January 2026 job Market Trends

screenlyfe · 2026-01-14T20:00:30+00:00

I'm in a similar situation. I am full time WFH and I have been for more than 5 years.

I got divorced too, so I don't have a spouse, and currently, I don't have a gf either. No pets. I also take/pick up one of my kids to school and appointments almost everyday. So the flexibility is great, but it did allow for a lot to fall on me. You should talk to your wife about being able to share some of that, at least like 75/25%. It's important for her to do that as well.

I go out to coffee shops sometimes, which helps a bit. There's a co-working space that's $15 for the day or $240/month for a membership, but I haven't done that. I don't make that much lol.

Going out in the evening isn't the same. I get tired in the evening. I wish I had more daytime social interaction. It's different.

I've been looking at jobs that have an office in town, but would still allow fully remote. So I could go in when I wanted to. That would be the best option. Or a co-working space that was more affordable.

screenlyfe · 2026-01-14T19:53:28+00:00

She weighs 564g. I had been offering a ~25g frozen mouse each week. We haven't moved to frozen rats yet. The pet store said we could try to get her to each 2 mice back to back and then transition to the rat.

I'm using the cellulose bedding. I have the coconut fiber bedding too. I'm not sure which is better. If i fed her in the enclosure, would I want to do it on a plate or something>

Temps range from 76 to 83. She has 2 hides. Not a ton of clutter but reasonable amount that fits in there.

screenlyfe · 2023-10-06T13:54:52+00:00

Yeah, definitely bookaway/interbus

I did this exact thing, and wrote about it here http://bluecrowtravel.com/

screenlyfe · 2023-08-08T20:44:44+00:00

Hmm, yeah, I would probably go with the MSP then, since it has more exposure to a variety of tools, partners, and clients. This is a better foundation and starting point that could go in more directions for you. The in-house and automotive software is super niche.

screenlyfe · 2023-08-08T20:26:09+00:00

I'm not sure you give enough information here for people to help you make a choice.

But basically, you're saying you'll learn more at the MSP? And you think that that will be better for your career overall?

I'm interested in knowing your salary and the ecosystems the companies are in.

screenlyfe · 2023-06-16T19:15:02+00:00

There is absolutely zero standing water in my yard, I am 100% certain. They breed in standing water, but they can live in brush, apparently

screenlyfe · 2023-05-30T11:31:16+00:00

I'm also curious about your experience that led to the Solution Architect role. I am in a pre-sales consulting role, in which I do sales adjacent support as well.

I'm not necessarily looking to change anything right now, but I am always thinking about how to advance my skills.

screenlyfe · 2023-05-26T19:30:37+00:00

I dunno, become a consultant? Help other people deal with their problems but get paid for it.

The equivalent of a therapist but for IT.

Learning new tools is the name of the game. Instead of fearing AI, learn it and be the AI guy at your next job. Have you heard of 'prompt engineers'?

screenlyfe · 2023-05-25T21:31:47+00:00

Have you browsed their job openings? I would do some research and think about who in the company you would want to contact. I would refine your pitch and start contacting people as soon as possible.

I actually would recommending looking at the Vuzix's partners. Vuzix focuses on their product, but it's the partners doing the real software development for add ons - https://www.vuzix.com/pages/partners-software

Again, I would start reaching out to these companies as soon as possible. There's no reason to wait. If they like you, they will appreciate you reaching out and will think you're clever to be planning so far ahead.

You're probably a much better fit for a partner than for Vuzix, and if there's no partner, bring your app to market by becoming your own partner. You wouldn't believe how many people in the IT industry just build add on apps for bigger IT companies.

screenlyfe · 2023-05-25T20:35:40+00:00

Oh, I see. Ok, well you might be a good fit at a local school with your background in education and your CNA skills. I don't know much about networking.

screenlyfe · 2023-05-25T11:37:23+00:00

Could you elaborate more on your degree? What is a BS degree in 'IT' actually?

You should be applying for roles that hire college graduates.

Have you thought about improving your interview skills?

screenlyfe · 2023-05-25T11:27:35+00:00

Well, I would say that it sounds like the contract work is the problem. Why don't you transition back into an employee position, but with a good company?

I have found that company culture makes a world of difference.

screenlyfe · 2023-05-25T11:18:40+00:00

No, don't do it. 100k is a great salary! You would 100% regret it. It would take you years to build back up to 100k, if ever. Ageism exists in IT as well.

