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Ask Slashdot: Can a Felon Work In IT?
First time accepted submitter Lesrahpem writes I'm a felon with several prior misdemeanor convictions from an immature time in my life. I've since cleaned up my act, and I want to go back into the IT sector. I keep running into potential employers who tell me they'd like to hire me but can't because of my past record (expunging won't work, I'm in Ohio). Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Should I just give up and change careers?"
...and home of the lifetime sentence for nearly every crime. Best of luck to you.
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Sorry, I'm only a 1336 h4x0r.
Move to Europe, invoke your right to be forgotten.
A criminal record might actually be a plus for employers and their customers.
If you are talented at what you do- why not consider moving someplace else where this is either not a problem or they can't check? There are plenty of places in the world that you could make a rewarding contribution to something while being fairly compensated for your work. I can't imagine that in any other field that could be potentially lucrative, or provide enough compensation to support a family on they would be willing to overlook the felony convictions. I would imagine you are probably locked out of most of the economy where you are. Permanently. I would consider seriously moving.
Seek federal jobs which offer a clearance. If you admit to everything thoroughly and give the investigators the truth, and if they're not worried about you after all of that (they think the risk of recidivism is low), you'll get the job and you can say on your resume you were cleared for federal work.
Whenever you decide to leave, the fact that you had a clearance might actually help counteract your priors.
Viable Slashdot alternatives: https://pipedot.org/ and http://soylentnews.org/
and keep lying until someone doesn't check.
I've hired people with misdemeanors before.
Be honest about the crime, don't have it be a surprise that I find out during the background check part of the hiring process.
I also know other managers who've done the same. Its tough to find good people. A drug offense 5 yrs ago, with proof of a completed drug treatment program for instance isn't going to stop me from hiring a good IT worker.
Min
On the whole, I find that I prefer Slashdot posts to twitter ones because I don't get limited to 140 chars before
unfortunately i'm not speaking from experience, just spitballing ideas.
best of luck to you!
Have you tried threatening them?
I'm a little confused by the phrasing. Being a felon is a roadblock to a career. Having misdemeanor convictions probably isn't. If you're a felon, why even bother mentioning that you've had misdemeanor convictions?
Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
You openly admit it and eventually run for Governor of Illinois.
Hiring requires a background check. Outsourcing work to a contractor does not. They may do it, but mostly nobody bothers.
In California, an employer cannot refuse to hire you because of a criminal record unless the crimes committed relate to the the job you are applying for. For instance when seeking an IT job in CA., an employer cannot turn you down due to felony assault charges for which you have served the time
It may take a few tries, but a lot of places don't do background checks, and some that do won't care too much.
I know a guy who several felony, recidivism, his mug shut come up as the first hit on google if you google him... and he was able to get a job in a few weeks.
I managed a contractor that never would have been hired by my or most engineering companies due to a criminal history and being a registered sex offender. He worked for a company that otherwise is H1B and Green Cards from India. I know he got paid quite a bit less than if he worked for my company, but he at least got in the door after his prison term. If you are skilled, one of these companies may take a flier on you.
Prepare a one to two page statement explaining what you did and what you learned from your misstep. Be sure that you express sincere contrition and make it clear that you are on the straight and narrow. Make it clear that you are available to talk about the felony in more detail and provide additional documentation regarding the proceedings upon request. If you can get some friends to put up a bond for you saying they will pay an employer some amount if you are convicted of a felony within five years of starting employment, then add their agreements to your personal statement. Provide your personal statement with your cover letter, resume, application form, or whatever. Let them know this is the biggest obstacle you face, but you have what it takes to succeed and you are just looking for a second chance. If all you do is mark "convicted felon" on an application form, then potential employers are going to think the worst. If you lie, or if they have to do a background check to find out your record is marred, then they will feel they can't trust you. Deal with the problem up front and use it to show that you can write and deal with major problems with integrity and zeal. Society is willing to forgive, even if it finds it hard to forget. Be an open book and you can be a success.
Hi,
It would be a long road, but eventually pay off for you. You could start freelancing on Odesk or through some other method until you built up enough of a client list that could support you. The pay would not be that great, but consider doing it part time until you have your foot in the door. In all the time I have been freelancing, not once have I had a background check.
It does suck in our society that even though you have "paid" for your punishment, you are basically labeled for life. We all wish we could tell our younger selves that these choices would impact us for the rest of our lives. But all we can do is move forward. I think your path will be with many challenges, but I believe working for yourself is probably one of your best options. You just need discipline and a tremendous amount of patience because you will have many pointy haired bosses.
Get a temp job with CDI or one of your local agencies. They provide IT labor without good benefits to employers, employer will take you at face value.
If that doesn't work, start your own business and do small contract work for local businesses (web sites, POS computer repair, etc). Offer quality prices.
Just don't spit on the boss's burgers.
I keep running into potential employers who tell me they'd like to hire me but can't because of my past record (expunging won't work, I'm in Ohio). Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Should I just give up and change careers?
Sadly that problem will not be confined to IT. Even if you try to change careers a felony record is going to follow you and (right or wrong) there aren't a lot of employers who are going to be willing to take a chance on an ex-con. Companies just generally do not want to take on avoidable known risks and a felony makes a job candidate into an avoidable known risk.
Your best chance is probably through personal networking but it's going to be tough. The good news is that there are companies that will work with people with troubled pasts but finding them usually takes a lot of work. If your skill set is in IT and your convictions aren't for things related to IT then I see no particular reason to switch because the same problem will exist regardless of what type of job you seek.
Drugs you can show completion of a program, swear you've been clean for two years, have testimonials from your preacher, rabbi and yoga instructor.
Theft is tougher and would probably be a bar for any financial company (except apparently at the top executive levels). Might be better to lie or not check either "Do you have a criminal record" checkbox and hope they don't do the background check.
Violent crime, property damage stuff you can just give your side and claim that it was a minor offense and the other party was out to get you. Doesn't look good if you have multiple offenses, though.
hello and welcome to my life.
it's well documented here on /. that i struggle with this same issue, and have for over a decade.
i wish i had good news for you, but i don't. it's going to be hard for you for find "regular" employment.
my advice? try to find a small company where you can get hired without a lot of fanfare. finding and owner/ceo who does the hiring, or a contracting company where they have no real interest in caring about your background because it will cost them money if they don't place you, is pretty much the only way i've been able to get back into a stable, well-paying job.
pretty much anyplace with a fulltime HR department will discover your transgressions and gleefully report to the hiring manager that they "gotcha" and are doing a really great job keeping reprobates like us away from their "sanitary" workplace.
i've started my own small consulting company and have found that it's fairly easy to work from home (im a software guy) doing the code monkey thing...it beats digging ditches that's for sure. i advertise back-end/full-stack web development/server management on craigslist and it works.
good luck...you are going to need some.
never bring a twinkie to a food fight.
And if you could google... lmgtfy
Since the details are missing, about kind of crimes, state and you criminal age i do not expect much detail at this post...
You really have very few choices. There are employers out there who actually seek out people with priors, but for the most part you're going to be frustrated in your attempts to land a job.
Your best bet is to start your own business, for example web design or outsourced PC network maintenance. There are lots of people making a good living as free lancers.
Once you have gotten established, which admittedly may take a couple of years of networking and marketing efforts, you may not wish to be an employee again anyway. You can set your own hours, choose your own customers, and take full charge of your life. It's not easy, and requires more skills than just showing up and doing a specific task from 9 to 5, but much more fulfilling in the long run, and few will run background checks.
You're still going to have trouble getting loans; just work hard and build up equity, and the rest will follow. Best of luck.
it's = "it is"; its = possessive. E.g., it's flapping its wings.
it really is your -only- option once youve got a felony on your record.
Unless you can find someone whos willing to pay you under the table.
If they are misdemeanors, no problem. Just be honest. Also check your state law, even though they may ask if you've EVER been convicted, records may be unavailable after a certain number of years and the law may allow you to check the "no" box.
If they are felonies, it makes it harder to get hired, but not at all impossible. You'll just need to submit more resumes than you otherwise would. Maybe take a class on resume writing and interviewing, to balance a weakness with some strengths.
Starting your own business may well be an option- but only if you want to run a business. Running an IT related business is a completely different monster from working as an IT employee.
