5 ms·

Highly suggest connecting with one of the lead developers, Charles Dang/Vultraz, if you have any C++ jobs in the USA. He's been a developer on Wesnoth since 20

by jjmarr 7mo ago

Highly suggest connecting with one of the lead developers, Charles Dang/Vultraz, if you have any C++ jobs in the USA. He's been a developer on Wesnoth since 2012 but only graduated university in 2024. Unfortunately, it's been an absolutely brutal market for new graduates. Even if you're a maintainer on one of the most popular OSS C++ projects on GitHub. I can't recommend him enough. edit: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-dang-10994b1b4 https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-dang-10994b1b4

wwilson 7mo ago
Thanks,our company is in the DC area so I just reached out with an offer to chat. Wesnoth is an incredible project, I can't believe he doesn't have a programming job.
- deleted 7mo ago
  [deleted]
- CookieTonsure 7mo ago
  [dead]
szmarczak 7mo ago
> Unfortunately, it's been an absolutely brutal market for new graduates. Furthermore, more and more companies are looking for "professional" devs using AI tools such as Claude Code. By "professional" I mean proficient in using those AI tools, not actual knowledge. And they don't even specify this in the job offer and you learn this during the interview.
- jjmarr 7mo ago
  I don't understand why you're downvoted. Many of my 2025 graduate friends are seeing this problem. Unlimited token-based usage of Claude Code is not in the budget for many students and employees. At the same time, companies are demanding experience with these tools. This is stratifying the industry. I have many talented classmates that can only use free GitHub Copilot. They're likely being screened out in favour of rich classmates with $200/month Claude subs. As a result, they'll be more likely to get low-paying jobs that don't provide access to top-tier AI tools and the effect will compound. I think this'll be even worse as Claude phases out subsidies. If $2000/month subscription to Claude for 4 years of university is the minimum required for a Big Tech job, this field is going to become law/finance levels of cliquey. Nobody is talking about that because it's bad for both AI booster and skeptic narratives but it's happening.
  - 8note 7mo ago
    i expect students have or will get claude access via their university, pr at a discount if they register with their university email? students generally get specific subsidized/free tiers for all kinds of tech
    - jjmarr 7mo ago
      Claude has partnerships with specific universities but not the one I attended. I don't believe there's a general student discount for Claude.
  - gowld 7mo ago
    $2000/month is cheaper than university tuition. Why attend the university?
- LAC-Tech 7mo ago
  This field really is doomed. We are entering a dark age of software. Github reaching zero 9s of availability is only the beginning.
ecshafer 7mo ago
I am very surprised if he can't find a job, as an American, in DC, with 12 years of C++ experience. Sure companies aren't great at assessing open source experience, but there is one area its easy to find a job as a dev: work that requires a clearance.
- setgree 7mo ago
  St. John’s college is a great place that draws a special type of young person, but its graduates are not very STEM-legible. As far as I know they still offer no choice of major & no hands-on classes — just the great books. Of course that makes this person’s skill all the more impressive.
  - gowld 7mo ago
    For software development, degree is irrelevant. Employer-managed competency exams and public experience dominate.
    - Discordian93 7mo ago
      You aren't getting to the exam stage without that degree though
  - bandrami 7mo ago
    Huh. I graduated from there and about a third of my class (including me) works in tech in some form. Though being a sysadmin seems to be more common than being a programmer. But I had no idea the Wesnoth dev went there too!
    - setgree 7mo ago
      Did you do a coding bootcamp or such?
      - bandrami 7mo ago
        No, the email system was a Unix server you telneted to from the Mac SEs in the computer lab so I just kind of picked up Unix usage. Then once I graduated I got a job tending a BIND and sendmail cluster for a local ISP (the "training" was handing me the Cricket book and the Bat book on the first day). The jaw-dropping salary for that was $22K at the time (this was the 90s; about $46K in today's money). That led to learning Perl (via the Camel book) to automate some of the tasks, which led to some CGI work, but I've never really been a "programmer" per se, always a sysadmin.
FrustratedMonky 7mo ago
That is sad. Maintaining something like this really takes almost all the skills also needed for enterprise, or a dozen places. That it doesn't get him instant hired is the sad part, what are we coming to.
EmeraldSky 7mo ago
Even with 5 (albeit small) linux kernel patches, 2 Firefox patches.. employers weren’t interested. I’ve stopped contributing to open source completely. I’m considering switching fields. It was interesting but these days I need some ROI, personally.
- sieabahlpark 7mo ago
  [dead]
DDR0 7mo ago
Would highly recommend. Worked with Vult for years, on Wesnoth and on Frogatto, a sister project from some of the same folk who did Wesnoth. So, uh, I'm now one of the leads of Frogatto and boy howdy could I use a job too after a recent mass staff reduction at my day job. edit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-roberts-b9410654/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-roberts-b9410654/
- xfce4 7mo ago
  Thank you for your work DDR, seeing Frogatto evolve over the years has been so fun. I remember finding it on the Linux Mint software store around a decade ago, and how one of you guys gave me a Steam code in 2023 when I revisited the game so I wouldn't have to compile it on my old Macbook. I'm not an employer or anything but I wish you the best.
rixed 7mo ago
It's sad to admit, but being a chef étoilé does not make it easier to find a job in the fast food industry. It can even be detrimental.
0xfaded 7mo ago
I work on the mapping team at Zoox (self driving) and we have c++ roles at the entry and mid levels. Requires onsite in the Bay Area though. Charles, if you're reading and would like to chat, I (Carl Chatfield) have sent you a linkedin request. Thank you for your work on Wesnoth, I spent many hours playing back in the day. There's also a good android port.

