xiaoqing blog2024 Year-End Summary: Letting Go of the Technology I Spent 5 Years Mastering
At 35 this year, I was laid off in March. It’s been a tough year, perhaps a turning point in my life. I’ve taken a courageous step forward to see if I can survive independently. So far, my efforts have been in vain, and I’m taking things one step at a time.
Difficult times are always agonizing. Be mentally prepared for a long period without income and start with what you’re good at.
If there’s something you really want to do, do it while you’re young.
With 2025 just around the corner, reflecting on the plans I made at the beginning of the year, I’d summarize them in one sentence: “50% completed, major plans abandoned, and life took a 180-degree turn.”
| Plan | Status |
|---|---|
| Blog front-end optimization | Completed with community-driven efforts |
| Algorithms and data structures | Spent two months, completed |
| Deep involvement in the open-source community | Found no benefits, temporarily abandoned |
| Source code research | Only completed Koordinator’s descheduler |
At the end of 2023, I already knew I was likely to be laid off. I thought that after being let go, my technical skills (three years of Kubernetes source code research, developing components, and participating in the open-source community) would land me a job. But the job market was so bleak that my job search was highly unsuccessful. Even internal referrals didn’t get me interviews—likely due to age and educational background.
Then I thought about how I’ve always wanted to be independent. Since I couldn’t find a job, I decided to finally do what I’ve always wanted. I resolved to give myself a year to see if I could make it on my own.
I haven’t truly given up—I’m still exploring how to monetize my knowledge. Kubernetes skills are valuable mainly to enterprises. The best-case scenario is to offer B2B services or software, followed by technical consulting or outsourcing. For developers or end-users, the most viable option is skills training.
Currently, Kubernetes is aligning with AI, focusing on running AI programs more efficiently. GPU scheduling is a key component, involving heterogeneous and virtualization and aiming to improve utilization rates. AI workload scheduling and optimizations, such as storage and model acceleration, are evolving toward customized solutions for large AI models. This has even given rise to concepts like AI Gateways.
I’m not particularly inclined to monetize Kubernetes skills through creating courses. Courses that make money often target beginners, like the example of the programmer Yu Pi. Those who want to delve deeper tend to have strong self-learning abilities. People with weaker learning skills are more likely to buy courses or join boot camps, but they generally don’t have much money (hence the prevalence of piracy and shared accounts).
Kubernetes knowledge is widely accessible online. If you can’t find something, you can ask questions in the community. Knowledge isn’t monopolized—it’s just that people don’t want “raw meat” and prefer pre-chewed content. They want quick results and maximum efficiency. The audience is small, and the instructor must have deep expertise, so few in-depth courses exist online. I think this is more suited for consulting work.
Considering the economic downturn, a sluggish job market, and the decline of cloud-native, the future seems uncertain. That’s why I prefer focusing on consulting, technical services, and software solutions.
1 2024 Recap:
- January: Hiked Hong Kong’s MacLehose Trail with a group of youngsters. The experience was memorable for its heat and unexpected challenges. After three days, we reached the Lion Pavilion (Stage 4-5) before retreating. It was more about experiencing Hong Kong’s natural beauty—next time, I’ll explore its mix of modernity and tradition.
- Chinese New Year: Continued studying Kubernetes source code, hoping it would strengthen my resume for the next job.
- Post-New Year: No year-end bonus and a new wave of layoffs—this time, I wasn’t so lucky.
- March: Reviewed algorithms and data structures, completing LeetCode’s classic 150 questions in two months.
- Job search: Tried internal referrals and various approaches, all to no avail.
- Helped a friend optimize his company’s server architecture.
- August: Decided to pursue independent survival. Tried creating fishing videos for a month but realized it wasn’t for me. Shifted to documenting my journey through spoken-word videos, posting sporadically to avoid pressure. I haven’t figured out my niche or intended audience and don’t plan to monetize through videos.
- Began updating my blog and WeChat public account, committing to at least one post per week.
- Inspired by helping community members solve problems, I added Kubernetes consulting services links to my blog and WeChat account.
Interestingly, when I decided to live independently, I bought $10,000 worth of Nasdaq stocks to see if I could outperform the market—it became a personal benchmark.
2 Reflections:
How to survive independently without the backing of a platform?
I used to think hard work could help me overcome the 35-year-old career crisis. But the truth is, you can’t fight the times. Age and education screening by companies are inevitable. Only by becoming an industry leader can you defy the trend.
Working a job is low-risk with stable returns. Independent survival is high-risk with high rewards, like comparing mutual funds to stocks. Stocks might leave you broke or make you rich—or you might just break even (better or worse than a regular job).
Knowing that working a job offers no future, I still chose to take a gamble while I’m young. Life should be about boldly exploring the unknown—don’t let yourself regret it when you’re old.
Even if I had a chance to join a major tech company, I’d likely remain a low-level employee, with limited career growth. Advancement is especially challenging during an economic downturn. If the market were good, someone might have reached out through my blog—but they didn’t.
The “tuition” for independent survival must be paid. No one else (like a company or investor) will cover it—it’s my responsibility.
If there’s something you really want to do, do it while you’re young.
3 Roadmap for Next Year:
- Explore digital nomad villages in different locations, including Dali, to find a low-cost lifestyle.
- Continue writing and updating my blog and public account, possibly continuing Kubernetes research and publishing technical articles.
- Post videos when inspired, identify user needs, and explore independent development.
- Engage with diverse people to experience different lives.
Difficult times are always agonizing. Be mentally prepared for a long period without income and start with what you’re good at.