I'm actually looking to hire someone with an IT background right now, for a commission based sales and marketing position. It could earn good money, or not, depending on if you make the sales. Perhaps someone in your position would be interested in giving it a shot.
I understand your situation. I don't know how long ago the felonies are for you but it sounds like they might be a while ago. I am in North Carolina and expungement won't work for me either. I had to go into restaurant work (serving, bartending, then became managers at independently owned restaurants that I was completely honest with when applying for a manager position. Corporate restaurants and companies frown on this and it won't work without executive and HR approval. I have a degree from a good college, about ten years work experience doing everything including IT support, networking, database and systems programming, and management positions and I still could not get an IT job. It has been five years since I committed my felonies (acting stupid one time in your life can cost you everything so a word to the wise, think before you act and if you're too drunk, it's probably not wise to act at all) and if I go to an interview they say everything is great until I tell them about my background. I have been doing some consulting work on the side, helping local businesses out with their computer work and helping fix as many people's computers as I can and doing websites for businesses (it's not what you know, it's who you know). It helps keep me sharp. Recently I have been able to attain a developer position from an independently owned company and am their head developer now through a connection I made doing websites. Also, one of the companies I used to do security with (and they are a medium sized company) is trying to find a way to hire me back as a Systems Engineer but I am waiting to hear back from their lawyers and executives, but this is only because I've worked there before and done well and the president and vice president of the company would like to have me back. You can't imagine how surprised I was to get that phone call after five years of nothing. Realistically, I don't think it will work yet, but I am still hoping. So basically, try for smaller businesses, startups, and in the worst case scenario, start your own business. If is your passion and you keep trying, something will happen. If you need money to live and eat like I did, you will probably have to resort to another field temporarily. But do your best and things will happen. I have extra work maintaining and programming POS systems for restaurants and that field needs some good IT people in it, trust me. If you want to try starting something up yourself, let me know and I will be glad to help with what I can. Be honest with employers, but telling them everything right from the beginning may not always be the best bet, but let your judgement and the other person's personality determine that. Best of luck!
As a hiring-manager for IT roles, I'd totally hire someone with a felony from their past. As long as they were upfront about it, and it wasn't a "background check surprise" and they showed real talent and openness. The biggest unfair downside, is that you kind of have to open up about it and share more about your life than you'd probably want to with the hiring manager if you didn't have any previous convictions. That is, you'd have to provide a context for understanding the crime that would make me feel comfortable that I wasn't putting the company at risk by brining you in. I think it's fairly easy, to be honest. Just explain the circumstances, your background, and what you want to do with your life, etc.
Don't get discouraged! It's definitely something that will stick with you, but I think IT is a great career for earnings / long term potential and while managers have to be security conscious, an *honest* employee who open shares their past dishonest mistakes is a rare treat.
The employee who applies and is honest about a past conviction is NOT going to the the person who ends up ripping you off. It'll be someone with no priors.
unfair comparisons abound in fake history & heritage fairytail neverwas
Felonies mean you likely can't be trusted. That's the reality. Why should we trust you?
Just lie about it, or say nothing and hope they won't find out. Obviously, honesty isn't getting you anywhere.
You're a felon anyway, so lying shouldn't be a problem.
A felony can only delay a security clearance because the only relevance a felony has to a security clearance is whether it shows a fundamental character issue making one insufficiently trustworthy. That's fundamentally what they want to find out in a background investigation. Can we trust you? That's why a guy who's 40 with a felony charge for selling drugs but can show he's been a cleaned up citizen for 15 years can probably get a clearance but a guy with no criminal past who's had an affair on his wife or two in the recent past cannot hold one.
Yes it's possible! I myself am a felon and I am making great money in a senior position at a wonderful company.
That being said, you have a tough road ahead of you. You're not going to have any luck with HR departments or large companies in general. Policy is Policy and that's that. Don't even bother. Look for smaller companies or even bootstrap startups where your particular set of skills would be in high demand.
Don't have a particular set of skills? Stop right now. Teach yourself something you'd really love to do and will be very good at. In order for your criminal record to be overlooked you have to be *great*(not just good) at what you do, and have to be able to prove it. Work with an established Open Source project. Start a blog with useful information and tips about what you're working on. Get on Freenode IRC and answer people's questions. Excel in your field and make people notice.
If you get to this point you'll find that you'll know a few people working for established and relaxed companies. You should have little trouble finding work, though you may have to start as an independant contractor.
It's a heck of a climb with an anchor around your neck, but if you genuinely love what you do it's quite worth it.
...are you Italian?
Like all employment problems, with this one, some companies will not hire you but other companies will. You don't need to work for every company, you only need to find one.
Different companies have different ideas. I got rejected by four different companies last time I was looking for a job, then I found a sweet gig. No big deal. One company even told me, "you have natural talent, but lack experience." I don't even know what that means, if anyone ever looked at the early code I wrote, they would NOT say I have natural talent.
My point is, to play the numbers game. If you get in an interview, they ask about your felony and don't hire you because of it, then move on to the next company. No big deal.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
I pled guilty to access device fraud around 8 years ago and it is pretty much a death sentence in the IT sector. Forget a background check most Federal indictments will show up on a simple google search. After a couple of years toiling in the job market trying to get hired I decided I would just start my own business. I was lucky enough to have a strong family support system and was able to borrow the money to get me through the first 12 months or so.
My only advice would be to network as much as possible.
The great thing about the tech industry as that it is pretty easy to start your own company. While employers may do background checks, customers usually don't. I would your own company. It will be hard going at first, but if you start small (maybe even part time), and really work on expanding, you'll make it. Once you get to the point where you have multiple employees, you may not even want to work for someone else, but if you do, you'll find that owning your own successful company will likely balance out the felony for many employers. As others have pointed out, the risk to companies is that if they know you have a felony, and you later recommit that felony, or a similar one, under their employment, they are seriously liable in court and in the court public opinion. Successfully running your own business for multiple years demonstrates your desire to not screw up again, and gives the legal guys something they can stand on for why they hired you in the first place.
As a person with a serious misdemeanor that could have been a felony. I feel for you. Don't give up. Keep taking what you can for work. The more work you can get, even if it isn't exactly what you want, the more it will do to expunge your record and prove your desire to be an "upstanding citizen". Good Luck.
I couldn't care less about someone just "being fellon", when we (in most "modern" countries) have law system that criminalizes almost anything, even using drugs or other things that do not harm anyone and should not be anyone's business.
Would care if you would do anything bad if it was serious, e.g. beaten up someone (not in defence), or commitet a robbery.
Liekly quite some busines owners think in same way.
Of course if you would for example steal empoloyeer secrets previously, it does not look good.
They need IT people too.
No, you don't need a need to know security clearence to work in IT, but it helps, not to have a felony to get any job. But then the mexicans were getting the other decent jobs, so everyone went to illegals, or b-1b's and ruined the schedule for everyone. But i would say, don't specialize in one subjec, but extensively go into computer security. How to recover from damages, that hackers do, and you will have the cred's that business is after. Even better get some cred in security enhancements and foresncics, to discover damages and how its be inputted to the system.Places like sony, that have been hit will pay for someone to monitor, and see where the attack is originatiing, and how it getting on with their system.
It is entirely possible to work in IT with a felony on your record. Time heals most everything, even a felony conviction. If you were to apply to lots of positions, and simply leave off this information, and never mention your crimes / misdeeds in the interview process, you will be hired. Maybe you will get rejected a ton of times, but persistence is a virtue. Plenty of convicted felons have been hired in IT.
Only around 19% of the companies that say they run background checks actually run them. People make mistakes. Many times they are run and the felony / misdemeanor will not show up. Was it a federal crime, or a state crime? Background checks come on different levels and cost different amounts of money; even large companies like IBM sometimes don't run them.
You will never get a job in IT if you don't try. If you want to work in this industry badly enough, you can get hired. Don't let other people discourage you. The entire job market is in flux, and that flux creates opportunities. You can slip through a crack in this industry.
You would already have a job as an IT contractor if you were trying harder. You probably haven't found anything yet because you start talking about felonies and misdemeanors right from the start. Get hired, and if they call you into a room to fire you for being a liar, go home and apply to more jobs.
