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ReformedFelonForHire.com – High quality software skills, at a competitive price

286 points by FelonForHire 8y ago

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
BillinghamJ 8y ago
> Every company is enthusiastic to hire me. But at the background check phase they all retract their offer. This kinda suggests you weren't honest, or at least up-front, about your conviction. If it gets to the background check phase and they don't already know, you're doing it wrong. If an employer finds out about that from anyone but you, the answer is _definitely_ going to be no. If they find out from you directly, it's probably still a no, but not definitely. > We've ran out of unemployment Grammatical error - may seem like a small thing, but when you're appealing to people in this way, the small things matter a lot. Change to "We've run out of unemployment". To be honest though, I'm not sure this part of the story is helping your case - it doesn't paint a positive picture, only inspires pity. Maybe I'm wrong about that though - just what I'd be thinking about.
- atonse 8y ago
  I beg to differ. Although I have no data or experience to suggest one way or another. I can see how you would want to first be judged on the merit of your skills and then an employer might be willing to make a judgement call in your case, after they have judged your value. As opposed to your resume being thrown out without even as much as a second thought if you are a convicted felon.
  - joshmn 8y ago
    I have plenty of experience here, so I can comment. I've never had a problem finding a gig even though I'm a felon, but I don't work with BigCorp because that's not my scene (and it's probably harder to market myself as a felon to anyway): At the end of the initial phone call / screening, I tell them, transparently: "there's no way I can pass a background check by the way" It has always been well received, even to recruiters and head hunters.
    - ichamo 8y ago
      I also have experience with this. I'd say the industry type and company size matter a great deal. Felons are legally barred from working at any FDIC insured company. So forget banking/finance. Also healthcare will also have stringent background checks. Giant corporations may have policies that immediately skip over you regardless. I'm not sure how I've made it really. Luck mostly. I'm ten years removed from my arrest and it still comes back to haunt me.
      - joshmn 8y ago
        The worst part for me has been finding a place to live. I've even offered to pay annually and up-front.
    - hluska 8y ago
      This is the best advice that I've read here. I can only upvote you once, but I think it would be amazing if OP could read this.
    - patricius 8y ago
      Danish person here. How does it work? Will the background check reveal what crime was committed, or just that you are a felon? I could imagine knowing the specific crime could influence the final decision on hiring or not, no?
      - ams6110 8y ago
        Arrests, prosecutions, and convictions are a matter of public record. So the specific offense and sentence will turn up in any criminal history background check, unless you are able to get your record sealed or expunged which I think only happens in cases where you were a minor offender and went through the juvenile system, or when a conviction is overturned on appeal or other extenuating circumstances that are fairly unusual.
  - BillinghamJ 8y ago
    For my company, as with many, we need to know about this stuff up-front. If we make an agreement on the basis of not knowing, then we later find out, there is absolutely no way whatsoever we will _ever_ hire you. We are a finally regulated company though, so the requirements are perhaps a bit more strict. If you explain all of this ahead of time - much like this website does - then we can take it into account and there won't be any surprises. For a serious offence, it's probably still going to be a no. For anything fraud or white-collar related, it's going to be a no. But for less serious offences not related to our business, I think we'd be reasonably comfortable.
- komali2 8y ago
  Seems to me like he was trying that as a strategy at first, realized it was ineffective, and did a perfect 180 by publishing a website with the URL "reformedfelonforhire.com" on which he lists the details of his crime alongside his resume.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- FelonForHire 8y ago
  For the first 4 of the past 6 months, I've tried disclosing early (first or second phone call), half-way through, or near the job offer phase. Every single time, without fail, they email back (not even a phone call) with either a generic or very brief message retracting their offer or declining to proceed with the interview process. Smaller companies will simply stop returning my calls and emails, and completely cut off contact regardless of when I tell them. I only started waiting until the background check until I disclose for the past 2 months because I'm getting very nervous about not actually getting a job.
  - mlitwiniuk 8y ago
    And when you told them when meeting in person? So after initial screening, but before final background check?
  - BillinghamJ 8y ago
    If a company will decline to hire you based on finding out, then there isn't really anything you can do - they will find out one way or another. If you're being pragmatic about it, you might as well save your time and get rejected from these kinds of companies earlier on in the process, rather than get all the way to the end before having to move on. The end result is the same.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
    - cornholio 8y ago
      If a company is rejecting you based on policy, yes. If it's a personal decision based on prejudice against felons (he can't possibly be competent and non-violent), the result is not the same, you have the chance to disprove those prejudices and sell yourself. Since such prejudice is rampant, it may be your best overall chance. I believe that, aside from specialized fields like bank tellers or people working with children, access to conviction history should be severely restricted - the only point of such info is to facilitate discrimination. In theory, the debt to society is repaid when the individual exits the penitentiary. In practice, the punishment continues on an ad-hoc, deregulated fashion from private individuals against the most vulnerable segment of the ex-felonry: those with meager material means and education, limited family support and in most desperate need to secure lawful employment. This extended and unequal punishment is a clear violation of the equality before law all citizens should enjoy, that should punish similar acts to the same degree.
- mlitwiniuk 8y ago
  As much as I wish the guy all the best, this is a valid point. From an employer point of view, if I'd find out about conviction (of any kind) from the background check (and not during the hiring process), I'd feel cheated.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- amorphid 8y ago
  There's no good way and/or time to ask the question "Do you guys do background checks that would include my sex offenses?"
  - treis 8y ago
    I'll go a step further and say the number of companies that will willingly hire someone with a felony sex offense involving minors is essentially 0. Especially when it happened 2 years ago in someone's late 20s/early 30s (guessing based on work experience).
    - _sdegutis 8y ago
      Well shit.
      - treis 8y ago
        Don't mean to kick you while your down. I figure honest feedback will be helpful. Now that I've Googled your name and read the articles there's no way. You committed the same crime 4 years apart. The nature of your crime is relatively benign as far as sex offenses go. However, it's such a shocking departure from societal norms it makes me wonder what other inappropriate things you've done without getting caught. As a hiring manager, there's no way I would risk it. This post was an excellent hail mary attempt and probably your best option for employment. Your other realistic options are freelancing for people who won't do a background check or develop something you can sell. Edit to add: Again, not trying to be mean, but when your picture came up I said "Yep, that looks like a guy who'd expose himself to minors". Grow your hair out, ditch the goatee, find more mainstream outfit, and, most importantly, take the picture inside. In your photo you're squinting and furrowing your brow which makes you look a bit threatening.
        jahlove 8y ago
        Agreed (as a photographer) on the photo points. Ditch the all-black, and take it inside or shortly after sunset. Good luck OP.
revnja 8y ago
Damn. I hope someone can give this dude a second chance.
- sontek 8y ago
  He had a second chance. He did it once and got a misdemeanor and was able to move on with his life. The problem is he decided to do it AGAIN. Maybe there is an argument for a third chance? But a repeat offender is a repeat offender.
theyinwhy 8y ago
Why is the annual employment rate offered to him so high but rate per hour so low? Is that the norm? What hourly rate do you get?
- kolpa 8y ago
  Different companies offer different levels/pay to the same candidates on different days. Don't look for too much in a small ample.
- sincerely 8y ago
  Isn't 65/hour like 130,000$/year? That seems in-line with the salaried positions
  - toomuchtodo 8y ago
    It's $124,800 assuming zero downtime and fully booked weeks all year, with no PTO. Don't compare 1099 hourly to a W2 with benefits unless you've made a very careful comparison of total comp.
    - cimmanom 8y ago
      How does that math work out? $65/hr = $130K/yr is using a pretty standard 2000 hrs/yr estimate. 52 wks/yr * 5 days/wk * 8hrs/day = 2080 hrs. So the 2000hr ($130K) estimate assumes 2 full weeks PTO. $124,800 works out to only 1920 hrs/yr, which is 48 weeks of 40hr/wk work. ETA: but yes, once you take into account benefits, taxes, and other expenses, one would want a significantly higher 1099 rate anyway.
      - toomuchtodo 8y ago
        I wasn’t aware of the 2000 hours a year estimate. TIL!
joshmn 8y ago
OP: Put your plea at the top to get the attention of people; "Unemployed family man ran out of money". Also, regarding interviews, if you're very transparent with people they can usually find a way past what turns up in your background check. To HN: Another felon here: One of the hardest things is living with this label. There's such a stigma around it. My offense is much different than OP, but it still sucks. People seem to think "one a felon, always a felon" — which, in some cases is very true, but for every repeat customer of the courts there are 10 people who commit felonies once or twice and never do it again and go on to lead otherwise normal lives.
- billmalarky 8y ago
  I agree, this current order suggests he's a felon first and foremost then the rest of the page says "well I'm actually all these great things too, but they come after the fact that I'm a felon." People might believe that the felon first hierarchy is the one that really matters (and they could be right in many scenarios - even this one) but he isn't doing himself any favors by being the first to suggest it.
  - _sdegutis 8y ago
    Good point, I put that first because that's going to be the biggest question in people's mind so I wanted to answer it up-front and move on to what I can offer them.
    - 0x4f3759df 8y ago
      Got a spelling error on your portfolio: "techical articles"
      - _sdegutis 8y ago
        Thanks, fixed it.
- forapurpose 8y ago
  > People seem to think "one a felon, always a felon" I'm not sure that's what is really going on, regardless of what people say. People have no problem doing business with known frauds, criminals and bad actors, from the CEO who cheated their co-founder to Wall Street banks to many, many more. Will nobody do business with Travis Kalanick again? The banks who sold the shady mortgage-backed securities that caused the Great Recession? There was a story the other day about prominent scientists who committed massive fraud and hardly suffered dents in their careers. Pete Carroll committed many violations of NCAA rules and ethics when coaching U. of Southern Cal football; he became a professional football coach and nobody talks about not trusting him; it seems to have had no impact on his reputation. Another example is the Catholic Church's systematic sexual abuse of children on a global scale; did everyone stop going to Catholic churches? Stop doing all business with them? I could go on forever. It's hard to put my finger on the formula, but it seems to have something to do with being on the inside, 'one of ours' or the old boy network, compared with being an outsider. (To avoid any doubt, I think the exclusion of former felons from employment is wrong. Once they've served their time, it's done. Employers shouldn't be allowed to ask with only a few exceptions (e.g., former bank robbers shouldn't be bank security guards).)
kolpa 8y ago
