Tech Industry Imploding?

Summary

In this video, the speaker discusses the current state of the IT job market in 2024, highlighting that despite perceptions of oversaturation and layoffs, the industry remains consistent with its cycles of hiring and layoffs. The speaker emphasizes the importance of networking and community engagement over traditional job application methods, and encourages viewers to actively participate in online communities and events to stand out. They also challenge the narrative that the IT industry is in a unique downturn, drawing parallels to previous years and stressing the need for persistence and adaptability.

Takeaways

• 😀 The IT job market in 2024 exhibits a consistent cycle of mass hirings and layoffs, similar to previous years.
• 🎓 The speaker's early experiences in IT were met with discouragement from pursuing formal education, but they persisted and succeeded.
• 🗓 Despite the perception of an oversaturated market, the IT field continues to offer opportunities for those who actively engage with the community.
• 💻 The speaker emphasizes the importance of networking and community involvement over simply applying to job postings.
• 🔗 Joining Discord servers and engaging with IT communities like Antiphon Training can provide valuable insights and support.
• 📊 The use of resources like layoffs.fyi helps track job market trends and understand the scale of layoffs in the tech industry.
• 📈 While layoffs are a reality, the IT industry's overall health is not solely defined by these events, and opportunities still abound.
• 🚀 The speaker shares a personal story of applying to over 4,000 jobs to land the first IT position, illustrating the competitive nature of the field.
• 🌐 The shift to remote work has changed the job application process, with virtual interviews becoming the norm.
• 📝 Creating content, such as blogs and documentation, and sharing one's learning journey can help individuals stand out in the competitive IT job market.

Q & A

What is the main theme discussed in the video script about the IT job market?

The main theme discussed is the cyclical nature of the IT job market, with periods of mass hirings and layoffs, and the importance of persistence and community engagement for job seekers.

What advice was given to the speaker when they were 16 years old regarding pursuing IT?

The speaker was advised by people they knew not to pursue college for IT, as it was considered oversaturated and not promising at that time.

How has the speaker's experience in the IT field been over the past 24 years?

The speaker has experienced the consistent ebb and flow of the IT industry, with mass hirings and layoffs happening frequently over the 24 years they've been in the field.

What resource is recommended for staying updated on tech company layoffs?

The resource recommended is layoffs.fyi, introduced by Jerry Oer from Simply Cyber.

How many tech companies had laid off employees by the time discussed in the script, and how many people were affected in 2024?

By the time discussed in the script, 412 tech companies had laid off 134,000 people in 2024.

What was the speaker's perspective on the job market in IT during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The speaker indicates that the job market in IT during COVID-19 was not fundamentally different from other years, with the same competitive nature and the need for persistence.

What story did the speaker share about their friend Paul to illustrate the challenges of entering the IT job market?

The speaker shared a story about Paul, who had to apply for over 4,000 jobs before securing his first job in cybersecurity, emphasizing the competitive nature of the field.

What is the significance of the speaker's mention of the change in job application processes due to COVID-19?

The speaker highlights that the shift to remote work and online applications has made it more important for job seekers to be proactive and engaged with the IT community to stand out.

What strategies does the speaker suggest for job seekers to improve their chances in the IT job market?

The speaker suggests job seekers should actively engage with the community, join online platforms like Discord, create content, and share their learning journey to be discovered and remembered by potential employers.

What is the speaker's stance on the current state of the IT industry in 2024 compared to previous years?

The speaker believes the IT industry in 2024 is not significantly different from previous years, with the same patterns of hiring and layoffs, and advises not to be discouraged by news hype.

What challenge does the speaker issue to viewers regarding their approach to the IT job market?

The speaker challenges viewers to ignore the hype around job markets, to be proactive in their job search by engaging with the community, and to take extra steps beyond just filling out applications.

Outlines

00:00

💻 The IT Job Market in 2024: A Cyclical Reality

The speaker reflects on the current state of Information Technology jobs in 2024, drawing from their 24 years of experience in the field. They recount their early interest in IT in 2000 and the advice they received against pursuing formal education due to market saturation. Despite this, they persisted in their passion for IT and have witnessed consistent patterns of mass hirings and layoffs over the years. The speaker emphasizes that the IT industry's cyclical nature has not changed significantly and encourages those interested in IT to join their Discord server for further discussion and support.

