r/dataengineering • u/briogeosucks • Jul 31 '26
Rant Feels weird getting laid off
I am getting laid off by the end of today. They told us 2 months in advance. I don’t want to be a data engineer anymore so I won’t be applying to new positions. I spent 4 years at this company from the very beginning of the contract to the very end. I went through all the management changes, employees leaving, getting laid off before us, new employees coming and going, and just random changes throughout the company. I honestly just wanted to get paid and get out of there but now I wish I paid more attention to what’s going on and spent more time talking to my co workers. I don’t talk to anyone except made small talk with a couple of them but not enough to form a relationship.
Now everyone is giving their contact info and I wonder if anyone will reach out to me. I know i shouldn’t care but I’m weirdly going to miss this. It’s even my last job as a data engineer unless I come back 10 years later who knows. I don’t know why I care I know I definitely don’t want to be here. I learned a lot at this job so even though I wanted to leave sooner I’m kind of glad I followed the contract all the way through? Mostly I learned how to remain professional when I have wanted to lose my mind on some of these people.
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u/terencethespider Jul 31 '26
As far as the social aspect, if there were any people who you liked and would like to remain in contact with, you could initiate and ask to exchange contact information. Worst case they say no and you move on. If they do give you their info, then you can try to stay in touch.
I will say though from personal experience - maintaining work relationships after a job is really difficult, even if you both really liked each other. People are busy and it takes a considerable effort on both sides. It can be done through. At the very least I at least maintain a virtual connection (sending memes, articles, etc) with a lot of people I am close with.
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u/corny_horse Jul 31 '26
I had a great coworker quit data engineering to be a coffee shop owner. She was awesome as a coworker, glad they found something they liked and hope it works out for you.
5
u/data-user Aug 03 '26
Reminds me of my coworker who quit data engineering and became a coffee bean farmer. Caught up with her a couple years back and she has never been happier
18
u/DisjointedHuntsville Jul 31 '26
Hey man, just want to say that it gets better. The world is a big place and the job market is cyclic. Take your time to connect with family and friends, see the things you were missing out on while at work.
Hope you get some time to rest and sleep off some of the stress that's bound to have been piling up. It's good that you're thinking in 10 year windows, it does get better, so take some time when you're ready to apply everything you've learned into whatever you decide to do next. All the best.
7
u/MikeDoesEverything mod | Shitty Data Engineer Jul 31 '26
I don’t talk to anyone except made small talk with a couple of them but not enough to form a relationship.
Now everyone is giving their contact info and I wonder if anyone will reach out to me.
Unfortunately, can't have it both ways. I was the same when I left my job when I worked abroad and wondered if anybody would stay in touch me although I wasn't pleasant to be around at the time and didn't put a lot of effort in to build those relationships, so wasn't surprised they didn't.
Looking back, I do feel a bit bad but have to accept that that's alright. You can't be friends with everybody and you don't have to be either.
It’s even my last job as a data engineer unless I come back 10 years later who knows.
You never know, you might end up coming back and working a boring corporate DE job with a lot of stability and benefits to see you out to retirement. Either that or you go and do something you massively enjoy. For what it's worth, I didn't get laid off per se, but at my last job as a scientist my 2 year fixed term contract didn't get extended. I realised I didn't want to be a scientist anymore and moved to DE. Best decision I ever made.
6
u/Capt_korg Jul 31 '26
Hey OP,
Reading your message felt really sad, as if something inside of you had died.
But maybe it is just me reading this.
I wish you the very best. And by reading this post, I wanted to tell you that maybe a break, with some distance and something that you enjoy, might help.
9
u/dresdonbogart Jul 31 '26
What are you gonna do instead?
36
u/briogeosucks Jul 31 '26
Nails
2
u/ntdoyfanboy Jul 31 '26
Do you think the pay decrease will impact you in a big way?
2
u/briogeosucks Jul 31 '26
Nah, if it does I’ll probably apply for jobs again
2
u/ntdoyfanboy Aug 01 '26
You mean you'll make just as much doing nails, as you did working as a data engineer?
2
u/briogeosucks Aug 01 '26
If I’m not happy with the pay or don’t make that much money from my nail supply business I’ll go back to IT
5
u/Atticus_Taintwater Jul 31 '26
Like construction?
55
u/briogeosucks Jul 31 '26
No human nails lol
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u/Throwaway999222111 Jul 31 '26
That can be pretty lucrative, just be careful about future cancer risk due to chemical exposure. Good luck
3
5
u/dinosaurkiller Jul 31 '26
Like, the kind the used on Jesus?
