November 13, 2025 at 6:10 pm
You often need a bigger team to build a system than you do to keep it running once implemented, so it makes sense for some of that team to be hired from outside so that they can leave at the end of the project. Of course you also need a few people from inside the company working on the project otherwise you'll have no-one left who understands the system/platform. Knowledge transfer from the external experts to the internal learners is key during the build phase.
People leaving is hard. I find most orgs don't have a good way to manage people out.
November 14, 2025 at 4:36 am
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I'm just curious, what skills do they have that they are not sharing? I keep thinking I need to future proof my career by adding some expertise in open source, but I never seem to have time.
Two come to mind. They have worked together using React, which if you don't know about it is a JavaScript approach to doing web development. It is very popular. I'm not particularly good at JavaScript. The second skill is Microsoft's Blazor. Its similar in approach and style to Reach, but using C# instead of JavaScript and relies upon WebAssembly to enable writing C# on the client (the web browser). (That is what I do and use.) Anyway, they don't share any of that with anyone else. I'm teaching myself Blazor, because I cannot break into their clique.
Rod
November 17, 2025 at 1:27 pm
below86 wrote:As someone who was part of a layoff, only to see a similar role(they added some things I didn't have knowledge of) get posted shortly after my layoff, I think it just depends on the CIO. Now I was asked several time over my years at the company if there was anything new I wanted to learn. Early on I took a course on the new 'IT thing at the time. I was never allowed or got the chance to use that knowledge. If I don't use it, I loose it. So why wouldn't they ask me to either learn these new things or I'd loose my job? At least give me the chance.
That being said, I'm thinking of taking an early retirement. It's been 4 months since the layoff, I've applied for over 60 jobs and I've only had 3 initial phone interviews and one follow up zoom interview. It's been very frustrating to say the least.
I've been working in IT for over 34 years now. At some point you just get tired of the same old BS at every company. 😉
Sorry to hear that. I think there are a lot of companies that are short-sighted or emotional about staffing. Layoffs are often about who is liked or disliked as much as their performance, which is a bit sad. It's also why soft skills are important.
This is a tough time. While most of us aren't Google/MS/AMZN/etc., it seems no shortage of IT leaders take their steer from what those companies do and many are being cautious of hiring (or hoping AI lets them avoid it).
Best of luck with either path.
I think that may have been part of it as well("liked or disliked"). I know the VP of IT had, it seems, to be letting go of people who had a strong connection to the former CIO, which I did. Some men can't handle having a woman as a boss. I thought I had a good relationship with the VP. So that puts me back to the new CIO. He is originally from India. There was only 4 people on my team at the time of the layoff, 2 American's, 2 Indians, the 2 that got let go were the Americans. I don't have a problem with Indians, I got along great with the 2 on my team.
I have a first interview this afternoon, that will only make the fourth out of over 60 applied for.
I had what I thought was a good first interview back on late October, they said they would get back to me either way. I haven't heard anything. At least give me the curtesy of an email.
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