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I'm a recent graduate (M.S.) and I've been searching for nearly 5 months. I've submitted over 150 applications now. Maybe that's not a lot, maybe it is. Truth b

I'm a recent graduate (M.S.) and I've been searching for nearly 5 months. I've submitted over 150 applications now. Maybe that's not a lot, maybe it is. Truth be told, I've been struggling with a lot more than unemployment, so nonetheless, I'm doing my best. I haven't been made a single offer. I already have several years of experience. I once had a salary of $73K as a mere intern, with no trouble getting hired years ago. But now? I moved states in the US after failing to finish a PhD and simultaneously losing my house, and the only job I've been able to secure is one in a warehouse, working graveyard shifts for less than a living wage. I've had interviews where the employer wouldn't even contact me back after they met me, despite being incredibly enthused by my credentials, my solutions to technical interviews, etc. Maybe it's because the economy is so bad that even FAANG employees like yourself can't find work, and I'm just a recent graduate. Maybe it's because I'm trans. The reason doesn't even really matter. The reality is that I'm struggling to pay rent, let alone the rest of my bills. The reality is that I had to flee my state, prioritizing safety, leaving one poverty wage job (grad student) for another. The reality is that many of us are fighting food insecurity and homelessness. The reality is that our field is so full of layoffs (https://layoffs.fyi/ https://layoffs.fyi/) that graduating with a computer science degree doesn't have the same job security it used to. I constantly fight my own hopelessness. What employer would ever want me when they have an inbox full of candidates like you? I search for job opportunities and rarely turn up with postings aimed at candidates with recent-graduate experience. I've heard from friends around the world (e.g. Australia) that they're experiencing the same---and that they're also homeless. So yeah, I agree that the search is fundamentally different than it used to be. It's bad out there right now.

throwaway269285 3y ago
> Maybe it's because the economy is so bad that even FAANG employees like yourself can't find work To be fair, a lot of FAANG engineers aren't actually very good :) It's a mixed bag like anywhere else. I think working at one is most reflective of a willingness to play the game (aka do lots of Leetcode) and having the life circumstances that allow you to invest in interview prep than it is of anything else. I remember talking to some of the people I was hired with, and every single one of us reflected that we had seen all of our interview problems beforehand. Just because we had put the practice in. Unfortunately working here only helps me get my foot in the door. And quite ironically, at smaller companies, when I describe my experience to them, it almost seems like a detriment. I do ops, write infrastructure as code, write big data ingestion pipelines, and server APIs, and when I tell them this, they're like "yeah, those are 4 different roles here... it sounds like you're a jack of all trades, master of none". I feel to some extent like I need to be deliberately deceptive to convince hiring managers I can excel in their roles. > Maybe it's because I'm trans. The reason doesn't even really matter. I'm not LGBTQ, but I would characterize myself as a little different. I've just never really believed in appearances. The rejections have made me put a lot of thought into making my appearance look more conventional. For me, it's simple things like getting a haircut, shaving, or dressing nicer, but I'm definitely feeling pressure to conform, if only so I can get the role.

throwaway269285 3y ago

> Maybe it's because the economy is so bad that even FAANG employees like yourself can't find work To be fair, a lot of FAANG engineers aren't actually very good :) It's a mixed bag like anywhere else. I think working at one is most reflective of a willingness to play the game (aka do lots of Leetcode) and having the life circumstances that allow you to invest in interview prep than it is of anything else. I remember talking to some of the people I was hired with, and every single one of us reflected that we had seen all of our interview problems beforehand. Just because we had put the practice in. Unfortunately working here only helps me get my foot in the door. And quite ironically, at smaller companies, when I describe my experience to them, it almost seems like a detriment. I do ops, write infrastructure as code, write big data ingestion pipelines, and server APIs, and when I tell them this, they're like "yeah, those are 4 different roles here... it sounds like you're a jack of all trades, master of none". I feel to some extent like I need to be deliberately deceptive to convince hiring managers I can excel in their roles. > Maybe it's because I'm trans. The reason doesn't even really matter. I'm not LGBTQ, but I would characterize myself as a little different. I've just never really believed in appearances. The rejections have made me put a lot of thought into making my appearance look more conventional. For me, it's simple things like getting a haircut, shaving, or dressing nicer, but I'm definitely feeling pressure to conform, if only so I can get the role.