It’s a really tough week

It’s been a while since I last wrote on here. But now that I have some more free time, I thought it would be good to breathe some life into this site.

I previously wrote about my experience with the first round of layoffs at Coinbase during this crypto winter.

Unsurprisingly, we got a second round two days ago. And this time, I was one of the unlucky ones. Or am I one of the lucky ones? I can’t help but wonder what’s still going on those digital halls. Honestly, it doesn’t feel like much has changed since the last round of layoffs.

It feels weird, frankly; I’m single with no kids, and now I’m “funemployed” with a fairly nice severance package. This is the first time since college that I’ve been in a position where I have very few obligations. I really don’t know what to do with myself.

In the few days I’ve had to reflect on my newfound free time, I realize that I’ve subscribed to the delusion that my sense of value comes from my being productive. My very first instinct was to jump back into the job search. And it’s a good instinct too. But I should stop and take a breath amidst all this chaos.

What do I really want in my career? What do I really want in life? Now is a great time to ask these questions. Especially now that I’m in my last year of my 20’s.

Don’t get me wrong; I plan to find another job and crush it. I get to take a little time for myself in between. Get back into hobbies that I was previously “too busy” for. Dancing, tinkering with new tech, reading fantasy novels, to name a few.

This article has been circulating amongst my fallen comrades. It provides some good perspective on career moves for engineers, given that a lot of the biggest tech companies have had layoffs in the past several months. Honestly, I felt like my career grew more quickly when I was at a small startup.

Ultimately, I’m not too concerned; I’m confident that I’ll find myself in a better position than before once the dust settles.

Especially now that I have a year at Coinbase on my resume :P.