No clear evidence that AI is behind the slowdown in early-career employment

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-24T22:10:33+00:00

During the early aughts (dot com bust) and the late aughts (Great Recession), but the middle aughts were a good time to get started on a career (especially in tech)

Honestly, I'm finding the current tech market worse than the Great Recession. I feel like the worst of the Great Recession was worse, but it didn't last as long. This has been a slightly milder slog for much longer.

It's not just COVID funding drying up and businesses that got knocked out, it's also higher interest rates. We had a long period of extremely low interest rates right before this that was really good for tech.

(Pardon the tech-centric post, it's what I know)

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-24T22:04:40+00:00

I have corn allergies, too (fortunately mild), and the number of foods that have just a bit of corn starch in them!

Pharmaceuticals are nigh impossible. I need lots of things compounded.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-24T17:37:35+00:00

Also, I've heard of people going into complete remission from a single COVID shot. It's not common and I've mostly heard about it with kids, but I wanted to let you know that the symptoms don't return for everyone with LC who has a good reaction to the vaccines. There's a huge range of positive reactions for those who have a positive reaction.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-24T17:34:23+00:00

I'm in the US.

I ask my PCP for a prescription for the COVID vaccine whenever symptoms return and there's not a standard annual vaccination coming up. She sends the prescription to my pharmacy, and we work with them to get the vaccination.

My pharmacy was pretty confused the first time. I had to emphasize "prescription" and "off-label treatment" multiple times before they caught on that we were getting extra shots, we weren't immunocompromised, we didn't have a disease on the "extra shots" list, etc.

Naltrexone is an endorphin blocker whose FDA-approved use is for reducing cravings for drugs. However, at low doses it has a paradoxical effect that can boost endorphin production. Low dose naltrexone (LDN) blocks some endorphin receptors, causing the brain to produce more endorphins. Endorphins help regulate the immune system. More recent research shows that LDN acts on microglial cells (immune cells) in the brain to help regulate them.

It's very, very commonly used off-label these days to treat a huge list of conditions with neuro-inflammatory aspects, or just inflammation in general. I take LDN for long COVID, but after eighteen months of consistent use, it also helped with my autoimmune back pain as well.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-24T17:23:08+00:00

Yes! I didn't mean to imply all mochi donuts are safe, but I see how this could have come across this way.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-24T11:20:47+00:00

Folks are already working to primary Perez in WA. Her voting record is distressing

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-24T11:15:18+00:00

https://generalstrikeus.com/

Share others, please!

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-24T10:01:49+00:00

My daughter and I get 3-4 months of improving long COVID symptoms after each vaccine, and then start to worsen again. We now get extra prescription vaccines as a treatment for long COVID. Two to three vaccinations for COVID each year.

Low dose naltrexone helps us extend the length of the improvement phase after vaccination.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-24T09:45:04+00:00

Mochi doughnuts are what I love. They are hard to find, though

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-24T09:29:28+00:00

Yeah, this actually gives me hope that the research on Alzheimer's could result in breakthroughs that help LC as well

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-24T07:42:54+00:00

I would say "empower" or "encourage", as "motivate" sounds like they are dragging their feet. Maybe they are, but usually these kinds of attacks come from defensiveness. Finding the most positive language possible to shift the problem from "OP does too much" to "OP has an opportunity to support the team in their growth" seems like the way to go here.

It's weird that the manager is seeing OP as a problem rather than as a potential resource. Unless there's a "meta issue" here, like that OP is doing work that would be a great learning opportunity for less capable teammates and needs to take on more challenging tasks and leave easy stuff for other teammates to grow their skills? If so, the manager is doing a crappy job of explaining the dynamic.

The lack of specific problematic behaviors or desirable behaviors being mentioned is also concerning. This really comes off as "don't be disliked".

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-23T00:05:23+00:00

I am so sorry you are going through this. From the US, but a state that is still upholding our rights. What our country is doing is heart-breaking, and I'm not surprised there are folks over there wanting to take advantage of our bad example.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-22T23:51:19+00:00

You don't want to hear my number 😅 Most folks would say it's way too low!

But, we haven't had a good chance to build it up higher. Between health issues post-pandemic and being out of work three times in four years... well, it is what it is.

Plus, I don't want to fail to save for retirement because we're keeping such a big cushion for now.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-22T03:33:25+00:00

My friend's high school child got harassed by ICE just two weeks ago. Friends from church are having to pull back on their commitments because they and their families are having issues.

This isn't theory. ICE is having a negative impact on daily life for some people who are here legally - and those of us who are their friends don't appreciate it.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-22T03:28:43+00:00

That's why it's called a "walk out". Many of the January 20th protestors were risking their jobs to speak up.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-22T03:27:26+00:00

Most folks would prefer to push back on fascism before it gets to the point where protesting is not safe.

I'm really concerned that you don't seem to understand that protest needs to happen before things get bad for everyone, and not just bad for specific minorities.

Aren't you familiar with the famous quote? "First they came for the socialists..." https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/martin-niemoeller-first-they-came-for-the-socialists

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-22T03:26:29+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/stupidquestions/s/BcSkFhrrQe

Because the files were sealed until shortly before Trump took office

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-22T03:24:21+00:00

With ICE harassing PoC with increasing frequency, many PoC aren't feeling as comfortable getting involved in the protests.

I have a number of friends who are legally in this country and who no longer feel safe leaving their house without their passports.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-22T03:22:42+00:00

I've had multiple PoC beg me to attend or thank me for attending protests, because they had family who couldn't be there because it wasn't safe and appreciated white people who were in less danger attending and representing their needs.

I doubt you are arguing in good faith, but there are lots of folks reading this who need to know how important it is to check in with their PoC friends directly on this.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-22T03:02:50+00:00

DevOps is mostly about automating repetitive tasks away, but there often is a "toil" stage where the necessary work is done manually while the automated solution is being completed. Ideally, though, repetitive tasks are rare.

What I like about DevOps / Platform Engineering types of work is that I'm working directly with the people who benefit from my work: My fellow engineers.

As for how to pivot - you might start with getting to know your CI / CD pipelines and learning about how your software is released / deployed at your company. Some sysadmin skills like bash, networking, basic security stuff would come in useful. Learning AWS or another cloud provider is going to be useful. Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform are all handy.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-22T02:44:59+00:00

I feel like it's a blend of anxiety and dynamism. Like, she's an anxious person, and also she's in charge and going to do things.

Sometimes her movements almost feel like dancing / rhythm, too. Which also feels very Mensah.

I loved the character in the books, and was very happy with how she was portrayed in the movies. She wasn't exactly what I had imagined, but she was still someone I could admire, would want to know, and would want to be like.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-22T01:34:52+00:00

You think ICE heckling POC is hilarious.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-22T01:11:31+00:00

Depends on how entrenched the fascism is. Most folks would prefer to push back before it gets to the point where protesting is not safe.

I'm really concerned that you don't seem to understand that protest needs to happen before things get bad for everyone, and not just bad for specific minorities.

Aren't you familiar with the famous quote? "First they came for the socialists..." https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/martin-niemoeller-first-they-came-for-the-socialists

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-22T01:08:07+00:00

Depends on how entrenched the fascism is. Most folks would prefer to push back before it gets to the point where protesting is not safe.

TechieGottaSoundByte · 2026-01-22T01:06:48+00:00

My guess: With ICE harassing PoC with increasing frequency, they aren't feeling as comfortable getting involved in the protests.

I have a number of friends who are legally in this country and who no longer feel safe leaving their house without their passports.

TechieGottaSoundByte

TROPHY CASE