See also 70MillionJobs, a YC company for connecting jobs with employees that have criminal records. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15101452 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15101452
- FelonForHire 8y ago
  I signed up for that site a month ago and have had absolutely no success finding a job that I qualify for through it.
komali2 8y ago
At first, I thought this was a service for connecting felons to jobs. I always thought that'd be an awesome idea, especially if some sort of job training could be set up (jail is SUPPOSED to be for rehabilitation, right?) Anyway, best of luck with your job search. You seem very transparent about this, so forgive me if this is too forward - do you face difficulties being on the sex offendeder list with attending events for your children? I.e school plays or whatever.
- AlexCoventry 8y ago
  > jail is SUPPOSED to be for rehabilitation, right? The prison I volunteered in, there was a classroom full of computers, but the inmates weren't trusted to use them. There was some discussion of a "paper-based" computer-science course.
nwatson 8y ago
I imagine the Koch Brothers follow through on their commitment to "ban the box" (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/koch-brothers-donors-ban-box-job-applications/story?id=41419080 http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/koch-brothers-donors-ban-box-...) and not ask about felony convictions in job applications. There are other companies operated by executive teams from across the political spectrum that probably do the same -- maybe you could be hired by one of these companies (?) . Software systems at times touch sensitive info, and it might be harder to justify hiring a formal felon to work on these (might depend on the nature of the crime), so YMMV. Good luck to you, I hope you continue to sort out your issues and that you good way to support your family.
- PirateBay 8y ago
  "Banning the box" isn't going to do anything if background checks are still legally allowed to find out the same information (felonies, convictions) anyway.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
justherefortart 8y ago
Good luck, my partner (startup) is a felon. I've known him for 12+ years. Youthful mistakes have followed him longer than he was alive when he got his felony. Don't be discouraged and keep at it. My state (Oklahoma) removed asking if you have a felony from all state job applications (truly shocking IMO).
epylar 8y ago
Given "everyone I know agrees I'm a different person now," it is important to know when the felony was in relation to the 10 years of experience.
- FelonForHire 8y ago
  It happened 2 years ago.
  - epylar 8y ago
    Well, it seems unlikely that you forgot your professional skills in that time.. good luck!
ythn 8y ago
Seems like places that have remote employees would be perfect for hiring reformed felons. If I ever made a company as successful as GitLab I would have no qualms hiring this guy for remote work. Nothing wrong with hiring them for non-remote work, just saying the liability is even lower.
- theparanoid 8y ago
  The legal liability is the same.
  - ythn 8y ago
    Yeah I'm talking more from a company incident perspective. Say you have a reformed felon who committed rape. In an on-site position, they may relapse and rape an attractive coworker. However, in the remote case, you can't rape female employees if you don't know where they live.
some_account 8y ago
I would hire the guy if I needed something. I don't see why it matters if the guy used to be a felon previously. Is he going to be violent over some software specs? I very much doubt it.
- milesdyson_phd 8y ago
  I wonder if one issue could be the company's fear that the public/clients/etc might latch onto a very narrow context of this gentleman's history like: "x employs sex offenders." It's not fair but when you have other candidates that don't have this stigma why would they even try?
  - Nelson69 8y ago
    I had a client get quite uppity because we bought their domain name through GoDaddy (i had a guy that went with one of the cheapest, spent their money like it was our own.. etc.) and GoDaddy had just presented risque ad during the Super Bowl. They weren't particularly upset about GoDaddy itself so much as what if someone found out they patronized them. For that particular business, I'd swag a guess that the extra price in switching to Network Solutions plus our time in undoing the damage and "returning" the domain to Go Daddy will be less than what they'd make from the customers they will have had lost that simply will not patronize companies that buy domains from GoDaddy. I don't know. I don't think most users click on the pad lock, let alone explore the certificate chain, let alone do a lot of advanced whois stuff. I think this poor guy is going to have a rough go of it. Maybe a contracting firm can help provide some insulation. I'll also admit, hearing that it's a bit of a sex crime involving youths (highschoolers are still 'youth') combined with the heightened awareness in the currently climate about sexual harassment and such, it seems a bit scary to take a risk on someone like this. I'd think contracting off site might be the way to go.
- goodJobWalrus 8y ago
  I mean, you have no reason to suspect he was ever violent. On the other hand, if he flashes women at the office, they'll sue the company. If the company is well known, the press is going to get to that. Anyway, you have shit on your hands. If you are not the owner, just an employee in charge of recruiting, you may even lose your job. It is a bit risky. But I don't see a problem with hiring the guy to work from home as a contractor.
tyrankh 8y ago
OP, the website doesn't specify which part of the country you're looking for work. That may be a good thing to add.
codingdave 8y ago
It is completely unfair for felons to be shut out of jobs because of non-violent past mistakes that are ancient history and would not re-occur. On the other hand, we have no idea who made this page. If they want to be taken seriously and given a chance, they need to be transparent enough to at least tell us who they are, and let us make our own decision on working with them.
- hamandcheese 8y ago
  I disagree, OP should do everything in his power to disconnect the felony with his online persona.
- cjbprime 8y ago
  I agree that we treat felons extremely poorly. But as a point of order, I don't think sexual assaults are (or should be) considered as non-violent.
  - codingdave 8y ago
    Yes, you are correct - I hadn't read the story as being one of assault, but perhaps I wasn't thinking it through, and it could/should be seen as such. But discussions and decisions like that are exactly why the details matter.
  - imustadmit 8y ago
    Flashing your wanger at someone passing by isn't really sexual assault though. I've been flashed by a drunk guy, I gave a surprised chuckle and walked away. My mum was flashed when some weirdo jumped into the back garden and started showing his stuff to her through the kitchen window; she chased him away with a sword. Neither of us thought for one minute we'd been sexually assaulted, and these instances just became amusing stories. Unfortunately it seems that doing similar in the USA is no laughing matter.
    - AlexCoventry 8y ago
      If your typical teenage girl was inclined and legally allowed to carry a sword and wield it against assailants, it's possible I would agree with you. They're not, though, and we should be glad to live in a society where no one needs to and sane people generally don't want to. The implied threat of potential rape makes flashing a young women at least as violent as a credible threat to beat someone within an inch of their life. I'm sympathetic to ReformedFelonForHire's situation, and regard this humiliating punishment as extreme, unnecessary and destructive to the fabric of society, but I don't think that means we should minimize the harm of his error.
iheart2code 8y ago
Can you work as a contractor? Generally, you shouldn't have to provide a background check if you're just contracting your services.
0x4f3759df 8y ago
Does anyone know if it would make a difference if he started a company (ABC Consultants) and then contracted out himself through his company? Seems like that might get around the background check issue.
- cik 8y ago
  Unfortunately that's not really doable. A shocking number of contracts specify that the corporation not hire known criminals. I have seen lax ones specifying only that a background check is conducted.
  - sjsjxhhc 8y ago
    What would the risk be if violating that provision? Breach of contract that may just give the client an out, or something like fraud that may put the contractor in jail?
_coveredInBees 8y ago
Op, while I hope you manage to land a gig, I'll be a bit critical here and say that your webpage/resume could use a fair bit of work. 1. You have zero links to projects or things you've worked on (even if it is a simple calculator app). If you're so fluent in all the languages you listed, surely, you must have some projects to showcase? Hardly anyone is going to make the effort of sending an email to your listed email address to inquire about your portfolio, but they are far more likely to send you a note if they browsed through your work and liked what they saw. 2. You refer to a fair amount of front-end skills, yet your site has a very 90s look and feel. While that may have been intentional, it just feels like a lack of skills due to the jarring aesthetics. You can make a minimal blog/website while still having decent aesthetics. 3. Your content has a bit of a cheesy infomercial vibe to it. I feel like you could make the same points without trying so hard. Focus more on the content, your skills and making a good professional impression while being upfront about your criminal history. 4. While I understand that you made a conscious decision to maintain your anonymity when making your webpage, it seems a bit counter to what your site is trying to do. It's hard for a would be employer to make the effort to get in touch with you when there is no name or face to ascribe to you, and your contact email is a made up one. Your site seems to be your effort to own your situation and turn things around, but withholding any information about yourself feels a bit counter to that. That being said, I can understand why you may want to choose to remain anonymous. Good luck!
- _sdegutis 8y ago
  1. I do have a portfolio but was a bit nervous to post it publicly on this website considering that opens me up publicly to scorn and wrath of anyone and everyone who is (rightfully) offended by my crimes. Either way, I've added it to the site. 2. True, I wrote this website in a rush. I copied the HN color scheme and decided to stick with that considering I only posted the link here. But valid point. 3. By putting the emphasis on what you get out of hiring me, I tried to avoid looking like I'm complaining. 4. Very good point. I've added my portfolio to the site. Sincerely hope this decision doesn't come back to bite me.
  - jnsaff2 8y ago
Trundle 8y ago
Not in a position to hire you but I highly recommend contracting, or presenting as a one man dev agency. People treat signing up with Top Development Pty Ltd much differently to hiring Mr Potential Felon. When myself and a friend were doing it for a while we were continuously amazed at just how trusting people were. No background information, credential checking, nothing. Just "here you go" and they hand over credentials to all of their core business and customer information to some guys they just met. We were also charging $90 hour as people who didn't really know what they're doing. I understand you need money right now, but I definitely think this is a route you should consider in the future.
hasingh 8y ago
Put you resume on a google doc, and share the link here. You do not have to provide personal details, but at least provide more detail on your skills and a contact #. We hire for remote working contract positions from time to time. I would admit that I have second thoughts about this outreach, but there should be hope for everybody! We do not have something available right now, but requirements do open up. I wish you luck!
anonlastname 8y ago
Something is missing here: his name
- danShumway 8y ago
  As is yours. It's entirely rational and reasonable for OP to stay anonymous here. You cannot reasonably expect people to be vulnerable in situations where it is obvious they will face discrimination and attacks. OP does not have a moral duty to give others an extra opportunity to hurt them.
- tluyben2 8y ago
  Maybe this wasn't the case before, but his name is in the link and he is on here (HN) now under his real name as well.
amorphid 8y ago
