Comment by a0ede18d1e | Hacker News Reader

Comment by a0ede18d1e | Hacker News Reader

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I recently got thrust back into the job market here in Austin, and I've not gotten the response I was hoping for. I've only gotten two on site interviews, both of which ended with a No from the company in question. Even if I do get through the recruiter phase and get brought in, I'll get thrown algorithmic questions I haven't had to deal with since I left school. Even though I'm a capable dev with some team lead experience I can't help but think I am being passed over (in part) because I never finished college.

I've even considered going back, but due to the length of time I've been out it seems my credits have expired (even though I'm still paying the student loans). On top of that, I left school for a reason and it hasn't changed - I hated every waking second of my life while I was there.

But now I have no income and a wife and house to support. Maybe I'm just looking for a scapegoat. Everyone I talk to (outside the industry, I have only a few contacts within it) just say "Don't worry, everyone wants to hire smart nerds like you!".

I have a CS degree, and I still encounter countless algorithmic questions in interviews. I don't think the lack of a degree is much of a factor as far as whether you get asked those questions or not, sad to say, as I'm don't usually keep it too fresh in my head and/or somehow manage to study the wrong things when preparing ahead of the interviews.

Sometimes I just want to yell at these people "Just watch this video. I did that! That's my name in the credits, under 'Lead Programmer'! And here's my iPad, launch this app! Now click credits. See, my name!"

Instead I get asked virtually zero questions about my past work and get a test thrust in my face, or a marker shoved into my hand, or I'm asked to "sit and code this while I stare at you over your shoulder as you try to remember whether it's NSJSONReadingMutableContainers or NSJSONReadingMutableLeaves. But don't you dare make a Google search!." It's frustrating.

You're competing with UT grads and everyone else who moved to the area for tech.

Not having a degree in Austin puts you at a significant disadvantage when it comes to getting recruited. I had the same problem when I lived there and I, too, do not have a degree.

I hadn't thought of that, what with UT being right here. I was able to get hired with relocation 5 years ago. Since then I figured it'd be a good town to put down roots so I bought a house. And now here I am seemingly unable to find work.

Damn. Maybe I'll have to look to other cities. I put my resume into the big corps and either got nothing or had some asinine HackerRank test that lost my progress 1:45 in and then heard nothing more.

Well, you can relocate to the Bay Area, as expensive as it is. I did so, as well as a huge mob of Texans. Californians did the opposite: moved to Texas for cheaper housing/lower taxes.

The upside is they pay you more to offset the cost of living. The downside is that roughly 50% of my income before rent goes to taxes, and half of that goes to rent.

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