Remember: people make mistakes. Take a chance on yourself if that's what you really want to do. What have you got to lose?
OP said: "I'm a felon with several prior misdemeanor convictions".
Don't you mean a felon with prior felony convictions? As far as I understand (please do correct me if I'm wrong) you cannot be treated as a felon for misdemeanor offenses, no matter how numerous.
Also, I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt that the statement was just clumsily phrased but even so, the wording ought to be fixed to be crystal clear.
Form a corporation and contract out your services or learn to code and take on vendor projects. You just need to abstract yourself from the task. If your successful then hire addition people and expand.
"Character issue" a buzzword very popular dictators, totalitarian regimes and US companies.
Nothing like a 'dump" follower who will not question his/her superiors and engage with criminal activities promoted by US corporations.
Look for jobs in areas which do not overlap the felony. E.g. if the felony was fraud or embezzlement, stay away from financials. And forget systems administration or network administration, too much access to passwords. You may need to start out doing some sort of tech support, but it does pay the rent while you acquire some references and experience.
Then try some volunteer work, the real kind not the 'I'm doing it because the judge told me to' kind. My favorite example maintaining we pages is the no kill animal shelter. You need good references and this is a way to get it.
Also look at smaller companies. They often evaluate people more at the interview level than some HR drone looking at resumes.
Finally, don't give up.
putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
Trust in USA = look other way when your employee gets involved into criminal activities.
So typical in US corporate culture.
The misdemeanor convictions likely won't hurt your career, but depending on the nature of the felony you might have a hard time. For example, I've seen a felon with a computer fraud and abuse conviction get all kinds of great job offers. Conversely, at my company we tried to hire someone who had been convicted of murder and served his time, figuring he'd paid his debt to society and that this was now irrelevant, but our hiring decision was overruled by the legal department. Finally, there may be specific felony convictions that prohibit certain job functions. E.g., if you've been convicted of any kind of embezzlement, you may be barred from jobs that involve managing government grants. Sex crimes obviously carry a huge stigma. And though the drug laws are a bit out of control, I'm not sure how bad drug convictions, at least if you aren't working with kids. My company is required by federal law to be a "drug free workplace," which forces us to sign documents, but the content of those documents isn't as restrictive as you might think--basically we have to agree not to use, possess, or distribute drugs at/during work, but what we do on our own time off company property is our own business. A past drug conviction wouldn't be a problem.
Move to Europe where you have the right to be forgotten and can start fresh with no record traces.
Why would you like to be part of totalitarian and surveillance state?
Search for freedom and avoid those two countries with so much security forces and people living like brainless sheeps.
You would need to get a little lucky and also have the chance to explain what's changed since your crimes. Find a smaller company where you can talk with someone who won't dismiss you because they have 200 other job candidates without your issue.
But remember that IT work generally revolves around security. And this makes it a job where trust is paramount. Convince an employer that your past was due to youthful exuberance and not a character flaw (you'll want to provide examples of other's trust in you), you will likely do fine.
Both stole the Stanford University Network - where do you think the word "SUN" came from?
Both companies were founded on the commission of a federal crime. They did ok. A Stanford professor pointed this out.
Clearly you need to be a corporation.
Need Mercedes parts ?
I have multiple felony arrests and nasty marks on my distant past from using my brain in ways that it shouldn't have been used. I also, through my hobbies over the last decade+, worked myself publicly up to be a very highly regarded developer. After that no one cares to even ask about any possible criminal history I might have, for people that want to hire me it's simply don't ask don't tell. I don't hide my criminal history, but I also see ZERO reason to bring it up.
Oh and as for expunging your record, well that doesn't do jack shit. It is a pointless excercise that will only pass by the most meager of background checks--aka the gas stations you're trying to avoid.
Check in with the people at WeAreAllCriminals.org -- they might have specific guidance for your situation.
Only on two occasions have been declined for a position due to criminal history: 1) Was for a support position for national bank, and they are barred by law from employing convicted felons, of which I was unaware at the time, or I wouldn't have applied. 2) A staffing agency dropped me from their rolls due to liability reasons.
With the exception of the financial services field, they typically only ask you, "have you been charged or convicted in the last xx years?" Typically 7. I answer that question truthfully.
Unless they run your fingerprints (US national database), most background checks (I think NY is the sole exception, due to a statewide criminal database)only cover the counties in which you reside. In my case, the county (not state) in which I was convicted is not a county in which I've ever resided, so the normal background check doesn't reveal any errors. So there are ways to game the system. The consequences for doing so can be steep. Employers have the right to immediately terminate you for falsifying your application, so be careful how you answer the "have you ever been convicted" question. If it's within a time frame that's elapsed (7-10 years), or they don't run fingerprints, or you're not in NY state, then you can duck it pretty easily.
For me, if I can't answer the question honestly or it's a financial company (that runs fingerprints), I don't bother applying.
TL;DR - Never had an IT offer withdrawn for my criminal history, unless it was in the financial industry or a temp staffing agency (liability reasons).
This guy must be a white male. Sorry sir, thou are doubly screwed--non-protected identity class and felon.
A buddy of mine had two drug trafficking related felonies. He use to be a pretty big heroin and meth addict. I'm not sure if he got caught with prostitution or not, but I'm pretty sure he was into that too. Likewise, I'm a recovering drug addict as well, burned plenty of bridges, but luckily I never got caught doing anything too stupid.
Post getting clean, I met this guy while doing my math degree. I was taking grad classes. He got his undergrads at a local city university, then went and got his masters in math as well.
He's now a sales engineer for a large company that sells a pretty hefty analytics product. He was hired when it was still a startup. Before that he was hired as the county mathematician for a midwestern city, doing analytics for their internal revenue service. He was voached for the job largely because a neighbor of his became more and more impressed with his abilities over time, and turned out to have quite a bit of heft in the county office as well. Likewise, I got my first gig being vouched for by a programmer who use to work in at the place I applied to.
In order for you to succeed in any field after stumbling profoundly in your youth, the most important thing is to do something impressive and find somebody to voach for you. In your case, your best bet is to go back to school, either in community college or a local city university, get a bit more certified and move on from there. The most important thing about going to college is finding the opportunity to do some pretty hard stuff with decent people to do some pretty hard stuff. The more capable you look to impressive people, the more likely you will get references from folks with the necessary expertise and gravitas.
Don't give up, step your game up, make some new friends, be kind to others. Things will happen for you.
You're a convicted felon. You'll forever be a non-citizen, disenfranchised and socially handicapped. You have no hopes whatsoever, despite what some delusional neckbeards here with no clue about how the real world outside their mommies' basement works say. Your life is over. Deal with it... Or not.
He said he had both. "I am a felon with several misdemeanors." He may have been unclear, but he did not mix them up.
He also did not enumerate any of them. That doesn't automatically mean they were for non-serious crimes and has nothing to do with the fact that the US has some idiotic laws on the books that can make felons out of "really nice people." This "poor baby, I'm so sorry you live in the US" crap just turns criminals into victims.
He had at least one felony and several misdemeanors in his background. That points to some sort of "life of crime" that is likely more than youthful indiscretions. Without more information we can only speculate what those were. This is information OP has not provided, perhaps willfully, as the type of crimes would surely would surely influence our answers.
When a company does a background check, they get back more than just "1 felony, 3 misdemeanors." They get back what he did. And if they don't want to hire him under those circumstances, they may have very good reasons.
Sometime what you do actually does influence your future. But "He was just turning his life around" is a stock phrase in nearly every article about yet another arrest. What you do shows your character, and if that messes you up, that's really too bad, but tough.
How about a moderation of -1 pedantic.
There are many places more wonderful to live than Ohio. In Florida when the job market is tight even a minor misdemeanor can jamb you up for life as far as almost all companies are concerned and it doesn't matter what skill or trade you are in. But you can be elected to Congress and fit right in.
Your posting concerns me. You say you are a "felon" with several misdemeanors. Normally, being classified as a "felon" means you were convicted of one or more felonies. THAT would definitely cause problems in almost any IT shop, since IT staff generally have access to almost anything in a company, one way or another. As a past IT manager/director, I would pretty much not hire someone with a felony conviction except for the most basic of jobs.
Misdemeanors, on the other hand, would cause me to have a discussion with the candidate as to what and how long ago - lot's of things can happen in the immature years that become learning experiences. And the candidate would not necessarily have those held against him/her.
