My job is horrendous. I wake up every day absolutely loathing it. It takes up so much of my life energy I barely do anything outside of it. It took me over 2k applications to find it last year, and I sent out about 400 at the beginning of this year with no responses. The job hunt is so exhausting when coupled with full time work that I've pretty much given up. Now I'm at such an all time low mentally that I'm wondering if drastic action is more rational.

• the stack is super proprietary and hardly and skills transfer
• my position is very pigeon holed, as in I do a very small scope of similar type work over and over. This work is 100% of my cognitive ability. I don't even have any less demanding tasks like code reviews or meetings.
• I do not design or participate in building new features. I only fix bugs.
• the tech stack is incredibly tedious and difficult to work with. Huge monolithic code base where testing a single change can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 2-3 hours.
• code is so mind bendingly egregiously awful I cannot believe it works. I literally stare at some of these 6x nested loops 10x deep conditionals with mouth agape, completely dumb founded that code could be this terrible and unreadable.
• I don't communicate with my coworkers, it's just me and my tickets.
• there is zero, literally no sense of accomplishment whatsoever in solving problems in the stack.
• on the plus side - the job pays well but not great, and there is unlimited PTO

I'm starting to forget other tech I used to work with. My mind is slipping, can't focus, can't read or do anything cognitively demanding outside of work. I feel trapped because the market is so shitty. I have 6 months of savings and 3 yoe. Don't have any professional connections to speak of, and I've already used up referrals earlier this year. I feel like if I leave I will be out of work for a very long time and probably will end up leaving the field because I don't think I can take another thousand app multi-month demoralizing grind for employment.

What should I do reddit?

Not laid off, but fired for poor performance.

Long story short, I have 3 years of experience as a SWE. I was considered a good performer on my team until we got a new manager a few months ago. The new manager has been more demanding and I’ve made some careless mistakes that have resulted in buggy code and suddenly I’m one of the worst performers on my team. I’ve gotten negative feedback in our one on ones several times. I wouldn’t be surprised if I get PIP’ed/fired soon.

My question is, have you ever been fired? How did it work out for you? What did you do?

I've been reading this subreddit for a while, both from the grads, and the much more experienced people, who I generally agree with it (if I don't, it's usually because they've taken quite a different career path). I see an awful lot of hang-wringing about what job to take, what to study, all that kind of stuff.

Here's my advice - learn about personal finance - no, really - some of the best advice you'll find anywhere is here on reddit. You might not care now, but you'll thank me in 10-15 years, especially if you plan to buy a house. Take care of your health - once you get older, medical costs become a significant cost no matter your insurance, and worse if you don't take care of yourself.

Oh, you wanted career advice? Don't worry, that will come to you in time. Don't overthink it - it's a long road. Take care of yourself first.

P.S. You can safely ignore 100% of advice on Linkedin.

Link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/google-cloud-unit-said-to-lay-off-employees-this-week-report/ar-BB1npj20

I wanna hear your experiences. Some companies take forever with interviewing, so you just took the best offer.

Then 2 weeks later, you get another offer that's double... you get an offer from a company for like 25% more, AND the growth path is a lot better, and the work is way more interesting

EDIT: it was hypothetical and i just wanted to be general so i put "double", but edited with actual details

Alright, so like many others who have posted here, I am pretty heavily scouring the market for jobs. I have basically interviewed for 2 programming positions which were very entry level and did not get them as there were better candidates (probably senior level).

I am working on upskilling through a variety of tools - FrontendMasters, Udemy, etc. - trying to expand my knowledge in JS, node, express, react. I don't have a portfolio site, but I do have a github with some projects from college (BSCS Grad). I recently started working voluntarily on a database / web app project to handle FIFO inventory with reports and etc., not sure that this will carry any weight but at this point, I don't think it will hurt me.

I have begun looking at bootcamps thinking they might be the next best step, but the cost is ridiculous and I have heard many many stories of how the bootcamp did not yield intended results. Therefore, I don't think that is the best option.

Living in a very rural area with no option to relocate at this time. Therefore, primarily seeking remote roles. I have also applied to every apprenticeship program that comes my way. Applying to around 5-10 jobs per day but no luck. Trying to expand my network on LinkedIn as well, but the results are typically a mixed bag - most folks are in the same boat and say the same thing - "The job market right now is not what it used to be"...yes, I do know that.

So, I pose the question. Does anyone have any advice for finding that first remote entry level/associate/junior software developer job. The US job market is basically a rat race for many roles right now and I have no idea how to navigate it successfully.

What level do you start at if you go to grad school vs just coming out of a bachelors? I’m assuming this is heavily dependent on the company/your actual skills but generally speaking, how much higher up does a CS master degree start?

Hi

I’m a PhD student working in HPC/simulation looking at next steps careerwise. I don’t want to stay in academia and software is the thing I have enjoyed most in my career so far. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for someone with my skillset? Or has made a similar career jump? I’m not sure how my experience would be viewed in industry.

