I've been traveling for over a month now... make it stop

[XavierMace]

You realize the numbers I listed are in the Phoenix region, correct?

 

[TridenT]

That right there pretty much guarantees you a phone interview in about any major city. Have you looked at university hospitals? These places are desperate to get programmers and the fact that you have hospital experience in the past is a slam dunk.

Is it going to be where you want to be? Probably not. But you have to start somewhere and get experience before you can start being selective.

I've tried to apply for places with similar work. Universities and their hospitals. It's clear that I don't work or live in their region though. I think they might want local candidates only. I don't know for sure though. They never respond, so whatever.

(I imagine it's hard to get approval to fly out software engineers for your tiny research group, if you even have the budget... (you don't))

I'll apply for some more and see...

 

[z1ggy]

Sounds like then you need to adapt to the market. If you say all these jobs out there require ABC, but all you can do is XYZ... Why the hell would you not begin to start learning ABC? Obviously it might not be as simple as going on youtube and watching a bunch of vidoes and you instantly know a new skill... But taking a few classes, etc etc could go a long way, and would basically be an investment in yourself to help you get more money. That, and continuing to keep on applying to those entry level jobs. A bunch of my buddies took over 8 months to get jobs out of school with engineering degrees, but they got jobs eventually.

Also... You've been essentially jobless for 6 months? What are you doing for money at this point even?

 

[TridenT]

You realize the numbers I listed are in the Phoenix region, correct?

I don't want to live in Phoenix. I rather die than work here. I'm just here until I can get a job out of here... And I rather hedge my bets on trying to constantly apply for jobs NOT here rather than "oh I'll work in phoenix for a year doing software dev THEN apply for jobs in other regions." Fuck that. No way I am living here for that long. It's so miserable and desolate.

 

[XavierMace]

So, like I said, the problem isn't the market.

 

[TridenT]

So, like I said, the problem isn't the market.

The problem is that I don't have the internship/job experience that companies in other regions want. Applying for jobs while living somewhere else is common enough. (Especially for SF. It's almost assumed because the place is so fucking expensive.)

 

[XavierMace]

It's common enough when you're currently working. You have no job but you're unwilling to even look in your current place of residence.

That's just dumb.

Not to mention that would get you said experience you don't have.

 

[CraKaJaX]

My biggest issue is the lack of responses to my resume. Sure, I get some. It is still ~10% overall. It's not enough though because I can't find enough jobs to apply for these days. It's very very very difficult.

My resume sucks. That's the single biggest issue I'm facing. Although it's an in demand field, it's clear that my resume is lacking whatever employers seek in terms of wording/formatting/something. I'm lacking interviews which I would get if I had a decent resume. I cannot seem to land almost any. I'm averaging one response from a company every two weeks or so. It's pretty dismal.

I think I found your problem. Maybe take another 5 months and try to fix your resume. Or drive your car off the Grand Canyon as you've suggested. You pick.

 

[jlee]

I've looked around. It's not a large market or they do a poor job at advertising the positions. I'm pretty burnt out on the hospital environment and the kind of strung out people you have to work with. (My last 2 jobs were either in a hospital or working with physicians) But, whatever, I'll look at it a bit more.



I'm only applying to entry level jobs... New grad, jr, associate, entry level... if they don't have that in the title then the amount of experience the jobs require is <3 years. Any job that says 3+ years I just avoid applying for and I am leery of 2+ years experience since that usually means they don't want a fresh grad even if they have significant software dev experience.



Just because you have done that doesn't mean it makes sense for everyone. Me creating a bunch of pointless "mobile apps" isn't going to be impressive. Right now, projects aren't the main issue (which you guys seem to be latching onto, as if they are my salvation). It's the lack of job/internship experience. (I have one software dev job; not 3) I understand that projects are about the only thing I can actively do but clearly they don't do much of anything. And, right now, it takes all my energy just to stay alive. I'm very bummed out where I am living right now. It's not like I have bounds of endless energy to apply towards projects that could do more to hurt my already devastated self. I've worked on a project the past few months but it doesn't matter. People don't view the source code. They rarely go to the repo and then they just go, "Yeah, looked at the repo but that was it. I didn't actually look at the code." They don't even look at the god damn website that the app runs on. You know why? THEY DON'T CARE. They go to the project to see how large it is. "Let's see, hmm over 100 commits... not that many. How many contr.. 1. How many forks/stars? 0, 0. Okay, do not care. No one cares."

Anytime I list projects on my resume, you know what happens? The response rate stays the same. If that isn't proof that people don't care (regardless of how fucking hyped I make that project sound like how it works on mobile devices, has an API that interfaces with iOS and Android apps, scales to hundreds of thousands of customers easily, blahblahblah...) then I don't know what is man.

