Uploaded byMohsen Mirhoseini
Rise from the Ashes: A Developer’s Phoenix Story
The document recounts the personal experience of a software engineer who was laid off amid widespread tech layoffs in 2023, detailing the emotional and psychological impacts of job loss. It emphasizes the importance of resilience, networking, and community support during the job search process while also highlighting strategies for emotional coping and skills reassessment. The author shares insights on navigating the job market and the significance of maintaining a positive outlook and building relationships in the tech industry.
Rise from the Ashes: A Developer’s Phoenix Story
- 1. 2023 Worldwide Layoff Over 262,000employees affected More than 1,180 tech companies More than two-thirds in the US 1
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- 3. Rise from theAshes A Developer’s Phoenix Story 3
- 4. Who am I? MohsenMirhoseini 2006 → Started as Software Engineer 2012 → Switched to Android Development 2017 → Moved to Germany 2024 → Laid off for the first time! 🔥 @mohsenoid @mohsenoid@androiddev.social 4
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- 6. Unexpected layoff May 29heard my layoff news from the People Ops. 😭 The initial impact: ● Shock 😳 ● Denial 😡 ● Anger 🤬 ● Acceptance 🥺 6
- 7. What was goingon in my head?! ● Anxiety: Worrying about the future ● Depression: It is the end of the world 🌍💥😭 ● Loss of self-esteem and confidence 🤢 ○ I start thinking to switch to: ■ A different software field ● Backend! ● iOS!! ● FLUTTER!!! ■ Why not a job far far away from tech ● Delivering parcels for DHL!!!! 😱 7
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- 9. How did Icope with it ● Attended BerlinDroid meetup (after a long time) ● Gave it time to digest ● Processed my emotions 😳😡🤬🥺 ● Talked about it! ○ w/ Family ○ w/ Friends ○ w/ Teammates ○ w/ Community(!) - Got the best support from community ● Reviewed my Financial situation 💸 ● Applied to Job Center and Unemployment benefits ● Kept myself busy with German classes to not overthinking the situation 9
- 10. How I rebuiltmy confidence and motivation ● Tried to get enough sleep 😴 ● Stepped away from tech for a while 📵 ● Engaged in Activities I enjoyed ○ Spent time with family (which I missed for the job) ○ Reached my close friends ● Start looking into market to see how bad it is 🤔 ● Start looking into Android topics I missed because of my job ● Set some realistic goal (timewise and salary wise) ● Updating my CV file and post on LinkedIn seeking feedback ● Start updating my pet projects (I was missing tech) 🐶 10
- 11. Chapter 3 Mastering theJob Hunt
- 12. How I re-assessedmy career goals and skills ● Identified new positions in the Android Dev market (LinkedIn, Glassdoor) ● Start dedusting my Android knowledge ● Start catching up with Android market trends (Compose UI, etc.) ● Importance of networking and building relationships ○ Droidcon Berlin July 2024 ○ Berlindroid Meetups ● Leveraged my network and used the power of referrals ● The importance of a strong online presence ○ One LinkedIn post per week 12
- 13. Chapter 4 Conquering theInterview
- 14. My interview preparationprocess ● For the preparation stayed positive since it was not my fault that: ○ Android APIs are a lot and can be forgotten easily ○ Technical interviews are stressful ● For the first time used AI to mock interview questions and answers 🧠 ○ Both Technical and Soft Skills ● Asked my ex-colleagues to do mock interviews with me ○ It helped me a lot finding my points to improve ● Watched mobile app system design mock interviews ○ https://youtube.com/@alementuev ● Meanwhile updated my Android interview questions repo: ○ https://github.com/mohsenoid/Android-Interview-Questions 14
- 15. How did Ihandle rejections ● Allowed myself to Feel and process my emotions 😳🤬🥺 ● Seeked Feedback (only got 1) ● Stayed Objective (not 100% my fault) ● Reflected and Improved ● Stayed Positive ● Kept Applying… 15
- 16. My Job SearchFigures: In 2 months 16
- 17. My Job SearchObservations ● In comparison to post COVID time, the market is lifting ● Some companies just keep posting jobs for: ○ Visibility on the market ○ Looking for big fishes and names ● Recruiters in my experience: ○ Were noise and spam ○ Never helped me (not before and not this time!) ● LinkedIn has more jobs in comparison to Glassdoor or other platforms (EU) ● Knowing German language (B2) opens up unique opportunities 17
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- 19. Key learning pointsof this experience ● Even after years of experiences, losing job and interviews are stressful ● Stay Positive and remember, this is a temporary setback ● Define some pet project to keep yourself busy while not interviewing ● Seek for others support, without it I couldn’t survive and reboot so fast ● Increase your network and connection in the community ● Do not underestimate the power of referral to highlight your application ● Upskill and reskill to stay competitive. ● We’re all in this together, and supporting each other is the key 19
- 20. Thanks Now your turn: Shareyour personal stories, experiences, and Questions… @mohsenoid @mohsenoid@androiddev.social 20