Ask HN: V2 – Laid off folks, are you getting hired yet?
Been a few weeks since last posted. How goes the hunt?
187 comments
I was laid off about a month ago (senior software engineer). I remember the whole job search for my last position, back in June 2021, lasted all of about two weeks. This time, it feels like there's significantly fewer interesting positions open, and the ones I apply to aren't even leading to HR screening calls. I've probably applied to about 30 positions.
The one place that did call me back gave me their take-home coding test, but their automated grading system said I failed, so they sent me a rejection email with no details about what their automated system didn't like about my code and then never responded to my request for more info.
I've really enjoyed the first month or so of unemployment, getting to hang out more with my spouse, do hobbies, work on the house, etc., but the anxiety about running out of emergency fund runway is slowly creeping in. We've got about another 4 months before things get really dire, not accounting for unemployment checks. With UI, we can probably double that before we'd need to dip into investment accounts.
For sure a more fortunate position to be in financially than most get, but it's still really unnerving not knowing when/if I'll get another interview. I've been consistently employed full time since the moment I graduated high school (about 10 years ago), so this is literally the first time I've ever not had a job in my adult life.
The one place that did call me back gave me their take-home coding test, but their automated grading system said I failed, so they sent me a rejection email with no details about what their automated system didn't like about my code and then never responded to my request for more info.
I've really enjoyed the first month or so of unemployment, getting to hang out more with my spouse, do hobbies, work on the house, etc., but the anxiety about running out of emergency fund runway is slowly creeping in. We've got about another 4 months before things get really dire, not accounting for unemployment checks. With UI, we can probably double that before we'd need to dip into investment accounts.
For sure a more fortunate position to be in financially than most get, but it's still really unnerving not knowing when/if I'll get another interview. I've been consistently employed full time since the moment I graduated high school (about 10 years ago), so this is literally the first time I've ever not had a job in my adult life.
Yeah I think it’s important to remember that we aren’t terrible failures, but the market has shifted completely. I’m entering my second month of looking really hard (30+ applications a month) and have only had a few interviews so far.
For my last job I sent out a few lazy applications in early Jan 2021 and was debating which of 3 offers I wanted to take a few weeks later.
I’m a better engineer than I have ever been, it’s just a rough market. Hopefully everyone has the savings and emotional fortitude for a long job search.
For my last job I sent out a few lazy applications in early Jan 2021 and was debating which of 3 offers I wanted to take a few weeks later.
I’m a better engineer than I have ever been, it’s just a rough market. Hopefully everyone has the savings and emotional fortitude for a long job search.
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I'll just repost one of my previous comments. Slight update: I'm now completely broke and living off of my girlfriend's income. (It feels horrible to say that out loud)
--- older comment below ---
Was laid off in August while working for a US-based company. My first layoff in a 10-year career. Still looking for a job. I'm broke. As in "can't pay my bills next month" broke. People are hiring but remote jobs are hard to find. (I have family responsibilities and cannot relocate)
I did find jobs. People who took 7 rounds of interviews then never released an offer letter. AFTER verbally confirming that I'd gotten the job. This has happened thrice now. I started with asking for $5000/mo (last drawn). But now, I'm willing to work for anything that pays the bills.
I'm in dire need and at my wit's end.
--- older comment below ---
Was laid off in August while working for a US-based company. My first layoff in a 10-year career. Still looking for a job. I'm broke. As in "can't pay my bills next month" broke. People are hiring but remote jobs are hard to find. (I have family responsibilities and cannot relocate)
I did find jobs. People who took 7 rounds of interviews then never released an offer letter. AFTER verbally confirming that I'd gotten the job. This has happened thrice now. I started with asking for $5000/mo (last drawn). But now, I'm willing to work for anything that pays the bills.
I'm in dire need and at my wit's end.
My condolences to hear that your confidence is broken.
The previous time I was unemployed, I got rejected 7 times in a row. I found my humility and accepted a job doing PHP for a bunch of bullies at my career starting salary.
This time I started out with pretty low hopes, but lined up 5 interviews in a week, went with the first offer in two days, and changed my mind with the second offer after one more day, ticking more boxes. I needed people to tell me I was aiming too low, because of bad memory.
I’m trying to say, I was pretty broken the last time, and my confidence turned me into a job repellant. I hope you get paid soon, so you can heal your confidence. The bad voices turn this into being about something it’s not.
The previous time I was unemployed, I got rejected 7 times in a row. I found my humility and accepted a job doing PHP for a bunch of bullies at my career starting salary.
This time I started out with pretty low hopes, but lined up 5 interviews in a week, went with the first offer in two days, and changed my mind with the second offer after one more day, ticking more boxes. I needed people to tell me I was aiming too low, because of bad memory.
I’m trying to say, I was pretty broken the last time, and my confidence turned me into a job repellant. I hope you get paid soon, so you can heal your confidence. The bad voices turn this into being about something it’s not.
Got laid off mid-January from a smaller unicorn. 4+ YoE. I applied to ~80 places (mixture of cold applications and referrals), got to first rounds with maybe ~20, ended up with 5 offers (and pulled the plug on a few interviews due to fit or lack of interest.) 4 were startups of varying sizes, 1 was non-FAANG big tech, which I ended up taking for stability and WLB. Total time from getting laid off to signing the new offer was about 5 weeks.
Overall, I think things went ok for me because I have a fairly solid resume and a great network to lean on, and was able to do well in interviews. I also mostly applied to senior SRE and infra roles, which sounds like it’s harder to hire for than general SWE.
Overall, I think things went ok for me because I have a fairly solid resume and a great network to lean on, and was able to do well in interviews. I also mostly applied to senior SRE and infra roles, which sounds like it’s harder to hire for than general SWE.
Makes sense that more specialized roles took less of a hit. I have to imagine the layoffs involved lots of generalists but they probably were not slashing their SREs.
Nope, it's pretty bad. Out of maybe 40 applications I've had 2 interviews, made it to round two for one of them, no offer.
LinkedIn positions get 150+ applications within hours. For the first time I got nearly zero response from HN Hiring as well.
I think the issue is everything is skewing wildly towards senior roles, even non-senior roles are getting inundated with 200+ applicants that are over qualified.
If you're like me and have 3yrs of (FAANG and growth stage startups) SWE and 1yr of product eng / TPM'ing you're basically fucked. Hard to tell if I've fucked my career (by not just working at one company with my longest tenure being 2yrs w/ zero resume gaps)or if the market is just not great rn.
I've been staying afloat consulting for a friend's startup - granted SVB probably just nuked any chance of their series A actually happening.
