Getting fired is not that big a deal. Employers do everything in their power to make it a big deal. But the truth is, Developers (the good ones) are in such high demand, that it grates employers to no end, we are a liability to be needed so much, so they use psychological tricks to get us to act like begging dogs. To be thankful just to have a job. It's not the case, we have all the cards, if we just open our eyes.
They need you more than you need them. If you are not happy at your job, GTFO, you'll find another in no time and kick yourself for not doing it sooner.
Just needs a bigger ego. Whenevery I get laid off (actually just the once) I assume they are fools to do it, they must have no idea how great I am, I'm going to a better place.
True or false, its the right attitude to take with you. The alternatives - like a year of depression - are awful, and self-inflicted.
Until the business cycle corrects and demand is down. But that is the argument, that the growth of demand for developers (region dependent) will now continually be on the up and up versus a down / up, down / up.
Seemed work was hard to come by (as far as picking any position, leaving any position) by my programmer friends as well as during my Tech Recruiting (no longer) days in '08-'09 (late '09+, power shifted to the talent vs companies).
Relocated many, many persons to Utah (majority, other areas also, uprooting families, etc.) during that period of whom appeared, and stated they would not have relocated if the market was not so depressed for talent in their area (the Valley, Texas, NC, the East Coast, all over).
Getting fired itself is not a big deal because companies rarely give bad references. A bad reference not only makes a defamation suit a slam-dunk, but it puts them at a severe disadvantage in a he-said/she-said termination suit, and those can run into the millions.
Being unemployed in a down market (regardless of the kind of termination) is bad, and short job tenures become damaging after a while. Also, if there isn't a severance package, it can hit you financially. 2-4 months without a salary is a pretty serious cost.
So I'd generally agree with what you are saying-- the probability that getting fired will seriously fuck up your life is low-- but being fired is still best avoided.
http://thisdeveloperslife.com/
Getting fired is not that big a deal. Employers do everything in their power to make it a big deal. But the truth is, Developers (the good ones) are in such high demand, that it grates employers to no end, we are a liability to be needed so much, so they use psychological tricks to get us to act like begging dogs. To be thankful just to have a job. It's not the case, we have all the cards, if we just open our eyes.
They need you more than you need them. If you are not happy at your job, GTFO, you'll find another in no time and kick yourself for not doing it sooner.