Sure, but only if you are still in the business and can communicate with those people, but there's so much interference by the point of time that this happens t

Sure, but only if you are still in the business and can communicate with those people, but there's so much interference by the point of time that this happens that everything is paralyzed. The price tag must still make that worthwhile too, something that hasn't been reflected in reality so far. If you made 70-80k in 2020, you would need to at least be making 90-100k today just keeping pace with purchasing power/inflation. Instead you have companies low balling people with decades of experience at 50k on top of that 25% loss in purchasing power since 2020, so your only making 37.5k in 2020 dollars. The math simply doesn't pan out, and that's not taking into account the higher tax rates either. If you've been searching for work, have the experience, and there have been zero opportunities, for a significant period of time, the competent people change careers and move on, cutting their losses on what amounts to a bad investment. The only people remaining in the pool being the barely competent, and cost increasing. This sieves until no one remains because of those factors leaving the sector voluntarily or involuntarily. You do have to be able to put bread on the table after all. Also its a technical field, there is a natural level of skill atrophy if you aren't actively using your knowledge and skills everyday because of no demand. You still have them just because you use them even when you aren't working, but its not quite as quick. The problem is when you hit that critical point, where there are no opportunities despite a competent specialized skillset, and great need but no demand because the problems are a problem for next quarter to the point no effective reaction can occur from management. This leads to collapse. It happens in labor multiplier fields first (IT) which then touches everything else. Its not business as usual, its the fall after a three generation boom cycle finally hitting bust. The praxis inherent in the profession then become lost knowledge along with other doom spirals.