Future is very bleak atm - but thank god I have cash to live on.
LinkedIn positions get 150+ applications within hours. For the first time I got nearly zero response from HN Hiring as well.
I think the issue is everything is skewing wildly towards senior roles, even non-senior roles are getting inundated with 200+ applicants that are over qualified.
If you're like me and have 3yrs of (FAANG and growth stage startups) SWE and 1yr of product eng / TPM'ing you're basically fucked. Hard to tell if I've fucked my career (by not just working at one company with my longest tenure being 2yrs w/ zero resume gaps)or if the market is just not great rn.
I've been staying afloat consulting for a friend's startup - granted SVB probably just nuked any chance of their series A actually happening.
Future is very bleak atm - but thank god I have cash to live on.
>If you're like me and have 3yrs of (FAANG and growth stage startups) SWE and 1yr of product eng / TPM'ing you're basically fucked.
I hope you find something soon, but let's be realistic here, claiming SWEs with FAANG experience on the resume are "fucked" is some real extreme hyperbole.
If you could pass the engineering hiring bar at FAANG, surely you can do an approximation of how many people with 4 years of career experience don't have FAANG on their resume, aren't engineers, or both. You have an advantage over nearly all of them.
Like others have said, networking/connections are key, but that's still true even when the job market is hot.
I hope you find something soon, but let's be realistic here, claiming SWEs with FAANG experience on the resume are "fucked" is some real extreme hyperbole.
If you could pass the engineering hiring bar at FAANG, surely you can do an approximation of how many people with 4 years of career experience don't have FAANG on their resume, aren't engineers, or both. You have an advantage over nearly all of them.
Like others have said, networking/connections are key, but that's still true even when the job market is hot.
Maybe in the sense that the firehose monthly paycheck cannot be found at another company so I have to agree with you that the parent's comment seems very distorted.
Parent, try imagining a career like mine: 16+ years of working for startups that paid in the $60K ~ $80K range. Now feel better about yourself.
Parent, try imagining a career like mine: 16+ years of working for startups that paid in the $60K ~ $80K range. Now feel better about yourself.
In many places in the world even with comparable economies you'd earn less.
Get LinkedIn premium and msg the recruiters for the job. I have a non FAANG profile and am regularly collecting offers doing that.
Going through the resume pile is work. The recruiter would rather not have to do the work and get a hire in the job.
Going through the resume pile is work. The recruiter would rather not have to do the work and get a hire in the job.
Will do, thanks for the tip. I'm somewhat tempted to start grifting Blind and just paying for recs.
Hang in there. I’d say your experience is pretty good. Maybe try AB testing your resume structure and wording, improving social media, etc.
Whenever I've seen a situation with low supply/high demand, networks trump credentials
Totally agree, fortunately I have a decent network to draw from. Unfortunately, I have to refresh leetcode to take up friends who have rec's to offer + most of those friends work for orgs that have completely frozen hiring pipelines.
Network could be better though, going to spend the week at a friend's in Austin at SXSW to accelerate potentially growing the network at cringe founder events. Yes, I'm that desperate.
Network could be better though, going to spend the week at a friend's in Austin at SXSW to accelerate potentially growing the network at cringe founder events. Yes, I'm that desperate.
For me, when hiring someone, I want to have a track record with them. Having known them over a long period of time helps me be less guarded and more sure of their intentions.
This also applies if the person is a friend of a friend — building a “network” just means knowing people who can vouch for you as a valuable and trustworthy person.
The ability to build relationships and be stable over time is a merit.
This also applies if the person is a friend of a friend — building a “network” just means knowing people who can vouch for you as a valuable and trustworthy person.
The ability to build relationships and be stable over time is a merit.
So you're looking to hire people you know and people you don't know don't have a chance to be hired? I don't know how to distinguish this from nepotism.
I wouldn't say that networks trump demonstrated ability (I prefer that to "credentials" because that's what credentials are a proxy for), but in any economic environment, your network is as valuable as your demonstrated ability. This is for many very rational reasons.
> I wouldn't say that networks trump demonstrated ability (I prefer that to "credentials" because that's what credentials are a proxy for)
That's not what I said. To emphasize my own comment:
> Whenever I've seen a situation with low supply/high demand
In context to the GGP I was making reference to improving resumes when the labor market is over-saturated. Many orgs will sooner hire someone who's been vouched for than to sift through 100s of Github repos and contact 100s of references. They might not be as good as the best candidate in the pool, but the expense of verifying that might be too much, especially if they don't have the bandwidth to do that (e.g., HR staff, time from tech staff). And in times like these, candidates will be just leaping out of their networks.
That's not what I said. To emphasize my own comment:
> Whenever I've seen a situation with low supply/high demand
In context to the GGP I was making reference to improving resumes when the labor market is over-saturated. Many orgs will sooner hire someone who's been vouched for than to sift through 100s of Github repos and contact 100s of references. They might not be as good as the best candidate in the pool, but the expense of verifying that might be too much, especially if they don't have the bandwidth to do that (e.g., HR staff, time from tech staff). And in times like these, candidates will be just leaping out of their networks.
>situation with low supply/high demand
https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/video/unemployment-rate...
https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/video/unemployment-rate...
Any suggestion for boosting that when you live in a non tech city? Spam LinkedIn cold messages
If I were you, I'd go out and talk to people. Talk to friends in the industry. Go to tech meet ups. Even your neighbors might know someone who knows someone. If you can be adaptable, and self-promote, you might even find opportunities to help non-tech orgs improve their systems. If you're like me, and social skills aren't innate, it might take some exposure therapy, but as long as you maintain a friendly and positive attitude, that will register. It's all about building trust.
name-form(2)
> Hard to tell if I've fucked my career (by not just working at one company with my longest tenure being 2yrs w/ zero resume gaps)or if the market is just not great rn
Take it from an old-timer: your career is still far too young to be fucked.
Take it from an old-timer: your career is still far too young to be fucked.
Have someone look over your resume and see if it can't be improved in areas like readability.
I work as an AI research engineer, so I’m having a totally different experience than the others I’m seeing here. Job market is very very strong for senior AI roles. Multiple offers that were >2x what I was making at a BigTech research lab (depending on how you value the equity). Interview process was much easier than I was expecting- mostly situational interviews (although I was referred in for those).
Having said that, many places refused to interview me because I didn’t have experience with LLMs. I was surprised how strict some places were with experience requirements.
Having said that, many places refused to interview me because I didn’t have experience with LLMs. I was surprised how strict some places were with experience requirements.
> depending on how you value the equity
Zero.
