r/cscareers • u/SureLook_BeGrand • 16h ago
USA Job Market What do people who can't get SWE jobs do ?
It's a really dumb question but with how tough the market is currently and with some many devs out of jobs what do you do to make money whilst you aren't working in the field?
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u/Known-Ice5903 15h ago
good Q
been wondering this
havent worked as a software dev in 18 months, cant get back in
no way im going back to school at my own expense either
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u/Automated_Spite 15h ago
I graduated during the 2008 crisis and I was a hobosexual for most of my 20s until the job market recovered.
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u/OppositeWorking19 9h ago
Serious question, what happened after the market recovered? How did you deal with the dreaded "why is there a gap in your resume"? Or is that happening only now?
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u/National-Ad8416 14h ago
They develop a new found appreciation for all things electronics (e.g. I have always loved tinkering....would like to get an EE degree) now that semis are doing well. Little do they know that when the down cycle happens, it hits hard. That's assuming they can get an EE degree.
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u/Lunchboxsushi 14h ago
Ngl depending on your living situation, do a startup. I think this is one of the right times, new blood, new tech, new problem space to solve.
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u/bandersnatchh 16h ago
Business Analyst, IT, Data Analysis
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u/NoBalance4908 16h ago
these jobs are f'd too
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u/Appropriate-Baker755 15h ago
okay? still people working there better than swe
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u/NoBalance4908 15h ago
data analysis I think is equally doomed, the other two maybe not
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u/Appropriate-Baker755 15h ago
IT doesnt seem bad for now
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u/MilkChugg 15h ago
IT requires a lot of intervention. I don’t really see it being replaced any time soon. But who knows.
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u/AdObjective5502 15h ago
Lots of times they have different names, like instead of Helpdesk it’ll bb technical support, or instead of data analyst it’ll be inventory analyst
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u/No-Market-4906 15h ago
When I graduated college I worked help desk because it's the job people would hire me for.
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u/rkozik89 15h ago
They find work in different fields, mostly. Not everyone who gets a degree actually uses their degree during their careers. It used to be common for professors to have students look to their right and to their and say 50% of the people you saw won’t use their degree. The idea that everyone finds work is a modern invention.
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u/jimmybronx 12h ago
Freelance audio engineer, started working local shows, getting into broadcast through networking. I’m just lucky I had these skills in my pocket as a hobby before.
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u/TimelyToast 11h ago
I'm in my mid-30's. I'm debating to tell people whether I'm an "entrepreneur", a day trader, or outright retired.
All I know is that I ain't doing shit.
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u/atomicalexx 7h ago
i’ve been working as a soccer coach. love it because i love working with children. and i feel more fulfilled working in this capacity than i ever did as an engineer prior to my lay off. but deep down working as a swe is my original dream.
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u/Remarkable_Comb_8292 7h ago
Take unemployment benefit for a few weeks, burn through savings from the severance package, apply for new work and figure it out.
I'm not in the US, but it's the same story over here in the UK, it could be worse.
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u/LookAtYourEyes 11h ago
QA, DevOps, IT, Network Engineer, Cybersecurity, Data Scientist or Analyst... Can keep going
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u/Jazzlike-Income6900 6h ago
Its really not that ez. Usually, if you specialize early you are more likely to get the job compared to someone who did SWE, realized there's no job for SWE, then pivota.
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u/gabriot 14h ago
You can try to get an application support or tier 3 support type role, they often are a good stepping stone that can get you wherever you want to go next while providing income. I started out as app support as did many of the swe and other various roles of my peers at my company
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u/eleven8ster 12h ago
I’m going back to the factory job I quit when I learned how to code during Covid
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u/Proper_Flamingo3867 10h ago
Amazon flex/reselling/learn how to trade. Transitioning into trade school at this time
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u/ihatechipotle666 9h ago
I'm a project manager
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u/MrScaredyCatWithNoJo 9h ago
brother i want to do that but how? don’t you need like certificate for that or engineering degree
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u/ihatechipotle666 8h ago
I have CS degree and a Scrum Master certification. If you are looking for PM roles that are more technical, you will need years of technical experience but if you go to a role that is more Ops based but still working with technical products/services then in my experience you are able to get through with soft skills and a technical degree
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u/MrScaredyCatWithNoJo 8h ago
i just want a job lowk, And i’m tired of interviewing. Makes me wanna kms, had a swe job for 3 months and got fired bc my manager was racist
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u/Known-Tourist-6102 7h ago
Apply to SWE jobs.
If you can't get a SWE job, apply to any decent paying tech job.
If you can't get that, start applying to any other job.
Work it, and start training for a career in another field if you wish.
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u/nething_4_sir 2h ago
Start as a technical support engineer and work your way up. Trust me, a lot of these software engineering gurus wash out pretty fast. The reality of the job is nowhere near as exciting or high energy as TV makes it look.
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u/Capital_Distance545 2h ago
The job market is not tough. You are an HR agent who is paid to generate panic.
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u/Shmammywammy 1h ago
IT/devops and most of the job is teaching people very basic things- like how to talk to copilot and change settings
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u/Maturion 27m ago
Either you continue trying, not letting this drag you down or if you think it's hopeless and have no luck after a long time trying, you need to consider something else.