Hey OP, base on my personal experience, almost every company I spoke w/ back east did a background check. It's much less common in California, at least w/ startups & smaller companies. Also, try putting your resume on Dice.com. Specify some geographic regions you'd consider relocating to, as well as the fact that you're willing to work remotely. You'll have to filter through a lot of junk communication, but it's worked well for me in the past when I was in a pinch. Also, when talking to the company, here's one way to be sneaky about your background. Apply to every job twice, once with your real profile, and once w/ a similar, but not identical profile. With the 2nd profile, if and only if the company gets back to you, just say you got a DUI about 5 years ago, and have been sober ever since, but some employers have rejected you because of that, so you'd like to know if they do background checks. It might be seem shady, and maybe it is, but it's not your fault company's spend so much time wasting your time, so you gotta do what you gotta do to put your energy where it will get results. Good luck!
anonlastname 8y ago
My man you can't be flashing high schoolers
- coding-saints 8y ago
  AMEN. I can only have so much sympathy here. You are flaunting this "offense" like it's petty. If it were ANY OTHER crime catagory, I might not even bat an eye.... but when people go out exposing themselves to kids, it makes me wonder what they haven't been caught for. I think you need to remove your post, be happy if you get work, and don't use the community for an issue that is so personal.
  - DoofusOfDeath 8y ago
    It seems like there are a few issues here: (1) Has he experienced an appropriate amount of retributive / vengeful justice for his crime? (2) Given his current state, what are the chances of additional, problematic offenses in the future? IMO the prison time probably satisfied (1). So the real question is, how can prospective employers decide about (2) at this point?
  - imustadmit 8y ago
    > but when people go out exposing themselves to kids Come on, it's not like he was waving his todger at five year olds. Seeing a spot of unexpected nudity at 17 years old is not a big deal.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
spacesword 8y ago
I would take a risk on him as a remote employee. But no way would I be willing to take a risk for an on site position. Especially with #MeToo OP maybe you should focus on remote jobs and be transparent upfront?
- noitsnot 8y ago
  He's hirable. I'm not sure about the other companies, but would take a guess that a big name company like Goldman or Expedia wouldn't take the chance with him before #metoo, not to mention now.
theparanoid 8y ago
I feel for you, being convicted of a sex offense makes you persona non grata in the US. If nothing works you can freelance via Upwork, it can pay OK for US workers.
jakobegger 8y ago
I can’t believe so many companies make background checks. Is that a US thing? I don’t think companies in Europe do that (or do they?).
- rconti 8y ago
  sadly (in my opinion), yes. I've done a background check for every job I've had in my ~20 years. Granted, a number of them have been for security companies, but it seems standard.
- stordoff 8y ago
  In the UK, employers are limited to what they can ask about based on the position and the length of conviction. I've posted about this before recently[1], so won't repeat myself here, but basically an employer will not know about short (<4 year) convictions (and you aren't required to tell them about them) unless they are recent or relevant to the job (e.g. working with children/vulnerable people). [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16637419 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16637419
- tluyben2 8y ago
  Some do, but the smaller ones definitely don't. I had bizarrely thorough background checks happen and none at all even for just contracting. Nothing to find and they disclosed that they would do them in the first place, but they did happen. You would be hiding the fact though then or anyway not disclosing it which could be a red flag later if you tell them / they find out... I would hope if you have a click with the manager/person you would work for/with, you can honestly explain your case. I do not live or ever lived in the US so I do not know how it works there, but in almost every employment seeking or contracting case in the past I was speaking directly to the person I would be working with and s/he would also be the decision maker for the role. In my country and with your credentials, I cannot see you having too much issues getting E70-100/hr longterm contracting jobs. Again, not sure about the US.
HackerThrow1337 8y ago
That really sucks that you are having so much trouble! I technically have a felony non-violent drug possession charge on my record, but it hasn't caused me any problems since I switched to software from another field.I even got an entry-level position this year. I was never convicted (No Contest or something similar), am having to go through unsupervised probation (basically I am in big trouble if arrested again but am not bothered at all by probation), and then after another year, it will be cleared from my record. I don't think I was ever asked to disclose any crimes in any of the applications. Out of a few hundred applications, maybe 5 even mentioned the position was pending passing a background check. I did not disclose this for any job that I applied for, because I did not think it would be found on my record currently, but I now know that I was wrong. Airbnb banned me from their service for my one drug possession charge after redoing my background check (Such utter bullshit, their statement of purpose claims it is at their discretion if they think the crime was bad enough to ban from the service. It was simple nonviolent possession and I don't understand how having that on my record from almost 3 years ago is going to make having me as a guest any more dangerous). There were two jobs that I thought for sure I had gotten, but did not receive an offer. One didn't write me back for a month before I finally got the information that I wasn't hired out of them. They didn't inform me of any background checks, but they may have completed one anyways. It definitely seemed like their attitude changed completely a week after my onsite. My current employer did not complete a background check, at least to my knowledge. I am at an extremely small startup. Hopefully nothing ever comes back to byte me in the ass. Obviously nonviolent drug possession should be lowest priority for all offenses that show up (it really shouldn't be a felony to simply possess any drug). I actually got really sick and didn't know why, couldn't get much help from doctors when I started using opioids to combat the multitude of symptoms. I got caught with an opioid, was never one to get super fucked up in a recreational manner. Instead, I was always trying to simply feel normal enough to make it through my grad school classes. Anyways, found out later I basically have fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue, and I am having better control of my symptoms with medical marijuana and legally prescribed adderal.
- magic_beans 8y ago
  Now THIS is a felony that is 100% forgivable. You really, truly did nothing wrong and I hope all is going well for you. OP on the other hand...
subsubsub 8y ago
I find the complete lack of scepticism here to be pretty problematic. reformedfelonforhire.com links to someone's portfolio website. What evidence is there that these two websites are owned or run by the same person? The whois both have privacy settings from different companies. They may be the same person, but surely it's not beyond the realm of possibility that this is someone trying to hurt the reputation of a different person.
- BryantD 8y ago
  Google the owner of the portfolio website. There are news stories about the crime with his name on them.
  - subsubsub 8y ago
    whois before google! what is wrong with me.
- _sdegutis 8y ago
  It's definitely me. I spent a ton of effort this morning buying the new domain name and doing everything I can to remain anonymous. I only added the portfolio website after a lot of recommendations here, and kind of gave up my anonymity that way. Only time will tell if it was the stupidest decision.
- LyndsySimon 8y ago
  Presumably an employer would verify identity.
RafiqM 8y ago
Have you considered applying for (remote) jobs outside of the US? At least in Europe background checks are very unusual, although with a unique name maybe even a simple Google search would "out" you :/ (I'm not saying you should be dishonest and lie about your conviction, but if they don't ask then no harm no foul)
- pliftkl 8y ago
  Independently of the background checks that European companies might not do, any European government almost certainly knows that he's a felon and would bar entry. That would preclude showing up for an in person interview or ever showing up for a company event.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
woolvalley 8y ago
When I used to do independent contract software jobs, I never recalled any background checks being done. When people hire a plumber, they don't do background checks either. Presenting yourself as a company vs an employee can be helpful in this situation. Have you thought of doing odesk style work or other remote contracts to pay the bills?
jeffmould 8y ago
As a convicted felon, and someone working to help returning citizens find employment opportunities, several pieces of advice: 1) Look into the Federal Bonding Program. This may help some smaller employers overcome fears of working with you. Everyone qualifies and it is free for the employer and job seeker. 2) Be ready to take any position at any rate. You may even consider finding non-developer jobs for the time being, at least until at little more time has passed since your conviction/release. I can't emphasize how powerful it can be to build trust again with employers. Working a warehouse job where you show up everyday, work hard, and always go the extra mile, even if you only do it for six months or a year, can be a powerful step to getting bigger, better jobs. You can always do consulting, freelance work on the side to keep your skills up. 3) Unfortunately for you sex offenses are tough to overcome and even harder to convince employers to hire you for. Your inability to travel out of state with ease, plus other restrictions associated with the registry, can make hiring decisions for sex offenders difficult. Your best bet is to aim for small, local employers or remote contract work. Possibly even starting your own business. 4) Your web page comes across as downplaying the severity of your offenses or as if they were just little mistakes. No offense, but this was a thought out sex crime. While they may be minor crimes, in the eyes of many any sex offense is a major red flag. Even more so when those crimes center around child sex offenses. I would work on getting letters of recommendation from influential people in your life. Your therapist, pastor/priest, probation officer, etc... Let potential employers know that you have these letters instead of just saying that "Everyone I know agrees I'm a different person". 5) Personally, I would avoid the paragraphs of what other offers you received. While you say "competitive rate", you flaunt the offer amounts and you don't mention what that competitive rate is. As a potential employer I may be skeptical that you are looking for a salary around those numbers. With that said, I will put feelers out to my contacts to see if anyone is looking for a programmer with your skills. Good luck!
- jahlove 8y ago
  Agreed. definitely remove that whole "highly sought after" section
gtsteve 8y ago
OP, perhaps you might consider TopTal or similar? I have never worked for them but I hired a few of their guys for several momnths who were very good and they seemed to enjoy it. You might be barred from some kinds of projects but I'd give it a shot regardless.
- _sdegutis 8y ago
  Thanks. I applied at TopTal about 9 months ago or so, but did not pass their algorithm-heavy coding test. That said, I've passed every other algorithm test and coding test I've been given by other companies. But TopTal has the hardest one by far considering I never went to college for coding and university-style algorithms are not my strong suit.
rconti 8y ago
I'm not sure if it's relevant, but my mind keeps coming back to it, which means it's probably throwing other people for a loop, too. I doubt the confusion would stop anyone from hiring you, but I can't help but wonder: What were the two offenses? I see the one that's cited. I'm not clear on whether that's the first one, or the second one. Or were they both the exact same offense? Was the cited one the 'worst' of the two? Was the first one just shoplifting some gum? Again, I don't really know if it's relevant, but I kept re-reading the statement trying to parse it, and couldn't.
- DoreenMichele 8y ago
  He has one felony. That felony is for his second time flashing someone.
  - imustadmit 8y ago
    I've been flashed before. I found it an odd mixture of WTF and amusing. Weird that the US deems it necessary to jail people for months just for some surprise nudity. Cultural differences, I suppose.
    - DoreenMichele 8y ago