Value the equity at zero.
Or at most value it like a lottery ticket - something that lets you amuse yourself dreaming about what you’ll do when you “win”.
But make all your ongoing plans assuming they equity will be worth zero. Either because the startup fails, or because you get screwed out of any payout by the founders or board, or by future investors insisting on deals where early employee equity gets diluted and preferenced down to zero. Or even occasionally because they intentionally never have a liquidity event and stay private with no available way to monetise your shares. Those, or exits where employees make at most “new car” money not “fuck you” money, are by far the most common.
Do a startup if you want, they can be amazing ways to gain an incredible amount of experience to add to your resume in a short time, they can be a great fun work style at least for a while, they can be great at finding out who amongst your co workers are genuinely super talented and productive people and building networks with them.
But don’t fall for the “yeah, we’re paying well below market, but look at how generous our option grants are!” snake oil recruitment pitches…
Zero.
Value the equity at zero.
Or at most value it like a lottery ticket - something that lets you amuse yourself dreaming about what you’ll do when you “win”.
But make all your ongoing plans assuming they equity will be worth zero. Either because the startup fails, or because you get screwed out of any payout by the founders or board, or by future investors insisting on deals where early employee equity gets diluted and preferenced down to zero. Or even occasionally because they intentionally never have a liquidity event and stay private with no available way to monetise your shares. Those, or exits where employees make at most “new car” money not “fuck you” money, are by far the most common.
Do a startup if you want, they can be amazing ways to gain an incredible amount of experience to add to your resume in a short time, they can be a great fun work style at least for a while, they can be great at finding out who amongst your co workers are genuinely super talented and productive people and building networks with them.
But don’t fall for the “yeah, we’re paying well below market, but look at how generous our option grants are!” snake oil recruitment pitches…
Salary was still 2x FAANG comp (and roughly equal to my FAANG TC). So I’m fine taking the equity bet under those circumstances. I agree with you though. One company valued their equity at 3x (!!) what it was worth in October.
(I guess you missed the context)
I don't think the same can be said of FAANG equity, which is the context this was in: while it is still a good lesson to treat it as worth zero, you can regularly exchange it for cash at market prices.
I don't think the same can be said of FAANG equity, which is the context this was in: while it is still a good lesson to treat it as worth zero, you can regularly exchange it for cash at market prices.
LLMs have been interesting - I need to update my resume to focus on it. I have experience working on models like that since 2018 and are frankly less interesting than some alternatives (to me).
My guess is a lot of companies / hiring managers are searching for key terms. Screening is likely not from people who know what they’re talking about
My guess is a lot of companies / hiring managers are searching for key terms. Screening is likely not from people who know what they’re talking about
Yeah, it was dumb. One company gave me an offer to lead engineering for their LLM team and another wouldn’t even interview me because I didn’t have any LLM experience.
Clearly one of them was wrong.
Clearly one of them was wrong.
Obviously there’s a profitable side hustle here.
Train yourself an LLM on resumes that land interviews and offers, and sell access to it…
:-)
Train yourself an LLM on resumes that land interviews and offers, and sell access to it…
:-)
Sounds like the differentiator here was the company not the resume
Same, feels like it's time to get the magic acronym on the resume too.
> I’m having a totally different experience than the others I’m seeing here
I also feel like you have a different perspective. It's not just about the actual experience.
Some complain about how hard it was to get a job, when they just needed a few weeks or months to get one.
They were also surprised to have been turn down by some companies, which is healthy. You can't match everywhere. You're not qualified on everything. Job ads are minimalist to ambiguous, so tech teams have to do a lot of filtering to make up with what HR published. You may also want to apply outside of your comfort zone, because you don't risk anything,...
Also, some seem surprised to have to interview. While 8 is definitely too many, it makes sense to do some, when you apply for positions with experience. You're no longer graduate, they want to know about you.
I was also surprised by users who reported to have a lower wage now, which is probably still much higher than the median income in the USA
Such views don't picture a weak market, but a more realistic market. We're mostly among well paid tech industry workers here, so we can complain about the processes. But out of respect for most workers who earn up to the median wage, it's not decent to call these times a difficult job market.
I hadn't fully realise what kind of bubble the tech jobs used to be over there, before reading this thread.
Anyway, gg for getting a nice job.
I also feel like you have a different perspective. It's not just about the actual experience.
Some complain about how hard it was to get a job, when they just needed a few weeks or months to get one.
They were also surprised to have been turn down by some companies, which is healthy. You can't match everywhere. You're not qualified on everything. Job ads are minimalist to ambiguous, so tech teams have to do a lot of filtering to make up with what HR published. You may also want to apply outside of your comfort zone, because you don't risk anything,...
Also, some seem surprised to have to interview. While 8 is definitely too many, it makes sense to do some, when you apply for positions with experience. You're no longer graduate, they want to know about you.
I was also surprised by users who reported to have a lower wage now, which is probably still much higher than the median income in the USA
Such views don't picture a weak market, but a more realistic market. We're mostly among well paid tech industry workers here, so we can complain about the processes. But out of respect for most workers who earn up to the median wage, it's not decent to call these times a difficult job market.
I hadn't fully realise what kind of bubble the tech jobs used to be over there, before reading this thread.
Anyway, gg for getting a nice job.
Are we talking 7 figure offers? I was under the impression that $500k packages were not uncommon for AI researchers at Google.
I’m assuming that "AI research engineer" implies a PhD, but I’m curious what your progression was. How long were you in academia before moving to industry research?
4 year BSc + 1 year MSc. Experience matters much more than having a PhD. Lots of people without phds at the big ai research labs as engineers. I’d say it’s uncommon for engineers to have phds (although almost all have masters).
Do folks still expect you to keep up with research papers as an ML engineer?
Yeah, you should be familiar with the state of the art in your field. You don’t need to be as strong with theory though as Research Scientists.
I’m a web dev and I’m wondering if there is really any practical way of levelling up to become an ML Engineer. Seems there are ‘schools’ out there but based on what I read on Hacker News these places won’t remotely prepare me to make that transition.
Not complaining just would appreciate some of your thoughts on what are good options to consider to make that leap.
Not complaining just would appreciate some of your thoughts on what are good options to consider to make that leap.
TBH the code behind generative stuff is "fairly" simple, I made a GAN for my Masters degree back in 2019 that produced 16x16 tile assets for x-bit styled videogames. The rough part is CREATING the math that supports the learning models, its very easy to implement it after the fact. If you have a strong data structure foundation, and are decent with math then it shouldn't be a hard transition to pick up ML. It's the flavor of the year and everywhere you look schools are hustling for your money, can't say I've tried any of them/have an opinion of them so GL with that.
