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👨‍🏫 A Stoic Approach to Job Uncertainty

I’ll come right out and say it: Job uncertainty totally sucks. 

The boom cycle of tech jobs is definitely over and the persistent rounds of layoffs in the tech industry has everyone on the edge of their seats.

This job market of uncertainty is a scenario that is testing even the best of TPMs; it’s asking more from us than just technical prowess or program management acumen.

It’s asking us to be more resilient in the face of uncertainty than ever before. This time it’s personal. It’s just not a program you’re driving; it’s your life.

My Personal Job Uncertainty

In November 2022 I was laid off from my TPM role at Twitter.

My wife and I were expecting baby #3 in just 3 short months. The stress was real and right in my face. We had a very short time horizon to solve the problem.

So what did I do? I’ll get to what I did after we address the mindset I tried to achieve.

The Resilient Mindset

As TPMs, we're no strangers to navigating the unpredictable. 

Yet, the current job market demands we lean even more into a Stoic practice of resilience: focusing on what's within our control and stay calm.

I’m a frequent fan of the pragmatic stoic principles like this one. There is something about the no-nonsense stoic philosophy that brings me down to earth when the stress of life tries to stir me up.

This resilient mindset is what I aimed to obtain.

Applying the Resilient Mindset

However, it was tough. Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter was a constantly moving target. Some weeks it seemed certain that he would get out of the deal. Other weeks, it seemed certain he was locked in.

That moving target didn’t help me enter a state of being calm.

I did my best to block out fear (fear is the mind killer). Fear doesn’t help. Instead, I focused on what I could control. The list I made was remarkably simple.

• Take care of my own health through good food, exercise, and sleep.

• Spend time with my family to let my mind focus on serving others and enjoying relationships

• Perform well in my current role to build my proficiency and add to my career story

• Prepare for future roles through networking, skilling up, and polishing my resume.

Focusing my energies on these 4 things (instead of doom-scrolling on Twitter, about Twitter’s pending doom) helped me maintain a sense of calm, although not completely stress free!

As time went on, it was becoming more certain that the Musk takeover of Twitter would be a sealed deal.

My reaction was already in motion because I had been focusing on what was in my control: performing well in my current role and preparing for future roles.

November 2022, I lost access to my laptop in the 2nd round of mass layoffs at Twitter.

That’s when the real pressure came. I took inventory of my family situation: a pregnant wife, a baby due in 3 months, and 2 young kids at home….oh and all the bills to pay regularly.

My list of “focus on what I can control” didn’t change much.

• Take care of my own health: I kept my daily routines as close to pre-layoff to maintain mental sanity and physical health.

• Spend time with my family: Without a job, my mornings were a bit more flexible to spend time with the kids. That was a silver lining.

• Perform well in my current role: I found contracting gig to create a TPM course (you should check it out!).

• Prepare for future roles: I kept networking on LinkedIn, practicing interviews, researching companies, applying to jobs, cleaning up y resume, etc.

By a massive stroke of luck combined with focused preparation, I accepted a new TPM role 4 weeks after the Twitter layoffs.

My story is a lucky one. I recognize that. 4 weeks of being laid off is nothing compared to the 5…8….13 months I’ve seen from friends.

I share this story not to boast, but to share things that made a practical difference in the chaos of job uncertainty before and after a layoff.

If you’re in a similar situation, my heart goes out to you. Truly. I’ve been there but maybe not in your specific situation.

TLDR;

Remember, focus on these 4 things during periods of job uncertainty:

1. Taking care of your health

2. Spending time with family

3. Performing well in your current role

4. Preparing for future roles

I’ve partnered with Priyanka Shinde in this newsletter post to help you increased your impact what you can control if you’re facing job uncertainty. She created The TPM Academy, “your gateway to success in the world of Technical Program Management.”

And the cherry on top? Since you’re a subscriber, you’ve got a private discount code to use in The TPM Academy. Read on below.