05:00

📉 Layoffs and Job Opportunities: The IT Landscape

The speaker discusses the perception of layoffs in the IT industry, noting that while large-scale layoffs at major organizations make headlines, they are part of the industry's natural ebb and flow. They reference the website layoffs.fyi to highlight the number of tech companies and jobs affected by layoffs in 2024 compared to previous years. The speaker stresses that despite these events, the IT industry remains competitive with many job opportunities available. They advise job seekers to actively engage with the community, utilize online platforms, and create content to stand out in the competitive job market.

10:02

🚀 Overcoming Challenges in IT: A Constant Pursuit

In the final paragraph, the speaker reiterates the cyclical nature of the IT industry, emphasizing that layoffs and hirings are a constant part of the landscape. They encourage aspiring IT professionals not to be discouraged by news of layoffs or the competitive job market. The speaker shares a personal challenge to create more content and concludes by urging viewers to take proactive steps in their job search, such as networking and showcasing their skills, to succeed in the IT field.

Keywords

💡Information Technology (IT)

Information Technology refers to the use of computers to store, retrieve, transmit, and manipulate data, often in the context of a business or other enterprise. In the video, the speaker discusses the current state of IT jobs and career fields, highlighting the cyclical nature of hiring and layoffs within the industry. IT is central to the video's theme as it sets the backdrop for the speaker's personal journey and advice on pursuing a career in this field.

💡Career Field

A career field is an area of professional work that involves similar job roles and career paths. The video script mentions the career field of IT, emphasizing the speaker's 24-year experience and the ongoing changes and challenges within the sector. The term is used to discuss the broader context of job opportunities and the need for adaptability in the IT industry.

💡Cyber Security

Cyber security is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks. It is a specific area within the IT field that the speaker mentions as a potential career path. The video script encourages viewers with questions about IT, particularly cyber security, to join a Discord server for more information and support, indicating its relevance to the video's message.

💡Layoffs

Layoffs refer to the termination of employment for a group of workers, usually due to economic conditions or restructuring within a company. The script discusses layoffs as a recurring phenomenon in the IT industry, using data from the year 2024 to illustrate the scale of job cuts. The term is central to the video's narrative, as it counters the perception that the IT job market is uniquely challenging at the time of the video.

💡Remote Work

Remote work is the practice of working from a location other than the traditional office setting, often from home. The video script mentions the rise of remote work as a significant change in the IT industry, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has shifted the way job applications and interviews are conducted, with a greater reliance on digital platforms like Zoom.

💡Discord Server

A Discord server is a chat platform where communities can communicate in real-time through text, voice, and video. The video script encourages viewers to join a Discord server for IT and cyber security discussions, highlighting it as a resource for networking and learning. The term is used to illustrate the importance of community engagement in the IT field.

💡Job Market

The job market refers to the availability of jobs and the demand for labor in a particular field. The video script discusses the IT job market, emphasizing that despite perceptions of a challenging job landscape, there are still many opportunities available. The term is used to reassure viewers that the IT industry remains a viable career path.

💡Competitive Field

A competitive field is an industry where there is a high level of competition for jobs or market share. The video script describes the IT industry as 'incredibly competitive,' suggesting that individuals must differentiate themselves to succeed. This term is used to motivate viewers to take proactive steps in their job search and career development.

💡Networking

Networking refers to the process of building and maintaining professional relationships to advance one's career. The video script stresses the importance of networking within the IT community, suggesting that connections and community engagement are key to job success. The term is used to encourage viewers to actively participate in IT-related communities and events.

💡Job Applications

Job applications are the formal requests made by individuals to be considered for employment. The video script mentions the story of an individual who applied for over 4,000 jobs before securing a position in cyber security. This term is used to illustrate the persistence and effort required to break into the IT field, as well as to contrast the old approach of job seeking with more effective strategies.

💡Hustling

Hustling, in the context of the video, refers to the proactive and energetic pursuit of opportunities and success. The speaker encourages viewers to 'keep hustling' in their job search, suggesting that a proactive and persistent approach is necessary to succeed in the competitive IT industry. The term is used to inspire and motivate viewers to take control of their career path.

Highlights

The IT job market in 2024 is experiencing a mix of mass hirings and layoffs, similar to previous years.

Despite advice against pursuing IT education in 2000, the speaker's interest led to a 24-year career in the field.

The speaker encourages joining the antiphon training Discord server for IT and cybersecurity questions.

Layoffs.fyi is recommended as a resource to track tech company layoffs.