Maybe if I sold 1,000,000 copies of TridenTgram at $2 a pop and was #1 on the app store then I'd be of notice but I'll never make that kind of impact. Nor do I have any ideas for apps on a mobile device that don't rely on some kind of web server. I'm not a mobile developer or have any experience developing for mobile. Most of the jobs I'm applying for are backend or full stack web development. (Or some variant on similar work) So, it would probably not even be relevant to them. "Oh you made a mobile app... well, we're really looking for [backend | full stack] web developers..."

Why would anyone hire me when they could easily get someone who has actually interned at FB (or the like) and worked on FB Messenger (or the like)?

If you sold 500,000 copies of TridenTgram at $1 a pop you'd have half a million dollars, which is better than bitching about not having a job.

I don't know anyone at any local university or even in this entire region. (SW, USA) I'm in a desert, man. They have a hard time getting water here, let alone making apps.

I don't know if "networking" with a startup (or whatever) in this region would get me a job elsewhere (SF, NYC, etc.) through networking. I don't think of Phoenix as being a connected region.

Maybe you've somehow landed that in the past but I find it to be far fetched and a lot of effort on a huge gamble (bordering on mega millions odds). That's assuming if I could even find something to begin with, which I have no idea how I'd manage that.

"Oh hey, ASU. I was uh.. yeah, I'm an unemployed software developer looking for some rich kids who are doing a startup... I'd work for free because I'm a little bitch who's hoping for networking opportunities outside of this region from that work I'd be doing. Know of anything?" (lol wtf?)

You don't think of the 5th largest city in the US as being "connected"? That's funny. I moved here with no job set up and I'm doing just fine.

 

[LevelSea]

It's common enough when you're currently working. You have no job but you're unwilling to even look in your current place of residence.

That's just dumb.

Not to mention that would get you said experience you don't have.

This shit is comical. :biggrin:

 

[TridenT]

Sounds like then you need to adapt to the market. If you say all these jobs out there require ABC, but all you can do is XYZ... Why the hell would you not begin to start learning ABC? Obviously it might not be as simple as going on youtube and watching a bunch of vidoes and you instantly know a new skill... But taking a few classes, etc etc could go a long way, and would basically be an investment in yourself to help you get more money. That, and continuing to keep on applying to those entry level jobs. A bunch of my buddies took over 8 months to get jobs out of school with engineering degrees, but they got jobs eventually.

Also... You've been essentially jobless for 6 months? What are you doing for money at this point even?

Job experience and internships will trump all. That is what matters. Just because I have a project that I did with X stack doesn't mean anyone gives a shit. It doesn't show you know it. Being employed to do it though? That shows that someone else at least PAID you to do it. That says something.

I don't think people care about projects listed in my resume as much as you think.

And I've been living off savings. I planned for the worst.

 

[Capt Caveman]

The problem is that I don't have the internship/job experience that companies in other regions want. Applying for jobs while living somewhere else is common enough. (Especially for SF. It's almost assumed because the place is so fucking expensive.)

Except those that are applying for jobs in other regions are currently working, have experience and a desired skill set. I get contacted all the time for positions around the country. Why? I have experience and a desired skill set.

Get a job locally, get experience than think about relocating.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I don't want to live in Phoenix. I rather die than work here. I'm just here until I can get a job out of here... And I rather hedge my bets on trying to constantly apply for jobs NOT here rather than "oh I'll work in phoenix for a year doing software dev THEN apply for jobs in other regions." Fuck that. No way I am living here for that long. It's so miserable and desolate.

Then you're screwed.

 

[TridenT]

If you sold 500,000 copies of TridenTgram at $1 a pop you'd have half a million dollars, which is better than bitching about not having a job.



You don't think of the 5th largest city in the US as being "connected"? That's funny. I moved here with no job set up and I'm doing just fine.

Yes, because the difference between 1,000,000 and 500,000 and 0 (what it would sell) is really a minute detail.

It isn't connected in the sense that it will get me jobs in other regions.

I fucking lived in Seattle, a significant tech hub. You know how many people could get me a job in SF from there (or at least an interview or show me someone they knew that could help me out?)? None! 0. zilch! Nada!

People are mostly good for the region they live in and not much else. The only difference is that I know someone who is a director at a major company that hires in many cities. I interviewed with him but I did poorly (slow at implementing was the big problem). He could have helped me get a job with the company, and probably in a city that I wanted. (SF/Chicago/NYC, and not where he was: Seattle; So I guess that was one person I knew. An exception. I didn't know anyone else who was as high up in a company as him.) But I didn't do well during the interview. His help was just giving me interview advice after. (Which basically was: You're slow at implementing. Fix that.)

 

[zinfamous]

"In the past". That quote was from 6 months ago. I'm not aware of any massive change in the software development market in that time. Hell, I still get emails and phone calls every couple of weeks from recruiters needing developers purely because I took programming back in my school days.

