I graduated in 2025 with an engineering degree and managed to secure a Software Developer role at a large enterprise company right out of school. I worked incredibly hard, dedicating myself to competitive programming and complex system design during my college years to stand out in a tough job market. Once I started my job, I gave it my all—building high-throughput event pipelines, designing multi-agent AI workflows, and optimizing core libraries to improve our delivery speed. I thought that my efforts would ensure some level of job security. However, with the current tech landscape and frequent restructuring, it feels like none of my contributions matter. The anxiety surrounding potential layoffs and shifting corporate priorities is exhausting. I’ve realized that despite optimizing systems and saving the company money, I’m just another number on a spreadsheet to upper management. Now, the thought of re-entering the job market as a junior/mid-level engineer with only about a year of experience is daunting. The competition is fierce, and the interview processes seem broken. This constant uncertainty is starting to dampen my passion for engineering. I’m reaching out to see how others are coping with this mental strain. For those who faced layoffs early in their careers, how did you stay motivated to keep practicing coding and system design when the outcome feels so unpredictable?