Are your offers mostly from startups?
I want to move away from ML but this might be a bad time for it.
I want to move away from ML but this might be a bad time for it.
A mix of startups, smallish research labs (that is, smaller than Google Brain/FAIR/DeepMind), small, profitable AI companies.
I focused on smaller companies as that’s what I wanted. Bunch of larger companies were hiring though.
I focused on smaller companies as that’s what I wanted. Bunch of larger companies were hiring though.
Just saw on your profile that you were a senior research engineer at DeepMind. That might be why you’re getting showered with offers and not necessarily the state of the job market for ML.
Got laid off in October, worked on open-source projects, two of those ended up in the front-page, got contacted and signed an offer this month. I felt like shit and spent too much time getting baked, but it's over now.
Nice job. It can be brutal getting to where you want to be, enjoy what you accomplished, not everyone understands.
Urban dictionary was handy for that one.
I also didn’t know that. For others like us:
> get baked
> Smoking a larger than normal quantity of marijuana, usually resulting in a good few hours of laziness, desire to eat fast food (or junk food) and/or fall asleep.
> get baked
> Smoking a larger than normal quantity of marijuana, usually resulting in a good few hours of laziness, desire to eat fast food (or junk food) and/or fall asleep.
Um, I just wanted to let you know that I had never considered that anyone didn't know that slang.
So, thank you for that data point. There's such a big world out there!
So, thank you for that data point. There's such a big world out there!
Seriously. How has someone not gotten high at least once in their life?
I haven’t. I drink socially, but never used anything else. But that said, I knew what “baked” meant in that context.
Drug slang is incredibly regional, so "baked" is common in the US but not elsewhere.
Don't forget the fluent L2 English speakers that don't necessarily know all the slang out there
I’m speaking of the state of being high not of the word. I expect even native English speakers to not be aware of all or even most colloquialisms. I certainly don’t.
People get high without knowing the term “baked”. That’s a culture/age-specific term.
I've been too socially inept to know how to get some and would probably be too scared to do it even if I got some. I took DARE and I've seen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
So not that it really matters, and not that you have to consume drugs you don't want to, but its legal in a huge chunk of the US now (assuming you're in the US since you took DARE). It's very likely that you're withing driving distance of a legal store - where you can just buy it like any other product. Even more likely that you'll vacation somewhere its legal otherwise.
Cannabis specifically is a very easy drug to try for two reasons- the dispensaries usually cater to first timers, and it's a pretty "low intensity" drug in normal doses. The dispensaries that sell it know that a huge chunk of the population isn't familiar, and its pretty standard to ask an employee "I've never tried this before, what do I do, what should I buy, and what should I know going into this" and they'll be super helpful and give you solid advice. It's their job, and they're prepared for it. If you asked someone at a liquor store how to prepare to drink for the first time they'd laugh or roll their eyes - and this is nothing like that.
Don't feel pressured to do drugs if you don't want, but don't feel scared. That goes for anyone on the internet reading this - don't feel scared, go into the store and try to learn if you're curious, but don't feel pressured to partake.
Cannabis specifically is a very easy drug to try for two reasons- the dispensaries usually cater to first timers, and it's a pretty "low intensity" drug in normal doses. The dispensaries that sell it know that a huge chunk of the population isn't familiar, and its pretty standard to ask an employee "I've never tried this before, what do I do, what should I buy, and what should I know going into this" and they'll be super helpful and give you solid advice. It's their job, and they're prepared for it. If you asked someone at a liquor store how to prepare to drink for the first time they'd laugh or roll their eyes - and this is nothing like that.
Don't feel pressured to do drugs if you don't want, but don't feel scared. That goes for anyone on the internet reading this - don't feel scared, go into the store and try to learn if you're curious, but don't feel pressured to partake.
Counterpoint: be a little scared. Mild curiosity is not a good reason to try cannabis. (1) Some people are more sensitive than others to THC, and, worst case, you can end up hospitalized. (2) Smoking anything is bad for your lungs.
If you really want to do it, try low grade edibles; do it in the presence of a friend so they can get you medical help if you need it. Only a small number of people will have a problem, but don’t take stupid chances with your body and mind, people.
If you really want to do it, try low grade edibles; do it in the presence of a friend so they can get you medical help if you need it. Only a small number of people will have a problem, but don’t take stupid chances with your body and mind, people.
Hmm I don’t know. I don’t like scared as an emotion here, and i think this reply is mildly fear-mongering. Be skeptical, be discerning, be cautious- especially when putting something in your body.
That said, there’s really few cases of cannabis use going poorly, especially in the context of other drugs (alcohol, tobacco) and their documented harm. I’m not a doctor, I’m not a lawyer, etc so do your own research, but it is most likely a safe activity at a “normal” dosage for the average person.
> If you really want to do it, try low grade edibles; do it in the presence of a friend so they can get you medical help if you need it. Only a small number of people will have a problem, but don’t take stupid chances with your body and mind, people.
I do agree with this. Edibles are good because you don’t have to smoke, but bad because the affects can take upwards of 2Hr to hit. it can be hard to dose and many people get impatient and take more and then they don’t enjoy the sensation. There’s almost no documented case of overdosing especially in the context of amounts someone might buy, so that’s not likely a concern, but just having a bad time is likely. Do it with friends - it’s also more fun that way. Most people don’t turn 21 and start drinking alone, so don’t do this alone either. Establishing a sober medical monitor type relationship for taking a small edible is a bit extreme but don’t be alone.
That said, there’s really few cases of cannabis use going poorly, especially in the context of other drugs (alcohol, tobacco) and their documented harm. I’m not a doctor, I’m not a lawyer, etc so do your own research, but it is most likely a safe activity at a “normal” dosage for the average person.
> If you really want to do it, try low grade edibles; do it in the presence of a friend so they can get you medical help if you need it. Only a small number of people will have a problem, but don’t take stupid chances with your body and mind, people.
I do agree with this. Edibles are good because you don’t have to smoke, but bad because the affects can take upwards of 2Hr to hit. it can be hard to dose and many people get impatient and take more and then they don’t enjoy the sensation. There’s almost no documented case of overdosing especially in the context of amounts someone might buy, so that’s not likely a concern, but just having a bad time is likely. Do it with friends - it’s also more fun that way. Most people don’t turn 21 and start drinking alone, so don’t do this alone either. Establishing a sober medical monitor type relationship for taking a small edible is a bit extreme but don’t be alone.
