Look for companies that maintain a software for decades.
Agencies and fresh startups often optimize for speed, not maintainability. But there are plenty of companies that optimize for maintainability, you just have to look for them.
Mentions of code reviews, automatic tests, SOLID, DDD etc are usually good signs.
I am working on a nice PHP 7.1 codebase where we just started with DDD. It's awesome.
Yeah there is quite a bit of legacy code still there (the application is over a decade old), but all the new OOP code is nice to work with and we are getting rid of the old one slowly over time.
If there are not a lot of developers in your country, I would assume that a lot of businesses are running without proper software as well. If they had software they would have an advantage over their competitors who don't have it.
Have you tried talking to business owners to see if they have problems that can be solved with software? Being good with computers and able to program is a really large advantage if most people around you are not in that position.
Lots of people apply for the jobs, but only a small percentage is actually good.
Of course some of the interview processes are ridicilous, but after seeing the world from the other side of the table I understand where they are coming from.
I might have to clarify, I wasn't talking about obese people who are addicted to food. I was thinking more about all those people who "just need to lose 5kg" and yet 2 years later they are still the same weight (or heavier).
Addiction is a different problem, but losing weight itself is easy if you track calories (I know lots of people who claim the opposite).
I can't stand running and other boring cardio. Try to find a sport that you can enjoy (and that your body can handle). For me it was BJJ, lots of fun and you get plenty of cardio at the same time.
But you are doing the right thing by focusing on losing weight through nutrition.
- Clean Code
- Code Complete 2
- The Pragmatic Programmer
- Professional PHP
- Effective Java
- Domain Driven Design Distilled