A letter to all the bosses I’ve begged for a job
theguardian.com
theguardian.com
We work very hard and care a lot about our project. A person I took over the project from didn't and it showed, they probably considered it a "bullshit" job.
The author of this article is applying to roles they consider "bullshit" jobs and is wondering why no one is hiring. Maybe it's because the people hiring also don't consider the work to be bs, but rather, very important, and would rather, like me, work extra hours every day just to avoid being around a coworker who thinks that way about the thing they (are paid to) spend half of their conscious life doing.
Stop applying for roles you think are BS and maybe you'll see people a lot more intersted in hiring you. If you lack the skills to be hired for work you consider meaningful, that's due to your own life choices up to this point, and you should start working to fix that right now.
"I have sent hundreds of applications, competing with thousands for yet another ‘bullshit job’. And like many, I’ve had enough"
and seen it was a lengthy comic.
I have now taken the time to read the entire comic. My advice for this person hasn't changed substantially. They seem to have few rare and marketable skills, just a lifetime of employment in what they consider "BS" jobs, and are now wondering why they aren't receiving responses from companies looking for skilled workers to do meaningful jobs.
It still reeks of the exact kind of self inflicted cynicism that I wouldn't want to have in a coworker. I'm happy to discuss specifics though if there's a nuance in it you think my advice missed.
And the part where she talks about not needing a glamorous job, just one where she can make a difference without having to pretend like she's saving the world.
My advice to you: stop being so judgmental. Based on your other comments, you implement Three.js into projects. What you do is not going to change the world, and stop expecting your future co-workers to sacrifice their lives for a job that ultimately isn't that meaningful in the big (or even little) scheme of things. TBH, you come across as the kind of boss/coworker that millions of people quit their jobs last quarter to get away from.
Those who tell you you're "not saving the world" and therefore your work is bs and therefore you should be as disillusioned and cynical as they are, if it's say delivering food, are also complaining that they can't get a bs job as well so they can get money so that you can deliver food to them. It's entitlement, plain and simple. Their main attack is to tell others their work is also meaningless while demanding still the outputs of that "meaningless" labor.
If you can't be bothered to read an article you comment on, how could anyone expect you as a co-worker to read and understand or listen and understand to what they're saying?
I personally turned down a lucrative "bs" job after college to do work I considered meaningful, and was nearly homeless many times for the several years I worked on it. I now have the skills from those years of refusing to do "bs" work and instead focusing on work I personally considered meaningful, even when the few who offered employment doing it then wouldn't hire me. The comic doesn't seem to demonstrate them having done anything but trying to "get in" on the easy money from "bs" jobs and being disappointed they can't.
Seeing from your profile you seem to be trying your best to help create meaningful and balanced work lives for people, I hope you continue to succeed in helping people do so!
Why won't you name them, exactly?
* The one that was just take home leetcode. Ugh. Why?
* The one that simply ghosted me.
* The one that gave feedback so nonsensical I can only assume they mixed me up with somebody else or just made up some bullshit so they didnt have to read my test.
* The one that told me that they'd filled the position by email 36 hours later while I was putting the finishing touches on my response.
* The one that said I did great and offered me an interview!
(...one month later... when I already HAD a job).
One of these was as a result of me violating my long standing policy of "never do take home tests ever" just once, thinking that the company was well respected, and maybe 5th time's a charm...
Oddly enough, refusing to do the whiteboard dance has resulted in some poeple just dropping it and raving about how awesome I was. In truth, they were probably glad I bailed on it after poking holes in their pet problem they failed to vet properly.