Quitting During Layoffs was a Terrible Idea

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I have been working as a full-stack software engineer for a long time.

I usually never had problems finding a job as a full-stack software engineer with React+Node stack.

But things have changed since I quit my last job….

Why did I leave?

I had my first daughter last November(2022). As a first-time father, the time was very exciting for me.

Unfortunately, I was working as a contractor for my company.

The manager was kind enough to grant me seven days off, but that’s never enough.

I wanted to spend more time with my daughter and help my wife to manage everything.

But I couldn’t

I had a good amount of responsibility. I managed a small team and was responsible for the front-end application, which was large.

So, I inquired if granting me 90 days of unpaid leave was possible. I knew I would not get paid leave as a contractor, so I asked for an unpaid break.

But it was against the company's policy.

Now I have two choices.

First, I can continue managing everything in my job. I would have to underperform, but as I was remote, nobody would feel that.

Second, I can leave the job.

I am confident in my skill set and have never had any issues finding a job. Usually, I get job offers on LinkedIn regularly.

I know it’s normal for many people, but as I live in a third-world country, it is not so common here.

SO,

I decided to quit

Aaaand, I thought to myself

What’s the worst could happen?

As I was constantly bombarded with job offers, I thought getting another job would be a walk in the park. So why not?

Let’s enjoy this part of my life!

So yeah. I did exactly that. I enjoyed my time. I patted myself on the back for all my hard work and enjoyed the time with my family and my daughter.

Now what?

So, after leaving the job, I started hearing news about layoffs. Google, Microsoft, Facebook….

I didn’t bother that much.

But after a couple of months, I started looking for jobs.

The reality hit me

Now, my old company doesn’t need my service because I was a contractor, and now they are getting people locally who got laid off recently. So why would they hire me?

The remote job sites are overpopulated. There are huge numbers of people applying for the same position. (Over 1000 applicants in some job posts)

The competition is so high that people are applying at half their usual rate just to get a job.

As I didn’t want to reduce my rate, I got no job.

Was it a bad decision?

Looking back. I did the right thing. I could’ve held to my position and underperformed for a couple of months.

Nobody would notice… mmm, maybe…

But it would create a deeper sense of guilt in me. Would it make me happy?

After all, life is a compilation of some times. And the time with my daughter will never come back.

So spoiling my time with my child wasn’t worth it for me.

I took the decision. And probably a very bad one.

But I am happy about it. I would probably do it again.

What’s Now, then?

Now, I am actively looking for remote positions.

I know I can compromise my rate and get a job easily. But then, right after I joined, I would start searching for another role with a higher rate.

That’s probably legal but will not be ethical.

So, I am keeping calm and learning new things.

I have other plans as well. One of them is to grow my blog

I know the economy will get better over time. Jobs will be there for me. But I will not get those if I am not prepared.

So, I am preparing and learning what I always wanted to learn.

I am expanding my knowledge horizon and creating personal projects that will give me more satisfaction.

Sorry

This was a very personal story. I am sorry if you feel that you just wasted a bunch of time reading this.

I hope you have a wonderful year and make the best decisions for the rest of your lives.

Have a wonderful day!

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