👋🏽 Welcome or welcome back to The Spark Files [TSF] - your treasured artefact for living audaciously and building a purposeful life you love.
THE RUNDOWN: RELEASE #2
This release focuses on long term strategies to future-proof your career, layoffs as a setback, and the building blocks that make up a solid foundation to build a career you both enjoy and love. Let’s go 🚀
OPENING THOUGHTS
I’m not a believer in “dream jobs” and “dream companies”. I focus more on what interests me and what skills I want to learn in a certain period, then I find the role that combines both in an industry that excites me.
Not titles, the role and what my day-to-day will encompass wherever I choose to work.
When people get comfortable at a company, they feel planted like they can no longer move or they don’t want to rock the boat i.e. piss off the “wrong people”.
Spoiler alert, your very existence can and will piss some people off — they just hate your guts (it’s allowed) 🤷🏽♀️.
These kinds of emotions should be used as indicators not self-ultimatums.
If you feel like going for what you want in your career would piss off the wrong people, I’ll be the one to break it to you — you are in a very insidious environment.
(1) Go for it anyways (2) You’re not responsible for babysitting people’s emotions.
A DEEP DIVE
In Tech, software engineers have a culture of always interviewing.
You don’t have to hate your job or want to leave, you just continuously check what the market wants. And when the right time comes to make a move, your skills are sharp, you’re abreast of what the market demands, and you are interview-ready.
That’s how you stay competitive, relevant and become “highly sought-after” i.e. getting multiple offers.
This kind of “stay ready and refresh” culture is partly because software engineers are in high-demand and the tech changes so fast that your current skills run the risk of getting obsolete in 1-2 years. It comes with the territory.
A major contributor to this interview culture is the time and effort that goes into preparing and succeeding in technical interviews. It’s like finals season all over again. Preparation can take anywhere from 3-9months depending on your skill, readiness, and commitment — It’s that intense.
The grass is greener where you water it
This beautiful saying emphasizes intentionality, aligned actions, and focused efforts to get what you want. As humans with intelligence, agency, and autonomy, we are in more control of our lives and careers than we think.
Here are three factors I’ll add based on what life has taught me:
Before you plant and start watering, check the soil.
Just because you water, doesn’t mean the grass will get greener.
You just may be watering the grass on the wrong side of the field.
🌿Check the Soil.
We all have strengths. The things that others may suck at that we are effortlessly great at — lean into it.
The soil plays a critical role in how a plant grows and how well it bears fruit. It works together with sunlight, water, nutrients, and more for a seed to grow into a healthy and fruitful tree.
It may take some time to figure out what you enjoy and are really good at. Sometimes, we know and dismiss these abilities as “easy”. The reality is that just because it comes easy to you does not mean it is “easy work”.
When you work in a company that not only allows you play to your strengths but also deeply values and rewards it, you’ll become a fruitful tree 🌳.
You can’t rush a tree to grow, so be mindful and give it the time it needs.
P.s. you can always start your own company too. Exercise some freewill, will you?
🌿Watering Does Not Equate Greener Pastures.
Your current company feels familiar. You know the structure, you know the people, you know the game, so it’s easy. Pay attention to the people around you that already occupy the positions or roles you are aiming for at the company.
Do you like their life? Would you want to be them in the next 3-5 years? Do they seem energized and deeply fulfilled by the work they do at the company? From what you know about the culture, how often do people get those advancement opportunities?
Your answers to these questions will guide you to where you can water to get your greener pastures.
🌿Are You Watering on the Right Field?
If you are putting in the effort, investing time in becoming better, and acquiring skills to elevate in your career and you still feel stuck, check your environment.
A place where opportunities feel incredibly scarce and people feel that in order to win, they have to be the ONLY one getting “the pie”, is an environment where you will always be fighting for survival because there’s never enough to go around.
I once worked at a company where in the manager’s own words “my performance exceeded expectations”. However, I could not get a promotion because there were 3 other people in line.
What does that even mean? I was left and still am gobsmacked! 🤯
📝PERSPECTIVE SHIFT
Layoffs are only a setback. Not a declaration of your value/performance in a company or permanent flaw to your career. It can happen to anyone at any company and in any level.