There's 36 listings on Monster for .NET developers alone within 20 miles of my zip code. 194 listings for Software Engineer. 25 Java Engineers. Didn't even bother to check Dice. My current employer has 24 current job postings for developers.

I'm not trying to be cruel, but the job market or your resume (in and of itself) isn't the problem. I'm going off memory from when you previously posted a sample of your resume, feel free to repost it if you don't feel this is accurate.

You have very limited experience but give the distinct impression you expect top tier (senior) pay. 3 projects doesn't mean squat. I can truthfully say I've been involved in half a dozen or more and I'm not even a developer. I'm not trying to degrade what your contributions may have been. You might have done 99% of the work for all I know. How long have you been employed as a software developer? That's what matters.

While I agree the no-reapplying for 6 months policy can be frustrating, that's rarely the problem. If that policy is an "issue" that means you've already applied. You either got an offer the first time or didn't.

If you did and turned it down, personally I'm not going to waste my time going through that again with you unless I'm really, really desperate or if you've got an ungodly good resume/history (you don't).

If you didn't then how far did you get? Did you get an interview? If you did, then the resume isn't the problem. You say you've gotten some responses. Elaborate. Did you get interviews? Did you get offers? How many have you applied to?

In my 10+ years of IT, I've seen a LOT of resumes and talked to a lot of people looking for IT jobs. Most of the people I've seen that talk like you are people fresh out of college thinking that new degree instantly entitles them to a $100k/yr position with a senior title. For example, at my current company we recently had an opening for a Senior Network Security Engineer. The amount of responses we got from people with zero experience, just a CCNA (not even a CCNA Security half the time) was hilarious.

pro tip:

You are wasting a lot of time on a member who has spent his entire tenure here complaining about everyone, and everything around him, wherever he goes. Every place is terrible and boring. Everyone he knows lets him down. Every person in every place he tries to live--they are all terrible people.

there are never jobs that offer him exactly what he wants. He is overqualified for everything, and yet no one will offer him the job that he deserves.

It's been 6+ years now of the same bullshit from OP, and the needle on his self-pity meter hasn't moved a cm.

 

[XavierMace]

TridenT: You're like a constant downer.

 

[jlee]

I don't want to live in Phoenix. I rather die than work here. I'm just here until I can get a job out of here... And I rather hedge my bets on trying to constantly apply for jobs NOT here rather than "oh I'll work in phoenix for a year doing software dev THEN apply for jobs in other regions." Fuck that. No way I am living here for that long. I'm so miserable and desolate.

FTFY.

Phoenix is fucking awesome.

 

[XavierMace]

pro tip:

You are wasting a lot of time on a member who has spent his entire tenure here complaining about everyone, and everything around him, wherever he goes. Every place is terrible and boring. Everyone he knows lets him down. Every person in every place he tries to live--they are all terrible people.

there are never jobs that offer him exactly what he wants. He is overqualified for everything, and yet no one will offer him the job that he deserves.

It's been 6+ years now of the same bullshit from OP, and the needle on his self-pity meter hasn't moved a cm.

I know, but I figured I would try to shroud the "HA-HA, sucks to be you" with some half friendly advice.

 

[CraKaJaX]

pro tip:

You are wasting a lot of time on a member who has spent his entire tenure here complaining about everyone, and everything around him, wherever he goes. Every place is terrible and boring. Everyone he knows lets him down. Every person in every place he tries to live--they are all terrible people.

there are never jobs that offer him exactly what he wants. He is overqualified for everything, and yet no one will offer him the job that he deserves.

It's been 6+ years now of the same bullshit from OP, and the needle on his self-pity meter hasn't moved a cm.

I am noticing every single response to this thread that gives advice is being completely shit on. OP, seriously seek some sort of attention for help because if you really think the way you respond to each comment you're fucked in the head. Stop telling random people on an internet forum about why you're wrong, why they're wrong, why this city sucks, why that city sucks. You've been unemployed for 5+ months, probably bitching on the internet for just as long about it. Get off your ass and go do something about it.

 

[zinfamous]

I know, but I figured I would try to shroud the "HA-HA, sucks to be you" with some half friendly advice.

He won't listen. I think all of us, at some point, went through that phase: "Hey, maybe if I'm genuine and friendly and offer TridenT some much-needed sound advice, he'll actually work at turning his shit around and be pro-active about life, rather that hope for things to fall into his lap in the completely unrealistic set of circumstances that he irrationally feels that he deserves."

I tried that once, most have tried more than once, but it really is just a waste of time.

