layla

Today, I was impacted by Oracle's layoffs. It’s a strange feeling, but I’m incredibly proud of what I was able to build over the past 4 years, from intern to full-time and through my work in the developer community, and grateful for the experience, mentors, and teammates along the way.

I was an engineer, a PM and a developer advocate at Oracle New blog post on what that looked like, and what happened when it ended~ 🔗link below

I’m quite lean but tall, 5’9”. Like the other person said, some people just have big babies. I think it also has to do with if you + your partner were a big baby. My husband was almost 10lbs as as a baby, and so was I. So, it made sense our son was almost 10lbs too. Big newborn ≠ fat mother lmao so silly

@creosote_rain @pilatesdev @thegenesisbl0ck Some are, and obviously I don't know your exact circumstances, but it's not the norm. The norm is that fatter mothers have bigger babies: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC77…

My unpopular opinion is that if you’re healthy and metabolically aligned, pregnancy shouldn’t feel like the hell it’s made out to be.

@katedeyneka this is literally brilliant. i love video content but despise the editing process. nicely done Kate!

introducing Reelful from a camera roll to a finished reel in just 10 minutes live on the App Store now! by the end of the year, all short videos on the internet will be created with Reelful! the ending is so funny 🤣😀

Made a few tweaks to my personal website :) ~added social media metrics ~added a 'currently exploring' card ~tweaked my 'recent experience' + 'topics I write about' card ~added my up-to-date resume Check it out here: lay.codes/about

@LuizFariasDev thanks for reading + appreciate the kind words!

@pilatesdev Really nice to be able to read a little about your experience. Hope you find some place that can value your skills as you deserve

@Mythbus27219611 @defidivvy Yes! i’m grateful to have a few things in the pipeline

@pilatesdev @defidivvy Are you getting interviews ?

@CatholicAwesome omg I absolutely hated this thing! speed-wrapping it around yourself while you’re out and about or while baby is crying is torture 🤣

I left my regular carrier in the car so I pulled this out and wow I still hate this thing. If you’re pregnant don’t get this nonsense. 16 ft of straight BS.

@defidivvy thanks for reading + for the kind words! very excited to see where I land next 😄

"I liked being in the forum troubleshooting with real users and taking that context directly back into the codebase. I liked shipping a feature and then making the video that taught people how to use it. The breadth wasn't a burden ~ it was the best part." Liking and being good at development, sales engineering, and customer support is a rare skillset. You next title will be founder or co-founder.

@lovetesla2030 yes, typo! good catch

@pilatesdev You got layoff info on Mar-26th? I thought it was on 31st

@corewarrior thanks for taking the time to read, Sam! + appreciate the kind words 🚀

@pilatesdev Your post resonates with so many people Layla! Sorry this happened, but hang in there your talents will find a home soon enough! Thanks for sharing your article! Wish you all the best!

@darmstadiym :( sorry you had that experience! the learning curve with Oracle db can occasionally be steep

@pilatesdev ok. tbh, i never understood oracle. i used their database at two places i worked, and it didn't seem to work right

@UmerShafiq15390 good question! i do still think AI needs a lot of human interaction, intervention, and cross-checking. so, studying swe is definitely still a safe (and smart) move, imo!

@mrgeorgepenguin thanks you! much appreciated

@pilatesdev Hi @pilatesdev . Really appreciate you sharing these insights. Wishing you a lot of success in everything that comes next.

for the DevRel side, it helped that I walked into the Oracle role w/ a built-out social media presence I had already grown myself; I was happy to put it to good use + the PM duties came along because of my early involvement in the FreeSQL platform: I was there from the ground-up rewrite (ideation, roadmapping, infrastructure planning, UI outlines, feature creation, etc.), so I had a unique POV both inside and outside the product. hope that makes sense! 😁

@pilatesdev One thing i miss is, how is such elevation occur in first place, i mean it only happens if you have strong resources or you are extra smart, but i dont belive latter coz most people miss it! Any ways, best of luck for your future, i pray you prosper more!

@TexasTamieK so true, God bless Texas lol

Texas is the one state where you can dump chili into a bag of Fritos and call it a pie. Have the best day ever.

@EarnWhere @thegenesisbl0ck agh 12 pounds, that's a doozy, your poor wife! I'm guessing the smaller the baby, the easier the 3rd trimester is. Carrying a big baby just puts your whole body under stress + pain. All worth it in the end though, of course!

@pilatesdev @thegenesisbl0ck Our third was 12lbs and I watched my wife go through hell for the last few months despite being generally healthy.

@thegenesisbl0ck I think if my son would've been smaller/not nearly 10lbs, it wouldn't have been so rough! But, it's all worth it in the end, of course :-)

@pilatesdev Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience! :(

@ParmarShantun thanks for reading, Shantun ! and hmm, i think biggest takeaway is to know your full value - not just your job title. i didn’t realize how much i was doing until i had to explain it to the world post-rif 😆

@pilatesdev Oracle career arc—engineer to PM to Dev Advocate—offers rare enterprise perspective. Sharp post on the exit. Biggest takeaway for tech careers?

@hellonehha love this mindset<33

2.5 years ago, I left Oracle for a career break. we were living at rent and I had ~5 years of savings, so finances were covered. I was also on a Global Talent Visa, so staying wasn’t an issue. But plans changed quickly...within a week, I had multiple interview calls and offers. I chose Amazon despite the layoffs, thinking I had nothing to lose. Six months later, we bought our first home. Sometimes, what’s meant for you finds you...no matter the plan.

@armankhon straight up sabotaged us ;/

@pilatesdev those day in the life videos ruined us 😭

my company is literally paying software engineers to quit their jobs now, this market is beyond cooked.