Random Thoughts - Part III The Search for Spark (No Politics)

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Flarpswitch

One thing to consider is that maybe the reason is not you, it is them. If you are dealing with some moron in the HR department who does not have a clue about doing the actual job that you are applying for, then you are screwed. I used to find out who I would be working for and sell myself to him/her. If you have to find out what their pronoun is first, you don't want to work there anyway. HR gets a call from the boss, "So and so is coming in to see you; do the necessary paperwork." I would recommend leaving California. I traveled 2,000 miles to find more options and it paid off. In the beginning (sounds biblical) there were two guys who started a company called Microsoft. I made their acquaintance as well as other nerds. I was in the telecom business and it also happens that there was an ARPANET node in that city. Putting two and two together I saw the future. I liked playing with wires and electricity more than sitting and writing code, so with all my overtime money and my informed investments, I retired when I just turned 59. I'm 71 now and pay more taxes in one year than I ever earned on the job. Part of that strategy is buying a boat 10 feet shorter than the one you can afford and buying a BRZ when you can afford a Porsche. Make the money you save work for you. By the way, Paul was OK, but Bill was and still is a douche bag. A very wealthy douche bag, but money can't buy you a good personality. Again, it is highly likely that it is them and not you. I have an uncle that did what he had to do and went where he had to go. Among the many things he did he was a circus clown and trafficked certain things across international borders. Then one day he was deported back to the U.S. and Uncle Sam tried to draft him into the army. He dressed up appropriately and carried a purse. Kicked out on his ass he was free to pursue his dreams (daydreams and miscellaneous delusions) and is living out a comfortable existence somewhere in Europe away from military invasions. Movie is over... roll the credits.

I got the picture -

Good story.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by spike021

I am tanking the job search and starting to get depressed. Even when I do "well" on interviews, I don't make it to the next round. Kinda lame.

....DO NOT get depressed!

There, does that help?

Keep after it, the right position will come along -

[Flarpswitch]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Well, ya, some burning of oil was just a good indication that the cylinder walls were being well lubricated, so Bubba tells me.

Don't forget the oil sucked down the intake valve guides. Typical summer evening after driving home from work fixing other people's cars: Drain cooling system. Remove radiator cap completely spacing out the fact that I just pulled into the driveway and the engine is hot. Run into the house and stick face in shower with the cold water turned on. Consider that growing a beard for the next five years will not be an achievable goal. Remove head from engine block. Replace all the exhaust valves. On British cars, the exhaust valves last about as long as one or two oil changes. Don't bother to seat the valves. Remove intake valves and clean off the crud. Re-install and don't bother seating them either. Scrape top of pistons. Replace head re-connect everything; no checklist needed as there isn't much. Start motor, if it idles ok, shut it off and go inside for pizza and beer. Elapsed time maybe 45 minutes. OK, an hour if you count the face shower trying not to go to the emergency room.

[spike021]

Originally Posted by humfrz

....DO NOT get depressed!

There, does that help?

Keep after it, the right position will come along -

Heh. I'm just more annoyed at myself for useless panicking during the interviews and then bombing even the stuff I actually know how to do, or not being able to form full sentences at times. The interviewers probably think I'm a bumbling idiot in real life, lol.

And of course the times I don't panic and actually do well, I still have poor results post-interview.

Originally Posted by soundman98

jobs suck. you're not missing much.

I was having way more fun a couple months ago working on my iPhone app. It was the most fun I've had writing code in years, lol.

Originally Posted by Flarpswitch

One thing to consider is that maybe the reason is not you, it is them. If you are dealing with some moron in the HR department who does not have a clue about doing the actual job that you are applying for, then you are screwed. I used to find out who I would be working for and sell myself to him/her. If you have to find out what their pronoun is first, you don't want to work there anyway. HR gets a call from the boss, "So and so is coming in to see you; do the necessary paperwork." I would recommend leaving California. I traveled 2,000 miles to find more options and it paid off. In the beginning (sounds biblical) there were two guys who started a company called Microsoft. I made their acquaintance as well as other nerds. I was in the telecom business and it also happens that there was an ARPANET node in that city. Putting two and two together I saw the future. I liked playing with wires and electricity more than sitting and writing code, so with all my overtime money and my informed investments, I retired when I just turned 59. I'm 71 now and pay more taxes in one year than I ever earned on the job. Part of that strategy is buying a boat 10 feet shorter than the one you can afford and buying a BRZ when you can afford a Porsche. Make the money you save work for you. By the way, Paul was OK, but Bill was and still is a douche bag. A very wealthy douche bag, but money can't buy you a good personality. Again, it is highly likely that it is them and not you. I have an uncle that did what he had to do and went where he had to go. Among the many things he did he was a circus clown and trafficked certain things across international borders. Then one day he was deported back to the U.S. and Uncle Sam tried to draft him into the army. He dressed up appropriately and carried a purse. Kicked out on his ass he was free to pursue his dreams (daydreams and miscellaneous delusions) and is living out a comfortable existence somewhere in Europe away from military invasions. Movie is over... roll the credits.