These are his needs:

--A city that meets his standards of completely cool people willing to devote all of their time and energy to TridenT, and be the best possible friend to him that they can be.
--A female that is in the 9-10 range, willing to devote all of her time to him and tolerate all of this sadboy personality and never betray his confidence and trust at any one moment
--A job that offers him 150% of the income that he deserves based on his actual experience and training, with the freedom to allow him to do whatever he wants on their time, whenever he wants, for as much time as he needs to be happy.

The world owes him. He will never be happy until everything is served to him all at once.

 

[dphantom]

Your resume may well be a significant part of the problem in finding work. By moving from place to place and having gaps in employment, prospective employers are going to look at that and be hesitant to take a look at you as they will generally feel that if you have moved every few weeks/months in the past, what is to stop you from doing it again.

The best you may be able to do for now is contract/consultant work or work through an agency until you build your work history up into a more continuous story.

 

[zinfamous]

I am noticing every single response to this thread that gives advice is being completely shit on. OP, seriously seek some sort of attention for help because if you really think the way you respond to each comment you're fucked in the head. Stop telling random people on an internet forum about why you're wrong, why they're wrong, why this city sucks, why that city sucks. You've been unemployed for 5+ months, probably bitching on the internet for just as long about it. Get off your ass and go do something about it.

He has his own scroll of complaints. It's probably vacationable to bring it up, but his history is long.

 

[TridenT]

FTFY.

Phoenix is fucking awesome.

Ernt, wrong. Try again.

I am noticing every single response to this thread that gives advice is being completely shit on. OP, seriously seek some sort of attention for help because if you really think the way you respond to each comment you're fucked in the head. Stop telling random people on an internet forum about why you're wrong, why they're wrong, why this city sucks, why that city sucks. You've been unemployed for 5+ months, probably bitching on the internet for just as long about it. Get off your ass and go do something about it.

I am doing something about it. This thread is that. If you read the thread then you know there's nothing I can do but post here and apply for jobs.

On the plus side, my shirt from charles tyrwhitt shipped today. Gotta look decent whenever those in person interviews do come in. (Also, it was on sale. $27.)

 

[purbeast0]

Just because you have done that doesn't mean it makes sense for everyone. Me creating a bunch of pointless "mobile apps" isn't going to be impressive. Right now, projects aren't the main issue (which you guys seem to be latching onto, as if they are my salvation). It's the lack of job/internship experience. (I have one software dev job; not 3) I understand that projects are about the only thing I can actively do but clearly they don't do much of anything. And, right now, it takes all my energy just to stay alive. I'm very bummed out where I am living right now. It's not like I have bounds of endless energy to apply towards projects that could do more to hurt my already devastated self. I've worked on a project the past few months but it doesn't matter. People don't view the source code. They rarely go to the repo and then they just go, "Yeah, looked at the repo but that was it. I didn't actually look at the code." They don't even look at the god damn website that the app runs on. You know why? THEY DON'T CARE. They go to the project to see how large it is. "Let's see, hmm over 100 commits... not that many. How many contr.. 1. How many forks/stars? 0, 0. Okay, do not care. No one cares."

Anytime I list projects on my resume, you know what happens? The response rate stays the same. If that isn't proof that people don't care (regardless of how fucking hyped I make that project sound like how it works on mobile devices, has an API that interfaces with iOS and Android apps, scales to hundreds of thousands of customers easily, blahblahblah...) then I don't know what is man.

Maybe if I sold 1,000,000 copies of TridenTgram at $2 a pop and was #1 on the app store then I'd be of notice but I'll never make that kind of impact. Nor do I have any ideas for apps on a mobile device that don't rely on some kind of web server. I'm not a mobile developer or have any experience developing for mobile. Most of the jobs I'm applying for are backend or full stack web development. (Or some variant on similar work) So, it would probably not even be relevant to them. "Oh you made a mobile app... well, we're really looking for [backend | full stack] web developers..."

Why would anyone hire me when they could easily get someone who has actually interned at FB (or the like) and worked on FB Messenger (or the like)?

yep, you are lazy as shit and just making excuses.

you cry about not having experience, but you think that making your own mobile apps on ios and android won't give you experience.

it has nothing to do with anyone noticing you on the app store. my apps make me peanuts in revenue (couple hundred a month, slower now because none of them are new, and my game is free with ads and no one really downloads it).

but you know what? when employers see my resume and see a shitload of experience in many different technologies, a lot of the stuff i've learned on my own, they will understand that i am a great developer and understand how many systems work in all different types of technologies. they won't be hesitant to hire me for a c# job even though i have no c# professional experience, but they will see i know how to pick up and program in any language and will learn.

you are just lazy and full of excuses. but keep doing what you are doing and getting the same shitty results - that is the definition of insanity. you cry about applying to 150+ jobs and only getting 10 phone interviews.

you know what that means? means you need to do something different, but you won't because you're lazy and don't want any advice.

 

[jlee]

Ernt, wrong. Try again.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.