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Barring a criminal record, America is the land of second chances. People come from all over the world to start a fresh life here. If it can't be done here, it c

Barring a criminal record, America is the land of second chances. People come from all over the world to start a fresh life here. If it can't be done here, it can't be done anywhere (except maybe Somalia but that's absolute anarchy).

giantg2 3y ago
Look at job applications. Some ask if you've ever been arrested or charged with a crime - not convicted even. Guess what, you answer yes for some stupid summary offense like having a dog off a leash and your application is in the garbage. I see tons of bias in hiring too. What about people that take a break from working due to childcare, medical issues, etc? They struggle. There's a never ending amount of those stories that show up on HN. Maybe some get a second chance, but it might take years if they ever get one. It seems like many places in Europe have better options for second chances from the legal perspective. Perhaps better from a financial standpoint with the support programs too.
- 71a54xd 3y ago
  To clarify, I have a degree, worked at a faang and have a squeaky clean criminal record. However, I hopped around early in my career working for a number of startups tried to found a few as well. I walked away with great experiences, but after attempting to transition to a TPM role I seem to have black balled myself in the process. Yes, I understand the market isn't great but at 5 YOE I feel hopelessly lost and only manage to get a handful of interview offers... Currently doing a startup but I'm starting to feel like this isn't what I was built to do.
- astrange 3y ago
  > It seems like many places in Europe have better options for second chances from the legal perspective. Perhaps better from a financial standpoint with the support programs too. One reason Europe doesn't have startups is that it's so shameful for your company to fail that nobody would ever consider risking it.
  - quickthrower2 3y ago
    Europe has startups
    - astrange 3y ago
      How many people start another after the first one goes bankrupt?
      - quickthrower2 3y ago
        I don't know, but that question implies that going bankrupt is common for startups to the point it is a blocking issue. And that in Europe doing so is more problematic than in the US. Is that the case?
        astrange 3y ago
        Yes. It's very common for startups to go bankrupt, that's sort of the point actually, and it needs to not affect the founder's life too much when they do.
  - jabradoodle 3y ago
    I think you made that up

giantg2 3y ago

Look at job applications. Some ask if you've ever been arrested or charged with a crime - not convicted even. Guess what, you answer yes for some stupid summary offense like having a dog off a leash and your application is in the garbage. I see tons of bias in hiring too. What about people that take a break from working due to childcare, medical issues, etc? They struggle. There's a never ending amount of those stories that show up on HN. Maybe some get a second chance, but it might take years if they ever get one. It seems like many places in Europe have better options for second chances from the legal perspective. Perhaps better from a financial standpoint with the support programs too.

71a54xd 3y ago
To clarify, I have a degree, worked at a faang and have a squeaky clean criminal record. However, I hopped around early in my career working for a number of startups tried to found a few as well. I walked away with great experiences, but after attempting to transition to a TPM role I seem to have black balled myself in the process. Yes, I understand the market isn't great but at 5 YOE I feel hopelessly lost and only manage to get a handful of interview offers... Currently doing a startup but I'm starting to feel like this isn't what I was built to do.
astrange 3y ago
> It seems like many places in Europe have better options for second chances from the legal perspective. Perhaps better from a financial standpoint with the support programs too. One reason Europe doesn't have startups is that it's so shameful for your company to fail that nobody would ever consider risking it.
- quickthrower2 3y ago
  Europe has startups
  - astrange 3y ago
    How many people start another after the first one goes bankrupt?
    - quickthrower2 3y ago
      I don't know, but that question implies that going bankrupt is common for startups to the point it is a blocking issue. And that in Europe doing so is more problematic than in the US. Is that the case?
      - astrange 3y ago
        Yes. It's very common for startups to go bankrupt, that's sort of the point actually, and it needs to not affect the founder's life too much when they do.
- jabradoodle 3y ago
  I think you made that up