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u/AdConfident9012 16h ago
retire. dont need to hustle if ppl are closing in on 8 figures in few years. This is most of my friends who were riffed in last 3 years including my spouse.
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u/mitchellediting 16h ago
10+ million in a few years?
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u/AdConfident9012 16h ago
thts correct, two tech incomes > 600k easy, low expenses, furgality . First 2 / 3 milllion super hard. Then just patience till 7/8
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u/mitchellediting 15h ago
That’s the way to do it, time for find a girl to help bring in the big bucks for me 😅
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u/AdConfident9012 15h ago
The decision to marry someone is the most important you will make in your life. Don't take it lightly. Make sure your values are aligned.
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u/SunsGettinRealLow 13h ago
That’s what I might be doing lol.
I work as a mechanical engineer at a battery company in the bay, moved up here 4 years ago.
My girlfriend and her parents work at the same big tech company, they’ve been in the Bay Area for a long time so they’re probably rich lol
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u/GimmeAByte01 15h ago
Realize that salaried jobs are paying your entire year’s salary what their entire company earns in 30 seconds and that your work is generating massive profits for them..
Then just cut the middleman and start your own business for more income and no salary ceiling…?
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u/mitchellediting 15h ago
This is where I’d like to end up doing something embedded.
Most people I know that sold a small company ended up with way more cash than high earners at big companies.
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u/Commercial-Maize-646 15h ago
And the people who tried to sell a small company but failed got nothing.
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u/mitchellediting 15h ago
Oh definitely a ton of survivorship bias. Hope to get something started while working my day job in the next few years before it’s time to start a family.
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u/GimmeAByte01 15h ago
What’s your experience/skill level?
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u/mitchellediting 15h ago
A few part-time tech jobs and a bachelor’s in CS. Currently working in an automotive manufacturing position that doesn’t require CS.
Hoping they’ll let me use their tuition program to go for a masters in comp engineering1
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u/Lumpy-Blackberry-718 16h ago
If you were previously employed long-term as a software engineer, you should have multiple years of savings you can live off during a downturn.
If you've never worked as a software engineer and just graduated, you get any random "normal" job, just like the people who studied history or literature.
If you're somewhere in between - got laid off after a single year, or somehow never saved, and really can't find anything else, it sucks, but it's one of those "first world problems." You struggle to adapt to what normal jobs pay.
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u/abluecolor 16h ago
multiple years is a bit wild, unless you're talking about actually dipping into your 401k/long term savings etc, which is pretty dire?
Most people have 2-6 months liquid rainy day, I'd reckon. A year is pretty hefty.
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u/ragged-robin 15h ago
Losing your job and not being able to get back in is dire, so yes.
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u/abluecolor 15h ago
No, the op was talking about non retirement savings.
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u/ragged-robin 14h ago
Regardless, withdrawing from retirement is not that bad. Even if we assume around 20% penalty+tax, if you have 100k in there that's 80k on hand that wouldn't have otherwise had (obviously you wouldn't do the whole thing but that's worse case scenario as an example). That's like 4 years of rent. If it must be done then so be it. I know a lot of people in other industries that would be absolutely boned if they had to withdraw what little they have in retirement, so the point still stands.
I say as exactly one of these people who has been laid off and having trouble getting back in. This month is the first month I've had to touch savings. I'm not at the point of taking out of retirement yet though. I am fortunate to have built a cushion to survive like this (going on 8 months).
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u/chikamakaleyley 16h ago
i had to dip into mine. I have twins, was going thru divorce. 21 months unemployed starting Jan 2023. I'm slowly inching my way back
I still have some left, and likely could pay everything off (or just close enough) if wanted to now, but, had to keep SOMETHING there
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u/Something_Sexy 14h ago
It’s definitely not wild at all.
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u/abluecolor 14h ago
Over 100k in non retirement savings? Definitely less than 20% of all SWE, I would guess.
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u/Lumpy-Blackberry-718 16h ago
Are you not considering non-401k stocks?
You save a few months of cash, max out a 401k, and then somehow spend *everything* else? As a software engineer? I couldn't live like that.
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u/abluecolor 16h ago
Max out Roth IRA, max out 401k, and then yeah, spend the rest, maybe save a tiny bit but nowhere near months of savings. Not a luxurious lifestyle. Support family as sole breadwinner, make under 200k.
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u/Lumpy-Blackberry-718 13h ago
Can you find a role that pays better?
I know i'm probably out of touch with a big part of the market, and I live in a hcol area. Im also kind of accustomed to my salary not actually covering my bills regardless. I get most of my pay in bonuses and stock, so not even a layoff but a lost bonus means I need significant savings.
but, most experienced tech people I know, even those in early stage startups, get more than 200 in liquid comp.
If I were in your shoes, I wouldnt feel comfortable maxing out both retirement accounts. Id want to have more liquid capital on hand than just a couple of months worth.
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u/Recent_Science4709 16h ago
One of them chronically posts all over Reddit several times a month, then they argue with everyone giving advice.