Hi Reader,
How is it going?
A lot of people have been telling me lately how hard it is to find a job right now. Hiring has clearly slowed down.
Here in the Netherlands, I recently heard that one of the largest banks plans to cut more than a fifth of its workforce by 2028.
Most of these layoffs happen under labels like “restructuring” or “improving efficiency and competitiveness.” And honestly, I get where the pressure is coming from. The economy is uncertain, and AI and automation forcing businesses to stay lean and efficient just to survive.
But if you’re on the other side of the equation trying to break into tech or build a long-term career, the picture isn’t very encouraging.
What we’re seeing now feels like the slow death of the traditional “career ladder,” or at least it's now broken. You can no longer expect to go to university, get an entry-level job, get promoted to senior, and so on.
A degree no longer guarantees an entry-level role. And even having a job doesn’t guarantee you’ll still have it next year.
AI has hit entry-level roles particularly hard. LLMs can already do many of the tasks young graduates used to be hired for: writing basic code, analyzing spreadsheets, drafting simple reports.
If you’re just starting out or trying to pivot into tech, that makes things much tougher.
What I think the future looks like
Exactly 10 years ago, when I was fresh out of university with zero experience (and, honestly, a pretty boring CV), I volunteered to help my professor on a side project for two months - totally unpaid.
That experience became my ticket to an internship through his recommendation. And that internship later turned into my first entry-level job.
Now things are definitely different, and harder now for sure. But there's something I still believe in: being proactive. Taking initiative. Starting small.
If I were job hunting today, I’d focus on getting small freelancing projects for individuals and small businesses first. Even projects that don’t pay much, or at all. They are important building blocks for my portfolio. I always think of these small gigs as people paying you to learn stuff and build your real world experience. Not a bad deal! 😎
These days, it’s no longer enough to build a “toy” AI chatbot. You need to show that you can build end-to-end systems: from data ingestion to deployment, that solves real problems. For example, instead of just saying you can build a RAG chatbot, show that you can deploy it using Azure or Google Cloud, with proper monitoring in place.
If no one is hiring you yet, you can create a personal project just to learn new things.
A friend and former Python course student recently told me:
“I spent the last two months working on a FastAPI project. I tried to build a simple CRUD application, and along the way I learned how to manage a PostgreSQL database and deploy applications using Heroku, Ubuntu, and Docker. It was really hard at first because it was my first time working on something like this.”
She’s now actively asking around for freelancing projects. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if she starts landing gigs very soon.
Another friend built a content website (with help from AI) for his AI consulting business for small businesses. He told me he learned a ton just by building it.
Of course, freelancing isn’t for everyone. But once you’ve built some experience and confidence, you have options. You can continue freelancing, or you can find a job with a much higher chance of success.
I believe the safest bet is taking your career into your own hands instead of leaving it entirely up to some employer.
Focus on creating value and on building things that genuinely help other people. Learn a little every day.
And my favourite: put a personal/ human touch into everything you do! 🧐
P.S.: Work with me
If you want to learn how to code, build AI applications from the ground up, and actually understand what’s happening under the hood - I’ve built a program that guides you through all the fundamentals of Python, Machine Learning, and AI.
You’ll join a community of 400+ learners learning to build AI projects, supporting each other, and getting direct access to me along the way.
P.P.S.: A little thank you! ❤️
I really appreciate all the kind and thoughtful replies to my last life update email. It truly meant a lot to me! 🤗 I wanted to share that my baby was born well and healthy (although two weeks later than expected, so I was super stressed at the time!).
I’m doing well too and almost fully recovered from the delivery. Really excited to slowly get back to creating new content again. ☺️
Best wishes to you and your family!
Thu
