7 ms·

Age and skills seem to be a factor. The people in the video are 40+, with many doing marketing/sales. The HN community, based off the what is your age? poll [1]

Age and skills seem to be a factor. The people in the video are 40+, with many doing marketing/sales. The HN community, based off the what is your age? poll [1], suggests the majority here are between 21-35, so we probably are not experiencing their problem. Second, networking is a major factor, if the software keyword system is really the issue, you need to find ways around the system, email your old co-workers, etc. This is why it is important to keep learning, as tech evolves, and to put your self out there, through quality work. One thing did bother me a little, is pride a factor here? There were lower level job, but many did not want to take them, because they felt it was below them, or they were over qualified. If you are in the red, with zero money coming in, isn't anything better than nothing, at least as a gap till you find something better? ▁▁▂▇█▅▂▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ | | 21 35 [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5536734 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5536734 ps. I created the bar graph via https://github.com/holman/spark https://github.com/holman/spark

ngoel36 13y ago
I'm just impressed with your ascii bar graph!
- echohack 13y ago
  https://github.com/holman/spark https://github.com/holman/spark You'll like this then.
samspenc 13y ago
+1 just for the ASCII graph!
danielweber 13y ago
Taking a lower-paid job can reduce your salary once you get back to your primary field. Workers have legitimate reasons to treat wages as sticky.
- kamjam 13y ago
  Not to mention the boredom factor. But I have known people to take a job just cos they need the money, and also been refused a job because they were over-qualified and the employer knew they would just leave once they got a better job. It's a two way thing.
- bobbles 13y ago
  How can that happen? It's not like your new employer will know what you were making at the last job, and even so why should that matter?
  - tieTYT 13y ago
    They ask. Are you just supposed to lie or refuse to answer?
    - nostrademons 13y ago
      Refuse to answer. It's none of their business, and nobody can compel you to answer a question.
      - themodelplumber 13y ago
        "I don't have to answer that." They can't compel you to answer, but good luck landing that job.
        WestCoastJustin 13y ago
        I have a hard time believing that if the employer is in desperate need, and a potential employee has the skills, they cannot come to an agreement, especially if you make it in for an interview. This does not make sense. Someone is not motivated enough.
        themodelplumber 13y ago
        Who specified that either one of those conditions was true? If it's an example, let's be honest: If the employer is not desperate they may not respond well to being told that their question didn't pass muster. Real people who are struggling to find work are asked these questions, and real people are being discriminated against by not answering.
dev1n 13y ago
If you are in the red, with zero money coming in, isn't anything better than nothing, at least as a gap till you find something better? I'm not sure I would call it pride. Some won't apply to jobs if they feel it is below them because the general consensus among employers is that if a better job comes along that this person is more qualified for, they will quit that "lower" job. source: my Econ professor
- Amadou 13y ago
  Yep, but the smart people just dumb down their resume. Resumes are marketing tools, they should be tailored for the job no matter the "level." I'm not saying lie, I'm just saying put in the truth that will get you hired and leave out the truth that will stop you from being hired.
  - pc86 13y ago
    Lying on a resume is a terrible decision (don't say that to michaelochurch!), but nobody expects a resume to be the whole truth. I've seen people get fired because they lied about a degree, or said they were a Senior ___________ when they were not, but I've never seen or even heard of someone getting fired because they left a job off of a resume.
redschell 13y ago
It seems like some people actually take pride in their technical ignorance. They boast to coworkers how unfamiliar they are with CRM platforms and lead generators, and they laugh at the notion of using very basic coding skills to script some of their more monotonous job functions. It's disheartening. They must know that, regardless of age, it's adapt or die, but they're so damn stubborn. Does anyone know of a Coursera for older, working professionals that have begun to fall behind in their skill development? I know that Coursera and other learning platforms are not necessarily designed for young people, but I'm sure the academic design/nature of it turns a lot of professionals off. Might be an interesting startup idea (though I'm sure someone's already on it).
RyanMcGreal 13y ago
There was a good HN discussion when spark was first released: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3237478 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3237478 Several people ported it to other languages. Here was my humble effort: https://gist.github.com/quandyfactory/1368953 https://gist.github.com/quandyfactory/1368953
rbanffy 13y ago
> There were lower level job, but many did not want to take them There is an interesting twist to this story. Last time I was looking for a job, I applied for a position the recruiter saw as a downgrade from my then current one. It was a very cool company that does very cool things, but no amount of talking convinced her I would not stay with them or that I would voluntarily get myself a pay cut in order to work for them and that money is not my primary motivator. Hackers may be a weird bunch, but recruiters are not much behind.