Right, there could be reasons beyond the interview itself. The worst part is they'll never provide feedback regardless, because of "liability" .

Originally Posted by NoHaveMSG

It will come to the you. The markets is weird.

It's definitely a game of odds... Even just the interview itself. Having the right interviewer who communicates the problem(s)/question(s) to you well, empathizes/sympathizes a bit and can work with you through a mental obstacle (which is surprisingly relevant to real life software engineering, you wind up discussing problems with people very often), the right problem that you know the right pattern(s) for in order to solve it, etc. etc.

[Flarpswitch]

Originally Posted by humfrz

I got the picture -

Good story.

Looks like the dude is mining Bitcoin. Or, it could be the older brother of Ahmed Mohamed the Clock Boy. Remember this, it will be important later: clip the red wire, the blue wire and the yellow wire in that order.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Flarpswitch

Don't forget the oil sucked down the intake valve guides. Typical summer evening after driving home from work fixing other people's cars: Drain cooling system. Remove radiator cap completely spacing out the fact that I just pulled into the driveway and the engine is hot. Run into the house and stick face in shower with the cold water turned on. Consider that growing a beard for the next five years will not be an achievable goal. Remove head from engine block. Replace all the exhaust valves. On British cars, the exhaust valves last about as long as one or two oil changes. Don't bother to seat the valves. Remove intake valves and clean off the crud. Re-install and don't bother seating them either. Scrape top of pistons. Replace head re-connect everything; no checklist needed as there isn't much. Start motor, if it idles ok, shut it off and go inside for pizza and beer. Elapsed time maybe 45 minutes. OK, an hour if you count the face shower trying not to go to the emergency room.

DANG, I'm surprised you have lived over 70 years!

[Flarpswitch]

Originally Posted by humfrz

DANG, I'm surprised you have lived over 70 years!

Me too. I have been struck by lightning (indirect) three times. Shot at twice. Once by Dad cleaning a gun and second by rancher objecting my disconnecting his phone line. Helicopter crash (pilot called it a hard landing). Attacked by pet alligator. Stalked by a cougar (big cat with big teeth). Stalked by a cougar (the other kind only lethal in some circumstances). Carbon monoxide from space heater. Front motorcycle tire blowout at 90 mph. Being in the Vertex room of a radio telescope dish and both myself and a co-worker assumed the other disconnected the dish from the array. Then there was almost being revealed as the informant that discovered two kilograms of cocaine and a stash of black tar heroine in a shopping bag from Mexico in a crawl space. And, then there was the time back in the 1950s when terrorists blew up a New York City Subway that me and my two brothers would have been one if we missed the train preceding that one. This terrorist thing is not new; not by a long shot. And then there are a few, "Sorry, I thought you were someone else." Here is the deal: if you go out your front door and you venture more than a mile from your house, bad stuff happens. Count on it.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by Flarpswitch

if you go out your front door and you venture more than 1.62 kilometers from your house, bad stuff happens. Count on it.

You don't even have to leave your front door; there is no such thing as zero risk.

[Sapphireho]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

Not having seen your avatar before I had to make use of the Firefox Add-on Search By Image.

Most of my recent avatars are from my adds.

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by spike021

It's definitely a game of odds... Even just the interview itself. Having the right interviewer who communicates the problem(s)/question(s) to you well, empathizes/sympathizes a bit and can work with you through a mental obstacle (which is surprisingly relevant to real life software engineering, you wind up discussing problems with people very often), the right problem that you know the right pattern(s) for in order to solve it, etc. etc.

I think a lot of interviewers and HR personnel right now are getting tired of it and you may not be getting their best. One of my good friends used to be the NW region HR manager for one of the biggest concrete companies in the world. Now she is in sales and is laughing at what the new regional manager has had to deal with the last couple years. I guess it is pretty fubar.

[Ultramaroon]

Job searches just suck. Period. I've always ended up being the go-to guy everywhere I've been. My current position is no exception, but making it past the gatekeepers has always been pure hell. I am terrible at selling myself.

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Job searches just suck. Period. I've always ended up being the go-to guy everywhere I've been. My current position is no exception, but making it past the gatekeepers has always been pure hell. I am terrible at selling myself.

I don't have the magic piece of paper to get my foot in the door

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Job searches just suck. Period. I've always ended up being the go-to guy everywhere I've been. My current position is no exception, but making it past the gatekeepers has always been pure hell. I am terrible at selling myself.

My last 4 jobs have all approached me first so those interviews were easy. I can get two or three calls from headhunters a month and even though more than happy where I am I still go on an interview or two every couple of years just to keep my wits about me in case I ever actually do need to move on.

As a "gatekeeper" myself I see a lot of chaff o get a single grain of wheat through interviews. Many, many, MANY people think they are more qualified for a position than they really are.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Job searches just suck. Period. I've always ended up being the go-to guy everywhere I've been. My current position is no exception, but making it past the gatekeepers has always been pure hell. I am terrible at selling myself.

So you say -