Ben
One way is self employment.
If you run your own business then you shouldn't have any issues hiring yourself.
Political correctness is really just herd psychology pushed by insecure people who desperately seek social conformity.
However, there's a big difference between a felony and a misdemeanor, depending on the crime.
Often there is very little or very illogical differences. In many places a teenager voluntarily sending a picture of themselves without clothing to someone else counts as a felony (considered child porn) whereas an adult doing the exact same thing to the exact same person for the exact same reason would not be considered a crime at all in some cases. In fact the teenager in that case may get the privilege of registering as a sex offender for the rest of eternity even if the picture was just sent to a boyfriend/girlfriend. It's absurd but it happens. The line between felony and misdemeanor is an often arbitrary and capricious one and not all felonies are particularly serious crimes.
That said, if someone is a cocaine addict I definitely wouldn't want him or her in my organization, especially if he had access to valuable information or resources that he could sell to pay for his next week of fixes.
That's an awfully broad brush you have there. I have an alcoholic who works for me. Served time in prison because of it and lost his driver's license for over a decade. He's been sober for some years now but he'll always be an alcoholic. He's a good worker, nice guy and very reliable. He just had a problem with addiction. You could easily substitute alcohol for cocaine and the situation would identical. Just because someone has/had a problem with substance abuse does not mean they cannot ever be trusted again. They have to prove they can handle the responsibility but a blanket ban against people who have had a problem in the past is needlessly harsh. You have to address it on a case by case basis.
I'm from the Northeast. Years ago, when I was 19 (in my 40's now), my roomie decided it was a good idea to steal a big computer from my place of work. Long story short, I got in trouble too, because I knew about it and didn't say anything, etc., resulting in a felony on my record. Since then, I have had /no/ problems getting positions in IT. I don't have a record otherwise; but I've been in positions where I'm responsible for millions of $ of equipment. So, if your State has bizarre backwards laws that punish you forever, move somewhere else. Most employers are reasonable and only check the past X years or so. And by all means, if it's been a long time and it won't create more problems for you, get whatever you can expunged. It may help you, later on.
I think you don't know what the word felon means.
I've been able to be an IT consultant, and the topic of background checks never came up. I don't work for big financial customers of course, mostly with small and medium sized businesses. But the gigs pay pretty well, I ended up setting it as a sole proprietor rather than do anything fancy with LLCs. I do pay a lot of taxes but I'm able to charge enough to make a decent living.
Whether you believe in punishment by the state or by a higher being, whether you believe in the death penalty for chewing gum, or don't believe in it for murder -- it doesn't make sense to not kill somebody, to let him out of jail, and then to make it impossible for him to earn a decent living.
Drugs you can show completion of a program, swear you've been clean for two years, have testimonials from your preacher, rabbi and yoga instructor.
Better idea is to voluntarily test yourself on a regular (monthly?) basis. I know doctors who do this so that in the event of a lawsuit they can prove that they were not chemically impaired. If anyone questions them then they can produce a multi-year stack of clean drug tests.
1. Start your own company, no one runs background checks on a company owner, you are just automatically granted a certain amount of respect, and clout, even if your sales are $0 per year.
2. Black, White, Grey. There are many hats; choose your color.
I art more snarky, and terse than thou. I art Slashdot!
While many places will pass on the basis of a felony record, one of the best Java guys I ever worked with had a felony assault conviction from about five years prior after a guy started a bar fight. He was a contractor when we met, was hired by the company we were doing work for, and hasn't seemed to have too many problems finding work. He was also very up-front about the conviction during the HR process.
Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
It depends profoundly on what the felony conviction was for. I'm afraid the fact that you asked a very vague question and expect a somehow useful answer is, itself, a much stronger indication that you do _not_ belong in IT. Expecting a useful answer from such a vague question is not a good engineering approach, especially in IT where incredible resources can be wasted addressing unspecified requirements. I'm afraid that, if I saw your resume after this, I'd reject it on the grounds of the horrible question without even having to consider the felony itself.
I've met people with drug convictions and who practice medicine, after treatment and with regular blood tests. I even knew of a child care worker with a kidnapping conviction. (She helped hide a mother and children from an abusive father under extraordinary circumstances.) And if "expunging" is not available, perhaps a pardon is feasible: Ohio apparently can seal court records with a pardon, though it's not automatic.
So a conviction is not necessarily career ending. But without more details, the question is too vague to be usefully answered.
That's because Norway (and many European countries) is run by competent people, who care about their country. America is run by greedy and amoral corporations who view their country as a feedlot and a labor camp. Fatten them up by selling them shitty food and sedentary entertainment so you can keep them barely working and dependent upon expensive drugs, and keep them working all the time so they only have time to buy and eat the shitty food and expensive drugs, never time to get a real fucking education that would mean true freedom. America is a shame, I would leave without a second thought if I had the means. This man probably has a felony because he rebelled against this system out of some misunderstood desperation, many Americans do. Whether it's drug abuse, petty theft, or shoplifting, many people desperate to wake up from this consumer shithole paradigm lash-out. After which, of course, the system now knows that they can't be trusted to be mindless fucktard shoppers and slaves any longer. So they get the permanent 'F stamp' which means for the REST OF THEIR LIFE, they will have to beg people to trust them enough to give them shitty jobs, substandard housing rentals, will never be able to possess firearms, will always be treated with suspicion right out of the gate with police and 'law enforcement' gang members. We have an invisible caste system in America, and having a felony for anything (even as minor as getting caught with less than a few grains (as in dust particles) of cocaine can relegate you to the bottom of the caste system for the rest of your life.
You nailed it.
Felon-proof career- Be a celebrity-
http://www.rantlifestyle.com/2013/10/27/20-celebrities-spent-time-prison/#slide_9
Find a small business that is hiring, and come clean (completely) with the owner. Then prove yourself with trustworthiness and good behavior and after a few years, you can launch off into something better (or stay).
-SRR
According to California law, for the most part, background checks cannot report criminal convictions that occurred more than seven (7) years in the past. This is called the "Calfornia 7-year rule".
https://www.privacyrights.org/employment-background-checks-california-focus-accuracy
Yes, keep applying until you get a job. After seven years, most background checks will come up empty. Many companies don't actually run the background checks.
Because they also show up on the background check, and establish a pattern of ongoing illegal activity. A felony conviction for vehicular manslaughter, on New Year's Day coming home from a celebration, with no history of drug or alcohol abuse, can be described as a single tragic event. A vehicular homicide after a long history of DUI convictions and failed treatment programs means a real addiction risk: it's just the sort of thing that background checks should detect.
It depends on what the felonies were for. I was charged with 206 felonies for prescription forgery "What? I like Vicodin, A LOT", but they dropped all but 3 after they realized I was supporting my habit and not dealing drugs. So it's safe to say that I'm probably not going to be hired as a pharmacy tech and with good reason. That said if your felonies are hacking related you're going to have a very hard time.
There are exceptions where nobody will want to hire you.
Rape
Extortion
Child Abuse
Animal Abuse
Drug Dealer
Hate Crimes
Elderly Abuse
*May* he
Most linux users don't know this, but the man pages were named after Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris fsck'ing hates noobs!
So, I had just got out of the military and was a little mentally unstable, nightmares and some ptsd related issues(which resolved now no thanks to the VA or Navy. My wife and I were on the verge of a divorce. During a shopping trip I snapped in public and even though she wasn't injured and her 14 year old daughter didn't see it but was present for the incident I was smacked with a felony domestic violence charge. At sentencing I tool a plea that dropped it to a misdemeanor at sentencing so for all intents and purposes I am not a felon but close enough. I did two weeks of an ankle bracelet and now I am on probation for up to 3 years and no promise of expunging was made. I was in process of getting my certs but I stopped because I don't think anyone will hire me with a misdemeanor. I can't fall back to nursing because healthcare doesn't hire convicts either. I didn't use a weapon. I didn't steal. It wasn't premeditated. No drugs. NO PRIORS not even a speeding ticket. In fact just before my military service I was an intern at LAPD doing crime analysis. Anyways, she hit me in the face then snatched my glasses off my face anf smashed/stomped them on the ground then got in my way when I tried walking away while she was talking. and the DA, even with pictures and video evidence didn't pursue her at all. Yeah. I came here for advice and instead the threads are filled with politics and speculation. I'll take some well thought out or merited advice. P.s. I was going to grab A+, get network+ and then go for CCNA and try to land a decent job. My new idea was to finish a 4 year degree since in 3 years I can attempt to expunge.
