What do you do to increase job security?
Posted by dondraper36@reddit | ExperiencedDevs | View on Reddit | 65 comments
Don't rush to delete the post, it's not a request for phychological support, rather a practical one.
It's apparent that software engineers in many companies, not just FAANG-like ones, are at the higher risk of layoffs than (arguably) ever.
The major reasons are clear, but what I personally struggle to understand for myself is what are some reasonable directions to consider to increase professional value and feel safer.
Here are some of my own thoughts:
* I hate any sort of politics, but it feels like building connections with adjacent teams and their managers is more crucial than ever.
* In a similar vein, documenting and presenting your work to the stakeholders is also paramount because being a great problem solver no manager has heard about is a risky bet. Visibility matters
* Programming languages and specific technologies matter less and less. Instead, learning the fundamentals such as database systems and how hardware works can be much more valuable.
* It strikes me as super important being able to make hard decisions under stress and uncertainty. The only universal answer has always been "it depends" or "everything is a trade-off", but now embracing uncertainty seems an even more desired talent.
Something I have yet to understand for myself:
* Is now a good time to try the tech management trajectory? I have always thought that people management in particular is not for me, but maybe upskilling in such aspects could become a competitive edge in the long run once the market stabilizes?
* I have heard multiple stories of people wanting to have a totally different field as a backup plan for software engineering. It's unclear how justified that is. I don't have any passive income (I don't even believe it exists as a category), so losing a job will potentially become a significant issue. The problem is, working with software is the only way I have ever made money.
What are your thoughts on that?
iIoveoof@reddit
There’s nothing you can do except choose your employer wisely. Work at a company that respects you. Believe it or not there are companies that never lay people off
HoratioWobble@reddit
This is an unpopular opinion but, there is nothing you can do to make your job more secure.
I've seen companies willfully fire their most valuable developers for a myriad of reasons.
If a company decides they don't need you, they don't need you.
It's better to do your job properly and make sure you have backup plans and savings.
Especially in the current AI hysteria phase, we're one hype from getting fired at any given moment
massive_succ@reddit
I could not disagree harder.
Although I think it's completely wrong-headed, many regular developers are seen by managers as replaceable. When we as developers refuse the notion of job security, we only confirm their beliefs, and undermine our own stability.
Developers can absolutely create job security for themselves! Everyone knows the toxic form of this: "nobody knows how it works but him..." There's a positive version too though: "We trust him to make our technical decisions, even if we might require him to do things a certain way." You can absolutely be the latter if you, as shockingly few have said in this thread, take your head out of the sand and look at the big picture.
I know a few developers who can speak design, understand product, understand their industry, and understand the contractual and customer dynamics of their work. They are all either founders at their own companies or have had $200k+ salaries since 2018. That is absolutely real, continues to be possible, and is worth aspiring to if you want a long-term career in tech. Moreover many folks I know have made the transition to management and leadership, which obviously has stability in many companies. Not to mention there are plenty of niche development topics like GPU programming, robotics, ML research, etc. which have massive compensation and security, even right now!
If we as developers act replaceable, we will be treated as replaceable.
HoratioWobble@reddit
Absolutely none of that matters, do you think the 30,000 people that just got laid off by oracle many who had been there 20 odd years weren't doing a great job?
What about the literal 100,000s of developers laid off in just big tech since 2021?
Some companies even have a firing quota, Amazon is a perfect example of this.
You don't need to be bad to get fired, you just need to be in the bottom percentile in the company.
Startups, SME they're all just as bad.
You are replaceable. I didn't suggest you should act it, I said you should do a good job and be prepared for it
massive_succ@reddit
Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you, but are you saying we don't need to try to be good developers? That we're so powerless and replaceable there's no reason to strive for good performance at all?
If so, I just don't subscribe to that, I see a myriad of ways to learn and grow my knowledge and effect on the world. I want to get better at what I do every day, and I see many people rewarded for that way of living. Not everyone to be sure, but it's not like we have no say over our own job security. We're not serfs. We're world-historically well-compensated office workers. Software cannot be as valuable as it is without our labor having value, and thus being worth improving and maintaining.
HoratioWobble@reddit
No I've now said in two comments "You should do a good job".
But yes you are powerless and replaceable.
massive_succ@reddit
I'm really sorry you feel that way about your work. It must be very painful. I really hope that as tech workers we find a way to come together to create an environment that doesn't create such despair, and rewards curiosity and good work.
inspired2apathy@reddit
Nah. This stuff is typically decided at a much higher level, at least in big tech. M1 and M2 don't even get a vote
roodammy44@reddit
This is the correct answer. If you are in the wrong position, wrong team, wrong division, wrong business unit then you are fucked and it doesn’t matter how much you have produced or who you have made friends with.
