I don't really regret quitting - I was getting pretty depressed at my previous job, and not working at all was a vast improvement. I perhaps could've persuaded myself to jump back in 3-6 months earlier, before the job market fell off a cliff.
Actually I lied, I was laid off at the height of covid (company folded), I just decided to take a long sabbatical and try other things rather than going right back to a job; looking after family (kids were off school for almost a year), side projects etc. I also don't regret the time doing other things, only the lost opportunity to make bank and I suppose the 'not-a-wage-slave hole' in my CV, but now I need money sooner than expect, for reasons.
Most jobs themselves do not appear to have become much more attractive since last time, to say the least, and on top of that, it seems they've turned recruitment into some kind of hunger games competition.
I think in general the level of trust and loyalty workers are going to be willing to give will be much reduced, let's say, so I think this little game, and I do think it's game rather than necessity, is going to cost them in the long run.
Reminds me of recent WSJ article, laid of WhatsApp engineer saying he isn’t applying to anything in this environment:
“ Competing with thousands of other workers for positions he suspected might not actually get filled or getting a lowball offer didn’t appeal, so Mr. Moynihan has instead been leveraging his strategic partnership skills to help clients on a project basis at a rate of $300 an hour.
“It’s a cautionary tale for the titans because I do think amazing talent is being dispersed into smaller tech companies that eventually end up competing,” he said.“
