The Automation Café

You’re probably wondering what the hell happened to me and why I stopped after two blog posts.

Truth is, this blog started as a project during a layoff to keep me busy, but with most of my energy going toward applying and interviewing, I had no motivation to write. What started as something exciting and purposeful quickly turned into exhaustion, imposter syndrome, and a lot of uncertainty.

In 2024, I was unemployed for seven months, and let me tell you, those were the hardest seven months of my life. Not only did I lose my job, but I lost my apartment too. I moved back to my home state and stayed with my sister for a while. Luckily, I had received an offer by that point and started work right away, but I wasn’t excited about moving back to Maryland and starting over. I didn’t know how to make friends, and honestly, I was terrified.

However, what I thought was the worst thing to ever happen to me ended up being one of the best.

At Axios, I was quiet. I kept my head down, focused on test automation, and worked really hard, but the truth is that very few people knew the impact I was making. I assumed my work would speak for itself, and unfortunately, that’s not always how things work.

In my most recent role, I did a complete 180.

I built QA functions from the ground up, introduced shift-left testing, taught teams best testing practices, implemented test automation, and honestly, did the damn thing. I stepped into an unofficial leadership role and just ran with it. I won two awards and received recognition from both my company and the client.

And the wild part? None of that would have happened if I hadn’t learned how to self-promote and allow myself to be seen. None of this would’ve happened if I didn’t get laid-off.

For a very introverted person, that was huge. I impressed myself and I grew significantly. More importantly, I learned how to advocate for myself.

Self-advocacy is essential, especially for women. Letting your work speak for itself can jeopardize your career. You have to allow yourself to be seen. Otherwise, you’ll struggle to advance and may find yourself among the first on the chopping block when layoffs happen.

The good news is that self-advocating doesn’t have to feel difficult, and you don’t have to pretend to be someone you’re not. One of the best books I’ve read on the subject is Brag Better by Meredith Fineman. It teaches you how to master self-promotion without feeling inauthentic. It’s not really a book you read once and put away. I find myself revisiting it often, and every time it feels like exactly what I needed to hear.

Speaking of timing, I recently experienced my second layoff (seriously… WTF?).

However, this time I was better prepared and landed an offer much faster than I did the first time. Here’s what I do differently now.

I allow myself to process it.

I don’t jump straight into job searching anymore. During my first layoff, I was on LinkedIn eight hours a day, seven days a week. I had a strategy that worked well for getting interviews, but it was obsessive and took a significant toll on my mental health.

I knew exactly when job postings went live, the best times to apply, and how to get noticed. I cold-messaged recruiters and commented on every post looking for a QA. Searching for a job became a full-time job, and it was exhausting.

I reach out for support.

I immediately called my mom and spent time with family and friends. I didn’t allow myself to isolate, and I kept going to the gym and taking dog walks with friends. I met up with coworkers who were also affected, and we leaned on each other during that time. We reviewed each other’s résumés, referred one another to recruiters, and advocated for each other like family.

Note: I’ve always hated when employers say, “We’re like a family here.” To me, it’s an immediate red flag. But the folks at RBR-Technologies really did become my family, and I will relentlessly advocate for each one of them.

I respond to each recruiter’s message even if I’m unsure about the role

Sometimes a role just isn’t the right fit, and that’s okay. I still stay in touch with recruiters because you never know what opportunities might come up down the road. I also treat every interview as practice, jotting down notes afterward so I can reflect on what went well and what I want to do differently next time.

I earn at least one certification.

This keeps me busy and gives me a little rush of dopamine and motivation. I decided to get certified in software testing, so I took the ISTQB, and I highly recommend it if you’re in QA. The Udemy course I took was excellent. 10/10 and can honestly be completed over a weekend.

I try to stay optimistic.

Instead of looking at layoffs as failures, I see them as redirection. Something better is coming that I’ve been preparing for; I just have to allow myself to receive it. I like to imagine that an exciting new role is already waiting for me, and all I have to do is be patient. I also remind myself that I’ve gotten through this before and I can do it again.

I allow whatever’s going to happen, happen.

If that means giving up my apartment and crossing state lines again, then so be it. I’ve learned to let go of control and not become too attached to people, places, or things.

At this point, I could probably write a book about navigating layoffs and all the lessons and self-reflection these experiences have forced me into. Maybe someday I will, but let’s commit to this blog first 😂.

Hell… I just realized I’ve been paying for it this whole time. Lol!

Final Thoughts

This blog was originally intended to be about QA and my unhealthy coffee addiction, but I realized that would only appeal to a small group of people.

Instead, I think it’ll focus more on career strategies, tech, life, coffee, and a sprinkle of powerlifting, since ya girl is a DEADLIFT CHAMP 🥇 now.

PEWPEWPEWPEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

If you made it to the end, sincerely, thank you. I hope this post was valuable.

If you’re currently going through a layoff, hang in there. Things won’t feel this hard forever. Keep showing up for yourself. Go outside, attend free social events, and meet people. Don’t go through it alone—you don’t have to.

Until next time ✌️