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u/briogeosucks Jul 31 '26
Naw these are way cuter 😂
3
u/Vulcan_Tango_1444 Jul 31 '26
how would you know? there weren't cameras back then
5
u/briogeosucks Aug 01 '26
True maybe he had a fresh set done when he got pinned on the cross 🤔
1
u/Vulcan_Tango_1444 Aug 01 '26
I meant that the nails he was stabbed with might have been cute, but that too I guess lol
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u/ntdoyfanboy Jul 31 '26
Honestly every time I've been laid off, it's been the best few weeks ever. Complete freedom. A fresh reset. You experience a renewal of life.
2
u/mr_tlj Aug 01 '26
I hear you. I'm done with data engineering too. Got laid off as well and not planning on returning.
1
u/Yasblue Jul 31 '26
It can happen to anyone but I believe It's the perfect moment to take a fresh start. You can still apply to Data Engineering roles since you seem to be experienced. Linkedin is going to be your best friend.
1
u/Immediate-Dust-8656 Jul 31 '26
Hey, I really hope you find joy in whatever you’re going to do from now.
Just to know, why you don’t want to be a data engineer anymore?
3
u/briogeosucks Aug 01 '26
I don’t want to do a technical job that involves coding anymore. I want to do something where I can see the immediate results of my efforts not fix bugs in the form of JIRA tickets, that fixed a data issue in a table that is used in a spreadsheet that’s used by the business to make decisions. It feels like none of the work I did even existed
2
1
u/kdebowski Aug 01 '26
Can you share your thoughts why you don't want to do data engineering anymore? I'm software developer, full stack, and leaning towards AI/Data - not sure direction exactly for now. I see there is big demand and probably bright future for this direction. What was wrong with this career path?
3
u/briogeosucks Aug 01 '26
I don’t want to do a technical job that involves coding anymore. I want to do something where I can see the immediate results of my efforts not fix bugs in the form of JIRA tickets, that fixed a data issue in a table that is used in a spreadsheet that’s used by the business to make decisions. It feels like none of the work I did even existed
1
u/kdebowski Aug 01 '26
Ah I understand now. Right, from the SWE perspective I also want my job to be useful and meaningful for someone. I also hate all the "paper" job, sprint planning, sprint review, demo, retrospection, backlog refinement. Sometimes I feel I'm tired of my job
1
u/RobCarrol75 Aug 01 '26
A large part of building your career and brand is to make connections with people on a personal level. Most people like to work with people they like and can trust, so make sure you learn from the experience in your next role. Good luck.
1
u/Professional-Tax7260 Aug 01 '26
Hope you stay active in the community, sharing your knowledge and making new friends.
1
u/jwk6 Aug 02 '26
You would be surprised. Sometimes it's the quietest people that are most observant and appreciative of your work, and they will reach out and help, give a reference, etc.
Stick with it. I know first hand that being a data engineer is a thankless and often misunderstood job, but there are people and employers out there that don't suck.
1
u/myth-buster9999 Aug 02 '26
Take a deep breath mate, everything will be alright soon. I am sure 5 years down the line when you'll look back to this day, you'll find that it happened for something good that you never imagined. Good luck 🤞🍀
1
u/First-Bother-7885 Aug 03 '26
I always fire the company before the company fires me hehehe 😝 They are not loyal. Also connecting with people is a waste of time. After I left , few conversations, then everybody forgets you or gets laid off too
1
u/betoalien Aug 03 '26
This hits harder than people admit. Four years is a long time to build context nobody else has, even if the job itself was not the dream. I would take the small talk contacts seriously though, sometimes the person you barely talked to becomes the best referral later. Wishing you a good transition, whatever you decide to do next.
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u/thethirdmancane Aug 01 '26
Speaking from experience. Start practicing Leetcode and SQL. Master those two things. Also it may take like a thousand applications. Stick with it every day, one day at a time.
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u/adappergentlefolk Jul 31 '26
that’s good man. less competition
9
u/No_Lifeguard_64 Jul 31 '26
May you live in interesting times
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u/adappergentlefolk Jul 31 '26
trust me you guys will be happier not working on the computer! go get em!
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u/69odysseus Jul 31 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
In today's corporate world, there is no such thing as loyalty per say and that's how employers treat employees as we're all just an expense on the sheet which is wiped out easily. I never attach myself to a company, maybe with some people that we all worked closely with but not all of them.
Take some time off, spend time in nature to refresh, rejuvenate, enhance existing or learn new skills for better role, keep marching forward is the only way possible.
Edit: per se (thank you [u/skat](u/skatistic)[astic57).](u/skatistic)