I became officially unemployed last October 1, 2025. It wasn’t the most exciting news, especially for an immigrant here in Canada with a family of 4 depending on you. However, this season in my life has made me realize a lot of things.
The Morning Routine I Didn’t Know I Was Missing
Since me and my family came back from our vacation from the Philippines last August, my morning have always been hectic. I wake up, drink coffee, attend a 4am meeting and then disconnect from meetings by 11am. My wife would prepare everything for my son while also taking care of our infant. While I’m on a meeting, I would turn off my camera because she needs to leave our infant with me so she could take my son to the bus stop. She’ll then take our baby back when she comes back. Now? I wake up at 7am, make breakfast for my family, prepare my son for school, and walk him to the bus stop.
These sound like small things, and they are. But they’re the small things I’d been missing. I’m used to picking my son up from the bus stop in the afternoon but I would want to hurry back home so I can finish my tasks for work. But now, I take my time and capture every moment he exits the bus.
My kids are growing up fast, and I’d been watching it happen in snapshots. This month gave me something I didn’t realize I desperately needed, time. Not just quantity, but quality. Time to actually be present. Even the three minute walk to the bus stop is enough to gather my thoughts and plan out my day. I never knew that 3 minutes could be so long.
The Job Search Reality Check
Of course, I’ve been applying for jobs. A lot of jobs.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth, about half of all my applications have been automatically rejected. No phone screen. No human conversation. Just an automated email saying “we’ve decided to move forward with other candidates”. It stings. Each rejection is a small blow to the confidence, even when you know the market is tough and the competition is fierce.
But somewhere around week two, I had a realization: I could keep throwing applications into the void, or I could do something different.
Building Instead of Just Applying
I decided to build. Not just building on myself by upskilling, but also building stuff that are meaningful to me.
If companies weren’t going to give me a chance to show what I could do, I’d show them anyway. I’d create things. I’d learn. I’d prove to myself (and eventually to them) that this time wasn’t wasted.
So I:
- Created kendoce.com – my own corner in the internet. It might not be the best personal website out there, but this is a place where I can freely express my thoughts.
- Started vibe coding two apps – WiKatha and mithi.io. These are both my passion projects that I’m genuinely excited about. Whether these projects will earn money or not, I know that these apps will bring value to me and my family someday. (I’ll create a blogpost for these apps soon)
- Started to upskill on AI – whether we like it or not, AI will be doing most of the stuff for us. It is not just a fad. In fact, the AI that we’re seeing today is the evolution of what’s been present for years thanks to the brilliant minds of multiple engineers. So I decided that I will transition myself from being an Engineering Manager to an AI Engineering Leader. To do this,
- I attended the Google Devfest 2025 to surround myself with people who build things and solve problems. This experience reinforced my decision to pursue this path.
- I am currently going through the Google Generative AI Leader course. This will give me a stable footing as I deep dive into the AI field.
- In the following weeks, I will be deep diving into tensorflow to have more technical understanding of agents and ML, and I will also deep dive into flutter for mobile app delivery.
There’s something energizing about building and upskilling, it’s proof that I’m not stuck. I’m not just waiting for someone to rescue me with a job offer. I’m moving forward.
What I’m Learning
This first month has taught me a few things:
Being unemployed doesn’t mean being unproductive. There’s a difference between having a job and having purpose. Right now, my purpose is to be there for my family and invest in my own growth.
Rejection is data, not destiny. Every automated rejection tells me something about the market, about my approach, about where I might need to adjust. It’s feedback, even if it’s impersonal.
Creating something is therapy. When the job search feels overwhelming and the uncertainty creeps in, I build. There’s something deeply satisfying about making something from nothing.
Looking Ahead
I don’t know when the right opportunity will come. I still get the occasional existensial crisis jitters. But having things to look forward to make me increasingly okay with that uncertainty.
This month has reminded me that I’m more than a job title. I’m a father who can now pick his kid up from the bus stop. I’m a builder who’s creating apps because I want to, not because a sprint planning meeting demands it. I’m someone who’s learning to find meaning in the in-between.
Month one, complete. Onto the next.
What’s helping you through career transitions? I’d love to hear your story.