They'll Drop You in a Heartbeat
The End of the Traditional Employee and Your Next Move
"Dude, I just got laid off." Six words that hit my Teams chat last week from a developer I've worked with for four years. After countless projects, problem-solving sessions, and company milestones, he was suddenly gone. No warning, just a brief message and an empty seat on our team calls.
He wasn't alone. Another wave of layoffs just swept through my company, taking familiar faces and years of institutional knowledge with it. These weren't underperformers—they were people who'd built their lives around jobs they thought were secure.
There's new management coming in with fresh spreadsheets and cold calculations. In today's economy, where algorithms determine your worth and quarterly profits trump loyalty, finding stable work feels like hunting for unicorns. The American job market hasn't been solid for years, and COVID only accelerated the collapse of job security as we knew it.
It got me thinking about what it means to be a W-2 employee—what some call a
You're paid a salary, given health and vision benefits, and have a modest 401k with some employer match. It all sounds great on paper—at least that's how it's sold to you.
How Things Used to Be
I think back to my parents' generation. Both worked at Nabisco, making cookies and crackers in a factory. They earned decent wages, had pensions, and once they reached retirement age, they collected those pensions for life.
In my parents' case, the plant shut down earlier than expected, but they still received their pensions and eventually Social Security. That was the deal back then: you gave a company your working years, and they took care of you afterward.
The New Employment Reality
Those types of arrangements barely exist now, except in some government positions. In tech and most white-collar fields, pensions are extinct, replaced by 401ks and IRAs that rise and fall with market conditions.
We don't dedicate 30-40 years to one company anymore. Instead, we bounce between jobs, staying maybe five years or often less before moving on. Between economic volatility and major life events like divorces that split assets, financial security feels increasingly elusive.
The Vulnerability of Being an Employee
Businesses make decisions based purely on numbers. If they need to cut people, they cut people—bottom line. As an employee, you're at a complete disadvantage, totally at the mercy of corporate decisions.
Sure, you get the comfort of consistent paychecks and benefits, but that security is an illusion. In an instant—boom—you're laid off. All those benefits vanish.
The Shift Toward Independence
I wonder if we're heading toward a future where contract work and entrepreneurial gigs become the norm. Instead of chasing long-term employment with one company, more people might focus on working for themselves.
Taking contracts for three to six months or even a year starts looking more appealing, despite challenges like managing your own healthcare (which is a whole other expensive nightmare in the United States). This shift might become especially common among younger generations who've witnessed their parents' job insecurity.
Retirement Realities for Today's Workers
For Generation X and beyond, traditional retirement plans seem like fairy tales. Social Security's future is uncertain at best. Our retirement depends entirely on what we've managed to put into IRAs or 401ks—and many people don't even have access to those options.
Others work jobs with minimal retirement benefits or earn too little to make meaningful contributions. So what happens when we reach traditional retirement age? Will we have enough saved? Or will we be working well into our 70s and 80s?
Redefining What Retirement Means
But maybe we need to rethink what "retirement" actually means. Is it stopping work completely? Traveling? Pursuing passion projects?
I've come to accept that I'll probably never "retire" in the traditional sense. I'll keep working as long as I can, adapting to new opportunities. The technical skills I've built can transfer across different fields, keeping me employable despite my age. Plus, I can transition into different types of work, like writing this newsletter.
The Future of Work
While I've made my peace with this new reality, I worry about future generations facing an even more uncertain economy. I believe we'll see a major shift toward independent work and self-built careers rather than reliance on traditional employment.
The days of having one job for your entire career, or even for a decade, are over. Multiple income streams aren't just nice to have anymore—they're becoming essential for survival and stability in today's economy. This is the direction we're headed, for better or worse.
Quote of the Day:
"Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens." — Epictetus
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This really resonates with me. I recently found myself in the same situation after a year and a half at my last job. Hours of dedication, giving it everything I had, only to be let go just like that. No matter how skilled or committed you are, at the end of the day, you're just a number in someone's spreadsheet.
This shift toward independence makes sense given how companies treat employees, but it raises a big question: how do businesses build something lasting if no one feels secure enough to commit? If companies see workers as expendable, they shouldn't be surprised when employees treat them the same way. Long-term success requires investment, on both sides. If businesses want commitment, they have to earn it. Otherwise, people will always hedge their bets, ready to move before they get cut.
The illusion of job security is fading, and the sooner we adapt, the better we can position ourselves for a future where stability comes from our efforts, not an employer's promises.
Thanks for this post. More people need to hear this.