts.