Salesforce: 10% or 8,000 and more to come
Amazon: 18,000
Soundcloud: 20%
Tesla, Shopify, Twitter, Robinhood, Vimeo
The new year has brought with it announcement after announcement of layoffs--particularly tech-based ones. It is never easy to be a part of a layoff. No matter how prepared one is, questions, doubt, and fear pepper your thoughts.
What is curious to me is that many of these are in the very fields for which we have pushed students--STEM and the computer sciences. Is this an indication the market is oversaturated in these areas? Is it coincidental? Has this area reached a point of sophistication that fewer experts are required to sustain it? Is it just a sign of a downturn in our economic wellness? These are questions that only time will answer.
Life in general is full of highs and lows; peaks and valleys. Many individuals recognize this and know that the climb out of a valley may often take time, be a bit arduous, and perhaps even treacherous. But they persevere and persist until they are once again able to look to a distant horizon from a summit and begin to chart a new course. However, there are others that cannot muster the motivation or perhaps confidence to begin that climb. And still, others start the climb but the pathway is riddled with loose rocks, dangerous conditions, and multiple setbacks which are stressful, defeating, and threaten one's will to continue.
Where in our life's journey into adulthood are we taught how to navigate these situations? I can remember very recently schools expounding on careers in STEM and CS and how they were a sure bet and to not worry. How we used the data to demonstrate the gap in the need versus individuals to fulfill the positions. Don't get me wrong--I am a strong proponent of STEM and CS. What I feel is missing is helping students (and adults) understand how to take those skills and knowledge and translate them for other situations. We need to equip students (and employees) with the desire and ability to see beyond what is immediate to their eyes. Not only will they be better prepared for the inevitable valleys of life but they will know and understand there are many pathways and peaks leaving the valley.
So, if you are one of the thousands finding yourself in a valley, take a moment to consider all of the different summits you could navigate. Ask yourself how your skills and experience can translate into something new or different. Have courage. Summon your grit. Persevere. The view is surely spectacular but it is the journey that creates the meaning.
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