      Fun American Puritanism Trivia: The European version of I, Robot shows Will Smith taking a shower so the audience can both learn he has a prosthetic limb and also see the extent of his prosthesis. It happens to include a shot of his butt. Or so I gather. As an American, I have not actually seen this shower scene because the US version cut that scene as too risqué, requiring them to find some other (less effective, less natural, more awkward) means to inform the audience that the character has a prosthetic arm and the prosthesis reaches well down into his rib cage.
XR0CSWV3h3kZWg 8y ago
Sounds like this a perfect situation to try and talk to a recruiting firm.
_o_ 8y ago
Why don't you just write you are js developer? Like jsforhire.com? It directly suggests you are a felon to the computer science. :D But joke aside, as far as I am conserned, I wouldn't care what you have done (except js... :D).
gremlinsinc 8y ago
Not a felon, but I do freelancing via /r/forhire on reddit, between 40-60/hour is what I charge generally as an intermediate fullstack dev (php (via laravel) and vue). -- Nobody ever asks for a background check, at least so far, I'm sure upwork and other freelance sites might work as well.. Finding a traditional job will probably be difficult but remote shorter term contracts shouldn't be too hard to find.
twayComment 8y ago
Tough situation and it’s clear you’re desperate. If you want some honest feedback, your pitch conveys that you do not understand the magnitude of your crime and how it is perceived by others. Perhaps you can ask your therapist about this. For instance, I had to post this from a throwaway over concern about your mental state. Best of luck.
- jamesbrink 8y ago
  This is someone who is owning their shit, and you chime in anonymously like this. seriously?
lgregg 8y ago
I'd suggest changing the narrative. I've read through several of the comments already. I agree I think your biggest con (pun not intended) to an employer is the risk/breach of public trust of your prior convictions. However, I think that your messaging can be reframed pretty easily. I would separate your backstory from your pitch on your landing page. I know you're in a tough spot, but waving a flag of desperation is not your best move right now. This is how I'd reorganize your pitch if I was in your situation: [Current Summary, with portfolio link] [What you offer, with links to portfolio projects and articles where you know a lot about a certain technology] [Stub of your backstory with a link to another page (see below)] [You can see my letters of recommendation from... (this is very important)] [Due to my current circumstances, I'm offering my services below market rate of $25 per hour as I get on my feet.] [Call to Action, to view portfolio or contact you.] This is how I'd organize your backstory page: [I was convicted for...] [I learned and reformed in jail by x,y,z, give a glimps] [Now that I'm out, I've done X, Y, and Z but my prior criminal history has made it very difficult to find employment. These people vouch for me, (letters of recommendation)] [I'm currently at the end of my financial means as a family man with 5 kids... (I'd avoid mentioning unemployment directly, I'd say all government services available to me or something like that.)] I'd say out of all of this, you should not position yourself as a victim or desperate. We, as humans, aren't inclined to that -- especially in hiring situations. u/jeffmould mentioned the Federal Bonding Program; I really think you should try to get that. I looked at their site and it seems promising. I'd remove the highly competitive rates, they mean nothing if you can't secure them. Your problem right now is potential employers likely don't trust you. However, honestly. I'd make your reformed URL the about page and make your portfolio the pitch. I wouldn't worry about anonymity because: 1) it's already out there in the newspapers; 2) background checks will happen and you're wanting to get in front of this issue, not hide. Ideally, you want to create a landing page that people can share. Lastly, I know you can't move but if ever can or reach the need. I'd check out https://defyventures.org/ https://defyventures.org/. Also, most churches have "compassion", "care", or "mercy" ministries run by volunteers or the church deacons that help people in need. It might be worth a shot.
throwaway42018 8y ago
Contracting is probably the best bet for short-term cash. Lower risk and less reason to check background. If you get contacts from this post but they are hesitant, consider offering to set up an LLC in your wife’s name (assuming the cost in Illinois is not prohibitive). There are probably a few startups or smaller businesses willing to give you a shot given your experience, but given the history they might need the plausible deniability of an abstraction layer.
jamesbrink 8y ago
I feel this is an important subject. I to have recently become a felon as well. Finding reasonable employment after the fact is a constant de-motivating battle. I have been working the ops side of things for over 10 years for large well known companies such as Edward Jones, Yahoo, and GoDaddy. I made a series of stupid decisions within a 3 hour period while having an argument with an ex girlfriend over text messages (never any violence, threats, etc). I decided to be vindictive with her, troll her, be a dick continuously out of anger. Needless to say, I broke the law and it came down hard on me. I have never had any issues with the law in the past, and this was my only run in with the law. I was indicted on 12 charges, 8 of them felonies, further more the prosecutor claimed that there was aggravating circumstances which allows them to charge me as a repeat offender because a few of the crimes took place on multiple days (violating a court order by texting my ex girlfriend.) Of the 12 charges I had to sign for 3 felonies to avoid going to prison over being a troll to my ex girlfriend, the worst part is if I had beat her within an inch of her life I would have been in less trouble. Unfortunately that's not my MO or in my character at all. So now I am an engineer with over 10 years of great work history with 3 felonies for Computer Tampering, Harassment, and Stalking (In AZ this is Harassment + Fear of property being damaged) charges. I was no doubt guilty, and I don't try to minimize my crimes and stupidity, but I am highly annoyed that I will have to be judged by this over and over again long after a judge already did at sentencing.... There are companies that claim to work with people for a second chance but I personally have never seen this during my job search. Nothing more fun than becoming a felon at 35 :/
glangdale 8y ago
To me the site doesn't work very well, as it mentions two offenses and describes one. It seems evasive; people aren't specifically interested only the crime got you the mandatory felony conviction. It would work better if there is full disclosure as people are going to want to Google you and they're going to find it anyhow.
- _sdegutis 8y ago
  Sorry, it was worded differently at first and a commenter here (a writer) suggested some edits and I made the changes, but I guess there's been some confusion since then. They were two identical crimes, but they happened about 5 years apart.
downandout 8y ago
I’m curious why you are so focused on working for someone else, when it’s clear that most will not hire you. A friend of mine was raised on the streets of Philadelphia. He was very talented with computers from an early age, but unfortunately nobody would hire him after he pled guilty to a felony as a result of being found with drugs and a gun. I met him after all of this happened through an Internet marketing forum, where we exchanged ideas for a few years, before working together on several projects. He makes ~$50k/mo working on his own as an affiliate marketer. Affiliate marketing is only a part of my personal business, but I make more just from that than I could if I were a senior engineer at Google or Facebook. So it’s something you should consider. While you won’t be curing cancer, as a reasonably intelligent programmer, you’ll have a leg up over most others doing it, and you can pretty easily make a very comfortable living. It’s also something you can do on a moonlighting basis even if you do manage to get a job.
forapurpose 8y ago
Some honest feedback: I want to be clear that it's not a comment on you personally at all; it's perception of a website and, sadly, perception is what matters in this case: I've encountered many hustlers and this website looks like a hustle to me. When you add that the author has been in prison, the situation becomes very dubious. Not everyone will see it that way, obviously, but I'm confident that people with my experience will share my perception. Here's what I see: (I know I might sound heartless, but that's how the hustles work - make a pitch that you can't deny without looking or feeling like a jerk, and about which you can't be certain so that it's socially awkward to doubt them.) * The story: Lots of kids, need money for (something urgent and highly sympathetic), not a hustler just an honest person down on their luck ... I've heard it many, many times. One guy told me he had 7 young kids he needed to feed; when I pointed out he appeared to be in his 60s, he said they were someone else's kids; later the number changed to 5. * The focus on the story rather than the business. It feels like a con, an attempt to jerk my heartstrings, rather than a business proposition. * The extremely low rate - 'lucky for you that you caught me at a bad time!' Another one I've heard many times. To be taken seriously as a professional, charge a professional rate. * The incredible list of projects and of promises ("I can pretty much write any software solution you need, in a reasonably short time"), both almost too good to believe. I could go on for awhile. Given your background, IMHO you need to be very careful to appear to be professional and not a hustler at all. Otherwise, at best it doesn't look like you understand the professional world. At worst, it's a hustle by an ex-con. Again, I'm not saying you are hustling anyone, I'm saying you risk that perception.
tluyben2 8y ago
Offtopic a bit (too late for this to be relevant to OP, but I am curious nonetheless) and not very popular probably, but why 6 kids? I am aware that some people are just really bad at planning (never learned how to?), but OP is a programmer so he can lookup facts and knows how to do statistics. A quick Google search shows that raising 1 child to 18 y/o costs $233k now in the US, let's say you can bundle resources a bit, so assume raising 6 children to 18 y/o costs a little over $1m without doing crazy stuff (long, lavish vacations etc). That is going to exclude the more extreme health issues I really hope OP will never have to deal with, but, statistically, based on number of children and genetic properties / lifestyle choices of the parents should be considered. I am really curious how it seems a good idea or plan to have 6 kids instead of, say, 2 (or 0 if you are financially not sure if things will ever be ok) when you are not considered rich (enough to catch hick-ups like the one for very long periods) in this day and age? Again, I'm asking this not in general, but of someone who clearly has an analytical brain.
- aklemm 8y ago
  It can be nice to have more time with babies and the other stages (they do grow quickly, you know) and it's also fun for siblings to have each other. Considering people ignore financial realities in all kinds of spectacular ways, ending up with a bunch of kids isn't too hard to imagine.
  - tluyben2 8y ago
    I agree, that's why I was asking it from someone with, maybe, some analytical rational. With the reason your provided being absolutely viable, just not my experience. Anecdotally, my friends all did the calculations and planned kids, houses etc based on those calculations. So I am wondering how someone who is aware of this goes that far and then gets in a position where he has to ask for help. It is sad (I do not believe he should have been put in prison, but he should've gotten mental help right off the bat, imho), but one can ask the question. Maybe it is good to say that it is absolutely weird in my neck of the woods to have more than 2-3 kids. Everyone will look at you like you are a religious nut, so that probably plays into my curiosity.
sireat 8y ago
One tiny practical suggestion: Add some basic CSS to the site such as lightly shaded boxes for paragraphs. The stark red and black styling defaults on chrome leave an unsettling impression. As others have commented, your best practical course would be becoming an independent contractor and providing your services remotely. If you provide your services as SD Consulting LLC it should open a few more doors.
jiveturkey 8y ago
i think the site as it is now, is fantastic. actually it’s a refreshingly honest presentation. i think you might actually be undercharging. value is perceived, not absolute. good luck.
oceanghost 8y ago
None of this information makes sense. How did the gentlemen in question come by roughly 30,000 ink cartridges, or induce people to turn them in, in his name? I'm guessing that's the fraud bit.

