​ Almost one year ago. ​I remember when they announced layoffs at my company at that time. It wasn't immediate—it was a process. By the end of 2025, I was free. ​My position was Software Architect in the automotive industry, working on planned new electronic modules. You could call it an embedded engineering job. ​ At first, I was relieved. After about two weeks, I finally felt unstressed. I started to feel genuinely relaxed—a feeling I hadn't experienced in nearly 9 years. ​Then, I started working on something completely illogical for a modern career transition: playing with ancient 8-bit PIC16F microcontrollers. Small RISC-type chips with 30-35 assembly instructions and a single working register for main operations. Beautiful, simple, and pure. ​After that, I structured my weeks around different hardware platforms: STM32, ESP32, modern C++, Raspberry Pi Pico. I wanted to keep learning while waiting for a new job opportunity. ​But as more time passed, I kept waiting. ​While former colleagues sent out dozens of CVs a week, I held back. Why? I don't believe in finding a job by spamming applications when 100 or more people are applying for the exact same position. During this time, I had only two opportunities where recruiters reached out directly with offers—nice, but the landscape had changed completely. Different industries, different dynamics. ​ I stopped believing that the automotive software market would bounce back a long time ago. Still, I hoped something similar would open up in embedded systems, IoT, or edge engineering. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. ​To me, the traditional IT job market I once knew is dead. Don't get me wrong—I knew people were losing jobs at big tech companies. But automotive felt different: cars still need to be built, modules still need software. I had hoped I could pivot fully into desktop/systems C++ (since I’m very experienced in C), but lacking professional C++ exposure on paper turned out to be a massive barrier; in automotive embedded systems, we had relied almost solely on C. ​At the same time, accessible AI tools have opened new doors. I’m not even paying for premium subscriptions—just using free tools like Gemini or running open local models. ​And that made me realize the answer to "Where do I find a new job?" ​Maybe the answer is: Create one yourself. ​I see talented engineers accepting massive pay cuts or searching endlessly for any opportunity just to stay in the loop. Why do we, as engineers with 6 to 10+ years of domain experience, struggle so hard to build our own products? ​That’s the core problem, isn't it? Corporate life doesn't give us the space or mindset to create our own things, so we never learn how to do it. Corporations systematically absorb our energy while paying comfortable money, leaving us highly specialized, but completely detached from real independence. ​Instead of hoping to find a new corporate job, why not try building something on your own? I know it’s old hat, but it took me almost a year to reach this conclusion. ​I don't mean building the next Google or IBM—not even close. For me, it might mean earning a living through handyman work (I love repairing physical things and I’m good at it), combined with small web freelancing or local technical projects. On paper, tech companies won't hire me for those fields due to a "lack of direct commercial experience." But I no longer care about keeping a traditional IT job. I believe the traditional software engineering path will shrink dramatically, eventually keeping maybe 10% of the workforce it once had. ​Of course, building your own path isn't easy. But switching your daily routine away from endlessly checking LinkedIn job boards to fixing real problems with your hands and mind is, at the very least, far less depressing. More than anything, I realize that by stepping away from the corporate machine, I am finally returning my life to my family. ​What do you think? Have you experienced a similar shift in perspective recently? Regards, Daniel