New ask Hacker News story: Ask HN: What to do when you're out of money and can't find a job?
Ask HN: What to do when you're out of money and can't find a job?
10 by whoshiring57392 | 5 comments on Hacker News.
Hey HN, I have reached the point of extreme desperation. I'm 39 years old, and I have been building software for 20+ years (started coding when I was 12), and I have multiple GitHub projects with 1000+ stars, and numerous with 100+. I have published 2 programming books, and have worked at some top companies. I have been trying to find a job for the past 2 years, but I have been unable to get a single job offer after doing 100+ interviews. My last real job ended in 2019, so my resume has a 5 year gap that probably looks suspicious. In those 5+ years I started multiple (failed) businesses and spent all my savings in trying to bootstrap a small business that would provide a living for me. This looks like a huge red flag to most recruiters, but I think the HN crowd would understand. At this point I have about a month of runway left before I can't pay rent and will face eviction, after which I have nothing to fall back on (I don't have any family or friends that can help). I am at my wits end, and I don't understand why I'm consistently rejected from every job I've applied to even though I am quite good at computers (though I'm not a good founder). I also made the mistake of deleting my linkedin account years ago because I got tired of the constant barrage of spam, so now I am starting fresh with a new linkedin account and apparently most recruiters won't take you seriously unless you have lots of linkedin buddies. This seems very dumb to me, but it seems to be the current state of the hiring world (is what it is). I know there is a lot of ageism in tech, and being 39 makes me a dinosaur. I have been rejected multiple times because I was told I was too old, though never in those terms ("not a good culture fit" yadda yadda). I'm willing to work for below-average wages if it allows me to continue to survive, but communicating this to recruiters or anyone who's hiring is a signal of desperation, and nobody wants to hire people who are desperate. Aside from getting a job at Starbucks, does anyone have any advice on how I can continue to survive? I'm out of ideas ("hacks") and short on time. Spamming my resume at every job ad I can find isn't working and I don't know what else to do. Cheers and happy holidays!
10 by whoshiring57392 | 5 comments on Hacker News.
Hey HN, I have reached the point of extreme desperation. I'm 39 years old, and I have been building software for 20+ years (started coding when I was 12), and I have multiple GitHub projects with 1000+ stars, and numerous with 100+. I have published 2 programming books, and have worked at some top companies. I have been trying to find a job for the past 2 years, but I have been unable to get a single job offer after doing 100+ interviews. My last real job ended in 2019, so my resume has a 5 year gap that probably looks suspicious. In those 5+ years I started multiple (failed) businesses and spent all my savings in trying to bootstrap a small business that would provide a living for me. This looks like a huge red flag to most recruiters, but I think the HN crowd would understand. At this point I have about a month of runway left before I can't pay rent and will face eviction, after which I have nothing to fall back on (I don't have any family or friends that can help). I am at my wits end, and I don't understand why I'm consistently rejected from every job I've applied to even though I am quite good at computers (though I'm not a good founder). I also made the mistake of deleting my linkedin account years ago because I got tired of the constant barrage of spam, so now I am starting fresh with a new linkedin account and apparently most recruiters won't take you seriously unless you have lots of linkedin buddies. This seems very dumb to me, but it seems to be the current state of the hiring world (is what it is). I know there is a lot of ageism in tech, and being 39 makes me a dinosaur. I have been rejected multiple times because I was told I was too old, though never in those terms ("not a good culture fit" yadda yadda). I'm willing to work for below-average wages if it allows me to continue to survive, but communicating this to recruiters or anyone who's hiring is a signal of desperation, and nobody wants to hire people who are desperate. Aside from getting a job at Starbucks, does anyone have any advice on how I can continue to survive? I'm out of ideas ("hacks") and short on time. Spamming my resume at every job ad I can find isn't working and I don't know what else to do. Cheers and happy holidays!
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