> Some people are more sensitive than others to THC, and, worst case, you can end up hospitalized.
How? For an adult human, marijuana is one of the safest substances out there. Easily safer than alcohol. Don't drive or operate heavy machinery and you'll be fine.
What percentage of people end up in the hospital from it, and how?
I'm not sure I'd recommend edibles for a first-timer. The high lasts a fairly long time, so if you don't like the feeling it's kind of annoying. Having a friend is always a good idea though.
How? For an adult human, marijuana is one of the safest substances out there. Easily safer than alcohol. Don't drive or operate heavy machinery and you'll be fine.
What percentage of people end up in the hospital from it, and how?
I'm not sure I'd recommend edibles for a first-timer. The high lasts a fairly long time, so if you don't like the feeling it's kind of annoying. Having a friend is always a good idea though.
There are tradeoffs. It's a lot easier to manage your dose for edibles vs smoking. Edibles and smoking do have qualitatively different effects though.
I haven't. Although I definitely know what 'getting baked' means.
I think there are plenty who haven’t, probably lots for religious reasons. But to not have heard that term is very surprising. There’s even a movie, half baked.
I am not aware of any major religion that outright bans cannabis consumption. If anything, it is probably the fact that cannabis possession has enough of a chance to derail one’s life via the judicial system in many places around the world so that people do not want to risk it.
For example, the Bible bans this based on at least two premises (although interpretation/enforcement varies between churches). Ephesians 5:18 commands Christians to not be drunk, based on other passages like 1 Corinthians 6, this is commonly extended to anything that inhibits your mental faculties for pleasure. Romans 13 commands Christians to obey the authorities, and cannabis is currently federally illegal in the USA.
what were the projects ?
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Also interested. My email is in my profile.
hey mhalberstram, I am interested in knowing them too. My email is in my profile
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As a CTO the number of unsolicited inbound emails from recruiters with fawning profiles of potential candidates is not like anything I have seen before. I think it’s a signal that very highly paid engineering leaders are not able to find jobs like they had before easily.
I thought it was just me. LinkedIn, emails, calls from recruiters. It’s extremely aggressive.
Think it’ll change at some point?
We are profitable but in hiring freeze as we wait to see what happens. We were going to IPO last year but decided to delay because the market sucks. Interest rates need to stabilize and the IPO market needs to thaw before sentiment changes.
People don’t get it because money was so cheap for so long, but the key word here is venture - this is extremely risky stuff. Adventurous. Uncertainty and low success rate is supposed to be standard.
People don’t get it because money was so cheap for so long, but the key word here is venture - this is extremely risky stuff. Adventurous. Uncertainty and low success rate is supposed to be standard.
If you don’t mind me asking, are y’all doing anything to provide liquidity to common shareholders until an exit event? Aggregating ground truth around what “almost IPOs” are doing.
Yes, we are going to be repricing and giving amazing terms to vested employees
It's like night and day from a year ago. I've known some very high quality people who had to do 8 onsites to get one offer (and obviously a lot more applications, recruiter calls, and tech screens to get those opportunities). There are still jobs out there but companies know they can be very very picky right now and will reject you for the smallest reason.
But HackerNews comments told me everybody makes $300k-$500k/yr working remote
Per year? No mate, that's per month...
But on the other hand rent in SF (which is where I do my remote work from) is high, so I can't get ahead.
But on the other hand rent in SF (which is where I do my remote work from) is high, so I can't get ahead.
If you're making 6 million a year then rent--even in SF--should be manageable.
Friend, I feel like it was a joke
Lack of any edit indicator, copied quote, or /s does make me wonder sometimes. Would prefer most humor be left to Reddit.
I did that many and more pre tech winter.
Laid off in October. Was making $130k as a mid-career embedded/C++/Python guy in LCOL USA. Supposed to start new job this Monday for $80k as an IT backend Java software developer at a University.
Been a very, very rough few months. The new pay will be difficult to service my debt properly.
Been a very, very rough few months. The new pay will be difficult to service my debt properly.
What does starting a new role this coming week mean for you looking for jobs - will you continue searching or just hunker down for a bit?
Will stick with this for at least a year. I can take classes for free at a top tier university, which I love. Planning to use it to try to get into a well ranked masters program and then maybe FAANG? Pipe dream maybe, I went to a third tier university for a different engineering degree and got about a 2.9 GPA there.
But I absolutely love learning and am excited to take courses. Just hard to decide which 1 course per semester to take.
Maybe also see if I can help with some research in EE or CS or computational biology.
But I absolutely love learning and am excited to take courses. Just hard to decide which 1 course per semester to take.
Maybe also see if I can help with some research in EE or CS or computational biology.
Product designer, 10 years experience. Laid off mid-December. Recruiter screens and hiring manager interviews have picked up somewhat, but it’s still proving very hard to get into late-round interviews. I have only my third portfolio review in nearly three months coming up next week – here’s hoping.
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I'm attempting to enter this field at possibly the worst time, with the worst qualifications. No YOE, no degree. I do have friends in the field that may be able to help but it's far from guaranteed.
Only thing I have going for me is that I have many years of non-professional programming experience and multiple great open source projects but at this point, I think my only hope is accepting anything. Any pay, any location, remote or in person. I'm already working near minimum wage jobs, so it's probably better to work something relevant on a resume.
I'm also in Canada so, it was sparse to begin with.
Only thing I have going for me is that I have many years of non-professional programming experience and multiple great open source projects but at this point, I think my only hope is accepting anything. Any pay, any location, remote or in person. I'm already working near minimum wage jobs, so it's probably better to work something relevant on a resume.
I'm also in Canada so, it was sparse to begin with.
Also look at companies that aren't obviously software companies. Manufacturing, Transportation, Energy, etc., all need programmers, too. And many of those jobs are more interesting than you'd think.
My head places are all the rejecting me too. Particularly in manufacturing it seems they want people with domain experience: MES, etc.
In my local city, that's what most of my postings are for too. So, I'd be very open to that.
This is why I told my friends to get a community college degree at the least.
In times of prosperity, you can and do get hired without a degree. But when the industry takes a nose dive, you will get skipped over for candidates who do have a degree.
In times of prosperity, you can and do get hired without a degree. But when the industry takes a nose dive, you will get skipped over for candidates who do have a degree.
I got my first job at 19 after the dot com collapse, I was hired _because_ I had no work experience, no degree, and no expectations of salary (I was hired on minimum wage, though). They wanted a few people with no understanding of what it was like before the crash.
I hope you find something!
I hope you find something!