The sooner people accept this, the more relaxed and happy life they will have. You are a branch on a tree that may be pruned if the business deems it necessary.
gyroda@reddit
Here in the UK, it's not the employee that is laid off. Instead the job position is made redundant.
This different framing helps a lot here. It doesn't matter how good or useful you are, if they think they're better off not paying for that job position then you're at risk.
I know a guy who got made redundant recently and took it personally. He was genuinely one of the most useful members of staff. He was just in the wrong country. The company didn't want to have that job position anymore - they're not hiring to replace him, they weren't unhappy with his performance, it wasn't anything he could have reasonably done anything about.
matthkamis@reddit
Ok but what stops them from just saying they are not rehiring but then a few months down the line end up doing it anyway? It sounds like exactly the same thing just worded differently.
HoratioWobble@reddit
They can't rehire that position for 2 years I believe following a redundancy.
Not that it matters a lot, they just rehire with a different job title
ultraDross@reddit
Yep. Happened at one company I worked at. No more lead engineers, 6 months later there are suddenly a lot of staff engineers that didn't exist befire.
maxwell__flitton@reddit
This is the most truthful. I’ve seen companies completely tank their engineering ability by firing the wrong employees. Did they admit their mistake and try and get them back? No, they just limped along and pretend they didn’t make the mistake. People are very good at rationalising their decisions
wobblydramallama@reddit
admitting you made a mistake makes you look weak and can get you fired. so nobody will ever do that
bashar_al_assad@reddit
And also, like, you see in some layoffs (for example, in Oracle's most recent ones) that people with 20 or 30 years of experience got laid off. Were those people just too stupid to figure out how to make their job secure over their literal decades of tenure? Maybe, but more likely there just isn't actually anything they could have done, sometimes shit just happens.
drguid@reddit
This. I was laid off 6 months ago from my last job. We got bought by another company. There's nothing you can do in this situation.
Fortunately I have a large warchest. I also started a side hustle, which I am now working on full time.
ugh_my_@reddit
*if a manager decides they don’t need you
FTFY
labab99@reddit
I always figured that if I ever lost my job, it wouldn’t just be me, it would be my entire department, and it would probably be communicated through a singular bullet point on a slide deck somewhere.
CommonerChaos@reddit
True. And often times, the highest paid employees get the axe first. So one "defense" would entail you making less money than you're worth, which certainly isn't optimal for your entire career and life goals.
unflores@reddit
Yeah. I think it's important to focus on things that have impact and help those around you do better. If people want to work with you...then you'll always have people who want to work with you 😏
Sometimes you'll get let go for no reason other than money and it has nothing to do with you.
droi86@reddit
This, I boomeranged to a company, my boss's boss created the position for me since they know me, the order to fire all the devs in the US in favor of Colombians came from two levels above him
shroomaro@reddit
This. Focus on being able to get your next job over securing your current one.
Build your skills, learn to sell yourself and cross your fingers.
huge-centipede@reddit
Yeah people (and especially SWEs) have a huge ego about what they do and how important they are to a company functioning. At the end of the day we're all lines in an Excel spreadsheet.
ballkali@reddit
Owning something critical that nobody else understands is underrated job security. After a privilege escalation incident left us scrambling through event logs for days, we deployed Netwrix Directory Security, and suddenly our team was the only one who could actually reconstruct what happened, legal and compliance noticed fast. Hard to cut the people who can answer the hard questions when things go wrong.
mongous00005@reddit
~~Create more bugs~~
~~Be close to your manager~~
~~Upskill~~
Nothing. Realize that no job is secure. All you can do is be proficient, be updated, have a good working relation with your peers(for connection) and do your best.
YahenP@reddit
Save money and have a second profession that's not related to programming and in demand. Like driving a taxi or something like that. And save money. Did I mention you need to save money? Basically, you need to save money. That's the most important thing. You should have 6-12 months' income in your bank account, or better yet, 24 months. Yes. That's impossible to do in a year, and even in 10 years, it's incredibly difficult. So, if you don't have any savings, you're doomed to the risk of poverty when you get laid off.
SplendidPunkinButter@reddit
You think your job is to build quality software. It’s not. Your job is to make your manager think that you’re valuable. You don’t get there by building quality software. You get there by kissing up, talking a lot in meetings, giving presentations, bragging about all the value you’re adding (bonus points if it’s total BS), etc.
