Gratitude in Tough Times

Did you know Thanksgiving is good for your health, no matter how much gravy and pie you eat?

Ok, that may not be quite what the science shows, but bear with me! The psychological benefits of gratitude are actually well-documented. And I've been trying to embrace intuitive eating lately, so you won't hear me shaming anyone for what they eat on holidays!

There's a lot of not-great news in the tech industry of late. I live in the Seattle area, and I'm anxiously waiting to hear if anyone I know will be affected by the impending Amazon layoffs. My partner works in cybersecurity for a financial firm, and our weekend was a bit disrupted by all the FTX shenanigans. I know many people who've recently lost jobs, or who are uneasily watching as teammates are let go, wondering what's next.

It can be hard to feel grateful in times like this. But gratitude is powerful medicine, and we could probably all use some of that right now. I'm a perennial career-changer, and I do have some impulse to flee for other industries when things go south - the day I decided to leave finance for good was when Bernie Madoff was arrested, and my last day in the office was the day he plead guilty. But I've matured, and I think maybe it's a good time to take stock of why I truly am grateful to be in the tech industry now.

1. There is a place for everyone here. I'm continually amazed and delighted by the incredible range of companies, jobs, and people at work in the tech industry. It may take a while, but if you're looking for your place, I'm confident you can find it.

2. People care about making the industry better. We still have a lot of progress to make on inclusion and diversity in tech, but in general, the tech industry is doing a lot better than a lot of traditional white collar professions. I started my career in high finance, and I am SO grateful to now be working in a place where I see and feel genuine investment in making tomorrow better.

3. Weirdness is welcome. For a person who chafes against authority and instinctively shudders at requests for conformity, my first and second careers (in finance and public education) were not great fits. I'm very happy to have discovered a career where, if anything, I'm the boring one! I love working with people who are excited to share their unique passions and perspectives, and not afraid to let their quirks show.

4. I never get bored. Sometimes I think I'd be happy to have a chance to just sit still with one thing for a while, so I could gain some feeling of mastery with something...but if I had to pick one extreme, I'd definitely choose the side of constant challenge and change. I'm pretty easily bored, and I love knowing that my career will always reward me for learning more.

5. I meet amazing people. You know who's awesome? You! I find so much inspiration from people throughout this industry. I don't mean that every single person I've met has been my favorite person - I've definitely had some job interviews where I thought "Well, I'm glad I won't be working here." But in general, I've found people are generous with their time and knowledge, and are really happy to support other people when they can.

I'm sure I could come up with more reasons, and maybe I'll do a follow-up post with some more. How about you? What are you grateful for? What can you do to find some gratitude, even when things are looking kind of bleak?