I'm working as independent contractor in IT for couple decades and no client from any country ever asked for background check. Some wanted to sign NDA, that is all. Some probably wouldn't even care what country I'm living in now, except for taxation purposes.
They may do their own web search however. Extortion like websites listing arrest records with or without convictions are still legal in the US.
Stop breaking the law, ASSHOLE!
I suggest heading to a large city where there is more competition for IT professionals. In those cities, non-profit organizations have a difficult time competing for talent. You would likely have a better opportunity to resume your IT career in that sector. Then, once you have some stable years behind you working in IT, you can merge back into the general marketplace. Another good suggestion mentioned by another commenter is picking up jobs via Craigslist. Many of my own projects have been gained via that avenue. Good luck to you.
... at either JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup or Morgan Stanley. If they aren't too bright, they try the TSA, which has a track record of hiring felons, although they tend to bust them frequently for pilfering luggage. (If you think I jest, look it up!)
...for purchasing vibrators in six or seven states?
... after having saved this law firm in Seattle, Bogle and Gates, some bucks when I was an IT contractor there, I applied for a position which opened in their tech support department. For some peculiar reason, instead of hiring me, a tried and true quantity, they opted to instead hire a woman who had been fired from two previous jobs in San Francisco --- for embezzling.
One day the partners arrived at work to find all their operating funds had disappeared, and today Bogle and Gates is no more since they dissolved the firm without any operating funds to continue on. (Maybe crooks hire crooks, after all, considering who that Gates was the grandfather to?)
A vague question posted to Slashdot isn't a _strong_ indication of anything other than perhaps being new to Slashdot. No doubt, more details will garner better responses. But, there's no reason to be harsh.
... since that defense corporation is majority owned by the Bush family and James Baker.
and wealthy country in the world.
Two words: Top Management.
Move to California, The law doesn't allow most felonies to be considered unless you're a sex offender. I have a family member that is a convicted felon and he has worked for himself for 40 years. He was a convicted as a teenager of federal felony fraud for writing bad checks at Yosemite NP.
Aside from the fact that it's fundamentally incompatible with democracy, wasn't a huge part of the American revolution the idea that there should be no taxation without representation? Those felons are taxpayers, aren't they?
Technically representation and voting are different things. Representation means you have a person in the legislature representing you. Someone you can go to and share your grievances with. Voting means you got to pick that person.
Also be careful with found father era references. In those days in some jurisdictions only landowners could vote. Like today's felons, the non-land owners in those jurisdiction were represent, they could speak and correspond with representatives, but could not vote.
I know people who have been in similar situations. Burglary II, felony in 1995. Stole a bunch of equipment out of Bell yards, got busted. At first, it was very difficult. Going through contracting companies was the only option. Manpower, CDI, Staffmark...I know Manpower Professional will still put you out for contracts even with a more recent felony, they ONLY tell the client IF specifically asked. Be totally honest with these contracting companies, they will play the HR game for "your side" and after a few short job's they seem to not care once you've proven yourself.
Ironically reminding the contracting companies about the felony can firm up trust, one friend was put up at a Capital One call center via Manpower so they called their rep and told them "It's in my application, I can't pass a fingerprint check" so they just replaced him, still paid him AND found another position. But it takes time. Most applications at most companies I've seen will only check 7 years back. The form might say seven, ten, or whatever years...or might say "Ever". But the actual check itself only goes back seven. Just carefully read the forms, eventually you'll find various places that you can legally avoid having to put it down. Often places will have it on the paper work but never actually read it; scribbling it on the lines where it's barely legible MIGHT have worked...yet many companies never actually read over all 20-50 pages of paper work outside the I-9 / w-2 stuff.
The advice about "your own company" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, even just as something to fill in employment gaps in your resume. Even if it's only working on Hypervisor in your home lab, re-branding yourself is crucial. When all my friends where starting out in IT, we often had a "default" company we would cover for each other with for work references since we actually did know each other's capabilities. Basically put the type of work you WANT in the "experience" of your own business, tell people it's your i-9 contracting company...as long as you actually know how to perform what you wrote down (or can learn fast) you CAN recover.
Dude, it's a LONG HARD ROAD. There might be times your working at fast food, remembering the days of your company laptop. You might have to work call centers for awhile; some have more "technical" positions too. You just have to wait for the heat to cool off, pay off all your fines, and work what ever shit you can until you get to the 7 year mark. Stay clean, no more charges, keep all your ID's up to date and a bank account open. Most importantly, GET REAL HELP if there is a reason behind the felony. People will forgive you if you really do try to fix whatever behavior lead to the felony...if it's something like that but TFA doesn't really say. DUI, go to ALL the treatment courses, get into and STAY in AA or SOS or something; show the HR people you've got a handle on what lead you down the road of crime. I've seen MANY people with undiagnosed ADD get into tons of "stupid" legal trouble; a few of them got adderal treatment along with behavioral therapy and are back in the "corporate world". They really did analyze themselves and make a change; since the felony often points to a deeper problem internally you've got to FIX that if you want to be accepted back into civil society.
Good luck, and godspeed. You'll need it, and you'll need the social support of your friends. Eventually you might turn the felony around into positive PR, aka street cred!
You could start your own business where you build your good name and reputation through every business deal you do. No one can stop you from starting your own business.
I work at a Fortune 500 in Manhattan, and over the past decade have hired two convicted felons. Both of them had records from more than a decade ago, and both had work experience in the field. One is now a senior engineer, and one is a manager of engineers.
Half of the challenge in employing them was getting the approval of the company to hire them. It wasn't that unlike justifying getting an H1B for someone though: prove that the people are uniquely qualified, and the system just functions. The hard part, once that was done though, was convincing the employees that it was ok to apply. They faced a long-held belief that they could get a lot of the way through an interview process, but then have their hopes dashed later on. Because I was upfront with our HR team in advance though, I knew it was going to be ok. That doesn't mean they had an easy time accepting it though.
In the end, the two of them now have 8 years between them within the company, and their peers are none-the-wiser. Even other managers of theirs never know, it now just lives as data in their hr file.
Problem is a huge proportion of those people are black, and in America blacks almost always vote democrat.
That's why they get disproportionally targeted for arrest and thrown in prison with felony records, so the 'voting' problem can be eliminated.
The problem with that dubious theory is the democrats are doing a lot of that targeting. Plus a lot of that targeting is done by black politicians, police chiefs, etc.
The truth is that arrests happen more often where the crimes occur, where the 911 calls come from, and those area are more accurately characterized as poor neighborhoods. Not necessarily black neighborhoods.
I've had a past which involved the legal system due to technical and interstate financial crimes. That past was about 23 years ago. What people want is to see that you've reformed. They want to see that you're honest. They want to see that you're not the risk or liability that you once were. Time will make the difference here. If your last transgression was 6 months ago then you are going to have problems. If your last transgression was 10 years ago then you likely don't pose the same problem that you did before. Small steps in improving yourself will show potential employers that you have changed your life direction. You need to be able to show a prospective employer what you've done to improve yourself. I don't know what you have been applying for, but for what it's worth, I've been able to work without issue in sensitive job environments as a contractor for various well-known government agencies. My past has never held me back in this regard. The important part is that I was honest and up front with what I had done. Being honest conveys accepting responsibility for your actions and realizing that what you've done is unacceptable to society. There is a book that I recently finished that was written by a long-time acquaintance of my family. This acquaintance spent a few years as a guest in state and federal prisons for various felony accomplishments. The book is written primarily for the ex-offender to change his or her life course. However, there is a lot of good information generally in the book that is applicable to a wide range of people and backgrounds, ex-offender or not. For instance, this guy went from prison with felony convictions to being a corporate aircraft pilot to starting an Internet Service Provider and acting as the company's CEO before selling it. He steps through what he's done to improve himself, how things have worked out, how people have responded to him, etc. It's available on Amazon for something ridiculously inexpensive like $3.99. The book is called "Slaying the Dragon - The Journey from the Dungeon to the Ivory Tower" by David J Koch. It may help you in your journey. I should mention that I receive no compensation or anything else for suggesting the book. My motive is purely from coming from a similar background as yours and having this acquaintance with the background and the life accomplishments that proves a good career and life can be had if you're determined enough.
