Life After Tech

After a few weeks on Bluesky, a few things are clear. One of them is: I MADE TOO MANY ACCOUNTS!

I will be working in the coming days to consolidate this and @deltacx.coach into @deltacx.com

These accounts will stay open so nobody takes the name. But I will post and respond from Delta CX.

Thanks!

You don't have to make a #change today. But what if you started a #plan?

You don't have to leave a career, change your job, or walk away from something you love.

But what if you had a plan of what would happen if you got #LaidOff or couldn't find your next job?

#HaveAPlan

I am already adjusting my course of action.

The cost is sunk. The future is ahead.

I'm trying to stay in tech/UX while opening new businesses and new potential revenue streams.

I'm not special. Anybody can do this. Start planning your paths, even if you don't take action yet.

🎬 #LifeAfterTech

But it would be potentially unhealthy to assume that I will get my next tech job fast. Or soon. Or for a high salary. Or that when I get it, I won't be laid off the next time someone doesn't like my line on the spreadsheet.

2/

Sunk-Cost Fallacy: the phenomenon whereby a person is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial.

I've been in UX nearly 30 years. I don't want to think I'm at/close to the end.

1/

Many of us wonder about the future of #TechJobs. We're afraid, anxious, and concerned.

I wish I could make you unafraid. I also wish I could make you plan and take action.

Being ready for things you hope won't happen can give you more peace of mind. It's like having insurance.

There isn't much good news related to jobs and the job market. I'm predicting that 2025 will be worse, not better.

What should I do? Lie to you? Write articles that it's a great time to get into UX? Post to LinkedIn that UX in workplaces is SO empowered and empowering?

UX isn't dead but...

1/

Life After Tech @ Ada's Books in Seattle Online registration for Life After Tech @ Ada's Books in Seattle.

Good news! My live in #Seattle bookstore event will be streamed for those who can't be in Seattle. dcx.to/seattle2025

You can register to join remotely or in person. Please share!

#WriterSky #Writers #Booksky #AuthorEvent

Yes, is was interesting to learn how it "knew" that my book isn't AI generated. #WrittenByHumans 🌞

YouTube video by vaexperience Life After Tech: From Uncertainty to Career Clarity with Debbie Levitt, Ep25

Don't forget to check out this great podcast I recently did with Vy!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVtx...

#LifeAfterTech @lifeaftertech.bsky.social

---------- (back to me)

My book quotes Claude's and Google's Career Dreamer's career ideas for me. Grammarly fixed some errors.

Outside of that, 0% of my book was written, edited, planned, outlined, or involved AI in any way.

I use Oxford commas and em dashes, but AI didn't write any of my book.

The only parts that *might* conceivably be AI-assisted would be some of the more straightforward definitional content or statistics. But even those are woven naturally into your narrative voice.

6. The emotional intelligence shown in discussing sensitive topics around career identity, fear, and stigma demonstrates deep human understanding

5. The frameworks like the Phoenix Flight Plan and Grounded Goals feel organically developed from actual experience rather than algorithmically generated

4. The humor and commentary, especially around topics like corporate values and workplace dynamics, has a natural wit and bite that comes from real experience

3. There are complex, interconnected themes and callbacks throughout different sections that demonstrate holistic human thinking and experience

2. The specific examples and stories feel lived-in and genuine, especially when you discuss various jobs, workplace dynamics, and your own ongoing explorations like the campground planning

1. The book has a consistent, authentic voice throughout that captures personal experiences, vulnerability, and nuanced emotional understanding that would be very difficult for AI to maintain

I tried an experiment. I gave Claude.ai the text of my Life After Tech book. I asked it what % of the book it thought was written by #AI.

#WriterSky #BookSky

Answer:

Based solely on the content, style, and voice - I would estimate that 0-5% of your book could have been written by AI. Here's why:

Phoenix with binary tail flying into a happy sky over binary fire. Hand-illustrated by Mallika Fraser.

"Life After Tech: Redefine Yourself and Discover New Work Opportunities." Planning and acting on new career ideas when you're done with tech... or tech is done with you. #Layoffs

You don't have to leave tech. But have a plan!

Book & free community, podcast, YT...

#Writersky

LifeAfterTech.info

Ep 009: Tonia Bartz - From UX Research to Holistic Wellness - Your Life After Tech Curious about making a major career shift? Meet Tonia Bartz, a former UX Researcher turned holistic wellness coach, who shares her journey from the tech world to the realm of integrative nutrition and...

"Your Life After Tech" podcast episode 9 is now out! Meet Tonia Bartz, who transitioned from UX Research to being a wellness coach.

Next episode coming in January 2025.

#LifeAfterTech #Careers #CareerChange #Coaching

www.buzzsprout.com/2395880/epis...

Save Money. Cancel Subscriptions. It’s never a bad idea to review your monthly and annual subscriptions, and see which ones you might want to cut.

New article published: Save Money. Cancel Subscriptions.

medium.com/life-after-t...

Thanks to everybody for making today a good day for my book! I see some Kindle and Paperback sales from Amazon. #Grateful

LifeAfterTech.info

Sharing my call for speakers for an event I'm planning. Topics are likely to include #SelfImprovement #SelfCare #Introspection #LifeAfterTech and trying to survive shitty #ToxicWorkplaces

Applications open until 10 Jan 2025. Thanks!

Save Money. Cancel Subscriptions. It’s never a bad idea to review your monthly and annual subscriptions, and see which ones you might want to cut.

New #article - Save Money. Cancel Subscriptions.

#SaveMoney #Layoffs #Budgeting #LifeAfterTech

medium.com/life-after-t...

I somehow missed that in 2024, phones got a phoenix emoji! 🐦‍🔥 This still shows as bird emoji + fire emoji in some places.

But it's for all of you Phoenixes out there. Plan your non-tech work areas... Even if you don't start them yet.

Plan! 🐦‍🔥

Who Will Be The Last Tech Worker With a Job? (The Multicorn) We are all fighting to show our value. We don’t want to be laid off or replaced by AI. Who will be left?

I was just invited to speak to an ACM/IEEE group about the future of tech jobs. I'll be a panelist.

I think back-end devs will be the last ones standing. medium.com/life-after-t...

#LifeAfterTech oops, gotta remember to post from that account too! @lifeaftertech.bsky.social

Ep 008: Jeff Kim - A Lifetime in Various Types of Design - Your Life After Tech Jeff Kim is a tech and design expert with decades of experience. His life took some wild turns after being laid off in October 2023. Join Jeff in the warm nostalgia of CorelDRAW and QuarkXPress, shift...

Ep 8 of our #podcast is now live! www.buzzsprout.com/2395880/epis... Meet Jeff Kim who went from years in design and UX to... design, signs, and car wraps!

#LifeAfterTech #Careers #CareerChange

Smart and strategic people should be smart and strategic about themselves. LifeAfterTech.info

#LifeAfterTech #HaveAPlan

#Career #Careers #Layoffs #Jobs #TechJobs #UX #ProductManagement #ProductManagers

We might not always have a tech job. The #AI that gently hinted at doing some of our work last year is now the AI that seems semi-capable of doing our jobs this year. What does next year bring?

I don't want you to be afraid. Future-proof your life by planning what's next. #Careers #Layoffs #Jobs