You are right, as codegeek commented this is a different time. I'll keep improving my skills and keep looking at the opportunities.

Thanks for the advice, I will definitely check "whos hiring" next week.

Good point, definitely the demand for these jobs and our tech dependent lifestyle is completely different nowadays than 2 decades ago, that didn't crossed my mind... it really gives me a new perspective

You are totally right, I really appreciated their honesty. As mc32 stated, if I was hired, in case of recession as a recent hire I would one of the first ones to go. The PM asked me if I would like to get contacted in the future to continue with the process in case things get better, to which I replied yes. I'll keep an eye on them.