I do find that hopeful. I assume the hardest jobs at the moment would be the senior positions. These companies still need projects moving but also don't have much cash to pay, so the senior are first to get axed. At least, in my thought.
I have a brother whos a licensed electrician. When he was doing his on-job training, he always had steady work but once he got his full license and pay raise, he found himself getting laid off every year. The company would get less work for the winter and they axed the seniors right away.
I have a brother whos a licensed electrician. When he was doing his on-job training, he always had steady work but once he got his full license and pay raise, he found himself getting laid off every year. The company would get less work for the winter and they axed the seniors right away.
> I think my only hope is accepting anything
This is the answer. Consider it a paid internship, do it for 15 month and then go make double somewhere else.
This is the answer. Consider it a paid internship, do it for 15 month and then go make double somewhere else.
That's how I'm treating it. It seems once you get certain YOE you can be more picky. I'm already working minimum wage jobs, so this isn't a complete change of direction or life style anyways.
look at government jobs and universities. maybe non-profits.
That's a good idea. I'll look into that
email me @ [email protected], hiring, interested in what you say, in Canada
I was laid off a month ago, senior frontend engineer. I've reached out to my network and have been talking to various startups, but it seems like most of the bigger companies do not want to bite.
Compounding that is my desire to keep working remotely, or somewhere local to the DC metro area, so many of the same opportunities that would be available to me in the Bay area, had I remained there, are closed to me, because they're using a hybrid model.
I'm not in much of a rush, and I'm hopeful that I'll find interesting work with some startup.
Compounding that is my desire to keep working remotely, or somewhere local to the DC metro area, so many of the same opportunities that would be available to me in the Bay area, had I remained there, are closed to me, because they're using a hybrid model.
I'm not in much of a rush, and I'm hopeful that I'll find interesting work with some startup.
...You're in DC, NSA is in MD, CIA is in VA. The amount of contracting work in your area is ridiculous. As for non-major contracting companies, Amazon and Microsoft fork over silly bonuses for cleared workers, but that in itself is your barrier to entry... Can you pass an investigation? If so... go roll around in contractor money, there's no hiring freezes or layoffs right now.
I just interviewed a developer for a senior level front end position and they couldn't print a 2d array to the console. They apparently worked on a large web application and wrote typescript everyday.
What I've known for years, I'm finally seeing first hand: There are way too many people out there that should never have been engineers in the first place.
This is a rebalancing. Those who are competent will always be hired. Those who are are not, the jig is up.
What I've known for years, I'm finally seeing first hand: There are way too many people out there that should never have been engineers in the first place.
This is a rebalancing. Those who are competent will always be hired. Those who are are not, the jig is up.
Sounds more like you flustered someone then got all condescending and arrogant.
I'm sorry but if someone is trying to get a job with the title, "Software Engineer" in it and they cannot do a nested for loop (the slow O^2 solution) I don't know what to tell you other than that person is not fit for the job.
In terms of basics it's akin to "fizz buzz".
In terms of basics it's akin to "fizz buzz".
> (the slow O^2 solution)
whats the fast solution
whats the fast solution
> couldn't print a 2d array to the console.
> should never have been engineers
that's a challenge for a technician, not an engineer's role.
I know plenty of engineers who can tell you how cars work, what customers like, how they should interact with the cloud, what functions make them safe,... They are ok at designing new models. But they would 100% feel distressed if they had to check their oil or tire pressure.
Also, knowing how to properly print an array is probably something you can find on the internet, when you're not familiar with the specifics of a language. So it's not even a relevant skill to test for a technician.
Secondly, "Those who are competent" is a terrible thing to hear from a recruiter. You usually hear that from mismanaged companies with no introspection nor continuous improvement process, who judge the candidates and absolutely not themselves nor their processes and job ads. They think that competence is an 1 dimensional absolute value, and interview you in java for a C# position, turn you down because you don't know the number of ports available in ipv4, or make you play games with dominoes.
or in that case :
> senior level front end position > console
you think all developers know how to develop console applications.
Unfortunately, a console application is pretty specific, uses specific packages and methods, and you never need that when you work on GUI apps or web apps. This question would have been a relevant if you wanted a sysadmin or a devops engineer to do scripts. But it is not relevant to interview a front end developer. FE developers have a knowledge of frameworks to build interfaces, as their title indicate. They don't do scripts for the console.
"It's not the job ad, the position, or the interviewing processes that are flawed. That candidate was definitely not born competent but had to learn his job, and we only want naturally skilled persons here" aka >Those who are competent will always be hired. Those who are are not, the jig is up.
that's a challenge for a technician, not an engineer's role.
I know plenty of engineers who can tell you how cars work, what customers like, how they should interact with the cloud, what functions make them safe,... They are ok at designing new models. But they would 100% feel distressed if they had to check their oil or tire pressure.
Also, knowing how to properly print an array is probably something you can find on the internet, when you're not familiar with the specifics of a language. So it's not even a relevant skill to test for a technician.
Secondly, "Those who are competent" is a terrible thing to hear from a recruiter. You usually hear that from mismanaged companies with no introspection nor continuous improvement process, who judge the candidates and absolutely not themselves nor their processes and job ads. They think that competence is an 1 dimensional absolute value, and interview you in java for a C# position, turn you down because you don't know the number of ports available in ipv4, or make you play games with dominoes.
or in that case :
> senior level front end position > console
you think all developers know how to develop console applications.
Unfortunately, a console application is pretty specific, uses specific packages and methods, and you never need that when you work on GUI apps or web apps. This question would have been a relevant if you wanted a sysadmin or a devops engineer to do scripts. But it is not relevant to interview a front end developer. FE developers have a knowledge of frameworks to build interfaces, as their title indicate. They don't do scripts for the console.
"It's not the job ad, the position, or the interviewing processes that are flawed. That candidate was definitely not born competent but had to learn his job, and we only want naturally skilled persons here" aka >Those who are competent will always be hired. Those who are are not, the jig is up.
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But it could be just temporary, I mean when the market finally shifts everyone will start advocating "learn to code" again.
Laid off in Jan (Senior Frontend Developer 7years exp) and took a few weeks off after getting laid off . I just cannot find an interview right now. I apply daily to around 5-10 jobs. It is making me question my skills as a developer. I never maintained an active github profie and seems like that was a mistake. Anyone has a remote job for frontend developer please help.
Yeah, if I needed a front end dev I’d ask to see your portfolio. And for a senior role it has to be strong.
Bare in mind that this thread is going to be biased towards people who are struggling since they are more likely to share their plight.
Also bare in mind that the geography is going to make a big difference to your experience. Different countries are experiencing the recession in different ways and are at different points in the journey.
Also bare in mind that the geography is going to make a big difference to your experience. Different countries are experiencing the recession in different ways and are at different points in the journey.
I’ve been posting where helpful, but early stage companies are still hiring!
If anyone is struggling and is on the mid/senior/director side of their career (3+ yrs), I'm helping place people at my friends' Seed and Series A companies. Email me at j{at}markovmanagement.com if I can help ya!
If anyone is struggling and is on the mid/senior/director side of their career (3+ yrs), I'm helping place people at my friends' Seed and Series A companies. Email me at j{at}markovmanagement.com if I can help ya!
I hope this isn’t something to say in bad taste but do you think the whole SVB debacle will have an impact on that?
I've been hiring fairly steadily. The level of talent that is applying has definitely increased. My hiring managers are able to be way more picky, and people are accepting first offers at a higher rate.
There's toug competition for those looking to be hired.
There's toug competition for those looking to be hired.
I'm based in the UK with ~15 years experience as a professional web developer.
I lost my job early Jan and found a new role by early Feb. It was difficult though. This was the first time I've ever experience recruiters ghosting me. I hustled like crazy to find my current role and I think I got quite lucky honestly.
Every time I see these threads I feel the need to remind people that no one's circumstances will be the same. Experience and geography are two very important factors in our industry. There are jobs out there, and if you can beat out a few other candidates you'll probably do fine. If you can't do that then you may struggle.
I lost my job early Jan and found a new role by early Feb. It was difficult though. This was the first time I've ever experience recruiters ghosting me. I hustled like crazy to find my current role and I think I got quite lucky honestly.
Every time I see these threads I feel the need to remind people that no one's circumstances will be the same. Experience and geography are two very important factors in our industry. There are jobs out there, and if you can beat out a few other candidates you'll probably do fine. If you can't do that then you may struggle.
congrats on finding a new job !
> Experience and geography are two very important factors in our industry.
yeah, I was wondering to what extent they mattered. Like to what extent you should be willing to relocate or wait for an open job in your area ? And to what extent you should apply for the same job, or switch to a totally new job. I've usually been very quick to relocate and to get a new job, even underpaid bc I didn't have experience.
But after just a few years, I believe I'm already paid more than if I continued on my first job. And there is a margin for progression, as the company still sees me as a beginner.
Did you have to relocated ? or to get a new job ? or you're keeping your routine in what you're already good at ?
> Experience and geography are two very important factors in our industry.
yeah, I was wondering to what extent they mattered. Like to what extent you should be willing to relocate or wait for an open job in your area ? And to what extent you should apply for the same job, or switch to a totally new job. I've usually been very quick to relocate and to get a new job, even underpaid bc I didn't have experience.
But after just a few years, I believe I'm already paid more than if I continued on my first job. And there is a margin for progression, as the company still sees me as a beginner.
Did you have to relocated ? or to get a new job ? or you're keeping your routine in what you're already good at ?
How's the situation remuneration-wise. Did you have to sacrifice pay?
I've only seen entry level positions being hired lately (across APAC). Market is very dry and layoffs continue across the industry.
people i knew got one or two years contractor with 10% more pay increase right away, i was offered more than that for two year contractor at meta twice so far but i prefer staying at where i am.
we are all decades experience in embedded system,this field seems to be more aging proof? i am not sure.
Embedded took a huge hit recently. Google and Amazon uninvested significantly in IoT.
embedded is more than IoT though, I don't know how many embedded engineers Google has, seems not a lot as its consumer hardware are probably outsourced. Amazon does make it own devices and have quite a lot embedded engineers, from my circle, not a single engineer was let go so far, and I know more than 10 of them in various locations and departments.
problem with embedded is that it was paid less than SWEs, maybe that's another reason it's "easier" to have jobs.
problem with embedded is that it was paid less than SWEs, maybe that's another reason it's "easier" to have jobs.
Google does not outsource their consumer hardware design and software. Yet.
Took a year off and have been trying to get a job for the last 3 months. It’s been crazy. I’ve applied to over 50 jobs and have only got a few interviews.
Terrible.
I’m getting rejected from everything and recruiter contact has been virtually non existent since December. A few recruiters have reached out, but they usually don’t go far because “oh you don’t have recent professional experience in random language/library we use”
It was a mistake to enter this industry in the first place, particularly the way I did it, it’s just unfortunate it was so expensive to learn.
I’m getting rejected from everything and recruiter contact has been virtually non existent since December. A few recruiters have reached out, but they usually don’t go far because “oh you don’t have recent professional experience in random language/library we use”
It was a mistake to enter this industry in the first place, particularly the way I did it, it’s just unfortunate it was so expensive to learn.
I am! Laid off about five months ago now, finally find myself being courted by three employers: a local manufacturer, and two financial institutions. It's such a relief to have real offers on the table, and to have an interesting choice to make, instead of desperately scrabbling for anyone or anything. Five months is a long time without an income, and I've sent out ~100 applications in that time.
It could be a coincidence, but I've been writing more and more 'personal' cover letters, with more of a 'voice' and less formal stilted prose. Maybe people like it? Maybe people are just hiring again? Who knows.
It could be a coincidence, but I've been writing more and more 'personal' cover letters, with more of a 'voice' and less formal stilted prose. Maybe people like it? Maybe people are just hiring again? Who knows.
Laid off a month ago (data scientist). I had been going through several technical interviews where the company told me I passed but then they either stopped contacting me or told me the position is being put on hold.
Now I'm pretty much in square one, some possible interviews but nothing strong. I'm from Argentina and I'm looking for remote work, I guess it's even more difficult because the usual companies that hire people like me are startups.
First time I experience something like this.
Now I'm pretty much in square one, some possible interviews but nothing strong. I'm from Argentina and I'm looking for remote work, I guess it's even more difficult because the usual companies that hire people like me are startups.
First time I experience something like this.
I had to quit in September due to burn out. Given how many better engineers now on market I feel there are no space for me anymore. Now burning my saving money on rent and food and going to commit suicide few months later.
In the case that this was not a poor joke, please do consider calling 988 if in the US or any equivalent service in your locality: https://988lifeline.org
There is more to life than work - and it may be hard to see that in the face of cost and running out of money.
Have you considered any adjacent or post-software gigs? I know some folks who have left to go study a particular science or end up in teaching. A good friend of mine left engineering to become a substitute and then full-time teacher.
There is more to life than work - and it may be hard to see that in the face of cost and running out of money.
