[fiat_fandango]

Could be worse, also 28 and I just got laid off after my first year of being a technical product manager. I have a somewhat scattered three years of dev experience prior, although around 2yrs was my longest stint.

Been applying to jobs for about five weeks and other than a few interviews nothing has kicked back. Either no response or flat out denied, contemplating just re-learning a bunch of leetcode stuff I hate. All of my friends make north of $200k and I've just been floundering.

Future does not seem bright - clearly my track record is a black mark of some kind.

Hope things get better for you my friend.

[doublerabbit]

Even if your getting a few interviews is something then nothing. How are you approaching these interviews?

Your track record is not a black mark, it's just a busy market out there. You have to pitch it just right to get it. Mangle the Tech Product Manager skills with your dev stuff. Interviews are tough and practice beforehand.

Ignore what your friends make because that will sour your mood.

[fiat_fandango]

Tbh, I kind of hated being a TPM - frankly it felt like a fake job and made me miss being technical. Unfortunately, I've just never been able to have the chops for leetcode interviews which is why I took the opp to transition to TPM and gain more leverage.

Fortunately, my friends who are better off are very supportive - in some of these interviews I can't help but think I sound desperate or maybe just annoying.

Thanks for your kind words