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Comment by akadien | Hacker News Reader

I'll add another voice to the job market for experienced developers and managers. It's terrible. I have an advanced CS degree, in-demand programming skills and leadership experience. I've hunted for full-time, part-time, and contracting work for a couple of months.

Interviews tend to go the following way: pass the initial interview, pass the programming test, pass the technical interview and never hear back (even after a couple of following up emails and/or phone calls). This grind really wears down one's self-confidence and outlook. It's been a depressing summer.

I have over 12 months of living expenses in my savings account and a very supportive wife, so I'm going to do a startup and see how far I can take it. It feels like a better use of my time and promises some new learning experiences compared to more interviewing.

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> I have over 12 months of living expenses in my savings account and a very supportive wive

Good on you. The family support is key during this - have been unemployed and non-productive, and family support helps tremendously to get through that period.

What sort of skills do you have, and what are you looking for (email me if you'd like)

It definitely can get very wearing on your self-confidence. Good luck to you!

I suggest reaching out and asking those companies why they didn't hire you. The recruiters might tell you something. Are you asking too much salary, or too little? There might be something setting you off. In seattle, there is still huge demand for devs.

If you're interested in contracting work, I highly recommend checking out Gigster. It's extremely meritocratic—if you're good, you can easily make $200k+ a year, and there's no in-person interview hoop to jump through.

Wow, really sorry to hear about the struggle. And I hear you on this process undermining confidence.

I think going for a startup is a great idea, and it's awesome you have the family support to do this. Any ideas on what the startup will be yet? Lots of friendly people here who are willing to help in whatever ways they can!

I went through a very similar period a couple of years ago. Would be glad to trade war stories (or just talk freebsd :) -- find my email in my profile if you like. Good luck, either way!

so it's not just me. When I was transitioning out of the miltary this time last year, getting a new gig was difficult but manageable. I have been at it full-time (since I tabled my start-up after 6 months of work) and you described my current experience.

You have to come in guns hot.

I am in exactly the same boat. Advanced CS degree with high-demand skill set and live in CA but struggling to find job for last 2 months.

Good luck! Truly. I think if you can't find a place that wants you, then you make your own. Or at least try. Something will work out for you, I'm sure of it. Key is to not quit, to not stop, and to always look for another way. :)

It's a good idea to bias entreprenurial in tech, IMHO. It's hard but it escapes the crush of the job search. If you can find a bit of investment that's even better.

Wow! Thank you all for the positive comments and encouragement. I think it's helpful to us all to share these experiences to show that we aren't seeing these trends in isolation.

> in-demand programming skills

No offense, but hasn't your experience shown that, regardless of how strong your skills are, they are clearly not in demand?

Maybe, but I doubt it. I've had no problem getting interviews and navigating them. But I don't really know because most companies don't respond to follow-ups asking for feedback on why I didn't get the job and what I could do better.

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