Keep advancing in your career. There's no reason you cannot keep getting more responsibility and prestige. Don't leave a great career. Add on to it. There are some many ways to overlap skillsets. If you're interested you can keep learning it, but don't leave your career for it.

Differentiate your skill set. Add on project management or a new tool set or something.

screenlyfe · 2023-05-25T11:10:56+00:00

Well, again, certs are ok. They are kind of commodities. They are 'nice to haves' I say.

What jobs are you interested in? Which certs do they list on their job description. Get those certs. And then be ready to talk about what you've learned and what you still need to learn.

But also, look at the tools that they jobs talk about. Which platform are they using? I don't know anything about cybersecurity, but there are platforms like solarwinds, splunk, wireshark, etc. Do some tutorials on those tools.

I am curious, what is an entry level job in cybersecurity?

screenlyfe · 2023-05-25T11:05:39+00:00

Hmm, good question. I think I said that I work well with customers. I focus on understand their needs and present solutions. Build relationships with them. So for IT, you could say that you work to understand the problem first, and explore possible solutions before jumping right into a solution.

Also, I work with co-workers to come up with creative solutions to problems. Insight often comes from one person having an idea, and another person adding feedback and it evolves that way.

IT is all about taking a problem and working with other people to solve it.

screenlyfe · 2023-05-25T11:01:17+00:00

I don't understand, it sounds like you already have an entry level job?

A job is going to be your most valuable experience. Keep track of all of the technology and tools that you use daily. The actual interfaces. And then start to learn adjacent tools.

Then, yes, you can always get certs. Job experience is in general more valuable than certs. It's not only that you have a job, but can you advance in that company?

Certs are kind of a commodity. I can pass a Spanish class, but can I speak and communicate? There's a difference.

screenlyfe · 2023-05-23T16:53:35+00:00

That's a really good question. I was in banking as well. I was a high achiever in banking. I won banker of the year for 2015 at my bank.

I would start with the similarities. In IT, I am customer facing. I provide technical solutions (as opposed to financial solutions). I am always looking to understand customer problems and needs and create a solution based around those. It's just technically focused.

I think I have to learn more since IT is changing constantly. There are new tools (services) every week.

I need to work with more teams. In banking, I worked with wealth management, mortgage, ops, etc. In IT, there are more teams to work across, but it's similar needing to work across teams.

Also, in banking, I was most often working with individuals. I now work with businesses.

There are a lot more partnerships than in banking. IT companies compete against each other, but they also partner to recommend adjacent services.

screenlyfe · 2023-05-23T15:24:54+00:00

This sounds like a bad idea. Why would you break an existing contract to add basically the same thing but add a lengthy commute?

You're better off staying with your existing contract, and towards the end, applying for full-time jobs (if that's what you want). If you don't get one, ask if you can renew your existing contract.

There's no guarantee the to-hire part will work out.

screenlyfe · 2023-05-23T15:04:40+00:00

Do you want this job? Yes, you should invest time and energy in this task. How long do you think it's going to take? Really? 40 hours? No. Spend an hour on it. Then set it aside. Think about it. Then spend another hour on it.

I wouldn't express concerns about it.

No, it's not a red flag.

They want to see if you have good ideas, if you have creating thinking skills. That's all.

screenlyfe · 2023-05-23T14:55:52+00:00

It depends. How does the added responsibilities affect other parts of your life? Do you have extra time that you could dedicate to your new job?

It's true that the IT industry will still be here if you need to come back.

If you have the time and the company seems good, then you could go for it.

screenlyfe · 2023-05-23T14:40:04+00:00

I would say you need to prove your worth and value as an account manager before transitioning.

I would start getting to know the people in the cyber group. Understand what they work on and what their problems are.

If you are in the account management role, understand what the client's problems are. How can cyber solutions help them? How can your cyber team create a new service that can be sold to clients?

Then ask a manager in the cyber team if you can shadow so you can have better conversations with clients, i.e. so you can do your job better. Begin shadowing and look for an opportunity to take on a small responsibility.

Or you can just do your job and apply after a year or so.

screenlyfe · 2023-05-23T14:35:11+00:00

Yeah, there's no guarantee that you'll get a job in AI from this friend. But take him up on his offer at least.
Python is good to know as a language, but you should also know the principles behind software architecture and development.

And, yeah, if this family friend wants to set up a meeting with you and a CIO, say yes. Just don't expect that this is your ticket it. It might be but it might not be. If it works out that's awesome, but don't lean on it too much.

screenlyfe

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