After 25 Years at a Tech Giant, Now Laid Off and Working as a Bus Driver

James Strawn worked at Adobe as a technician for 25 years. He was then laid off after spending a quarter of a century in several departments of the company. Most recently, he served as a Senior Software Quality Engineer in the Adobe Digital Video division. His main task was overseeing quality assurance for a number of projects covering the Adobe application suite, including AI integration in editing software, as well as user accessibility.

Last year was his final year at Adobe. After being laid off, he chose a job far removed from his old profession: becoming a school bus driver. “After more than a long and difficult year of job hunting, and experiencing demoralisation and discrimination in the high-tech industry, I am pleased to share that a new chapter of my life has begun!” he wrote in a post on his LinkedIn account.

He acknowledged that his salary is much lower than in his previous job. However, he finds being a school bus driver very enjoyable because the children and his colleagues are very kind. In the post, James also mentioned Adobe. In his view, the treatment he received from his former company actually steered him towards a better future.

“To those at the company where I previously worked who ignored me, put me down, and ultimately fired me: thank you, but only for showing me the way to a better future,” he wrote. “People like you are the reason I am happy to be driving a 40-foot bus rather than controlling a computer,” he continued.

James also conveyed a message to employers who had ignored his applications, urging them to treat job seekers better. “To the prospective employers and recruiters who filtered out my application, ignored my direct questions, or did not even show up for interviews, I hope this industry can find a way to treat people better,” he said.