by jjmarr 7mo ago

wwilson 7mo ago

Thanks,our company is in the DC area so I just reached out with an offer to chat. Wesnoth is an incredible project, I can't believe he doesn't have a programming job.

deleted 7mo ago
[deleted]
CookieTonsure 7mo ago
[dead]

szmarczak 7mo ago

> Unfortunately, it's been an absolutely brutal market for new graduates. Furthermore, more and more companies are looking for "professional" devs using AI tools such as Claude Code. By "professional" I mean proficient in using those AI tools, not actual knowledge. And they don't even specify this in the job offer and you learn this during the interview.

jjmarr 7mo ago
I don't understand why you're downvoted. Many of my 2025 graduate friends are seeing this problem. Unlimited token-based usage of Claude Code is not in the budget for many students and employees. At the same time, companies are demanding experience with these tools. This is stratifying the industry. I have many talented classmates that can only use free GitHub Copilot. They're likely being screened out in favour of rich classmates with $200/month Claude subs. As a result, they'll be more likely to get low-paying jobs that don't provide access to top-tier AI tools and the effect will compound. I think this'll be even worse as Claude phases out subsidies. If $2000/month subscription to Claude for 4 years of university is the minimum required for a Big Tech job, this field is going to become law/finance levels of cliquey. Nobody is talking about that because it's bad for both AI booster and skeptic narratives but it's happening.
- 8note 7mo ago
  i expect students have or will get claude access via their university, pr at a discount if they register with their university email? students generally get specific subsidized/free tiers for all kinds of tech
  - jjmarr 7mo ago
    Claude has partnerships with specific universities but not the one I attended. I don't believe there's a general student discount for Claude.
- gowld 7mo ago
  $2000/month is cheaper than university tuition. Why attend the university?
LAC-Tech 7mo ago
This field really is doomed. We are entering a dark age of software. Github reaching zero 9s of availability is only the beginning.

ecshafer 7mo ago

I am very surprised if he can't find a job, as an American, in DC, with 12 years of C++ experience. Sure companies aren't great at assessing open source experience, but there is one area its easy to find a job as a dev: work that requires a clearance.

setgree 7mo ago
St. John’s college is a great place that draws a special type of young person, but its graduates are not very STEM-legible. As far as I know they still offer no choice of major & no hands-on classes — just the great books. Of course that makes this person’s skill all the more impressive.
- gowld 7mo ago
  For software development, degree is irrelevant. Employer-managed competency exams and public experience dominate.
  - Discordian93 7mo ago
    You aren't getting to the exam stage without that degree though
- bandrami 7mo ago
  Huh. I graduated from there and about a third of my class (including me) works in tech in some form. Though being a sysadmin seems to be more common than being a programmer. But I had no idea the Wesnoth dev went there too!
  - setgree 7mo ago
    Did you do a coding bootcamp or such?
    - bandrami 7mo ago
      No, the email system was a Unix server you telneted to from the Mac SEs in the computer lab so I just kind of picked up Unix usage. Then once I graduated I got a job tending a BIND and sendmail cluster for a local ISP (the "training" was handing me the Cricket book and the Bat book on the first day). The jaw-dropping salary for that was $22K at the time (this was the 90s; about $46K in today's money). That led to learning Perl (via the Camel book) to automate some of the tasks, which led to some CGI work, but I've never really been a "programmer" per se, always a sysadmin.

FrustratedMonky 7mo ago

That is sad. Maintaining something like this really takes almost all the skills also needed for enterprise, or a dozen places. That it doesn't get him instant hired is the sad part, what are we coming to.

EmeraldSky 7mo ago

Even with 5 (albeit small) linux kernel patches, 2 Firefox patches.. employers weren’t interested. I’ve stopped contributing to open source completely. I’m considering switching fields. It was interesting but these days I need some ROI, personally.

sieabahlpark 7mo ago
[dead]

DDR0 7mo ago

Would highly recommend. Worked with Vult for years, on Wesnoth and on Frogatto, a sister project from some of the same folk who did Wesnoth. So, uh, I'm now one of the leads of Frogatto and boy howdy could I use a job too after a recent mass staff reduction at my day job. edit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-roberts-b9410654/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-roberts-b9410654/

xfce4 7mo ago
Thank you for your work DDR, seeing Frogatto evolve over the years has been so fun. I remember finding it on the Linux Mint software store around a decade ago, and how one of you guys gave me a Steam code in 2023 when I revisited the game so I wouldn't have to compile it on my old Macbook. I'm not an employer or anything but I wish you the best.

rixed 7mo ago

It's sad to admit, but being a chef étoilé does not make it easier to find a job in the fast food industry. It can even be detrimental.

0xfaded 7mo ago

I work on the mapping team at Zoox (self driving) and we have c++ roles at the entry and mid levels. Requires onsite in the Bay Area though. Charles, if you're reading and would like to chat, I (Carl Chatfield) have sent you a linkedin request. Thank you for your work on Wesnoth, I spent many hours playing back in the day. There's also a good android port.