Girls In Tech

I know, you are looking at that title and thinking…what! However, after reading the Wired Magazine article “Laid Off? It’s Good for You and Good for the Tech Industry” I had to share it with everyone.

I was recently let go and went into panic mode. Back in October 2008, I was laid off and went into panic mode then as well. It is never a good feeling and you wonder what are you going to do about money and finding another job. In October ’08, I immediately applied for unemployment and thankfully I was eligible for the maximum. With my husband’s income, we were able to survive and pay our bills. Of course, the once a week date nights and Sunday brunches were not doable anymore, but like everyone else due to today’s economy/recession, you have to make those changes. Having just come on board as the Chapter Lead for Girls in Tech LA, I poured my efforts into building up that chapter and we are now one of the largest chapters in the US.

With this recent job loss, I was much more devastated. I poured my heart and soul into this job and thought there was a real future here. And then boom! I honestly did not want to collect unemployment and was depressed with the thought of looking for another job.

Then my girlfriend Laurie (Editor Extraodinaire of Lalawag.com) sent me the Wired article. After reading it, I felt so much better, even empowered! “Worker mobility gives the tech industry fluidity, velocity, and energy. It creates a culture in which people routinely jump from one job to another, looking to get in on the next must-have product or service” suggests Paul Boutin. He gives the example of Twitter being developed by people who quit their jobs to come to work with Evan Williams.

So, on to my next opportunity and I know it will be better than the job I had before. Like Boutin says, “…if you’re clinging out of fear to a job you don’t want, you’re doing yourself and the rest of us a disservice.” Sometimes it will be your choice to move on, sometimes someone will be giving you a kick in the pants, and if that’s what it takes to get ahead, so be it.

*WIRED MAGAZINE: 17.08, Paul Boutin

*Image by freeagentwriter.com

Tags: Laid off, tech, wired
Posted in Los Angeles | 2 Comments »

Just when it seems like the economy might be getting a little bit better, more people are getting laid off and less companies are hiring. This is disturbing especially since the government is focusing on shoring up the economy by bailing out big corporations and not by helping people keep their jobs. As confusing as that may be, we have to move onward and upward, and the best way to do that is by giving your knowledge a boost, diversifying your skill-set, making yourself indisposable and by focusing on a few key activities when you get laid off. The following article from Amateur Asset Allocator, documents “The 11 Things To Do Immediately When You Get Laid Off.” I think the points that this article makes are extremely valid and useful, so I’m not only forwarding this onto my friends that are currently unemployed, but also, I’m writing about it as a guide for Girls in Tech members. So here goes. You can read the whole article here: 

11 Things To Do Immediately When You Get Laid Off

1. Spruce Up Your Resume
2. Tell Everyone You’ve Ever Met, Immediately
3. Give Your Resume to Everyone, Even If  They Don’t Ask
4. Play The Lottery
5. Shore Up Your References
6. Stop Spending Money
7. Freelance
8. Get a Girlfriend/Boyfriend
9. Start Your Own Company
10. Go On Vacation
11. Update Your Profiles on Social Networking Sites (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)

Actually, I have to add a twelfth point that when looking back at my career, I think is ultra important:

*Make yourself indisposable and your skill-set scarce. If your job doesn’t directly align, effect or impact a company’s bottom line (in a positive way) – change that. The only way an employee can keep a job these days is if she or he is creating, igniting or innovating a new way to make money and is core, I mean CORE to that company’s business strategy, including revenue, core product(s) or operations. Also, a person has to create scarcity around themselves and their skill-set. That is to say, she or he needs to stand out and become a thought leader at a company; create a reputation for being an expert, even better, THE expert or “Go-To” person representing a crucial part of a business and the operations and success of that business.

Tags: Adriana Gascoigne, Amateur Asset Allocator, Getting a job, girls in tech, Job, Laid off, San Francisco, technology, Unemployed, women in tech
Posted in All Chapters | No Comments »