286 points by FelonForHire 8y ago

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

> Every company is enthusiastic to hire me. But at the background check phase they all retract their offer. This kinda suggests you weren't honest, or at least up-front, about your conviction. If it gets to the background check phase and they don't already know, you're doing it wrong. If an employer finds out about that from anyone but you, the answer is _definitely_ going to be no. If they find out from you directly, it's probably still a no, but not definitely. > We've ran out of unemployment Grammatical error - may seem like a small thing, but when you're appealing to people in this way, the small things matter a lot. Change to "We've run out of unemployment". To be honest though, I'm not sure this part of the story is helping your case - it doesn't paint a positive picture, only inspires pity. Maybe I'm wrong about that though - just what I'd be thinking about.

atonse 8y ago
I beg to differ. Although I have no data or experience to suggest one way or another. I can see how you would want to first be judged on the merit of your skills and then an employer might be willing to make a judgement call in your case, after they have judged your value. As opposed to your resume being thrown out without even as much as a second thought if you are a convicted felon.
- joshmn 8y ago
  I have plenty of experience here, so I can comment. I've never had a problem finding a gig even though I'm a felon, but I don't work with BigCorp because that's not my scene (and it's probably harder to market myself as a felon to anyway): At the end of the initial phone call / screening, I tell them, transparently: "there's no way I can pass a background check by the way" It has always been well received, even to recruiters and head hunters.
  - ichamo 8y ago
    I also have experience with this. I'd say the industry type and company size matter a great deal. Felons are legally barred from working at any FDIC insured company. So forget banking/finance. Also healthcare will also have stringent background checks. Giant corporations may have policies that immediately skip over you regardless. I'm not sure how I've made it really. Luck mostly. I'm ten years removed from my arrest and it still comes back to haunt me.
    - joshmn 8y ago
      The worst part for me has been finding a place to live. I've even offered to pay annually and up-front.
  - hluska 8y ago
    This is the best advice that I've read here. I can only upvote you once, but I think it would be amazing if OP could read this.
  - patricius 8y ago
    Danish person here. How does it work? Will the background check reveal what crime was committed, or just that you are a felon? I could imagine knowing the specific crime could influence the final decision on hiring or not, no?
    - ams6110 8y ago
      Arrests, prosecutions, and convictions are a matter of public record. So the specific offense and sentence will turn up in any criminal history background check, unless you are able to get your record sealed or expunged which I think only happens in cases where you were a minor offender and went through the juvenile system, or when a conviction is overturned on appeal or other extenuating circumstances that are fairly unusual.
- BillinghamJ 8y ago
  For my company, as with many, we need to know about this stuff up-front. If we make an agreement on the basis of not knowing, then we later find out, there is absolutely no way whatsoever we will _ever_ hire you. We are a finally regulated company though, so the requirements are perhaps a bit more strict. If you explain all of this ahead of time - much like this website does - then we can take it into account and there won't be any surprises. For a serious offence, it's probably still going to be a no. For anything fraud or white-collar related, it's going to be a no. But for less serious offences not related to our business, I think we'd be reasonably comfortable.
komali2 8y ago
Seems to me like he was trying that as a strategy at first, realized it was ineffective, and did a perfect 180 by publishing a website with the URL "reformedfelonforhire.com" on which he lists the details of his crime alongside his resume.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
FelonForHire 8y ago
For the first 4 of the past 6 months, I've tried disclosing early (first or second phone call), half-way through, or near the job offer phase. Every single time, without fail, they email back (not even a phone call) with either a generic or very brief message retracting their offer or declining to proceed with the interview process. Smaller companies will simply stop returning my calls and emails, and completely cut off contact regardless of when I tell them. I only started waiting until the background check until I disclose for the past 2 months because I'm getting very nervous about not actually getting a job.
- mlitwiniuk 8y ago
  And when you told them when meeting in person? So after initial screening, but before final background check?
- BillinghamJ 8y ago
  If a company will decline to hire you based on finding out, then there isn't really anything you can do - they will find out one way or another. If you're being pragmatic about it, you might as well save your time and get rejected from these kinds of companies earlier on in the process, rather than get all the way to the end before having to move on. The end result is the same.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - cornholio 8y ago
    If a company is rejecting you based on policy, yes. If it's a personal decision based on prejudice against felons (he can't possibly be competent and non-violent), the result is not the same, you have the chance to disprove those prejudices and sell yourself. Since such prejudice is rampant, it may be your best overall chance. I believe that, aside from specialized fields like bank tellers or people working with children, access to conviction history should be severely restricted - the only point of such info is to facilitate discrimination. In theory, the debt to society is repaid when the individual exits the penitentiary. In practice, the punishment continues on an ad-hoc, deregulated fashion from private individuals against the most vulnerable segment of the ex-felonry: those with meager material means and education, limited family support and in most desperate need to secure lawful employment. This extended and unequal punishment is a clear violation of the equality before law all citizens should enjoy, that should punish similar acts to the same degree.
mlitwiniuk 8y ago
As much as I wish the guy all the best, this is a valid point. From an employer point of view, if I'd find out about conviction (of any kind) from the background check (and not during the hiring process), I'd feel cheated.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
amorphid 8y ago
There's no good way and/or time to ask the question "Do you guys do background checks that would include my sex offenses?"
- treis 8y ago
  I'll go a step further and say the number of companies that will willingly hire someone with a felony sex offense involving minors is essentially 0. Especially when it happened 2 years ago in someone's late 20s/early 30s (guessing based on work experience).
  - _sdegutis 8y ago
    Well shit.
    - treis 8y ago
      Don't mean to kick you while your down. I figure honest feedback will be helpful. Now that I've Googled your name and read the articles there's no way. You committed the same crime 4 years apart. The nature of your crime is relatively benign as far as sex offenses go. However, it's such a shocking departure from societal norms it makes me wonder what other inappropriate things you've done without getting caught. As a hiring manager, there's no way I would risk it. This post was an excellent hail mary attempt and probably your best option for employment. Your other realistic options are freelancing for people who won't do a background check or develop something you can sell. Edit to add: Again, not trying to be mean, but when your picture came up I said "Yep, that looks like a guy who'd expose himself to minors". Grow your hair out, ditch the goatee, find more mainstream outfit, and, most importantly, take the picture inside. In your photo you're squinting and furrowing your brow which makes you look a bit threatening.
      - jahlove 8y ago
        Agreed (as a photographer) on the photo points. Ditch the all-black, and take it inside or shortly after sunset. Good luck OP.

revnja 8y ago

Damn. I hope someone can give this dude a second chance.

sontek 8y ago
He had a second chance. He did it once and got a misdemeanor and was able to move on with his life. The problem is he decided to do it AGAIN. Maybe there is an argument for a third chance? But a repeat offender is a repeat offender.

theyinwhy 8y ago

Why is the annual employment rate offered to him so high but rate per hour so low? Is that the norm? What hourly rate do you get?

kolpa 8y ago
Different companies offer different levels/pay to the same candidates on different days. Don't look for too much in a small ample.
sincerely 8y ago
Isn't 65/hour like 130,000$/year? That seems in-line with the salaried positions
- toomuchtodo 8y ago
  It's $124,800 assuming zero downtime and fully booked weeks all year, with no PTO. Don't compare 1099 hourly to a W2 with benefits unless you've made a very careful comparison of total comp.
  - cimmanom 8y ago
    How does that math work out? $65/hr = $130K/yr is using a pretty standard 2000 hrs/yr estimate. 52 wks/yr * 5 days/wk * 8hrs/day = 2080 hrs. So the 2000hr ($130K) estimate assumes 2 full weeks PTO. $124,800 works out to only 1920 hrs/yr, which is 48 weeks of 40hr/wk work. ETA: but yes, once you take into account benefits, taxes, and other expenses, one would want a significantly higher 1099 rate anyway.
    - toomuchtodo 8y ago
      I wasn’t aware of the 2000 hours a year estimate. TIL!

joshmn 8y ago

OP: Put your plea at the top to get the attention of people; "Unemployed family man ran out of money". Also, regarding interviews, if you're very transparent with people they can usually find a way past what turns up in your background check. To HN: Another felon here: One of the hardest things is living with this label. There's such a stigma around it. My offense is much different than OP, but it still sucks. People seem to think "one a felon, always a felon" — which, in some cases is very true, but for every repeat customer of the courts there are 10 people who commit felonies once or twice and never do it again and go on to lead otherwise normal lives.

billmalarky 8y ago
I agree, this current order suggests he's a felon first and foremost then the rest of the page says "well I'm actually all these great things too, but they come after the fact that I'm a felon." People might believe that the felon first hierarchy is the one that really matters (and they could be right in many scenarios - even this one) but he isn't doing himself any favors by being the first to suggest it.
- _sdegutis 8y ago
  Good point, I put that first because that's going to be the biggest question in people's mind so I wanted to answer it up-front and move on to what I can offer them.
  - 0x4f3759df 8y ago
    Got a spelling error on your portfolio: "techical articles"
    - _sdegutis 8y ago
      Thanks, fixed it.
forapurpose 8y ago
> People seem to think "one a felon, always a felon" I'm not sure that's what is really going on, regardless of what people say. People have no problem doing business with known frauds, criminals and bad actors, from the CEO who cheated their co-founder to Wall Street banks to many, many more. Will nobody do business with Travis Kalanick again? The banks who sold the shady mortgage-backed securities that caused the Great Recession? There was a story the other day about prominent scientists who committed massive fraud and hardly suffered dents in their careers. Pete Carroll committed many violations of NCAA rules and ethics when coaching U. of Southern Cal football; he became a professional football coach and nobody talks about not trusting him; it seems to have had no impact on his reputation. Another example is the Catholic Church's systematic sexual abuse of children on a global scale; did everyone stop going to Catholic churches? Stop doing all business with them? I could go on forever. It's hard to put my finger on the formula, but it seems to have something to do with being on the inside, 'one of ours' or the old boy network, compared with being an outsider. (To avoid any doubt, I think the exclusion of former felons from employment is wrong. Once they've served their time, it's done. Employers shouldn't be allowed to ask with only a few exceptions (e.g., former bank robbers shouldn't be bank security guards).)

kolpa 8y ago

See also 70MillionJobs, a YC company for connecting jobs with employees that have criminal records. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15101452 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15101452

FelonForHire 8y ago
I signed up for that site a month ago and have had absolutely no success finding a job that I qualify for through it.

komali2 8y ago

At first, I thought this was a service for connecting felons to jobs. I always thought that'd be an awesome idea, especially if some sort of job training could be set up (jail is SUPPOSED to be for rehabilitation, right?) Anyway, best of luck with your job search. You seem very transparent about this, so forgive me if this is too forward - do you face difficulties being on the sex offendeder list with attending events for your children? I.e school plays or whatever.