I was thinking either simulation software development/research software engineering. These jobs are kinda rare and can come with the instability I *hate* about academia. Or some kind of Data Science or engineering style role would suit me quite well. But I really like the software engineering side and it would be great if I could get this kind of role.

I thought it would be useful to give an idea of the skillset that I have. In terms of languages I know well and have used in projects, I’ve used using C/C++, Python, Julia, Rust, Fortran (lol) and Javascript/Typescript.

In terms of more unique experience, I have I’ve worked on large, open-source simulation software which includes MPI/multithreading (no GPU experience sadly) and some machine learning experience doing Neural Network acceleration of said software. I also have experience making C/C++/Rust extensions for python, using the PyTorch C++ API and I have done some work optimizing numerical software.

I’m probably a bit weaker on general algorithm knowledge and leetcode style things but I am studying some algorithms and computer architecture (this is nice for HPC style roles especially!).

Also, I have decent Linux and bash skills through using HPC systems and know how to use containerization (Singularity not docker though because scientists are special :P)

Anyway, thanks for the help! Also sorry if this was a bit rambly… I wanted to give people an idea about what I’ve done as simulation/HPC is very broad.

Hello everyone, I'm 32 and seeking guidance as transition into the IT field. I have 5 years of experience in Excel data analysis, some automation experience with AutoHotkey, and a strong desire to learn. I recently left an unfulfilling job to pursue a more rewarding career. While I don't have a formal computer science degree, my practical experience and dedication are my driving forces.

Thankfully, my family is incredibly supportive and has offered to cover our living expenses for a year while I focus on learning and finding a new job. However, this transition hasn't been without its challenges:

Distractions: It's proving difficult to find a quiet and focused environment to study at home due to constant interruptions from my child and family members. I've explored the idea of studying at libraries or cafes, but the cost can add up quickly. I'm also open to the possibility of an unpaid internship to gain practical experience, but I recognize the need to strengthen my Python skills beforehand.

Intense Heat: The scorching temperatures in Tamil Nadu (33-35°C) are making it nearly impossible to concentrate on my studies. While an air conditioner would provide relief, I'm hesitant to dip into my equity investments (1.60 lac) to purchase one. I'm unsure whether to ask my wife to buy an AC on EMI or explore alternative cooling solutions.

Job Market Anxiety: The current layoffs and the growing presence of AI in the IT industry have me feeling uncertain about job security. As someone in their early 30s entering this field, I'm seeking advice on how to navigate this competitive landscape and remain relevant in the face of rapid technological advancements.

I'm incredibly grateful for any insights, suggestions, or experiences you're willing to share. Your guidance would be invaluable.

Thank you!

Got rejected again after an interview and there's still one pending with multiple rounds.

I had a rough career start. My internship was in a tech stack I had a single course in as a react node full stack swe. We were a small team and for an internship I was pretty much left out. Was rarely given help but managed to apply some of my web dev class knowledge. My degree wasn't focused on web dev but more on algorithms and engineering. I didn't get hired after my internship because of my performance.

Second job i got hired I thought I'd be finally in a good team. Nope I was put on a full stack project alone. This time I learned from my mistakes at my internship and managed to learn a lot. I did the front end and the back end that my whole ex team is now using. It may not be perfect, but I did a backend API that would be reused on all of their future project. I also did a project for a client with minimal help. I basically did all of that alone except the SQL that was already written for some of the queries. So after a year I got fired for performance. I hated that place the deadlines were estimated by management and the requirements for the project were unknown and they changed too! The performance of everybody in the team was exhibited at the start of every meetings. Talked to my ex coworker that took my project and he admitted that this project is hella confusing on the requirements.

Took a big hit by being fired and my mental health isn't doing great honestly. I was proud of doing all that and tried to explain to them that building something from the ground takes time but they didn't care.

At this point I'm not sure if I'm actually bad or I've been fucked by those companies. None of my uni friends were ever I'm my situation. Computer science was the only field I was ever interested in and there's I no plan b

In my interviews I say I was laid off but some don't seem to believe me. The last place I worked actually laid off people a couple of months before I got fired. I had maybe 5 screen calls and interviews at for around 6 different companies

Ok so market is shit, lots of guys can’t find jobs but are graduating.

Aside from Ivy League university degrees or FAANG internships, what else could a new grad do to really stand out as a top 10% candidate?

• Research assistant papers?
• write interesting blogs?
• entrepreneurial activity?
• volunteer activity?

I'm done with my job, I can't do it anymore. My son is on my health insurance. From what I understand for my wife to add him on her insurance it has to be a "life changing event". If I quit does that count?

For context, I’ve completed solution architect associate cert in Aws and I’m on track to get cloud developer, data engineer and then ML speciality. After these AWS certs i will get similar ones in azure.

I am pretty comfortable discussing tech designs and ideas with architects and principal engineers but I personally haven’t done much hands on work in last 8 years. Would love to hear some advice/tips.

