Summary of "Уволили из ИТ после 10 лет работы в одной компании. Что дальше? Чего ждать в Европе в 2026 году?"

Summary

The speaker shares a personal account of being removed from an IT job after ~10 years with one company. He uses this experience to analyze broader trends in Europe—especially Prague/Czech Republic—and what IT workers should expect in the near future (around 2026).

1) Why the job loss happened (and what it reflects)

It was not an AI layoff and not mass layoffs.
The speaker frames it as the elimination of a “convenient/inconvenient” position and the employee.

He argues that labor-market conditions have changed, and companies increasingly treat roles as replaceable:

“Toxic” Russian passports / sanctions-driven HR screening
- Companies began avoiding Russian passport holders, sometimes even when the person had no operational connection to Russia.
- He describes his own case as being unofficially blacklisted at some employers, though later he says others still invited him.
AI/LLMs and automation pressure
- AI has shifted hiring and firing patterns.
- Teams of experienced people can become “less safe” than interns/early-career staff.
- He suggests companies accept risk because AI doesn’t experience burnout or ask for raises.
Fewer vacancies + more applicants
- For the remaining openings, there are often many candidates competing.
- Some candidates are willing to accept lower pay.

2) The company’s internal changes and “distancing” during the process

Over months, he says the situation in his company deteriorated:

Management stopped communicating directly.
Tasks and expectations were often vague (“verbal + notebook notes”).
Manager communications ceased before the final notice.

He interprets this as a psychological/HR practice of distancing an employee—reducing connection during the period leading to dismissal.

3) Immediate impact on life and finances

He describes shock and depression-related symptoms:
- poor sleep
- loss of appetite
- weakness that affected gym performance
Even with a severance package and savings (including property/mortgage planning), he emphasizes the psychological difference between:
- money (assets)
- income (ongoing flow)
He describes unemployment as feeling like a countdown.

4) How he recovered: networking + rapid upskilling + job search strategy

Networking mattered more than direct job offers

Conversations with former colleagues—including processing stress together (sometimes over drinks).
People listening without immediately turning it into “please find me a job.”

Upskilling in parallel

He identifies his role as “configuration/build” related and feared it was less marketable as the company’s tech stack became outdated.
He focused on DevOps-related skills, highlighting:
- clouds
- Kubernetes
- AWS
- Docker
- Terraform
- Jenkins
- related certifications
He accelerated learning rather than taking prolonged downtime.

CV/LinkedIn strategy

He updated and uploaded his CV quickly.
He applied broadly.

Timing observations

Early winter: slower job search.
By mid-January: job search improved.

5) Salary and expectations: “appetites must be curbed”

He describes a painful mismatch between his previous senior salary and what Prague/Czech employers now offer.
He claims many salaries comparable to his old level:
- no longer exist widely, or
- appear only under specific conditions (e.g., particular multinational pay bands).
He also notes he initially asked for too high an amount, experienced silence/no callbacks, and had to adjust.

6) Hiring process findings in Prague/Czech Republic

He reports a “surprisingly vibrant” hiring environment in infrastructure/DevOps roles:

He repeatedly emphasizes that DevOps/infrastructure work is still actively hiring.
He argues that narrow specialization (“I know one technology very well”) is less sufficient—candidates need broader programming/cloud context.

Additional points:

Russian citizenship alone did not automatically block interviews
- multiple companies still invited him
- he reports inbound messages even after he got hired
Education requirements are increasing
- Large employers increasingly require a diploma/bachelor’s degree.
- Examples he lists include: T-Mobile; Storage/others; Microsoft-related companies; Siemens; Dell; IBM.
- He stresses that his diploma was verified.

7) What helped him psychologically and professionally

He recommends:

Maintain knowledge continuously
- update the stack every few years
- change roles or at least interview every 2–3 years to keep skills calibrated
Confidence reset
- shake off imposter syndrome through proof of competence and repeated interviews
Have a Plan B
- side income/hobby
- part-time/manual labor option
- music released on Spotify
- possible app/VPN test projects
- even local service advertising

His final view: the market can change suddenly, and Plan B protects against abrupt unemployment.

8) Where he lands: Europe vs the USA

He contrasts the regions:
- Europe: described as more stable, conservative, humane, and reliable
- less sudden “mass-cut culture” than the US
He still expects layoffs in extreme cases of corporate loss, but believes European labor management is generally less aggressive.

Outcome

He ultimately lands a new role. He mentions Rockwell Automation as the employer where HR reached out after his LinkedIn activity.

He describes one onsite interview experience, and then reports that an offer came within about a month of his dismissal, with a start date around March 1.

Presenters / Contributors

Presenter / speaker: Unspecified individual (the subtitles do not provide a name).

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