In 2024, 134,000 tech jobs have been laid off, compared to 264,000 in 2023 and 165,000 in 2022.

The perception of a poor job market in IT is not new and has been a consistent theme over the years.

The story of Paul, who applied to over 4,000 jobs before landing a cybersecurity position, illustrates the competitive nature of IT.

The IT industry is characterized by a cycle of layoffs and hirings, which is not unique to 2024.

The importance of community involvement and networking for job seekers in IT is emphasized.

Remote work has changed the job application process, with more interviews being conducted online.

The speaker advises against relying solely on job applications and encourages proactive community engagement.

Creating blogs and sharing learning journeys can help job seekers stand out in the competitive IT field.

The IT industry's state in 2024 is compared to previous years, with the speaker arguing there is no significant difference.

The speaker challenges viewers to ignore hype and focus on proactive job search strategies.

The video concludes with a call to action for IT job seekers to change their approach and utilize available resources.

Transcripts

today we're going to talk about the

current state of Information Technology

jobs what's going on in the career field

right now it's 2024 is it any different

than any other year the truth is yes but

also no I've been involved in the IT

world for the last 24 years pretty much

and I can remember way back in 2000 I

was 16 years old was really interested

in it I was building my own websites at

that time and I had asked people who I

knew that had a good grasp on the world

of it at that time hey should I pursue

uh college for it and every single one

of them said no everybody that I talked

to said no don't go to school for it it

is oversaturated it's not going to be

good for you thankfully I didn't listen

to them well I listen to part of it

because I didn't go to college but I did

pursue my interest in it and here I am

24 years later still working in this

field and I can tell you through the

last 24 years the es and flows that you

see within the world of Information

Technology happen consistently it might

not happen year after year it might

happen a few years apart but there has

been this consistency in the world of

technology there's Mass hirings there's

Mass layoffs and it happens all the time

and it's happened many times over the

last 24 years that I've seen that I've

experienced before I forget and we go

any further I want to make sure that I

mentioned to you all if you have any any

questions at all about getting in it

cyber security other specific areas

within the Information Technology field

and you just don't feel like you're

getting the right answers I would

encourage you to join us every single

Tuesday on the antiphon training Discord

server it's at 11:00 a.m. Central

Standard Time every Tuesday we get

together with myself I host it along

with some of our trainers and other

staff from antiph and training and black

hills information security and we help

answer questions that you all have

everybody is is more than welcome

literally like everybody is more than

welcome to join this and if you have any

questions about it and security like I

said please please join us and we would

encourage you to ask your questions hang

out with us every Tuesday go check it

out I'll put a link in the description

let's talk more about the job market CU

you know that's what you're here for and

I know every that you see when you look

out on the Googles and the the YouTubes

and listen to the news or whatever

there's layoffs happening constantly and

Cisco is laying off thousands of jobs

well if we really want to see who's

actually laying off jobs and it's

actually a pretty good resource to stay

up to date with this uh Jerry oer good

friend of ours from Simply cyber if you

haven't checked him out definitely go

check out that guy because he's amazing

he introduced me to layoffs.fyi

great resource to stay up to date with

what's going on and it says

412 tech companies have laid off wow 134

th000 people in 2024 let's go back to

2023 wow 2023 had 264,000 layoffs 2022

165 so as you can see 2024 so far we you

know more than halfway through uh the

year 134,000 Jobs still not even close

to 264,000 will we get there who knows

but it's not the worst that we've ever

seen and that's the point that I want to

make because it seems seems like and I

don't know if this is just my feeds or

what I'm seeing from people or people

that I'm connected with what have you

that the industry sucks and that there's

no jobs and there's all these layoffs

and it's incredibly difficult to get a

job well it's not any different than any

other year quite honestly and I know

that sucks to hear but I can even go

back to

2019 or 2020 actually sorry February

25th 2020 before the whole covid thing

happened right I put out this video that

was talking about what we are today

entry level it job market and what it

takes to get started I shared in this

video a journey from my friend Paul and

I actually ran into Paul at Defcon so uh

let me tell you about the story because

he I met this guy back in 2019 actually

uh and he told me the story about how he

had applied for over

4,000 yeah four with three zeros behind

it that's 4,000 jobs took him over 4,000

job applications before he got his first

job in cyber security this was in 2019

early 2020 before covid I want that to

sink in for you please understand that

if you are struggling to get into it

right now in any fashion

right it's a consistent theme it is an

incredibly competitive field there are a

lot of jobs there are a lot of layoffs

that happen and let me be clear about

the layoffs really quick because quite

honestly you only hear about those

