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People constantly tell me "oh you're a dev it's easy to find work" I'm a c++ dev, with excellent senior tests, but low experience, and no degree in France. 3 y

by jokoon 7mo ago

People constantly tell me "oh you're a dev it's easy to find work" I'm a c++ dev, with excellent senior tests, but low experience, and no degree in France. 3 years without a job. I yearn for a new pandemic. Fortunately, I learned how to live without a job, found other things to do and how to live a life. Welfare is generous, and I have good savings. Honestly I don't really want to work in software anymore. If there is a job offer and recruiters are calling me, I answer and I accept. But I'm not applying to all positions I can see and I won't run after them.

cyberpunk 7mo ago
I’ve never really found there to be all that much of a market for specifically c++ developers. If you do decide to look for work more seriously I wouldn’t be too hung up on language, if you can code in one you can pretty much code in all of them, and I’ve never hired a developer for specific language skill outside of a few rare cases it’s something really specific we are trying to fix (e.g erlang or something), even then it wouldn’t be a complete showstopper. YMMV but that’s coming from a guy who writes in at least 3 languages at current $dayjob.
- wiseowise 7mo ago
  This. Especially now with LLMs value of grinding C++ trivia gets close to nothing. “Oh, you know 12 ways to initialize a value in C++? That’s cute”
hshsiejensjsj 7mo ago
> Fortunately, I learned how to live without a job, found other things to do and how to live a life. Welfare is generous Oh to be French
- tossandthrow 7mo ago
  Well, they live on borrowed time before the EU is putting them on austerity.
  - ismailmaj 7mo ago
    Don’t need the EU for that, they are hitting everything in 2026 including unemployment, though nothing passed yet.
- guywithahat 7mo ago
  Yeah this sounds like a curse. You can’t get hired after being unemployed for 3 years in tech, he likely would have been better off being forced to work in IT or something to make ends meet. This isn’t a reflection of the state of French tech, it’s a reflection on how to end a career in tech
dlivingston 7mo ago
Greater Boston area here. I've worked in C++ roles at two companies over the past three years and both times we were desperate for competent C++ developers. Similar trends for both companies: we had positions open for ~six months, interviewing many candidates, and being disappointed at their quality. We eventually filled the positions (about a half-dozen in total) but it was not easy. My current company, but different team, still has a quite a few recs out for C++ devs. TL;DR - at least in my little bubble, the C++ systems engineer market has been consistently hiring people, though good engineers are hard to find.
ipnon 7mo ago
I think you are smarter than me because I continue to work in computer programming even when there is no money to be made!
make3 7mo ago
You could try to get a degree on the side (not saying necessarily in comp sci) just to make your life more resilient to bad economic situations, and maybe more interesting

by jokoon 7mo ago

cyberpunk 7mo ago

I’ve never really found there to be all that much of a market for specifically c++ developers. If you do decide to look for work more seriously I wouldn’t be too hung up on language, if you can code in one you can pretty much code in all of them, and I’ve never hired a developer for specific language skill outside of a few rare cases it’s something really specific we are trying to fix (e.g erlang or something), even then it wouldn’t be a complete showstopper. YMMV but that’s coming from a guy who writes in at least 3 languages at current $dayjob.

wiseowise 7mo ago
This. Especially now with LLMs value of grinding C++ trivia gets close to nothing. “Oh, you know 12 ways to initialize a value in C++? That’s cute”

hshsiejensjsj 7mo ago

> Fortunately, I learned how to live without a job, found other things to do and how to live a life. Welfare is generous Oh to be French

tossandthrow 7mo ago
Well, they live on borrowed time before the EU is putting them on austerity.
- ismailmaj 7mo ago
  Don’t need the EU for that, they are hitting everything in 2026 including unemployment, though nothing passed yet.
guywithahat 7mo ago
Yeah this sounds like a curse. You can’t get hired after being unemployed for 3 years in tech, he likely would have been better off being forced to work in IT or something to make ends meet. This isn’t a reflection of the state of French tech, it’s a reflection on how to end a career in tech

dlivingston 7mo ago

Greater Boston area here. I've worked in C++ roles at two companies over the past three years and both times we were desperate for competent C++ developers. Similar trends for both companies: we had positions open for ~six months, interviewing many candidates, and being disappointed at their quality. We eventually filled the positions (about a half-dozen in total) but it was not easy. My current company, but different team, still has a quite a few recs out for C++ devs. TL;DR - at least in my little bubble, the C++ systems engineer market has been consistently hiring people, though good engineers are hard to find.

ipnon 7mo ago

I think you are smarter than me because I continue to work in computer programming even when there is no money to be made!

make3 7mo ago

You could try to get a degree on the side (not saying necessarily in comp sci) just to make your life more resilient to bad economic situations, and maybe more interesting