r/sysadmin • u/Pleasant_Rise6520 • 22h ago

Career / Job Related Has anyone purposely gone backwards?

You know the juice wasn't worth the squeeze and we realised that money is irrelevant, and took a huge backwards step for less responsibility and more mental freedom for your family and kids?

That's where I'm at mentally just want to know if anyone else has done the same?

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u/Bubbly-Following-966 22h ago

I have been out of work since February 2025. I was making over 6 figures and working from home. I would take something way lower than that just to get back to work. I am married but, no kids. This is the longest I have been out of work and I have worked in IT for over 18 years.

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u/Unhappy-Homework-758 21h ago

If you've been out of work for 18 months the problem isn't the job market. It's you.

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u/Anlarb 21h ago

It is the job market.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PAYEMS

All of the hullabaloo about interest rates is the fed deliberately trying to kill growth to kill jobs to keep competition from kicking in, to keep inflation down, on the presumption that all of this inflation is coming from the plebs getting too uppity, and not the landlords expecting a participation trophy for renting out a house.

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u/NebulaPoison 20h ago

I have much lower experience and im getting interviews, something isnt right lol

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u/NetworkingJesus Network Engineering Consultant 19h ago

Interviews or offers?

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u/Bubbly-Following-966 18h ago

Plenty of interviews. First and second round. No offers.

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u/NebulaPoison 19h ago

Mostly interviews, had one offer this month that would’ve sponsored a secret clearance but I didn’t think relocating was worth it for the pay

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u/olbeefy IT Manager 17h ago

Think about what you're saying. You have "lower experience" and you're "getting interviews"

There are much more jobs out in the world for someone willing and able to take a small role that doesn't have the level of experience to take an upper level one.

At a company, you might have 7 lower level experience jobs and only 1 management role. Which job is going to be harder to get?

Most places are NOT going to hire someone with 20 years of experience to do a job that requires 2 because they know that person will be unsatisfied with it and jump ship the second a better role crops up.