And you still might get laid off even if you’re doing that. But if you’re just quietly keeping to yourself and writing great code, you’re definitely getting laid off first.
daRealDodo@reddit
amen
jellenbogen@reddit
I kinda gave up on job security and started thinking about career security instead. two things that have helped: I keep a running doc of everything I ship with rough impact numbers so im not scrambling if I suddenly need to interview. and I try to be the person who knows what other teams are building and flags overlaps. not in a suck-up way, just... paying attention. makes you hard to replace and you dont have to do any of the gross self-promo stuff to stay visible.
metaphorm@reddit
there's no such thing as job security. instead, you can have career security. that means all of the following:
pricklyplant@reddit
So I completely understand that interpersonal skills are important the more senior you are, but what are some actionable ways of improving them?
metaphorm@reddit
depends on what you're trying to develop. different practices for different aspects. eloquence, clarity, and empathy are three important foundation skills here and each would be cultivated quite differently.
pricklyplant@reddit
Let’s say clarity then. How would I go about improving that?
metaphorm@reddit
writing. at work, try writing RFCs. more broadly, focusing on communicating with respect to what will be easily understood by the audience. for example, can you explain a complex technical subject to a semi-technical (knows a bit about software, but isn't an engineer or coder) project manager? what's the smallest set of words that communicates what needs to be communicated?
labab99@reddit
This sub is full of Debbie Downers that think there’s nothing to be done in any corporate scenario ever, except of course quit your job and find another.
Here’s some ideas. Note these are gonna be about 10x more effective if your company is utterly devoid of present management like mine is.
Choose to work on the things with the most impact (idgaf about elegant code anymore, I want what makes our roadmap shorter and improves the lives of our stakeholders)
Be present in as many discussions as possible. Not the silent camera off guy, but the person who constantly tries to find the right questions to ask to steer the conversation.
Assume your manager doesn’t know shit at all times (none of mine have). So tell them what problems you’ve solved and the ones you anticipate. Don’t be a complainer, always be solution oriented.
Learn how to ragebait your Project Manager by telling them all of the risks external to your team that they should be concerned about. Make sure they always know how much value there is in getting you another engineer or 3.
Always consider the optics
Solve problems collaboratively with other teams whenever possible
A good diagram is worth 1000 words, and no one has time to hear your 1000 words
adilp@reddit
Don't be a coder. Be an engineer. Solve problems, understand what to build and why. What constitutes success in whatever you are building. Understand the business you are in, understand your customers.
labab99@reddit
This sub is full of Debbie Downers that think there’s nothing to be done in any corporate scenario ever, except of course quit your job and find another.
Here’s some ideas. Note these are gonna be about 10x more effective if your company is utterly devoid of present management like mine is.
Choose to work on the things with the most impact (idgaf about elegant code anymore, I want what makes our roadmap shorter and improves the lives of our stakeholders)
Be present in as many discussions as possible. Not the silent camera off guy, but the person who constantly tries to find the right questions to ask to steer the conversation.
Assume your manager doesn’t know shit at all times (none of mine have). So tell them what problems you’ve solved and the ones you anticipate. Don’t be a complainer, always be solution oriented.
Learn how to ragebait your Project Manager by telling them all of the risks external to your team that they should be concerned about. Make sure they always know how much value there is in getting you another engineer or 3.
Always consider the optics
Solve problems collaboratively with other teams whenever possible
A good diagram is worth 1000 words, and no one has time to hear your 1000 words
Connect_Detail98@reddit
When you are placed in a very critical system, make it functional but completely unmaintainable. So unmaintainable that only you know how it works.
/s (?)
GlobalCurry@reddit
I had strong connections with adjacent managers and teams at my last job and still got laid off because in the end it didn't matter since the company decided my team no longer had value for them.
Sw429@reddit
Yep. Doesn't matter what you're working on, how important it is, who you know, you still can be on the chopping block.
Pyju@reddit
Team/function is typically much more of a factor than simply individual performance when companies are looking to do mass layoffs. So the number one thing you can do to decrease your layoff risk is to be on a core revenue-generating team. If you’re on an experimental team or a team that was formed to make an unproven product gamble, look into transferring teams ASAP.
Ok-Most6656@reddit
Focus on working on high visibility projects that generate revenue. Figure out what is important for the business and work on that. Do not be the person keeping the lights on/doing cleanup work or you will be overworked and under-appreciated.
I found that when a project is important to the business you often get more support and more resources allocated to it. You also get way more recognition and become "critical" to the business.
You need to figure out the impact of every project you work on. If it is low priority, delegate it to someone else.
random314@reddit
Embrace AI. Not only that, be a leader in AI implementation and application. Think of how you can share skills, how you can use Claude to improve process... Etc and deliver measurable impact.
If you need to switch jobs, sell yourself as an ai leader within your org.
