I had a good internship every summer through school and was about a year out of school working for a multinational media company when the layoffs came. It was c

I had a good internship every summer through school and was about a year out of school working for a multinational media company when the layoffs came. It was clear an adjustment was on the way so I'd thankfully secured a gig in health care where I hung out for the next two and a half years until I could make another move. Those brick-and-mortar companies were flush with talent as they were less impacted and benefitted from formerly hard to hire tech workers. It was at least into 2005 before things started to pick up again in the Seattle area such that you felt that you had any real latitude. Things are different today - many more robust tech employers in the Seattle area, especially in the city itself. Same rules apply though - just because you are minting money doesn't mean you should increase your spending, as what goes up always goes back down eventually.