Studies have shown that people with criminal backgrounds tend to do no worse on the job
That doesn't really address the main problem the GP raises, i.e. the ambulance chasing lawyers. It doesn't matter if a person with a criminal background will do as well as the average person with a "clean" background. The past conviction creates an excuse for a hostile lawyer to sue the company. Basically companies take on a risk when giving a person a second chance.
Companies and those with convictions are both caught in this catch-22 system. Yet another reason for tort reform.
There is plenty of online work out there, and if you prove yourself online, then perhaps keen recruitment firms might find you and see your track history and overlook the past?
I'd hire ya if I could, but you are a long way away from sunny Mallorca :) (And you'd need to be good at Symfony)
Work free as a volunteer for any of the worthy nonprofits that need such help, and become known for your excellent work and professionalism. There's a good chance you'll get a recommendation that will drown out any doubts.
If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
Aside from the fact that it's fundamentally incompatible with democracy, wasn't a huge part of the American revolution the idea that there should be no taxation without representation? Those felons are taxpayers, aren't they?
Technically representation and voting are different things. Representation means you have a person in the legislature representing you. Someone you can go to and share your grievances with. Voting means you got to pick that person.
So, why couldn't all those colonialists send a letter to an MP back in England?
Do you have an indian reservation nearby? I have two near me and I've seen the same IT positions (a DB admin and a sys admin) available for the last two years for one place.
Now, I can't speak with any authority, but reservations around here operate as sovereign territory and don't play by the same local/state/national rules. So it could be that a past felony might be OK. It's also entirely possible that they would reject you because of your felony, but it's an option worth checking.
My suggestion would be to take this as an opportunity to transcend the need to work for the enrichment of someone else and go off script.
If you have IT skills, take the time to step back and determine ways you can put them to use for your benefit without having to be a wage slave. Granted, you may need to go ahead and take assorted crappe jobs for a couple years while you build and save the means to strike out on your own, but that is a small sacrifice to pay for long term independence.
The 21st Century is rife with means for enterprising individuals to break from 19th and 20th Century tradition and live comfortably ever after without having to rely on anyone but themselves for employment.
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In this country too many things that are not serious are midemeanors or felonies. We need new classifications for these crimes. 'Fellony' just doesn't convey enough information. Most crimes fall in a very narrow spectrum of offenses. Violence, Theft, Fraud, negligence. I think for violent crimes, you are up the creek, very few businesses would take a chance on that. Depending on the business, Theft, Fraud and negligence could be ignored. Of course, this is my utopian view of how it should be. In the US unfortunately, a conviction is like a permanent stamp.
When you say IT, what comes to mind for me is server admin, database management or helpdesk work. In these cases, you're entrusted with customers' personal data. Due diligence drives the need for background checks, and so long as others are available who pass the checks, you're not going to get the job.
IT consultancy, programming, and system architecture work on the other hand don't always have the same kind of requirements. The customer gets to protect their own data, you're just a code jockey. And as somebody else already said, the bar is much lower at startups. Hell, Mitnick has computing job, why shouldn't you?
Aka personnel risk assessments generally are time limited. My employer (for various reasons including the drafter, me, thought a forever check was asinine), limits checks to the previous 7 years. There is also an exception process for those that do 'pop' that includes a specific assessment of risk for the hire/employee to have a sensitive position. Depending on the conviction (fraud/theft is more of an issue w/ a trust based position), you just need an inside advocate, as hard as that may be.
My suggestion: post your resume online. As the managing director of an IT company, I have two concerns:
1/ can I trust my staff
2/ is my staff skilled enough
This said, issues related to an immature time in someone's life can be accepted as long as there is a genuine will not to do it again; and of course if the set of skills that the staff brings to the team is strong enough
I'd suggest you move to another country if you have the option. Or find work you can do from home that is abroad.
Depends on the felony. You can get a felony for having too much weed on you. There are many "crimes" which sensible people realize shouldn't even be a crime, some of which are felonies.
-- sudon't
Air-ride Equipped
You have tried to work with them, now work for yourself. Stop talking about prison life, no one cares. Offer your services as a software contractor. No applications to fill out; just your ablility to do the job. Do the job, get paid, pay your straight time taxes. Move on. There's plenty of work, but no jobs. Keep the paper work, do the paper work; then see what happens next.
... ahead of a smoker. Or a PHP developer.
i had a single felony. It took 7 years for me to get back into IT. It isn't easy convincing hirers, but it can be done. I think what helped me was the seven year mark, employers didn't care as much when it stopped showing up on the standard seven year look back background checks . I still declared my felony on my cover letter and on any application that asked.
Is often "Have you ever been arrested?" and "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?".
If you answer "Yes", the next question is often to describe why you were arrested and whether you were convicted.
If it's a juvie record, you might not have to answer.
When and if you are hired, they are putting a lot of trust in the hire. For positions that demand that level of trust, a hire is unlikely. For others positions, they might hire and you'll have to prove yourself as not being a risk. Evenually, if you stay clean, most will forget your earlier transgressions. Keep your performance evaluation as they will help you in the future if hired.
Good luck!
. In those days in some jurisdictions only landowners could vote.
And in practice, only white males could buy land. It wasn't an "open" marketplace for land with everyone bidding on land on an equal basis. If you were selling land, you'd not sell to the Chinese or Irish. Or your next home would be at risk of burning down accidentally.
Learn to love Alaska
why are americans such judgemental pricks?
when you've done your time, you've done your time. that should be the end of it and, aside from some very limited cases like not letting pedos work with kids, discrimination against former criminals should be illegal....even a fuckwit yank should be able to figure out that if ex-crims can't get jobs and have no choice but crime to support themselves then that's what they'll do.
It really depends on what you did for the crimes and what you did afterwards.
I have a felony conviction and have not really had a problem finding a job after the 5 year mark had passed.
I also have 0 certifications and never had any.
I've worked for some large companies in the financial and banking sector as well as on some government contracts.
A conviction of any kind is not career ending nor does it bar you from any kind of job that requires a security clearance.
Most of the people I work with now have a security clearance and felony convictions worse and newer than mine.
Most companies only check 5-7 years back. But even if it's older than that you should bring it up in case something comes up later.
I would start with a smaller company and make sure your skills are something they really need. Smaller companies have more freedom to pick and choose and once you have been working for awhile you can offset your background with working skills.
and that this will probably soon change, you'll realize how quick we are to judge others without due consideration for the individual.
Sent from my ENIAC
Misdemeanors shouldn't even show up on a criminal record. Only felonies. But then you did say you're in Ohio and they have one of the more archaic legal sysems in the U.S. Time to get the hell out.
I suggest you have an NCIC check done - if nothing shows up there just move to another state that isn't as ass backward as Ohio and you'll be in the clear.
I say this because I know in most states the look mostly at NCIC but in some places the look at the state BCI. Thing is, NCIC only records felonies not misdemeanors. So it looks like those rejecting you are running state BCI checks.
Politics sounds right up your alley.
I suspect (I'm speculating though) that most large companies have policies in place that prevent hiring of people with criminal histories. However small companies and start-ups are often more free to make case-by-case decisions. My one datapoint is having worked for a small company with an excellent programmer with no college degree. When I started at a large well-known company he asked about working there as well. I recommended him to my boss who told me they had a strict rule - you need a college diploma to work there.
So look for firms of less than 200 employees where you have a decent chance of the top guy finding out about you and overriding any policies in place (if there are any).
I often don't like the choices people make, but I like the fact that people make choices. That's why I'm a conservative.
Can you open a company? Being self-employed might be a way to avoid the HR-requirements of other companies. Your company could be a contractor to other companies – your record is not involved at any time.
You'll find followers in every part of the character spectrum. Hell, even MS13 probably has a ton of follower personality types in it. Character is orthogonal to personality type.
