Mobility in the guise of a Pink Slip ..

.. and I don’t mean wearing one. Although, in some organizations ..

Wired takes a high-level view of the 10,000-odd jobs lost in the Valley this past year. They’re citing (likely correctly), that being set in motion .. one way or another, is a good thing for you, and for the industry.

Some thoughts:

• The tech industry is famous / infamous for mobility .. if you don’t like what you’re doing .. or for whom you’re doing it, you start knocking on doors. With the critical mass of technical people and jobs and the California lifestyle, people and positions move .. like, well you know what through a goose. If you’re good, you’re employed.
• With the highly-portable 401-K and IRA-rollover lifestyle, dough you accumulate (granted, it’s YOUR dough, to begin with), travels with you.

Despite these enablers, mobility has been cowed (or, at least startled) by widely-held financial issues. Even with the critical mass advantage (dodging the need to move cross-country, or even take a different train to change jobs), people aren’t all that keen on risking their lifestyles or their homes to move.

I think mobility (even if in a self-defensive mode) is good for people. But: how is this perceived for the industry? Some more thoughts:

• Three words: innovation, innovation and innovation. Ideas flow from place to place .. problems are solved in previously-unaddressed manners when big thinkers get in motion and join other companies.
• Three more words: connections, connections and networking. To paraphrase the old saw: “the more you know, the more you know what you don’t know”, as the more (people) you know, the more you know.
  • Do you seriously think that employees of competitive companies don’t talk to one another?
  • Haven’t you heard of the “Table NDA”?

Times change, projects change, people change .. being on ‘terms’ with everyone (with a smattering of being a ‘people’ person) and aware of ‘everything’ keeps you employed. Keeping you employed means you are contributing to the

Thanks to Wired for posting “Laid Off? It’s Good for You and Good for the Tech Industry”.

On the plus side, Baseline presents a report : “Tech Job Losses Lessening”, suggesting the bloodbath of the last few quarters may be near over.