u/harmlesssheep

Will send u cool gifts daily !

I was impacted by October 2025 layoffs. It was emotional, but with the support of my Amazon network I was able to land another job pretty fast that paid more than what I was making as an L5 at Amazon. My manager and skip manager at Amazon had my back, with LinkedIn referrals and constantly checking in/leaving their doors open.

In a way, the layoff was a blessing because I was burnt out from my previous role at Amazon. I was already applying to new jobs because I couldn’t stand RTO.

3 months into this new role, I’m realizing I have everything I felt I was missing at Amazon but still miss Amazon. I have remote flexibility, high pay, free in-office meals, great benefits, and in general a very chill culture. However, I realize I’m not growing in this role very much. I do not feel like I’m “learning” or developing well. I’m 26 years old, and I feel like I should be using this time to grow my career as much as possible and learning vs. coasting. At Amazon, I had clear paths into other teams (product/GTM) I wanted to pivot into but at my new role, these pivots are far less common.

I literally have so many days where I just do absolutely nothing besides game at home, because there isn’t work to be done at this new role. I also don’t feel very connected with people at this new job since it’s basically fully remote. People lean younger and it’s been hard for me to find mentors as well, compared to when I had multiple at Amazon.

My skip at Amazon has reached out a few times about a new team she’s leading at Amazon- so have my former colleagues. I’m considering returning to Amazon because I feel it’s a fresh challenge, I’d get paid more as an external L5, and I’m realizing that while remote work is nice - I personally prefer some structure in my life and being able to talk to colleagues irl.

What’s your read? Would you recommend I return? Is it a bad look to leave a new role so early?