ngoel36 13y ago

I'm just impressed with your ascii bar graph!

echohack 13y ago
https://github.com/holman/spark https://github.com/holman/spark You'll like this then.

samspenc 13y ago

+1 just for the ASCII graph!

danielweber 13y ago

Taking a lower-paid job can reduce your salary once you get back to your primary field. Workers have legitimate reasons to treat wages as sticky.

kamjam 13y ago
Not to mention the boredom factor. But I have known people to take a job just cos they need the money, and also been refused a job because they were over-qualified and the employer knew they would just leave once they got a better job. It's a two way thing.
bobbles 13y ago
How can that happen? It's not like your new employer will know what you were making at the last job, and even so why should that matter?
- tieTYT 13y ago
  They ask. Are you just supposed to lie or refuse to answer?
  - nostrademons 13y ago
    Refuse to answer. It's none of their business, and nobody can compel you to answer a question.
    - themodelplumber 13y ago
      "I don't have to answer that." They can't compel you to answer, but good luck landing that job.
      - WestCoastJustin 13y ago
        I have a hard time believing that if the employer is in desperate need, and a potential employee has the skills, they cannot come to an agreement, especially if you make it in for an interview. This does not make sense. Someone is not motivated enough.
        themodelplumber 13y ago
        Who specified that either one of those conditions was true? If it's an example, let's be honest: If the employer is not desperate they may not respond well to being told that their question didn't pass muster. Real people who are struggling to find work are asked these questions, and real people are being discriminated against by not answering.

dev1n 13y ago

If you are in the red, with zero money coming in, isn't anything better than nothing, at least as a gap till you find something better? I'm not sure I would call it pride. Some won't apply to jobs if they feel it is below them because the general consensus among employers is that if a better job comes along that this person is more qualified for, they will quit that "lower" job. source: my Econ professor

Amadou 13y ago
Yep, but the smart people just dumb down their resume. Resumes are marketing tools, they should be tailored for the job no matter the "level." I'm not saying lie, I'm just saying put in the truth that will get you hired and leave out the truth that will stop you from being hired.
- pc86 13y ago
  Lying on a resume is a terrible decision (don't say that to michaelochurch!), but nobody expects a resume to be the whole truth. I've seen people get fired because they lied about a degree, or said they were a Senior ___________ when they were not, but I've never seen or even heard of someone getting fired because they left a job off of a resume.

redschell 13y ago

It seems like some people actually take pride in their technical ignorance. They boast to coworkers how unfamiliar they are with CRM platforms and lead generators, and they laugh at the notion of using very basic coding skills to script some of their more monotonous job functions. It's disheartening. They must know that, regardless of age, it's adapt or die, but they're so damn stubborn. Does anyone know of a Coursera for older, working professionals that have begun to fall behind in their skill development? I know that Coursera and other learning platforms are not necessarily designed for young people, but I'm sure the academic design/nature of it turns a lot of professionals off. Might be an interesting startup idea (though I'm sure someone's already on it).

RyanMcGreal 13y ago

There was a good HN discussion when spark was first released: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3237478 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3237478 Several people ported it to other languages. Here was my humble effort: https://gist.github.com/quandyfactory/1368953 https://gist.github.com/quandyfactory/1368953

rbanffy 13y ago

> There were lower level job, but many did not want to take them There is an interesting twist to this story. Last time I was looking for a job, I applied for a position the recruiter saw as a downgrade from my then current one. It was a very cool company that does very cool things, but no amount of talking convinced her I would not stay with them or that I would voluntarily get myself a pay cut in order to work for them and that money is not my primary motivator. Hackers may be a weird bunch, but recruiters are not much behind.