Eggs, toilet seats and fundamental quality career advice - Ep 125

In episode 125 of This Week in Quality (Friday 27 February 2026), co-hosts Nataliia Burmei and Eamon Droko welcome the community for a wide-ranging conversation about careers, confidence, and the support systems that make tough work moments easier to navigate. Nat opens with a simple code of conduct reminder, “Be nice, be human, be supportive, be engaging, be fun,” setting the tone for a chat that mixes practical advice with plenty of warmth and humour, including confusion about a “fake Eamon” while the real one races in from a client UAT.

Fresh from the first MoT London chapter event of the year, Eamon shares highlights from a packed evening at RAM Space, praising the organising team and reflecting on talks that bridged disciplines, including a standout session on testing authentication. With Nat starting a new job on Monday and reflecting on time between roles, the conversation naturally turns to job hunting and how the market is feeling in early 2026.

Community members bring powerful perspectives. Maithilee shares how the job market is beginning to feel more positive than late 2025 and how staying active in the MoTaverse can make unemployment feel less isolating. Ady recounts two times he left roles without a clear next step, including the shock of having a signed contract rescinded at the start of the first COVID lockdown, and how community connections helped him recover quickly and find new opportunities. Shawn adds a “third-order connections” lens from sociology, highlighting how wider networks can surface roles you would never otherwise see. Gary celebrates a surprise shout-out from his CTO and shares a personal story about encouraging his daughter to leave a damaging work situation, which led to her landing a dream job in publishing. Preeti reflects on making the hard choice to leave a role in a tough market, and credits community learning, sessions, and one-to-one conversations for helping her rebuild strategy and confidence until offers came through. Finally, Judy offers the counterpoint of staying too long for stability, describing how it can be easy to ignore cultural warning signs until the breaking point forces a reset.

Along the way, the chat keeps things human with playful threads about eggs and other everyday moments, underscoring a key message of the episode. Careers are hard, job searches are emotional, and quality people need both practical guidance and community humour to keep going.