Hiring is broken, but so is all of software as a profession: 1) Terrible Algorithmic interviews, AI-based evaluations, whiteboard coding. 2) Hey you are hired

Hiring is broken, but so is all of software as a profession: 1) Terrible Algorithmic interviews, AI-based evaluations, whiteboard coding. 2) Hey you are hired! Now move to $BigCity, with expensive real estate, schools, transit and everything else. 3) So, welcome to the job. You'll be maintaining this shitty old python 2.4 CRUD app that multiple people have tried and failed to upgrade. And one of the web guys wrote his own UI framework for it, kinda based on Backbone but with a lot of custom stuff. Yeah he doesn't work here anymore. Anyway that part is in coffeescript, no we can't change that, too expensive to rewrite. 4) But don't mind that, because you'll spend half of your time in Agile meetings! How are you with story point estimation? 5) Hmm also we're behind on the schedule. You don't have a problem with 10-12 hour days right? And no we can't cut back on the Agile meetings, that would hurt productivity. 6) Open floor plan! We think this will help productivity a lot. But sorry, no noise cancelling headphones, that will hurt interactions. Also the VCs love it when they tour. Nothing like butts in seats. 7) Here are some options! But they are probably worthless, because we'll never be successful. Even if we are, we probably won't go public. Even if we go public, your share is probably worthless because of preferred shares and liquidation preference. Oh yeah, there is a 4 year vesting schedule and its ridiculously expensive to buy the vested shares if you leave the company, which is of course intentional since we don't want people doing that. Anyway maybe you'll make enough money for a new car, eventually. Imagine commuting in some sweet new wheels, 5 years from now! 8) Sorry, only a 1% raise this year. Health insurance costs and all that. But if you like, goto step 1 with a new employer to try to get a real raise. 9) Yes we are aware that the expense ratios on the 401K are 2%, and you are only allowed to invest in target retirement 20(fn($YourAge)). Indeed that sucks, for you. 10) By the way you only have maybe 10-15 years of useful programming life before age discrimination kicks in. So you better get crackin'