Job search frustration

urg…no don’t do this. This is why devs get undervalued and often get their work taken with no pay.

Instead:

Do pro bono work for non profits you can write off
Work on contributing to open source projects

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  • Definitely the open source projects, or start some of your own and get other contributors.
  • Look at ways of mentoring, for example in this very community.
  • Look for nonprofits or not-for-profits that support causes you feel strongly about. When you offer your time or efforts, make sure to set your own reasonable limits!

I dropped out of a decent Computer Programming tech school back in 1991, and went on as a low-level graphic designer, then a hybrid network maintenance geek (read AV geek from back in high school, only more whiskers), then a network IT admin. Following that, I switched entirely to being tech support for graphic design firms (an off-site IT department for small companies), then building back-end (PHP and perl) apps, which led to learning HTML, and CSS, and javascript.

The education I got in college was valuable. It taught me that that was not my way of learning. Instead, I learned better by doing. I saw the challenges the people around me were having, and I sought to find ways to make their jobs easier.

I have been out of the industry professionally for ten years now. I’m working hard to break back in, but I know there are a lot more things I should be doing. It’s a process.

  1. Build (or rebuild) the skillset. The languages have changed, a LOT.
  2. Build a current portfolio. This means creating new stuff, even if it’s simply projects based on FCC challenges to start. Every couple months, add something new. New both in my portfolio, and new to me. keep it fresh!
  3. Network network network. Getting to codecamps or hackathons, posting answers to questions, going to Meetups in my area (or even out of my area, doesn’t hurt). Get to know people, and become known BY people.
  4. Become a voice of reasonableness. Rather than getting into a Pollyanna “rainbows and unicorns” mindset, or becoming a conspiracy theorist, recognize the reality. I have a LONG way to go before I get where I plan to be, but my biggest obstacle isn’t the recruiters or the boss or the cultural setting of the place – it’s me. If I can’t interface with people, for whatever reason, then I probably don’t belong there.

Sorry, that last point was largely due to the earlier hijacking. Annoying. I’ve sat on both sides of that table, and now I’m sort of under the table (and not in a good way). But I know, with my own effort, I can get back on top.

Nick, man, you got this. You got the skills, you got the portfolio, you got the network, and you seem like a sane and likeable dude. I believe in you, man! :wink:

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I apologize, I almost started in on the rant myself there for a minute. :wink:

Psst… Charlotte NC :wink: LOL. It’s becoming a big tech city- though I have a feeling it may become like Seattle, NY or SF in the future. There’s also Salt Lake City “Silicon Slopes”… A lot of startups there and some established companies as well.

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Ohhh yeah, Charlotte, that Raleigh-Durham area, Ive been hearing a lot about the tech there, its definitely in the top x lists for tech all the time. But…l swore Ivan would be my last hurricane so it would take a whooolle lot of convincing to get me back in that zone! lol unfortunate too, cause Ive visited Charlotte once and absolutely loved it there. Recently heard about SLC…but, I just can’t picture myself in Utah.

I guess for both cities, Im not making a focused effort to head there, but Im not closed off…and Ive never been one to pass up on a great opportunity if it crosses my path

I’ll put in my plug for Boston and the whole eastern MA thing. Cambridge has many startups, thriving tech culture, a lot of neat innovations are exploding on the scene here!

And less hurricanes. More snow than Charlotte though…

Lol yeah…the snow thing is a huge factor! That and the traffic…I love Boston (the place made me obsessed with lobster rolls) but maaaan…the traffic! Id have to be able to live across the street from work!

LOL well… I can say with the recent Hurricane Florence… Raleigh-Durham did get hit but mostly flooding. Same with Charlotte- saw mostly rain…including where I live (just north of Charlotte). The winds were fierce though- knocked a huge tree in the neighbor yard behind us down… into OUR yard! (I have pic proof lol).

*side note- Raleigh-Durham is about 2 to 2.5 hours north of Charlotte… Winston-Salem is in the middle- they have a lot of IT jobs also.

Really though I don’t think hurricanes often make it this far inland- the poor coast- Outer Banks etc get the brunt of it- we get the nasty heavy rains.

Another plus-- very little snow. We’ll get maybe one major storm that’s it… and snow is usually gone in a week or less. Says the Duck after the major storm in December that caused me to “nope nope nope” about driving to work lol.

:joy: Awe man, I almost forgot that it snows in NC too!! Yeeeah, both hurricanes and snow? Id have to get a really, really good offer lol

Well as a Northern Yankee transplant to NC from PA- I will say that being in NC is MILES better than being in PA as far as snow is concerned. Cold temps is the bigger yuck factor than snow…:slight_smile:
:snowflake: :snowflake::snowflake:

wow. I went ME to MA - them’s Northern Yankee!

I used to live in upstate ny, along the canadian border towards ottawa. My first winter there, I was hit by 3 cars cause of black ice. I lived on a cul-de-sac, and for about an hour most mornings, Id shovel snow along with my neighbors to the main road that was plowed so that we could all get to work.

Once I opened the door to a wall of snow, was totally blocked in from a snow drift, but my boss said if she made it to work I could too…gah!!!. After two years of that I moved back to San Diego and decided I was never, ever going to shovel snow again. Ever. :joy:

I dont mind cold at all though, NY and Korea hit negative degrees all the time but you get used to it… I actually would live in snow again.but Id have to live walking distance from my job. and even then Ill probably try to arrange being able to work from home! lol

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Funny thing is… with at least two of my jobs I lived very close to my jobs. My very first IT job all those years ago was in Colorado. I stayed with a friend for about 2 weeks until her (now ex) husband drove me bananas (he did not like me much…and their ugly lumpy assed sofa bed drove me away… I found an apartment right across the street from my work place lol. Most of the time I did walk… but cough I was known to drive on the insanely cold and snowy days…
Same with my last job in SC… less than a quarter mile away… I could have walked but there were ramps for I-77 and a taaaad dangerous to try crossing over . Sadly this was before remote/work from home became more acceptable. We had to beg to work from home :stuck_out_tongue:.

Ahem…sorry I probably derailed the poor OP’s thread… :blush:

haha you guys are lucky being doing 1.5 hours commute each way since senior high 10+ years

Crazy talk @Ducky! lol why on earth would you drive to work, across the street…in the snow?! :joy: Yeah, the remote work flexibility really is a huge perk of this industry for me…Im really happy that has gained some traction and is becoming more common.

@PeterWebDev unfortunately between population booms, roads that can’t keep up and crazy congested, along with the location of affordable homes, the 1.5hr commute is familiar for many people. In MIami, I had a nearly 1.5hr commute, even though my job was only about 20 miles away. When I got to Seattle, For my first few months I had a 3hr commute each way, 1hr of that was on the ferry and the scenery here is gorgeous, so at least it’s a pretty ride :slight_smile:

Id really like to be able to find a place to live close to work once I find a job…cause of living in Miami traffic (and my time as an uber driver) I dont have a car and dont want one for a long time!

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