VPs, Execs, and Directors get laid off — very quietly. Exceptional talents get let go, even mediocre ones too. Your goal should be to have a strong rebound game.
Building Blocks
Your Focus Areas
Whether you got laid off, stepped away from a role, or abruptly had to quit a job, to bounce back, you need time, effort, money, and a whole lot of reflection.
You are playing the long game. Here are the building blocks for a solid career foundation.
PERSONAL FINANCE
Get Your Money Up: While Cash Flows
As an adult functioning in society, your financial health is directly proportional to your overall well-being and quality of life.
If you have no idea what your average living expenses sum up to, it’s time to pick up the calculator.
Introducing: The numbers behind your lifestyle🥂.
(Borrowed from startups and adapted to individuals):
Runway | Burn Rate | Reserve | |
|---|---|---|---|
What it means | How long you can sustain your lifestyle without any income before cash runs out i.e. time until cash equals zero. | How fast you spend your money. | How much readily available cash you put away. |
Focus | Time | Speed | Amount |
How it applies | Gives you a realistic timeline to plan ahead and adjust accordingly. i.e. it buys you a transition period without stress. | Quantifies your lifestyle choices outside your primary needs. | This is where your (emergency) funds lives or should live. How much is your peace worth? Note: Not to be confused with your “savings”. |
Takeaway: Emergencies (like getting laid off) are never expected that’s why they are unforeseen. Your peace of mind requires intention, so plan for it.
SOCIAL CURRENCY
Curate Social Proof: Show Don’t Tell
This is where you start collecting data and curating your social proof.
Remember how you had to “show your work” when solving math problems? That’s the gist here.
What does this look like?
Storing your feedback from performance reviews, client testimonials, colleague recommendations, professional shoutouts.
Basically, everything that says I kick ass at what I do and deliver exceptional work. Here’s what others are saying about me.
Show people what you are about and the great work you do so you are always top of mind in that domain/industry.
This looks like posting on LinkedIn, showcasing your work online, having an easily accessible hub for your career portfolio.
Be present where it matters and get in front of relevant people i.e. decision makers, industry peers, career mentors.
You want to hear about opportunities first as they arise, share what you’re interested in, and build warm connections for when the time comes.
Takeaway: Build externally as much as you do internally. People trust what they can see, so show them!
PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE & NARRATIVE
Build Leverage: Skill Stacking + Positioning
Adaptability is a prerequisite to thriving in any industry. If you stay stagnant, you’ll get left behind.
People underestimate the power of free resources and staying current. This is what builds your opportunity bridge — you stay abreast of technology and actively upskill yourself in relevant areas.
With this combo, you’re not waiting for opportunities to present themselves to you, you’re proactively creating it and building a solid foundation for yourself.
Skill stacking explains itself. Your primary task is finding your unique combo that positions you for high leverage.
The key action here is the small steps that compounds, which can look like:
Enrolling in free courses or watching YouTube videos on a specific skill or domain topic.
Taking on a personal project or working voluntarily on challenging tasks to gain relevant new experience.
Connecting with industry peers and contributing to conversations. Relationships and associations are key
Takeaway: Be resourceful with what you already have. Find a way to get what you want with what you have.
REFLECTIONS
One thing you should never forget is that every company you work for or have worked for is a choice you made. If you have been at a company for many years, it implies that you continued to choose that company because it served you in different ways — stability, security, prestige, a stepping stone. Whatever that looked like for you.
Just like you chose company x, you can decide to leave company x at any moment, literally. And company x has the discretion to do the same. Decisions, decisions, decisions.
In the context of a layoff, the company made the choice before you did. You signed a contract — a bilateral agreement — and the company said, we’re all good now. It stings, it blindsides you but the company’s primary concern is their health and profitability not yours.
Your career is your responsibility and only yours.
YOUR THOUGHT SPARKLERS
💭 Are you equipped for career setbacks and emergencies?
💭 Which building block can you start working on to have a solid foundation?
💭 What career season are you in? Planting, watering, growing, rooted?
🛠️ Recs & Resources:
YouTube Shorts
Chikodilee explains why asking, taking risks, and going for what you want will take you further than those that don’t.
Stay Audacious,
Chikodilee🤎🤎