Have you considered any adjacent or post-software gigs? I know some folks who have left to go study a particular science or end up in teaching. A good friend of mine left engineering to become a substitute and then full-time teacher.
> and going to commit suicide few months later
Come on now, why do you feel like that is the plan?
Post your email in profile or something, plenty of us care for you. There's much more to life beyond a software job.
Come on now, why do you feel like that is the plan?
Post your email in profile or something, plenty of us care for you. There's much more to life beyond a software job.
Maybe try a complete change? Work in retail or landscaping or go back to school or something. Software can suck because we tie our self worth to being productive on a little screen.
Sometimes I feel envious of people who don’t use computers at work. It would be nice to not have them be so tied to my reality.
Sometimes I feel envious of people who don’t use computers at work. It would be nice to not have them be so tied to my reality.
You're important to us. You are needed. This will pass and there are people who love you
You're better than you think you are, and there is space for you. You need to find someone to talk to, there is help. Please don't kill yourself.
Why was the comment suggesting to adjust expectations flagged down?
It said that OP should take a lower caliber software job where Silicon Valley-tier engineers normally wouldn't apply because such a job would not reject them.
>Given how many better engineers now on market I feel there are no space for me anymore.
If we entertain the premise that there's an influx of superior talent hogging all the "good SV jobs" (which it's probably the hiring freeze due to market correction from massive overhiring and the looming recession, but let's go with the premise), that's precisely where there would be "space" for OP.
Those jobs absolutely exist, and re: burn out they can be pretty slow-pace to boot. (For example, defense/government work.)
It said that OP should take a lower caliber software job where Silicon Valley-tier engineers normally wouldn't apply because such a job would not reject them.
>Given how many better engineers now on market I feel there are no space for me anymore.
If we entertain the premise that there's an influx of superior talent hogging all the "good SV jobs" (which it's probably the hiring freeze due to market correction from massive overhiring and the looming recession, but let's go with the premise), that's precisely where there would be "space" for OP.
Those jobs absolutely exist, and re: burn out they can be pretty slow-pace to boot. (For example, defense/government work.)
"better engineers" is subjective, some people have more technical skills and some more leadership skills, some more interpersonal skills etc. there is always space for you and everything you bring to the table, and you are so much more than your "labor" capacity. please don't commit suicide.
I was in the same spot and similar timeline. I just found something that will be compatible with my burnout and terrible employment record.
For the most part during that time, pushing forward didn’t seem worth the energy at all. I’m glad I did though — I’m at least rather curious now, about how the next year will go for me.
For the most part during that time, pushing forward didn’t seem worth the energy at all. I’m glad I did though — I’m at least rather curious now, about how the next year will go for me.
You have people that care for you and will miss you. Don’t forget that.
Don't give up. You've got a reason to live.
If anyone is looking for remote/Canada, email me at [email protected], we may have a position for you.
I will reply to every person, no ghosting here.
I will reply to every person, no ghosting here.
can you share some details, please, for the curious but luckily employed?
We're a Canadian company making hiring software using Go, Svelte and Typescript. We offer fully remote positions. I'm not the founder or hiring-person, but I will reply to your emails if you ask other questions. Coincidentally, we actually make a product that aims to get rid of the whole hiring, ghosting, no-reply, 7 rounds of interviews shenanigans; which is a problem a lot of people seem to be mentioning here.
Getting laid off soon, so I still have a few months to look for a job.
I work in a somewhat niche field (search / information retrieval) and wanting to stay in that limits my options heavily.
Things are looking very very grim, even compared to how the market looked to me a few months back.
Things are looking very very grim, even compared to how the market looked to me a few months back.
I'm working on a tool for candidates to make the transition from "not looking" to "actively looking" for a job easier. It plugs into your email and leverages your historic inbound opportunities to jumpstart your job search.
It's still invite-only, but check it out at https://sharedrecruiting.co/ and let me know what you think!
It's still invite-only, but check it out at https://sharedrecruiting.co/ and let me know what you think!
I’ve hope this is helpful, but our robotics start up is still hiring for multiple roles, head of product marketing, senior mobile engineer, data/ml engineer, solutions engineer, etc.! If you are interested to talk, email me at [email protected]
company went under in December, i got one interview out of like 30 applications and to be quite fair i messed up a really simple Python question cus of nerves so i obv didn't get it. idc I'm chilling and I get time to shitpost so there's no rush.
I noticed that recruiter reach outs dropped to ~0 in Jan/Feb, but are starting to tick back up again. I'm fortunately still employed so when a recruiter does reach out I refer my friends.
As a fresh grad, with two internships at government boards and not even a single FAANG-esque company in my portfolio, this thread is deeply depressing and the outlook couldn't be more bleak.
On the contrary, as a fresh grad with (presumably) lower COL requirements, you can be more flexible on the salary front than a lot of recently-laid-off senior SWE who may have homes + kids that need to be paid for.
Take it from a millennial who graduated into the recession in 2011, even when everyone is saying the job market sucks, there are always opportunities for younger/fresher people out there, you just might have to be willing to take a "worse" position to get started - but in this industry you can always level up later once things calm down.
Don't get distracted by all the people you see on here or Blind talking about their $500k TC in their mid-20s, those people are far, far outliers. I've never worked in FAANG, self-taught my way into webdev in my early 30s after two other half-careers in my 20s, and I managed to find a job with 0 experience during COVID because I adjusted my expectations down to "normal" salary ranges (sub-$100k), as long as it paid my bills and gave room to grow professionally.
As a young person you have both lower salary requirements (requirements in the sense of "I need at least $XYZ per month to keep the lights on) and a lot of time, both of which are massive advantages when taking the long view of your career.
Take it from a millennial who graduated into the recession in 2011, even when everyone is saying the job market sucks, there are always opportunities for younger/fresher people out there, you just might have to be willing to take a "worse" position to get started - but in this industry you can always level up later once things calm down.
Don't get distracted by all the people you see on here or Blind talking about their $500k TC in their mid-20s, those people are far, far outliers. I've never worked in FAANG, self-taught my way into webdev in my early 30s after two other half-careers in my 20s, and I managed to find a job with 0 experience during COVID because I adjusted my expectations down to "normal" salary ranges (sub-$100k), as long as it paid my bills and gave room to grow professionally.
As a young person you have both lower salary requirements (requirements in the sense of "I need at least $XYZ per month to keep the lights on) and a lot of time, both of which are massive advantages when taking the long view of your career.
guys, let me tell you one thing: even if you are completely broke, you can start a business, make some calls, don't rely your future to third parties.
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Got laid off in Nov. Finally starting a new job on Monday
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