Outside-Storage-1523@reddit
Be likeable and suck ass to business stakeholders so that they may say a few words for you when one of the team needs to go.
Sorry but this doesn’t work if the whole team needs to go.
on_the_mark_data@reddit
I work in startups. I've accepted that I can walk into my job on any day and just not have one, for a plethora of reasons outside my control. I've protected my job security by creating long-form content on blogs, Substack, and in conference talks, etc and building an audience around it. Over time, you build a reputation, or you have written enough, that your writing becomes a resume in itself. People ask you to work for them constantly (how I got my current job).
I'm not talking about vapid "Here is a day in my life in my 6-figure job where I do nothing but drink kombucha" content. Instead, write about the gnarliest problems in your career and help the next person solve them.
For example, right now I've been building a lot of agentic orchestrators at my job; it's a problem space I'm obsessed with right now. I can't share my code from my job, so I open-sourced a separate agent orchestrator for others to use and learn from, and now I'm writing blog posts about its intricacies. Why did I choose an event sourcing model? Why did I frame it as a distributed computing problem? How did I set up telemetry to ensure my AI agents performed as expected? All topics I can now write about and help others with.
sour-kiwi-dude@reddit
Nothing really! Just make sure you have some savings until you find your next adventure.
Kolt56@reddit
Bus factor. Increase it to 1.
gmpsstg@reddit
Taking a paycut is probably the best way.
hammertime84@reddit
Nothing really. Layoffs are generally not going to be tied to performance.
You can try to politic by becoming friends with your vp or moving projects, but it's impossible to reliably guess which vps and projects will be cut.
The healthier approach for most is to reduce the impact of job loss. Invest heavily, don't tie yourself to a specific job location-wise if at all possible, and focus on self-improvement (both tech skills and personal health).
psyyduck@reddit
Unionize?
Americans like to pretend everything is great, but you're voting for fascists and starting wars with everyone, it's really not fine. Rank keeps dropping on the World Happiness Report.
SituationNew2420@reddit
I feel like a lot of folks have interpreted the question to be about 'guaranteed job security' rather than doing things that will increase the likelihood of job security. This to me is the better angle, since of course no one has guarantees.
You've listed some great ideas yourself.
I would emphasize these:
- Demonstrate the ability to anticipate the needs of your business. This could be uncovering risk, trying a new feature, updating a library to patch a vulnerability, build a tool that helps other groups, etc, etc. The point is think beyond your role about what the business might need and then do that thing.
- Spread your skillset across multiple domains. You already have the software domain. No one can predict where this will settle, but it's a valuable skill nonetheless and it's worth keeping if you are staying at your current job. Next, consider some other domain you can help with. Maybe assist your project manager planning the project. Manage an intern. Review and do something to address business processes. Become an expert on some regulation that governs your industry. You aren't trying to become the best in these, just to demonstrate that you have knowledge and can contribute. My experience is businesses love it when an employee can flex and do other things.
- Biggest thing: find forums to show what you are doing. Build the thing, then show the thing. Cate Hall calls this 'luck surface area', which in her definition is basically a product of (1) contributions within a domain with (2) how often you are noticed making said contributions within said domain. If you do cool things but no one sees, it doesn't matter. If everyone can see you but you don't do cool things, it doesn't matter. You need to do both.
Hope that helps, good luck!
Sarashana@reddit
Best recommendation I have is saving up. One great plus about our industry always was above-average pay. And you don't really need job security once you stop having to go to work at all, unless you want to.
kevinossia@reddit
You can’t.
Do the best possible job you can. Be excellent at what you do, and try to be better than everyone else at it.
Save all your money, and be ready to move on whenever it happens.
NoConnection4298@reddit
Ask for less pay
NoConnection4298@reddit
Sorry
NoobChumpsky@reddit
Good connections and being on projects that are business critical in some way
dacydergoth@reddit
All of the above, also constant learning of new paradigms like AI. You don't have to be the best, but you always have to be one page in the textbook ahead of the rest.
Also, canine co-workers are essential. Every programmer should be issued one on their first day.
ExpWebDev@reddit
Just don't bring your lunch to your desk or the dog will be sniffing all over it
dacydergoth@reddit
Not much choice, I work from home 😉
Open_Channel_2100@reddit
What do you mean exactly with canine co-worker?
dacydergoth@reddit
4 legs, furry, b0rks when you're been working too long.
juancarv@reddit
A pet dog
ExpWebDev@reddit
Definitely not side projects. It's a misdirection in the story of finding job security. I've lost count how many experienced but unemployed people have posted resumes with side projects. If that's not helping them get to the offer than they're only good for first impressions and nothing else.
eufemiapiccio77@reddit
Why haven’t you bought a farm yet?