Navigating Career Turbulence

A great mentor of mine taught me a few lessons about his career journey that was marked by several brutal layoffs. I'm posting it down here as perhaps these lessons may also help you especially when tech companies are going through restructurings and downsizing their workforces in recent times:

1. Change is your friend, not your enemy.

In most tech companies, "change will never change". Change is the only constant. If you start to feeling comfortable, it's sign that a change is coming soon. Embrace change like an old friend, as it leads to new opportunities and growth.

2. Who you know matters more than what you know

Building a big professional network is key to success when it comes to job uncertainties. Do not wait till layoffs hit you only to realize you don't really know anyone else other than the few close ones you've worked with. Building a network of connections from within and outside of the company is an important career investment everyone must make.

3. Have multiple skills, but specialize in a few

"Don't put all your career eggs in one basket" was what my mentor told me. The more versatile and capable you are, the better equipped you are to navigate through industry shifts and stay relevant. It's also wonderful if you can turn your natural talents into a money-making opportunity either by starting your own business or joining a different company that could use your talent.

4. "If your head ain't so big, don't wear a big hat"

This is in reference to your financial resiliency. In this modern age of consumerism, we keep spending on things that don't bring us joy. We waste money upgrading our houses & cars hoping that we'll be happier, but the happiness is always short-lived. Those who can weather a layoff are those who has enough emergency funds to survive for some time before they dust themselves off and look for new opportunities. Basically, spend less than what you earn. It's that simple. If you have the opportunity, read 'The Power of Less' by Leo Babauta.

5. "Be like water" - Bruce Lee

Water in a glass takes the shape of the glass. Water in the river flows freely towards to the ocean. In your good days, you can easily breed complacency. However, in the tech world every employee is required to have a growth mindset and keep learning. "Be like water" basically means you need to stay adaptable, keep learning new skills and ready to pivot when you're needed to do so. Don't stick to the mindset of "that's how we've always done it in the past". Hey old man, it's 2024 .. wake up!

6. Your mentors are your career gurus

It's certainly very challenging to navigate the complexities of the every changing trends of the tech industry. Having multiple mentors can help you a lot as they can help you navigate through all the different obstacles so that you can make informed decisions. Also, don't just stick to technical mentors. Learn from successful people from various areas. Me personally? I learnt the most when I started to approach and learn from leaders of different industries (government, fitness, e-commerce) and picked up various skillsets such as business strategy, marketing, accounting and art of selling.

7. "Did this happen to me, or did this happen FOR me?"

I believe that was a quote from stoicism (I have to recheck). Job layoffs can sometimes feel like your personal failure. You may blame yourself and scream "WHY ME?!".

However, a growth mindset will help you to reframe your thoughts. Oftenly, what happens can be an opportunity for growth. Once you've gather yourself, learn from setbacks, acknowledge your mistakes and use them to fuel your next career adventure. The world is full of opportunities, sometimes you just have to create it yourself. Many people I know have great natural talents and skills but stuck in a job they hate just because of the paycheck. Maybe this is the opportunity for you to do something you've always wanted to do in life, for yourself?

8. Health first. Family second. Career third.

Your well-being and work-life balance is extremely important. Remember the '996' culture in China just few years ago? Nobody even talks about it now. You can only sacrifice so much from your health. Many people sacrifice sleep & time with family so that they can do just a little bit more work for the company which will lay them off when times are bad. Make it a point not to blur the line between work and personal life.

Nobody on their death beds would regret not pushing more pull-requests to GitHub while they could. Your children want your presence as they're growing up. They will never forget how you make them feel, not the toys or digital gadgets you buy for them to make up for the lack of time you spend with them.

9. "Break that mirror that makes you always look at yourself"

That is a quote from Sargent Shriver (Arnold Schwarzenegger's father-in-law). Once you break that mirror, you will be able to look beyond that mirror and you will see the millions of people that need your help. Do not be too consumed about your ownself.

Yes you have to build yourself but don't think that it's the only responsibility you have in life. Go out and help, give back to the community, help the less fortunate. Give help, when you needed help the most. It doesn't always have to be monetary based. The universe works in such a counter-intuitive way because when you give at the time you need help the most, the universe will always repay back, sometimes many times more.

I hope these few lessons may help you as you navigate through the turbulance of the tech industry as much as it has helped me so far. I pray for the best for you. Stay strong.