AlexCoventry 8y ago
> jail is SUPPOSED to be for rehabilitation, right? The prison I volunteered in, there was a classroom full of computers, but the inmates weren't trusted to use them. There was some discussion of a "paper-based" computer-science course.

nwatson 8y ago

I imagine the Koch Brothers follow through on their commitment to "ban the box" (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/koch-brothers-donors-ban-box-job-applications/story?id=41419080 http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/koch-brothers-donors-ban-box-...) and not ask about felony convictions in job applications. There are other companies operated by executive teams from across the political spectrum that probably do the same -- maybe you could be hired by one of these companies (?) . Software systems at times touch sensitive info, and it might be harder to justify hiring a formal felon to work on these (might depend on the nature of the crime), so YMMV. Good luck to you, I hope you continue to sort out your issues and that you good way to support your family.

PirateBay 8y ago
"Banning the box" isn't going to do anything if background checks are still legally allowed to find out the same information (felonies, convictions) anyway.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]

justherefortart 8y ago

Good luck, my partner (startup) is a felon. I've known him for 12+ years. Youthful mistakes have followed him longer than he was alive when he got his felony. Don't be discouraged and keep at it. My state (Oklahoma) removed asking if you have a felony from all state job applications (truly shocking IMO).

epylar 8y ago

Given "everyone I know agrees I'm a different person now," it is important to know when the felony was in relation to the 10 years of experience.

FelonForHire 8y ago
It happened 2 years ago.
- epylar 8y ago
  Well, it seems unlikely that you forgot your professional skills in that time.. good luck!

ythn 8y ago

Seems like places that have remote employees would be perfect for hiring reformed felons. If I ever made a company as successful as GitLab I would have no qualms hiring this guy for remote work. Nothing wrong with hiring them for non-remote work, just saying the liability is even lower.

theparanoid 8y ago
The legal liability is the same.
- ythn 8y ago
  Yeah I'm talking more from a company incident perspective. Say you have a reformed felon who committed rape. In an on-site position, they may relapse and rape an attractive coworker. However, in the remote case, you can't rape female employees if you don't know where they live.

some_account 8y ago

I would hire the guy if I needed something. I don't see why it matters if the guy used to be a felon previously. Is he going to be violent over some software specs? I very much doubt it.

milesdyson_phd 8y ago
I wonder if one issue could be the company's fear that the public/clients/etc might latch onto a very narrow context of this gentleman's history like: "x employs sex offenders." It's not fair but when you have other candidates that don't have this stigma why would they even try?
- Nelson69 8y ago
  I had a client get quite uppity because we bought their domain name through GoDaddy (i had a guy that went with one of the cheapest, spent their money like it was our own.. etc.) and GoDaddy had just presented risque ad during the Super Bowl. They weren't particularly upset about GoDaddy itself so much as what if someone found out they patronized them. For that particular business, I'd swag a guess that the extra price in switching to Network Solutions plus our time in undoing the damage and "returning" the domain to Go Daddy will be less than what they'd make from the customers they will have had lost that simply will not patronize companies that buy domains from GoDaddy. I don't know. I don't think most users click on the pad lock, let alone explore the certificate chain, let alone do a lot of advanced whois stuff. I think this poor guy is going to have a rough go of it. Maybe a contracting firm can help provide some insulation. I'll also admit, hearing that it's a bit of a sex crime involving youths (highschoolers are still 'youth') combined with the heightened awareness in the currently climate about sexual harassment and such, it seems a bit scary to take a risk on someone like this. I'd think contracting off site might be the way to go.
goodJobWalrus 8y ago
I mean, you have no reason to suspect he was ever violent. On the other hand, if he flashes women at the office, they'll sue the company. If the company is well known, the press is going to get to that. Anyway, you have shit on your hands. If you are not the owner, just an employee in charge of recruiting, you may even lose your job. It is a bit risky. But I don't see a problem with hiring the guy to work from home as a contractor.

tyrankh 8y ago

OP, the website doesn't specify which part of the country you're looking for work. That may be a good thing to add.

codingdave 8y ago

It is completely unfair for felons to be shut out of jobs because of non-violent past mistakes that are ancient history and would not re-occur. On the other hand, we have no idea who made this page. If they want to be taken seriously and given a chance, they need to be transparent enough to at least tell us who they are, and let us make our own decision on working with them.

hamandcheese 8y ago
I disagree, OP should do everything in his power to disconnect the felony with his online persona.
cjbprime 8y ago
I agree that we treat felons extremely poorly. But as a point of order, I don't think sexual assaults are (or should be) considered as non-violent.
- codingdave 8y ago
  Yes, you are correct - I hadn't read the story as being one of assault, but perhaps I wasn't thinking it through, and it could/should be seen as such. But discussions and decisions like that are exactly why the details matter.
- imustadmit 8y ago
  Flashing your wanger at someone passing by isn't really sexual assault though. I've been flashed by a drunk guy, I gave a surprised chuckle and walked away. My mum was flashed when some weirdo jumped into the back garden and started showing his stuff to her through the kitchen window; she chased him away with a sword. Neither of us thought for one minute we'd been sexually assaulted, and these instances just became amusing stories. Unfortunately it seems that doing similar in the USA is no laughing matter.
  - AlexCoventry 8y ago
    If your typical teenage girl was inclined and legally allowed to carry a sword and wield it against assailants, it's possible I would agree with you. They're not, though, and we should be glad to live in a society where no one needs to and sane people generally don't want to. The implied threat of potential rape makes flashing a young women at least as violent as a credible threat to beat someone within an inch of their life. I'm sympathetic to ReformedFelonForHire's situation, and regard this humiliating punishment as extreme, unnecessary and destructive to the fabric of society, but I don't think that means we should minimize the harm of his error.

iheart2code 8y ago

Can you work as a contractor? Generally, you shouldn't have to provide a background check if you're just contracting your services.

0x4f3759df 8y ago

Does anyone know if it would make a difference if he started a company (ABC Consultants) and then contracted out himself through his company? Seems like that might get around the background check issue.

cik 8y ago
Unfortunately that's not really doable. A shocking number of contracts specify that the corporation not hire known criminals. I have seen lax ones specifying only that a background check is conducted.
- sjsjxhhc 8y ago
  What would the risk be if violating that provision? Breach of contract that may just give the client an out, or something like fraud that may put the contractor in jail?

_coveredInBees 8y ago

Op, while I hope you manage to land a gig, I'll be a bit critical here and say that your webpage/resume could use a fair bit of work. 1. You have zero links to projects or things you've worked on (even if it is a simple calculator app). If you're so fluent in all the languages you listed, surely, you must have some projects to showcase? Hardly anyone is going to make the effort of sending an email to your listed email address to inquire about your portfolio, but they are far more likely to send you a note if they browsed through your work and liked what they saw. 2. You refer to a fair amount of front-end skills, yet your site has a very 90s look and feel. While that may have been intentional, it just feels like a lack of skills due to the jarring aesthetics. You can make a minimal blog/website while still having decent aesthetics. 3. Your content has a bit of a cheesy infomercial vibe to it. I feel like you could make the same points without trying so hard. Focus more on the content, your skills and making a good professional impression while being upfront about your criminal history. 4. While I understand that you made a conscious decision to maintain your anonymity when making your webpage, it seems a bit counter to what your site is trying to do. It's hard for a would be employer to make the effort to get in touch with you when there is no name or face to ascribe to you, and your contact email is a made up one. Your site seems to be your effort to own your situation and turn things around, but withholding any information about yourself feels a bit counter to that. That being said, I can understand why you may want to choose to remain anonymous. Good luck!

_sdegutis 8y ago
1. I do have a portfolio but was a bit nervous to post it publicly on this website considering that opens me up publicly to scorn and wrath of anyone and everyone who is (rightfully) offended by my crimes. Either way, I've added it to the site. 2. True, I wrote this website in a rush. I copied the HN color scheme and decided to stick with that considering I only posted the link here. But valid point. 3. By putting the emphasis on what you get out of hiring me, I tried to avoid looking like I'm complaining. 4. Very good point. I've added my portfolio to the site. Sincerely hope this decision doesn't come back to bite me.
- jnsaff2 8y ago

Trundle 8y ago

Not in a position to hire you but I highly recommend contracting, or presenting as a one man dev agency. People treat signing up with Top Development Pty Ltd much differently to hiring Mr Potential Felon. When myself and a friend were doing it for a while we were continuously amazed at just how trusting people were. No background information, credential checking, nothing. Just "here you go" and they hand over credentials to all of their core business and customer information to some guys they just met. We were also charging $90 hour as people who didn't really know what they're doing. I understand you need money right now, but I definitely think this is a route you should consider in the future.

hasingh 8y ago

Put you resume on a google doc, and share the link here. You do not have to provide personal details, but at least provide more detail on your skills and a contact #. We hire for remote working contract positions from time to time. I would admit that I have second thoughts about this outreach, but there should be hope for everybody! We do not have something available right now, but requirements do open up. I wish you luck!

anonlastname 8y ago

Something is missing here: his name

danShumway 8y ago
As is yours. It's entirely rational and reasonable for OP to stay anonymous here. You cannot reasonably expect people to be vulnerable in situations where it is obvious they will face discrimination and attacks. OP does not have a moral duty to give others an extra opportunity to hurt them.
tluyben2 8y ago
Maybe this wasn't the case before, but his name is in the link and he is on here (HN) now under his real name as well.