For what it's worth, IT is not what it is cracked up to be. It is one of those careers that looks better from the outside, looking in. Granted, my experience is jaded and I'm autistic so I don't function well in an office environment. Have you thought about a career driving an 18 wheel semi? The reason I ask is that many companies don't care if you're an ex-con and the money is VERY VERY good. After 13 years of being in IT, the most money I made is 75,000.00 a year and I worked 90+ hours per week plus on call time. I felt as if I was only noticed when things went wrong and I got absolutely sick and tired of dealing with people who think that computers should be perfect. Furthermore, I got sick of being penalized on performance reviews for not making improvement suggestions. Every time I made a good suggestion, the answer would be "let me look into that." As a rookie truck driver, I'm earning 65,000 a year and my cubicle is an 80,000 lb semi with satellite radio, GPS, and a few other bells and whistles. I get quarterly fuel and safety bonuses and I can get pretty much routed wherever I want to go. Since it's cold and snowy up north, I've requested routes that take me through the desert southwest. If I could turn back time, I never would've gone to college - I would've gone straight into a tractor trailer training school. Also, contrary to popular belief, truck driving has challenging moments and there is almost rarely a dull day. :-D
Yep, two of my workmates that were trusted and friendly on the outside were dishonest, stealing from the company and falsifying records.
One was prosecuted and the other was not. After working with 2 of those guys I am weary of felons. And if a person commented those felony actions at work or in IT you are not likely to get a second look if the crimes were recent or committed in a trusted role at a company.
Anon because some people on here prolly know me and the one recent criminal.
I'm not a feminist, nor am a a misogynist. I have no problem attacking either when necessary, and in this case your claim is absolutely false.
The reason a person who has committed adultery can't get a clearance (or at least has a greatly reduced chance) is that it demonstrates dishonesty and disloyalty. A women guilty of cheating on her husband would have the same issues, so there is no gender bias.
In all cases, assuming you are completely honest with investigators you might still possibly get a clearance.
-The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.
If you can't find someone to hire you, start your own.
Unless the suppliers of the business you would start refuse to deal with a business owner who has 1. no management experience, 2. felonies, or 3. both.
Corporations don't have criminal records
Their principals do.
and unless you are working for someone who screens your employees
Plenty of suppliers screen their clients. For example, a distributor screens the retails that sell its products, and a game console maker screens the developers who make software for its platform.
I'm a felon also. It is a long hard uphill battle to find employment. I had to bust ass to get where I am today, hard laborious work. Now I am in a managerial position, I have 6 guys I employ and all have colorful pasts except one. I trust them, just like my boss trusts me. Trust and respect is earned overtime. My best suggestion is to keep trying. Opportunities will come. I know how difficult it is to start over, and the struggle even to get a stupid drivers license.
I work in IT also, for an industrial company. You might start there. In my state felons can still get licensed and bonded, so you might get a contractors license. The bond might help with the voodoo felon shit.
Best of luck
According to the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), blanket policies against all felonies are discrimination, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
EEOC Enforcement Guidance
Blanket policies are racially discriminatory.
That being said, if you're caucasian, you probably won't be able to get anyone to pick up the case. The ACLU won't touch it.
The felony is only supposed to be discriminated against if it affects the job position, i.e., if you rob a bank, you shouldn't be allowed to work in a bank, etc.
They also ban felons from getting professiona licenses (such as a plumber's or electrician's license), getting SNAP food benefits, TANF benefits if they have kids, student loans, etc. Unless the state has passed legislation opting out of the ban, like many have.
It's not right, felonies weren't meant to become life sentences in most cases, but this has the effect of becoming a life sentence. And they wonder why people return to crime... it's because they have no other means of supporting themselves.
Seattle,WA passed a law making it illegal to ask about felonies until you've been given an offer of employment.
-Myke
but what could possibly go wrong with him working for you ;)
Just don't pursue IT jobs that have you doing anything to do with security, privacy, trust, financial data, medical data, automation that may put anyone at personal risk, etc.
Trust once lost is rarely regained.
It's hard enough to keep a job in IT without a record. Your competing with people who have perfectly clean records. There is no financial benefit to be had giving people a chance, however compassionate that might be. The risks are high enough even for employees with no record whatsoever.
After 9/11 the law was changed to allow for unlimited background checks instead of the former previous 7 years. So 20 years after my conviction I was suddenly fired for it. After a year of job hunting and a year of refusals I said sarcastically to myself "The only way a company will ever hire me is if I own the company". And that was when necessity met inspiration and great things started to happen. I started my own company. An IT consulting/staffing firm, the type every Fortune 500 uses to fill positions. So I first incorporated (C-corp is best for this situation). As Cytotoxic stated, "I cannot imagine an IT shop failing to check the background of a system administrator who will be working with banking systems". He is right. Being the "consulting firm" allows you a layer of insulation between yourself and the client while still allowing you to advertise "all of your consultants have been through a vigorous background check". Technically this is not lying as you have been through a few vigorous background checks. Most firms will not pay to BG check if they hire through a staffing firm. As far as client knows I am just a consultant for XYZ Corp, I do not volunteer that I am the owner unless asked (don’t lie if asked). If you are working in a regulated environment (ie banking/financials) this still doesn't get you past the SEC Officer or other regulatory agency official. gcnaddict advice was spot on as it is exactly what I do. I go first directly to the SEC Officer (I usually work investment houses) to fill out my background check paperwork and absolutely write down my conviction and the required "brief description". Being honest I have yet to be turned down (my conviction is theft). This information is generally not passed back to the employing company. Since starting my firm, it merged with another, became one of the premier in its niche, was purchased by an investment firm, and my felonious self laughed all the way to the bank. Could be you next.
I would suggest starting your own IT company. I started mine after I was let go because i refused to relocate and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. If you are good at IT or software engineering you should be able to pick up enough contract work to live and purchase your Obamacare.
Good luck.
Hello,
I am very sorry to say this, but not only do I agree with your state's laws on work and prior crimes, I would not ever hire you doing anything important, let alone IT. I know this will suck for you, but as far as I'm concerned, you belong back in jail, plain and simple, except you should be forced to pay 100% of your confinement, but with no help whatsoever from anyone to find a job.
Peace.
I've never had a background check run on me for freelancing (to my knowledge). My record is clean, so I don't know for certain that this would work for you. However, I've been able to do very well for myself working at home ~30 hours a week. My wife doesn't work either.
... they should not be allowed to work in IT.
stuff they never did end up in their name. Seen that a lot lately where workers were wrongfully dismissed because of murder or fraud conviction turn up but later were proven false.
FYI Criminal Identity Theft is the most dangerous form of identity theft:
https://www.privacyrights.org/...
New Economic Perspectives
where they have a known history of hiring felons as faculty or staff.
New Economic Perspectives
There are areas of IT where some companies would consider someone with your history. Not every position in IT will deal with corporate security or information that falls under privacy issues. Depot services where you would be refurbing systems returned for warranty replacement are one place where systems that you deal with would only have factory images. There are also IT-related areas like servicing peripherals (printers and copiers, for instance) where you might be able to get a foot in the door.
Another area you could find work in is small business IT, where relationships count more than blunt instrument corporate policies that legislate common sense out of existence. There are many small businesses that might consider allowing you to do IT support if you are up front about your history. Not all, mind you, but many.
If you are a programmer, and you have the chops for it, you can work a non-IT job to survive and choose an Open Source project to contribute to. Become a significant contributor to the project to demonstrate your programming ability, establish your personal brand and present yourself as a knowledge leader. Or if you're interested in security, for instance, become an expert in your field, present to Small Business Chambers and other business groups, write, and give away lots of free information. Give away some expertise to establish your reputation, and then you can market yourself as a consultant. The more you can specialize in a specific vertical market niche, the more profitable you can become. Once you have built up your business, then you may even be bold enough to publish your story: from convicted felon to sought-after consultant. It will take time, but it can be done, but it will take chops in marketing and brand management as well as programming, security, or whatever your technology skill may be.
Move. There is a life outside of Ohio. Outside of America, even.
Build your own corporation and say fuck you to all those people not hiring you.
I could try Ireland or UK - loads of IT jobs there and all they usually check is your employment history.
I'm afraid that, if I saw your resume after this, I'd reject it on the grounds of the horrible question without even having to consider the felony itself
Well thank goodness you're not my hiring manager. I would guess you're not a hiring manager at all, but - based on YOUR attitude - one of the basement sysadmins who feels like he is God of all technology and better than 99% of the rest of humanity.