typically most often from the very large

organizations and no matter what happens

in these very large organizations you

always hear about what happens so yeah

of course you're going to hear about

layoffs and of course the news and media

and everybody's going to make a big deal

out of it but does that fect the

industry as a whole well I mean I'm sure

that affects some parts of the industry

it might make things somewhat difficult

for people depending on where they're at

which is a huge huge part of this whole

IT industry thing and layoffs happening

and all of those different things all

right all right without rambling any

further the point that I'm really trying

to make here is that this is the ab and

flow of information technology it can be

difficult to get a job and just because

there are layoffs happening doesn't mean

that it's necessarily any more difficult

ult than it ever has been or that there

are no jobs available there are plenty

of jobs available and when it comes down

to it it again is still incredibly

competitive so what are you doing to set

yourself forward from one another right

like what are you doing to actively put

yourself out there in front of the

community because when this whole covid

thing happened and this job surge

happened and all these weird things of

course happened all around the

world one of the things that changed

really atically is the way that we apply

for and then obtain new jobs with the

insurgence of remote work right you most

often will interview over Zoom that's

you know pretty typical nowadays that

wasn't the way that it was four years

ago you know prior four years ago it

wasn't that same way you can't go into a

job uh in the actual physical location

and ask for a job application they'd

probably laugh at you and say go fill

out an app online like everybody else

and that's where you're going to find

difficulty if you are still in this old

mindset and it's kind of weird to even

say that this is an old mindset at this

point but if you are in this old mindset

of just throwing out applications to all

the different jobs out there you're

going to have a hard time quite frankly

the best way that you can get a job

these days is by putting yourself out

there and I you're probably sick of

hearing me say this if you watch this

channel for any amount of time because I

feel like I harp on this all the time

but I cannot stress the importance of

putting yourself out there to the

community getting unlined in connecting

with peers getting on Discord and all

the different Discord servers and

communities that you can join those

opportunities and connections and

resources those are going to be the

things that change your life

dramatically so if you're not taking

advantage of all of those resources that

you can easily obtain for free via

social media media LinkedIn

Discord meetup.com there's also going to

be free meetups in your area I want to

make sure that I include that in this as

well those are the resources that you

need to utilize to really put yourself

ahead create blogs create documentation

share that share experiences that you've

had talk about your Learning Journey

there's so many opportunities that you

have to put yourself out there so people

can discover you so people can remember

you

so that you can accelerate your career

because I promise you just blindly

filling out job applications over and

over and over again it's going to burn

you out and you're going to get sick and

tired of it I'm challenging you to not

only just ignore all the different hype

and nonsense that you're hearing about

the job market but put yourself out

there because you can do this anybody

can work in it will everybody work in it

though no no no no not everybody's going

to do this not everybody's going to take

these extra steps not everybody is going

to go through over 4,000 job

applications like my friend Paul did

just to get their first cyber security

job not everybody's going to do

that but some of you out there are going

to keep hustling every day just like I

did just like Paul did just like so many

other people do so the state of the IT

industry and

2024 is really no different than any

other year I don't know why people keep

making this such a big deal like

legitimately go on the Google you look

up Tech layoffs in 2018 you could go

back to 2017 2016 2019 even and you're

going to see all of the different hype

and whatnot surrounding and hype is a

bad word for this but whatever you know

what I'm saying like you're going to see

all of the Just nonsense around how

people I don't

know deliver this information that's

just like silly because legitimately it

happens every year like i' going over

and over and over again saying the same

freaking thing but I'm really trying to

drive a point across like the industry

is no different than it's ever been so

if you want to get into this field I

mean ultimately you do have to change

things up but I guess what I was saying

is like the industry is the same that

it's always been as far as like the job

J state right like there's layoffs

there's hiring there's layoffs there's

hiring all the time all the time so

don't let whatever you're hearing in the

news discourage you don't let the fact

that it's taking you maybe hundreds of

applications before you get a job job

Market's competitive so do something

different like putting yourself out

there that's something I'll always drill

but any video that I talk about because

it's important and things have changed

so anyway I just wanted to put a video

out and I wanted to talk about the

current state of technology and I did

that so thank you for being here

appreciate you I'm challenging myself to

make more videos hope you enjoyed it and

I will maybe see you more