amorphid 8y ago

Hey OP, base on my personal experience, almost every company I spoke w/ back east did a background check. It's much less common in California, at least w/ startups & smaller companies. Also, try putting your resume on Dice.com. Specify some geographic regions you'd consider relocating to, as well as the fact that you're willing to work remotely. You'll have to filter through a lot of junk communication, but it's worked well for me in the past when I was in a pinch. Also, when talking to the company, here's one way to be sneaky about your background. Apply to every job twice, once with your real profile, and once w/ a similar, but not identical profile. With the 2nd profile, if and only if the company gets back to you, just say you got a DUI about 5 years ago, and have been sober ever since, but some employers have rejected you because of that, so you'd like to know if they do background checks. It might be seem shady, and maybe it is, but it's not your fault company's spend so much time wasting your time, so you gotta do what you gotta do to put your energy where it will get results. Good luck!

anonlastname 8y ago

My man you can't be flashing high schoolers

coding-saints 8y ago
AMEN. I can only have so much sympathy here. You are flaunting this "offense" like it's petty. If it were ANY OTHER crime catagory, I might not even bat an eye.... but when people go out exposing themselves to kids, it makes me wonder what they haven't been caught for. I think you need to remove your post, be happy if you get work, and don't use the community for an issue that is so personal.
- DoofusOfDeath 8y ago
  It seems like there are a few issues here: (1) Has he experienced an appropriate amount of retributive / vengeful justice for his crime? (2) Given his current state, what are the chances of additional, problematic offenses in the future? IMO the prison time probably satisfied (1). So the real question is, how can prospective employers decide about (2) at this point?
- imustadmit 8y ago
  > but when people go out exposing themselves to kids Come on, it's not like he was waving his todger at five year olds. Seeing a spot of unexpected nudity at 17 years old is not a big deal.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

spacesword 8y ago

I would take a risk on him as a remote employee. But no way would I be willing to take a risk for an on site position. Especially with #MeToo OP maybe you should focus on remote jobs and be transparent upfront?

noitsnot 8y ago
He's hirable. I'm not sure about the other companies, but would take a guess that a big name company like Goldman or Expedia wouldn't take the chance with him before #metoo, not to mention now.

theparanoid 8y ago

I feel for you, being convicted of a sex offense makes you persona non grata in the US. If nothing works you can freelance via Upwork, it can pay OK for US workers.

jakobegger 8y ago

I can’t believe so many companies make background checks. Is that a US thing? I don’t think companies in Europe do that (or do they?).

rconti 8y ago
sadly (in my opinion), yes. I've done a background check for every job I've had in my ~20 years. Granted, a number of them have been for security companies, but it seems standard.
stordoff 8y ago
In the UK, employers are limited to what they can ask about based on the position and the length of conviction. I've posted about this before recently[1], so won't repeat myself here, but basically an employer will not know about short (<4 year) convictions (and you aren't required to tell them about them) unless they are recent or relevant to the job (e.g. working with children/vulnerable people). [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16637419 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16637419
tluyben2 8y ago
Some do, but the smaller ones definitely don't. I had bizarrely thorough background checks happen and none at all even for just contracting. Nothing to find and they disclosed that they would do them in the first place, but they did happen. You would be hiding the fact though then or anyway not disclosing it which could be a red flag later if you tell them / they find out... I would hope if you have a click with the manager/person you would work for/with, you can honestly explain your case. I do not live or ever lived in the US so I do not know how it works there, but in almost every employment seeking or contracting case in the past I was speaking directly to the person I would be working with and s/he would also be the decision maker for the role. In my country and with your credentials, I cannot see you having too much issues getting E70-100/hr longterm contracting jobs. Again, not sure about the US.

HackerThrow1337 8y ago

That really sucks that you are having so much trouble! I technically have a felony non-violent drug possession charge on my record, but it hasn't caused me any problems since I switched to software from another field.I even got an entry-level position this year. I was never convicted (No Contest or something similar), am having to go through unsupervised probation (basically I am in big trouble if arrested again but am not bothered at all by probation), and then after another year, it will be cleared from my record. I don't think I was ever asked to disclose any crimes in any of the applications. Out of a few hundred applications, maybe 5 even mentioned the position was pending passing a background check. I did not disclose this for any job that I applied for, because I did not think it would be found on my record currently, but I now know that I was wrong. Airbnb banned me from their service for my one drug possession charge after redoing my background check (Such utter bullshit, their statement of purpose claims it is at their discretion if they think the crime was bad enough to ban from the service. It was simple nonviolent possession and I don't understand how having that on my record from almost 3 years ago is going to make having me as a guest any more dangerous). There were two jobs that I thought for sure I had gotten, but did not receive an offer. One didn't write me back for a month before I finally got the information that I wasn't hired out of them. They didn't inform me of any background checks, but they may have completed one anyways. It definitely seemed like their attitude changed completely a week after my onsite. My current employer did not complete a background check, at least to my knowledge. I am at an extremely small startup. Hopefully nothing ever comes back to byte me in the ass. Obviously nonviolent drug possession should be lowest priority for all offenses that show up (it really shouldn't be a felony to simply possess any drug). I actually got really sick and didn't know why, couldn't get much help from doctors when I started using opioids to combat the multitude of symptoms. I got caught with an opioid, was never one to get super fucked up in a recreational manner. Instead, I was always trying to simply feel normal enough to make it through my grad school classes. Anyways, found out later I basically have fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue, and I am having better control of my symptoms with medical marijuana and legally prescribed adderal.

magic_beans 8y ago
Now THIS is a felony that is 100% forgivable. You really, truly did nothing wrong and I hope all is going well for you. OP on the other hand...

subsubsub 8y ago

I find the complete lack of scepticism here to be pretty problematic. reformedfelonforhire.com links to someone's portfolio website. What evidence is there that these two websites are owned or run by the same person? The whois both have privacy settings from different companies. They may be the same person, but surely it's not beyond the realm of possibility that this is someone trying to hurt the reputation of a different person.

BryantD 8y ago
Google the owner of the portfolio website. There are news stories about the crime with his name on them.
- subsubsub 8y ago
  whois before google! what is wrong with me.
_sdegutis 8y ago
It's definitely me. I spent a ton of effort this morning buying the new domain name and doing everything I can to remain anonymous. I only added the portfolio website after a lot of recommendations here, and kind of gave up my anonymity that way. Only time will tell if it was the stupidest decision.
LyndsySimon 8y ago
Presumably an employer would verify identity.

RafiqM 8y ago

Have you considered applying for (remote) jobs outside of the US? At least in Europe background checks are very unusual, although with a unique name maybe even a simple Google search would "out" you :/ (I'm not saying you should be dishonest and lie about your conviction, but if they don't ask then no harm no foul)

pliftkl 8y ago
Independently of the background checks that European companies might not do, any European government almost certainly knows that he's a felon and would bar entry. That would preclude showing up for an in person interview or ever showing up for a company event.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

woolvalley 8y ago

When I used to do independent contract software jobs, I never recalled any background checks being done. When people hire a plumber, they don't do background checks either. Presenting yourself as a company vs an employee can be helpful in this situation. Have you thought of doing odesk style work or other remote contracts to pay the bills?

jeffmould 8y ago

As a convicted felon, and someone working to help returning citizens find employment opportunities, several pieces of advice: 1) Look into the Federal Bonding Program. This may help some smaller employers overcome fears of working with you. Everyone qualifies and it is free for the employer and job seeker. 2) Be ready to take any position at any rate. You may even consider finding non-developer jobs for the time being, at least until at little more time has passed since your conviction/release. I can't emphasize how powerful it can be to build trust again with employers. Working a warehouse job where you show up everyday, work hard, and always go the extra mile, even if you only do it for six months or a year, can be a powerful step to getting bigger, better jobs. You can always do consulting, freelance work on the side to keep your skills up. 3) Unfortunately for you sex offenses are tough to overcome and even harder to convince employers to hire you for. Your inability to travel out of state with ease, plus other restrictions associated with the registry, can make hiring decisions for sex offenders difficult. Your best bet is to aim for small, local employers or remote contract work. Possibly even starting your own business. 4) Your web page comes across as downplaying the severity of your offenses or as if they were just little mistakes. No offense, but this was a thought out sex crime. While they may be minor crimes, in the eyes of many any sex offense is a major red flag. Even more so when those crimes center around child sex offenses. I would work on getting letters of recommendation from influential people in your life. Your therapist, pastor/priest, probation officer, etc... Let potential employers know that you have these letters instead of just saying that "Everyone I know agrees I'm a different person". 5) Personally, I would avoid the paragraphs of what other offers you received. While you say "competitive rate", you flaunt the offer amounts and you don't mention what that competitive rate is. As a potential employer I may be skeptical that you are looking for a salary around those numbers. With that said, I will put feelers out to my contacts to see if anyone is looking for a programmer with your skills. Good luck!

jahlove 8y ago
Agreed. definitely remove that whole "highly sought after" section

gtsteve 8y ago

OP, perhaps you might consider TopTal or similar? I have never worked for them but I hired a few of their guys for several momnths who were very good and they seemed to enjoy it. You might be barred from some kinds of projects but I'd give it a shot regardless.

_sdegutis 8y ago
Thanks. I applied at TopTal about 9 months ago or so, but did not pass their algorithm-heavy coding test. That said, I've passed every other algorithm test and coding test I've been given by other companies. But TopTal has the hardest one by far considering I never went to college for coding and university-style algorithms are not my strong suit.

rconti 8y ago

I'm not sure if it's relevant, but my mind keeps coming back to it, which means it's probably throwing other people for a loop, too. I doubt the confusion would stop anyone from hiring you, but I can't help but wonder: What were the two offenses? I see the one that's cited. I'm not clear on whether that's the first one, or the second one. Or were they both the exact same offense? Was the cited one the 'worst' of the two? Was the first one just shoplifting some gum? Again, I don't really know if it's relevant, but I kept re-reading the statement trying to parse it, and couldn't.

DoreenMichele 8y ago
He has one felony. That felony is for his second time flashing someone.
- imustadmit 8y ago
  I've been flashed before. I found it an odd mixture of WTF and amusing. Weird that the US deems it necessary to jail people for months just for some surprise nudity. Cultural differences, I suppose.
  - DoreenMichele 8y ago
    Fun American Puritanism Trivia: The European version of I, Robot shows Will Smith taking a shower so the audience can both learn he has a prosthetic limb and also see the extent of his prosthesis. It happens to include a shot of his butt. Or so I gather. As an American, I have not actually seen this shower scene because the US version cut that scene as too risqué, requiring them to find some other (less effective, less natural, more awkward) means to inform the audience that the character has a prosthetic arm and the prosthesis reaches well down into his rib cage.

