u/Ordinary-Smoke190

There are jobs out there just it is more difficult to get one, especially tech jobs where more or more big tech firms are laying off talented people. Meta is next (cutting 8,000 jobs today 5/19/2026) besides Cisco (4,000) and LinkedIn (875) job cuts.

Ten months ago I was laid off before I could retire — after 34 years at the same firm. I'm in IT. I've never built a startup. I've never done marketing. I didn't know what to do next.

So I did the only thing I know how to do: I started building.

I taught myself AI development and created a free career guidance tool — not to sell anything, but because I genuinely believe the job search process is broken for a lot of people, especially those re-entering the workforce without a support system.

Last month, someone who had been unemployed for nearly a year after graduating — stuck, frustrated, losing confidence — tried an early beta. He got a job.

Here's what building this taught me about job searching (I landed on a job myself while building the tool):

The skills gap is real, but specific. Most job seekers don't lack ability — they lack visibility into which skill to close next. "Learn Python!" isn't advice. How long would one learn Python and to be good at?

However, what else really preventing people getting a job - those ATS filtering? or JD that are vogues? or something else? I'm here to learn to improve the tool.

Is networking still the best way?

If you're navigating a layoff after a long job search, or a career change into tech — I'm happy to answer questions. That's exactly who I built this for.

(Created a free career guidance tool — curious what it's called? DM me. Not posting links per the rules here.)

Ten months ago I was laid off before I could retire — after 34 years at the same firm. I'm in IT. I've never built a startup. I've never done marketing. I didn't know what to do next.

So I did the only thing I know how to do: I started building.

I taught myself AI development and created a career guidance tool — not to sell anything, but because I genuinely believe the job search process is broken for a lot of people, especially those re-entering the workforce without a support system.

Last month, someone who had been unemployed for nearly a year after graduating — stuck, frustrated, losing confidence — tried an early beta version. He got a job.

That one result reminded me why I started.

Here's what building this taught me about job searching:

The skills gap is real, but specific. Most job seekers don't lack ability — they lack visibility into which skill to close next. "Learn Python!" isn't advice.

Confidence collapses faster than skills do. Long unemployment does psychological damage that job boards never address. Small, visible wins matter more than comprehensive solutions.

AI tools can genuinely help — but only if you know how to use them. Most people don't, however, I believe in networking, which still beats applications. Every time. The ratio is brutal but consistent.

If you're navigating a layoff after decades at one company like me, a long job search, or a career change into tech — I'm happy to answer questions. That's exactly who I built this for.

(Built a free career guidance tool to do skill gaps analysis — curious what it's called? DM me. Not posting links per the rules here.)

After working for the firm for 34 years, I was laid off last year. I decided to build an AI-driven career guidance system - gap2skill to close the learning or skills gap. I have four decades of Project and Software Engineering skills - I learned AI and built the platform using Claude, Gemini and CoPilot. The system went into beta testing in April and already proven to help someone landing on a job. Meanwhile, I interviewed with my former firm and got a contingent offer - as a System Architect - pending government award. However, it has been delayed for five months. My system is almost ready to go Live in a week. I'm near my retirement age in a few months. Should I even consider the position when it comes through? I would love to hear some opinions as this is my first time using Reddit.