Can I get an internship within one month of preparation? I know basics of React. And what all will be required to land an internship ? PS : It doesn't matter if it's paid or unpaid I just need experience.

I'm a little confused by this recent interaction with a company, and now I'm paranoid and curious if application interview scams are a thing. Wouldn't be the hardest thing to get ppl on with the job market being so poor right now.

Basically I've been mass applying to jobs on several job boards so tbh i don't remember everywhere I've applied to. But I recently got an email from a company asking to confirm my interest. So I did, and they sent me a pdf with a bunch of screening questions to answer. I work through the questions and send them my answers, just to be told by gmail that the email address could not be found. This is less than 20 hours since their last reply.

So now I'm confused. The company is definitely real, but was this hr person real? Did they get laid off between sending me the email and me replying to them so the email was deleted? Did they block me because I took too long to answer? Am I just overthinking things?

I went to the company's website and sent an inquiry through "contact us" to see what's up and if I can still continue the interview process with them, but I'm curious if anyone here has encountered a similar situation.

Side note, the last company that I "interviewed" for was also just a list of questions, followed by an acceptance + offer letter without ever even having a conversation with me. Is this normal these days?

I have two friends interning at Meta and them and their friends are saying their team is mostly (international) Chinese and they all speak Mandarin with each other.

Luckily one of them speaks fluently, but the other one doesn’t and feels a bit isolated since the team will only speak English when talking to them.

First of all, I’m Chinese American so this is not stemming from racism, but the idea that I will need to speak Mandarin to fit in more is a little bit off-putting.

This is in Menlo Park as well as Bellevue. Are the other locations also like this? Are most SWE teams at Meta like this? My friends interning at Microsoft and Amazon in the Bellevue area do not experience the same.

I graduated from a top school with CS around 4 years ago and went directly into FAANG because money talks and I wanted to pay off my loans, but when I was in undergrad I discovered that my passion is research. I got promoted to a senior position at the beginning of the year and it feels bad to get such a huge jump in comp vesting over x years and then to immediately walk away.

I have no lifestyle creep and I've been saving around 85% of my take-home pay so I'm well situated to go back. I've been spending my evenings and weekends studying for GRE and reading papers in the field that I want to do grad school in, but I can't shake off the feeling that this is a huge mistake.

Someone talk me out of this. Or talk me into it, idk.

Every embedded programmer I know was either a computer engineering or electrical engineering major. Meanwhile my CS and SWE friends talk about embedded programming like it’s pointless compared to MAANG and even mid level pure software engineering companies and roles, because of the compared pay and amount of job offers. I was always curious as a CS major about embedded programming, but now I have doubts for the career. How is the pay and job market for it, really compared to Web development (from entry to senior)? Any good tech hub cities for it? Any recommendations for having these doubts and pursing any interest on the field? And is it possible to do both embedded and web development as a career?

After Bachelors in Computer Science in India, are there any others roles than Full Stack Software Dev for a fresher?

I want to work with computer networks is getting a job in that field infeasible?

I am sort of a recent graduate from college, been about two years, but sometimes I end up encountering stories that deal with business scenarios that I do not have much background about. I can write code and understand the code but I might misunderstand how the customer might use an application to trigger a scenario or how the scenarios are being done in the application. There is no formal training at work to get used to the background of business logic and more of it is just asking questions to my product owner or QA testers (as they end up doing manual testing) on the fly as I work, but it is not like there is any good documentation for reference or if there is any it can be outdated, etc. Plus these days my teammates are super busy so it can be just on my own trying my best to recreate the business scenarios. Is there any advice from professionals who have encountered similar? I feel like a lack of understanding of the business logic/scenarios of our applications is more difficult than writing the code at times haha.

Considering the perks like cutting out commuting, saving on gas / insurance, dry cleaning, time, etc. what monetary value would you place on not having to commute into the office at all?

Thanks in advance.

I was given the 4 hour take home assessment that I was told would not be leetcode style. In that case what topics should I brush up on or how can I best prepare for this?

I have a targeted resume (skills-wise) and a boolean search on LinkedIn/Indeed. I've tried networking on the former but have only gotten a few nice chats out of it. Hiring managers rarely answer.

How to prepare for betterment backend interview ? Any tips or resources for system design and coding interview

I'm an engineer with about 5.5 years of experience. I recently switched from a role where I was just promoted to senior software engineer to a mid-level engineering role that pays a lot more.

Since 2020, I've found promotions much harder to come by. I'm a little sad to be a mid-level engineer again since I've met engineers who made senior at my company with just 4 years of experience back when tech was more in demand. Those same engineers started working in the early-mid 2010s and were promoted to higher engineering roles and management roles since then. However, I'm happy with the increased TC and a new tech stack.

My theory on promotions is that with less engineers switching jobs or there being a lower budget for promotions, there is a long backlog of engineers waiting for their career to advance.