XR0CSWV3h3kZWg 8y ago

Sounds like this a perfect situation to try and talk to a recruiting firm.

_o_ 8y ago

Why don't you just write you are js developer? Like jsforhire.com? It directly suggests you are a felon to the computer science. :D But joke aside, as far as I am conserned, I wouldn't care what you have done (except js... :D).

gremlinsinc 8y ago

Not a felon, but I do freelancing via /r/forhire on reddit, between 40-60/hour is what I charge generally as an intermediate fullstack dev (php (via laravel) and vue). -- Nobody ever asks for a background check, at least so far, I'm sure upwork and other freelance sites might work as well.. Finding a traditional job will probably be difficult but remote shorter term contracts shouldn't be too hard to find.

twayComment 8y ago

Tough situation and it’s clear you’re desperate. If you want some honest feedback, your pitch conveys that you do not understand the magnitude of your crime and how it is perceived by others. Perhaps you can ask your therapist about this. For instance, I had to post this from a throwaway over concern about your mental state. Best of luck.

jamesbrink 8y ago
This is someone who is owning their shit, and you chime in anonymously like this. seriously?

lgregg 8y ago

I'd suggest changing the narrative. I've read through several of the comments already. I agree I think your biggest con (pun not intended) to an employer is the risk/breach of public trust of your prior convictions. However, I think that your messaging can be reframed pretty easily. I would separate your backstory from your pitch on your landing page. I know you're in a tough spot, but waving a flag of desperation is not your best move right now. This is how I'd reorganize your pitch if I was in your situation: [Current Summary, with portfolio link] [What you offer, with links to portfolio projects and articles where you know a lot about a certain technology] [Stub of your backstory with a link to another page (see below)] [You can see my letters of recommendation from... (this is very important)] [Due to my current circumstances, I'm offering my services below market rate of $25 per hour as I get on my feet.] [Call to Action, to view portfolio or contact you.] This is how I'd organize your backstory page: [I was convicted for...] [I learned and reformed in jail by x,y,z, give a glimps] [Now that I'm out, I've done X, Y, and Z but my prior criminal history has made it very difficult to find employment. These people vouch for me, (letters of recommendation)] [I'm currently at the end of my financial means as a family man with 5 kids... (I'd avoid mentioning unemployment directly, I'd say all government services available to me or something like that.)] I'd say out of all of this, you should not position yourself as a victim or desperate. We, as humans, aren't inclined to that -- especially in hiring situations. u/jeffmould mentioned the Federal Bonding Program; I really think you should try to get that. I looked at their site and it seems promising. I'd remove the highly competitive rates, they mean nothing if you can't secure them. Your problem right now is potential employers likely don't trust you. However, honestly. I'd make your reformed URL the about page and make your portfolio the pitch. I wouldn't worry about anonymity because: 1) it's already out there in the newspapers; 2) background checks will happen and you're wanting to get in front of this issue, not hide. Ideally, you want to create a landing page that people can share. Lastly, I know you can't move but if ever can or reach the need. I'd check out https://defyventures.org/ https://defyventures.org/. Also, most churches have "compassion", "care", or "mercy" ministries run by volunteers or the church deacons that help people in need. It might be worth a shot.

throwaway42018 8y ago

Contracting is probably the best bet for short-term cash. Lower risk and less reason to check background. If you get contacts from this post but they are hesitant, consider offering to set up an LLC in your wife’s name (assuming the cost in Illinois is not prohibitive). There are probably a few startups or smaller businesses willing to give you a shot given your experience, but given the history they might need the plausible deniability of an abstraction layer.

jamesbrink 8y ago

I feel this is an important subject. I to have recently become a felon as well. Finding reasonable employment after the fact is a constant de-motivating battle. I have been working the ops side of things for over 10 years for large well known companies such as Edward Jones, Yahoo, and GoDaddy. I made a series of stupid decisions within a 3 hour period while having an argument with an ex girlfriend over text messages (never any violence, threats, etc). I decided to be vindictive with her, troll her, be a dick continuously out of anger. Needless to say, I broke the law and it came down hard on me. I have never had any issues with the law in the past, and this was my only run in with the law. I was indicted on 12 charges, 8 of them felonies, further more the prosecutor claimed that there was aggravating circumstances which allows them to charge me as a repeat offender because a few of the crimes took place on multiple days (violating a court order by texting my ex girlfriend.) Of the 12 charges I had to sign for 3 felonies to avoid going to prison over being a troll to my ex girlfriend, the worst part is if I had beat her within an inch of her life I would have been in less trouble. Unfortunately that's not my MO or in my character at all. So now I am an engineer with over 10 years of great work history with 3 felonies for Computer Tampering, Harassment, and Stalking (In AZ this is Harassment + Fear of property being damaged) charges. I was no doubt guilty, and I don't try to minimize my crimes and stupidity, but I am highly annoyed that I will have to be judged by this over and over again long after a judge already did at sentencing.... There are companies that claim to work with people for a second chance but I personally have never seen this during my job search. Nothing more fun than becoming a felon at 35 :/

glangdale 8y ago

To me the site doesn't work very well, as it mentions two offenses and describes one. It seems evasive; people aren't specifically interested only the crime got you the mandatory felony conviction. It would work better if there is full disclosure as people are going to want to Google you and they're going to find it anyhow.

_sdegutis 8y ago
Sorry, it was worded differently at first and a commenter here (a writer) suggested some edits and I made the changes, but I guess there's been some confusion since then. They were two identical crimes, but they happened about 5 years apart.

downandout 8y ago

I’m curious why you are so focused on working for someone else, when it’s clear that most will not hire you. A friend of mine was raised on the streets of Philadelphia. He was very talented with computers from an early age, but unfortunately nobody would hire him after he pled guilty to a felony as a result of being found with drugs and a gun. I met him after all of this happened through an Internet marketing forum, where we exchanged ideas for a few years, before working together on several projects. He makes ~$50k/mo working on his own as an affiliate marketer. Affiliate marketing is only a part of my personal business, but I make more just from that than I could if I were a senior engineer at Google or Facebook. So it’s something you should consider. While you won’t be curing cancer, as a reasonably intelligent programmer, you’ll have a leg up over most others doing it, and you can pretty easily make a very comfortable living. It’s also something you can do on a moonlighting basis even if you do manage to get a job.

forapurpose 8y ago

Some honest feedback: I want to be clear that it's not a comment on you personally at all; it's perception of a website and, sadly, perception is what matters in this case: I've encountered many hustlers and this website looks like a hustle to me. When you add that the author has been in prison, the situation becomes very dubious. Not everyone will see it that way, obviously, but I'm confident that people with my experience will share my perception. Here's what I see: (I know I might sound heartless, but that's how the hustles work - make a pitch that you can't deny without looking or feeling like a jerk, and about which you can't be certain so that it's socially awkward to doubt them.) * The story: Lots of kids, need money for (something urgent and highly sympathetic), not a hustler just an honest person down on their luck ... I've heard it many, many times. One guy told me he had 7 young kids he needed to feed; when I pointed out he appeared to be in his 60s, he said they were someone else's kids; later the number changed to 5. * The focus on the story rather than the business. It feels like a con, an attempt to jerk my heartstrings, rather than a business proposition. * The extremely low rate - 'lucky for you that you caught me at a bad time!' Another one I've heard many times. To be taken seriously as a professional, charge a professional rate. * The incredible list of projects and of promises ("I can pretty much write any software solution you need, in a reasonably short time"), both almost too good to believe. I could go on for awhile. Given your background, IMHO you need to be very careful to appear to be professional and not a hustler at all. Otherwise, at best it doesn't look like you understand the professional world. At worst, it's a hustle by an ex-con. Again, I'm not saying you are hustling anyone, I'm saying you risk that perception.

tluyben2 8y ago

Offtopic a bit (too late for this to be relevant to OP, but I am curious nonetheless) and not very popular probably, but why 6 kids? I am aware that some people are just really bad at planning (never learned how to?), but OP is a programmer so he can lookup facts and knows how to do statistics. A quick Google search shows that raising 1 child to 18 y/o costs $233k now in the US, let's say you can bundle resources a bit, so assume raising 6 children to 18 y/o costs a little over $1m without doing crazy stuff (long, lavish vacations etc). That is going to exclude the more extreme health issues I really hope OP will never have to deal with, but, statistically, based on number of children and genetic properties / lifestyle choices of the parents should be considered. I am really curious how it seems a good idea or plan to have 6 kids instead of, say, 2 (or 0 if you are financially not sure if things will ever be ok) when you are not considered rich (enough to catch hick-ups like the one for very long periods) in this day and age? Again, I'm asking this not in general, but of someone who clearly has an analytical brain.

aklemm 8y ago
It can be nice to have more time with babies and the other stages (they do grow quickly, you know) and it's also fun for siblings to have each other. Considering people ignore financial realities in all kinds of spectacular ways, ending up with a bunch of kids isn't too hard to imagine.
- tluyben2 8y ago
  I agree, that's why I was asking it from someone with, maybe, some analytical rational. With the reason your provided being absolutely viable, just not my experience. Anecdotally, my friends all did the calculations and planned kids, houses etc based on those calculations. So I am wondering how someone who is aware of this goes that far and then gets in a position where he has to ask for help. It is sad (I do not believe he should have been put in prison, but he should've gotten mental help right off the bat, imho), but one can ask the question. Maybe it is good to say that it is absolutely weird in my neck of the woods to have more than 2-3 kids. Everyone will look at you like you are a religious nut, so that probably plays into my curiosity.

sireat 8y ago

One tiny practical suggestion: Add some basic CSS to the site such as lightly shaded boxes for paragraphs. The stark red and black styling defaults on chrome leave an unsettling impression. As others have commented, your best practical course would be becoming an independent contractor and providing your services remotely. If you provide your services as SD Consulting LLC it should open a few more doors.

jiveturkey 8y ago

i think the site as it is now, is fantastic. actually it’s a refreshingly honest presentation. i think you might actually be undercharging. value is perceived, not absolute. good luck.

oceanghost 8y ago

None of this information makes sense. How did the gentlemen in question come by roughly 30,000 ink cartridges, or induce people to turn them in, in his name? I'm guessing that's the fraud bit.