Why January is the BEST Month to Apply in Tech
(at least in 2026)
Hello, Hoodies!
I just had a conversation with someone who was joining the bootcamp, and I had a realization:
January is always a great month to apply, but this year is different. Not only is the market good, but we have no idea what the market will look like in September.
Let’s break down a typical month of hiring based on this chart I made in MS Paint (OGs will understand)
The y-axis is hiring and the x-axis is the month.
In January, hiring is HOT
Then it tapers down until June and suddenly DROPS OFF
WHY??
Because executives are people too. And they have kids. And their kids are on summer vacation, so they leave with them, two weeks at a time, to add to the Florida traffic.
But then in September, hiring SURGES
We call this the September Surge
BUT
There’s one key distinction…
WARNING: this gets political, but not opinionated. I don’t know anything about politics and neither do you. My job is to read the tea leaves to help YOU better plan your career moves.
So that one key distinction for a strong September Surge…
IT DEPENDS ON THE MARKET BEING STRONG
If something were to happen, like a random trade war with China
That tanks the stock market
That window would be GONE
WHY???
Because companies WANT to hire folks to do projects before end of year and fill out their budgets.
But if the stock market tanks
Investment freezes up
Projects get put on hold
And hiring stops
Until when?? Until things feel safe again for investors to reinvest their money into the economy
IF THAT HAPPENS
Your year of hiring would look like this
Let me be clear
This IS NOT a prediction
This is simply a possible reality
And independent of politics, you might love or hate what the Trump Administration is doing. I don’t really care. My job is to help YOU make the best decisions you can with the best available data.
Do I think this is likely? No. Why? Midterms. If the stock market tanks right before the election next year, it will hurt Republican votes. Hence, I think the goal of the administration will be to play it as cool as they can to maintain “The highest stock market price ever”
Is that a guarantee that they won’t pull a card or two that upends everything? HELL NO. Trump is still Trump, and love him or hate him, he will do whatever he thinks is best.
So what’s the takeaway or YOU????
DON’T WAIT
RIGHT NOW these are EXACTLY the market conditions you want:
Inflation is stable
Fed just cut rates
Stock market is up
TECH IS UNDERHIRED due to the government shutdown, which is why we’re seeing active hiring three weeks into December
You literally couldn’t ask for a better situation than this going into 2026. Seriously, there’s nothing else I would realistically want to see. It makes me CRAZY EXCITED for my students!
“Ok, Evan. So what’s the pitch?”
Start today. Like TONIGHT today. Start watching Professor Messer. Start a Jason Dion Udemy course. Start practicing Network+ flashcards. Join our free skool community. But whatever you do, JUST START.
But I will caution you…
If you want to make the cut, you need to be READY to apply as an A1 candidate by APRIL. That’s 90 days of hard work so you have the breathing room to find the right job for you before June.
You *may* do this on your own. And God bless you if you do.
But it’s a gamble. If you’ve never helped someone start a career in IT, it’s a STEEP learning curve.
We take all the guesswork out. Follow the program. Get results.
If you want your best bet at starting a career in 2026, go book a free 10 minute call with me to see if you’re a good fit.
That’s all for now.
Let’s ALL start our careers in 2026!
Cheers,
Evan Lutz (BowTiedCyber)