After spending 25 years working within the know-how business, a former Adobe software program high quality engineer has began working as a faculty bus driver after struggling to search out one other tech job. James Strawn, who relies in Colorado, was laid off from his function as a Senior Software program High quality Engineer at Adobe Digital Video in August 2025. Since then, he has been trying to find one other place however says the expertise left him annoyed and demoralised.
After greater than a 12 months of looking, he determined to take a very totally different path and accepted a job as a faculty bus driver along with his native faculty district. “After an extended, tough year-plus of searching for work and being demoralised and discriminated towards by the high-tech business, I am glad to share that my subsequent chapter has begun,” he wrote in a put up on LinkedIn.
The brand new job comes with a considerably decrease wage than his earlier know-how function, however Strawn mentioned he’s wanting ahead to the change. He described the work as satisfying and mentioned he has discovered his new colleagues “caring, sort and down-to-earth.”
“Subsequent week I begin my new and hopefully remaining profession as a faculty bus driver for my native faculty district. It pays loads lower than my earlier job, however it’s enjoyable, the children are good (largely), and my co-workers are caring, sort, and down-to-earth,” he added.
See the put up right here:
Strawn additionally thanked former colleagues and LinkedIn connections who supported him throughout his tough job search.
“To these at my earlier employer who handed me over, introduced me down, and finally laid me off: thanks as effectively, however solely since you confirmed me the door to a greater future. It is individuals such as you who make me glad I will be driving a 40-foot bus as an alternative of a pc. And to the potential employers and recruiters who blindly filtered out my purposes, ghosted me on direct inquiries, or by no means even bothered to indicate up for interviews: I hope this business can discover its approach again to treating individuals higher,” he added.
His put up struck a chord on-line immediately, as individuals known as out layoffs in tech and the ageism plaguing company tradition. One person wrote, “Driving a bus is simply as essential as your job at Adobe and so long as you do it with ardour, chances are you’ll impression somebody in a approach you did not anticipate. The company world is shedding nice individuals and we are going to see it within the generations to return.”
One other commented, “Youngsters deserve the perfect. Holding children protected of their travels is a excessive calling. I hope you discover further methods to put money into your self as effectively. On this life we have now one physique, and the whole lot appears to demand we spend time and vitality elsewhere. Cash is proscribed. Hopefully you’ve what it’s essential maintain.”
