Small Victories, Big Impact: Cultivating Positivity in Today’s Tech Landscape

How to Protect Your Peace of Mind and Find Daily Joy in a Season of Tech Layoffs

Just in the past four months I have survived two rounds of layoffs with no warning from management nor a reason for how the people was chosen to be let go. Of course we were given the generic reasoning of trimming fat to keep the company moving forward. In the days following each lay off, I noticed moral was at an all time low. Everyone had questions we never given answers to and we were all feeling very vulnerable about job security. I know I am replaceable but at what cost to the company? I see other companies doing the same thing of laying off employees and asking those remaining to use AI to increase throughput. Once companies have laid off their lower preforming employees, will they come for those of us who are more senior? I definitely understand the need to move with the times, but I just have to hope upper management knows the value of keeping skilled employees.

While I am fulling embracing AI to work more efficiently, I also understand there needs to be a human element in creating software. I see countless intern openings in software with one of the requirements being “Experience with AI”. To me this is a huge warning sign. I want to hire interns who are learning technical skills at university to apply at a company and then the company can teach the interns on the job how to use certain AI tools. I worry if an intern already has AI experience, they might not have enough technical experience to be successful in the long term.

Personally, I know I am meeting all the benchmarks set out by my company and in some cases exceeding them. This is giving me the knowledge that if I am laid off, it will not be because I am a bad employee. On a daily basis I am reminding myself I have a good job, I am contributing to the company and our customers, and I value my teammates. By reminding myself of these positive aspects, I am able to keep moving forward which I think is the best way to survive these turbulent times. I implore you to focus more on the positive aspects of your daily tasks, even something as small as finding a great bug. The world is a scary place and if we only ever focus on the negative aspects, our ship is going to sink. By focusing on the small victories we get, I think we can bring a positive outlook to work and have a small impact on the work culture.

About the Author: Anna Sharpe is a full-time software test engineer with over a decade of experience in the tech industry, currently focusing on healthcare software from her remote office in Sacramento, CA. A lifelong learner, Anna graduated from Whitworth University with a BS in Computer Science and is passionate about expanding her testing toolbox and mentoring teammates. Outside of her day job, she channels her technical skills into a part-time passion project: building and designing websites for non-profit organizations. Connect with Anna on LinkedIn.