This Is How You Become A Layoff-Proof Software Engineer

Some software engineers are better equipped against layoffs than others. They are less likely to get laid off, and if they do get laid off, they bounce back faster than everyone else. This video covers how those engineers do that.

Here are the core points:

• Focus on building up fundamental skills - Divorce yourself from specific technologies and product spaces. Always be thinking: "Can I take my abilities to a completely different team/company and succeed?"
• Soft skills are very underrated - Communication, leadership, and project management are skills that are useful anywhere. They are also skills that are almost always required to reach senior engineering levels, especially at Big Tech companies like FAANG.
• Learn how to do real system design - This is how you ascend to the higher level, away from the direct code, allowing you to add more value to engineering organizations. To learn how to do real system design (not the trivia you need to know for interviews), watch our 10-part System Design Series.

Related resources:

• "What are software engineering fundamentals?"
• "How to develop soft skills like leadership, stakeholder management, etc.?"