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    The great displacement is already well underway?

    (shawnfromportland.substack.com)
    511 points JSLegendDev | 11 comments | | HN request time: 1.276s | source | bottom
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    shawnfrompdx ◴[] No.43977897[source]
    I am the author of this piece, and i didn't share it to HN, I don't hang out here. I just gotta say wow, tough crowd. i wrote this piece from an emotionally low point after another fruitless day of applying to jobs. I didn't have a particular agenda in mind. I was voicing what i've been through and some of what I was experiencing with no expectations.

    you'll notice in the comments section that the population of substackistan is much less FUCKING CYNICAL AND NEGATIVE than you guys, with many commenters saying they are in the same position. I heard from writers, designers, engineers, going through similar times.

    my portfolio site is https://shawnfromportland.com, you can find my resume there. if you have leads that you think I might match with you can definitely send them my way, I will even put a false last name on an updated resume for you guys.

    for those who are wondering, I legally changed my name to K long ago because my dad's last name starts with K, but I didn't like identifying with his family name everywhere i went because he was not in my life and didnt contribute to shaping me. I thought hard about what other name I could choose but nothing resonated with me. I had already been using Shawn K for years before legally changing it and it was the only thing that felt right.

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    1. mizzack ◴[] No.43978061[source]
    I thought most of these comments have actionable if not tough to hear advice.

    Perhaps offering an opportunity for more humility and introspection. Instead you’re here doubling down on the victim mindset.

    Wishing you the best.

    replies(2): >>43978121 #>>43986921 #
    2. shawnfrompdx ◴[] No.43978121[source]
    i have spent the last couple days responding to hundreds of comments on the substack piece. no new pieces of advice came up on this thread which were not already covered on the substack comments. advice which i have acknowledged. i was already about to do most of the pieces of advice anyways on my own as the next step, such as applying with a normie pseudonym. you don't know me. im not a victim and i don't have victim mindset. i am survivor.
    replies(4): >>43978561 #>>43981890 #>>43981938 #>>43984344 #
    3. dgfitz ◴[] No.43978561[source]
    I haven’t read most of the comments here and none on substack, but looking at your resume, I’d spend some time making it look slightly warmer, throw some color in there.

    I’d also consider re-working your job history, it “looks like a lot of bouncing around” which shouldn’t be a bad thing, but it can be if framed poorly.

    Finally, I’d spend a few weeks with c++/java and slap it on the resume as a competency. Can’t hurt, and you’re just learning some syntax at this point.

    Best of luck to you. Market is tough, and there are a lot of sw folks looking around right now.

    4. loveparade ◴[] No.43981938[source]
    > im not a victim and i don't have victim mindset. i am survivor.

    Anyone who uses the kind "labels" to describe themselves probably wouldn't even be considered for a job where I work. It's a massive red flag to most HR departments, especially in tech. Not trying to be offensive, but this has been my experience. You will probably have more success not trying to describe yourself in terms of politically-loaded labels.

    replies(2): >>43983198 #>>44018908 #
    5. FrancisMoodie ◴[] No.43983198{3}[source]
    Genuine question but since when is being a "survivor" a politically loaded label? Is this an American thing?
    replies(2): >>43987612 #>>43987617 #
    6. Bjartr ◴[] No.43984344[source]
    Try not to hold it against people for not also having read hundreds of comments. Most people are going to respond to the just the article, which is going to result in duplicate advice, and that's fine. If you've already taken action for all the advice you consider actionable, great! That doesn't change how much of the advice is actionable in the context of the article though.
    7. Windchaser ◴[] No.43986921[source]
    Hey, sometimes people don't want advice. Sometimes they just want to kvetch.

    Secondary: sometimes they've already been offered this advice.

    I'm with you that there's a "rubber meets the road" place where you have to put in the work. But there should also be a place where we can offer sympathy and solutions, instead of only focusing on solutions.

    replies(1): >>43991705 #
    8. roarcher ◴[] No.43987612{4}[source]
    It's not political, it's just melodramatic. Some people choose to frame their life as a story about "overcoming adversity". Most of the time the struggles they describe, while genuinely difficult, are things that most people face at some point in their life. But these people seem to expect some sort of social credit for it, as if carrying on makes them a hero.

    This is an irritating habit that makes them seem whiny and self-important, but it is unfortunately widespread. Having such a "story" to tell about yourself has become almost fashionable in our modern culture.

    9. mattlondon ◴[] No.43987617{4}[source]
    To me it suggests that this person might be a bit overly dramatic and ready and willing to compete in the Adversity Olympics at the drop of a hat.

    For me, I want to work with people who are just going to get on with their job without harping on about how they've faced this adversity or that adversity and how they're a survivor - just do your job please, I'm genuinely not interested in your personal life. kthx.

    10. junto ◴[] No.43991705[source]
    I love this comment. Comments like this are one of the main reasons I love this site.

    You are the kind of person I want to work with and who I’d like to have as a friend.

    Thank you for sharing.

    11. qnleigh ◴[] No.44018908{3}[source]
    I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he calls himself a survivor in response to accusations of having a 'victim mindset,' but not during SWE interviews...