The question isn't all that vague, and when reporting on a conviction one of the issues can be that there isn't much room for explanation. It's "[name] was convicted of X". So you may have a guy who's a convicted "sex offender" when all he really did was get drunk and relieve himself in sight of a playground at 1:00am. Unless you have a chance to explain yourself though - which often YOU WON'T, at least on form-based applications - then you probably aren't even getting to the interview.
I haven't any convictions myself, but I've seen some pretty dismally generic applications forms and "vague" pretty much fits them perfectly. Now, from a hiring perspective, yeah I'd feel a little nervous about working next to a convicted sex offender, but not so much the guy who peed on a tree... the problem being that most people aren't going to get past HR screening to the point where the details could even be discussed.
Why not? IT is a life time sentence.
Yes, he can. But he may not.
When teachers said criminal records last for ever and that nobody likes someone with a criminal record?
So now you need a fix?
A former felon got locked up for a few years over a very simple workplace dispute there which got blown out of all proportion to give the Mayor a photo opportunity at the prison. He had to be guilty of all kinds of evil plans because of his record, even if reality looked a lot like getting caught in the middle of a dispute where the person in charge of IT security was being squeezed out to give a crony a place to work.
Can't work it out yet? Google "Terry Childs". Funny how all of those initial charges of mayhem were reduced to a much smaller number of charges isn't it?
You don't put felons in charge of highly sensitive and potentially high value data. You can talk all you like about being reformed, but there is now a massive trust issue surrounding your behaviour and anything you say.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
You should get a job on Wall Street, a juvenile criminal career would be considered a big plus there ..
Your going to need to find some small kind of business, or do some kind of freelance work depending on what you do. Basically, your fucked. Most IT jobs involve some level of trust do to access and no one is going to give the keys to the kingdom to a felon. If your young enough you might consider military service. I know people with honorable years of service and a record before it and they don't have to many problems and it even pay for certifications etc. etc.
Just setup your own company!
I have 11 felonies on my record and I work in IT.
I work in data analytics and design in the financial services industry. I've previously contracted with the military, banks, and had a variety of employers and clients, corp2corp, 1099, W2, and never had a problem with either being open about it or a background check.
The biggest issue I've had with being a felon was trying to rent an apartment. I've been rejected at several apartments I've tried to get, but never had a problem with IT jobs whether it was training, contracting. Coding, or handling the data from startups to giant megalith multinationals.
I'm a satanic clam.
While working for a consulting company with clients in the entertainment industry I had occasion to work with someone who was a former Manson Family member. They had been to prison as a result and studied computer science while there. When I worked with them they were managing projects for a major entertainment company. So I would have to say that the answer to your question is yes, it's possible. Though location (this was in California) may be a factor. Perhaps people in Ohio are not as open to giving second chances.
Self-employment is the way to go....
Some ideas; Do check this link http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/0... Contribute to open source projects when you don't have work https://guides.github.com/acti... Freelance through the elance or other coder for hire type sites https://www.elance.com/ Start your own IT support company/freelance/contract/game development, whatever your strongest skills are https://www.sba.gov/ Get your company registered as a state/federal contractor and bid http://www.procure.ohio.gov/pr... http://www.gsa.gov/portal/cate...
Start your own company. Customers aren't going to check your background unless you're trying to sell them security services - and maybe not even then.
blindly antisocialist = antisocial
Slim chance to get hired at a big firm, best shot is to make very good friends with someone already on the inside that can vouch for you but that's still slim. It's not laziness on HR's part, they're just covering themselves. The unfortunate reality is, as much as you may think you've turned your life around, nobody wants the liability of hiring a felon. If you ever accused of doing something, no matter **how small** someone would trace back and find out you were a felon and automatically (unfairly) cast blame on that lone fact. Even if it's only an accusation, it will likely blow up. Say someone files a fictitious sexual harassment suit against you and then bam. Not only are you done because you're already guilty without an investigation, but also someone will then get fired in HR for disregarding your criminal past and blamed for hiring you to begin with. Very few people are willing to take that risk on a person with a criminal record when there are other clean candidates out there, the ocean has too many fish. It's not IT's fault, it's not even HR's fault, it's society's fault for setting things up this way and being "OK" with we treat other human beings.
My recommendation is to just go for a small firm where you have a better chance of getting to know people there, and have less stringent hiring practices. That's probably your best shot?
In the US legal system money does all the talking. You throw enough money at this problem it will eventually go away. Sad but true.
That said, IANAL, however
Hire an attorney (a good one, do your research) to research your past issues and submit a plea to the court(s) that your are a reformed contributing member of society and the that the road fully bringing you back into the fold is to reduce your convictions to the level that they can be expunged. This will not fix everything overnight however, many systems of record will retain your prior status and you will have to fight to have these "corrected", it will haunt you for years to come, speaking from experience....
Having gone through this; you'll get a lot of varied reactions from people who will continue to see you as the scum of the earth and how dare you try to hide what you have done, others are more compassionate and understand the immeasurable weight upon your back every time you walk into an interview or have a background check. A person may fully grasp the severity of the things they have done and have paid for it many times over, but the system is relentless and will never forget unless you can convince it otherwise. It is a vicious cycle that rarely achieves the outcome intended, such that those entwined become so demoralized that they perceive themselves as prisoners of the state regardless, so what difference is there? Thus those lovely statistics regarding repeat offenders.
You should not have any problem at all if you leave the US and look for a job in central/south america.
I have a friend who lives in Ohio and was convicted of and served time for several felonies. After getting out of jail he went to college to get a bs in computer science. He has held development jobs before and ever since graduation. There have certainly been places who would not hire him because of his convictions but there were plenty of others who would. Now that he has over 10 years of professional experience under his belt it seems to be even less of an issue. You'll need patience, perseverance and probably someone willing to take a chance on you.
One conviction (felony or otherwise) can be looked at as an outlier. Multiple convictions (felony or misdemeanor) establishes a pattern of poor judgement / impulse control on his part.
"An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." Col. Jeff Cooper
or Ohio is surrounded with barbed wire
It also helps to know how to construct sentences properly. In addition, general terms of the industry are essential: A B1B is a swept-wing bomber aircraft, I think you were trying to say H1B. Typos are the norm today so we won't even go there, but the ability to put out one single sentence in good English is pretty helpful from what I've seen.
I am a "real felon" with multiple felonies. After spending almost 5 years in prison, in Ohio, I has issues finding employment. Before I got in trouble I had spent many years as a software architect/technical lead. I got a lot of no's and crazy looks in my job search after my release, but eventually someone gave me a chance because of my experience and knowledge in my field. Keep trying. If you are good at what you do someone with recognize it and look past your previous indiscretions.
as someone who was convicted at the Federal level of a felony back in the 90's, I have continued to work in IT for the past 20 years, with only the following issues: any place that will submit fingerprints to the FBI or do an NCIC check will find the conviction. This will obviously hinder employment in places like financial companies/banks/trading firms that are registered with the SEC and are required (or via FINRA) to do fingerprint checks. That does NOT necessarily mean you will not be able to be employed at one of these firms-- it depends on the circumstances of the conviction... I shared my documentation with an employer regarding my conviction and they realized it was BS and did not fire me, and went on to recommend me to other employers. I've actually undergone background checks over the last 20 years by only 3 employers (including the 1 with fingerprints)... interestingly enough, the other 2 background checks FOUND NOTHING. I think that many of the checks done by small employers do not utilize an NCIC check, and only look at state records... federal conviction does not show up. Also, many only check back 7 or 10 years (and sometimes employers ask on applications if you have been convicted within the last 10 years- to which I can honestly answer NO).
Be aware that many states also have statutes allowing for expungement of records of arrest and convictions if certain conditions are met (i.e. good behavior, good character for x period of years)... some states even allow for mandatory expungment if you've been good for some period of time (you still have to file papers to request the expungment). When records are expunged, you are legally allowed to say you are NOT a convict. Problem is there is NO federal statute allowing for expungment, and no precedent in most federal court districts, so it's almost impossible to get an expungment of a federal conviction-- but, as seen in my case-- not necessarily a hinderance. I can't drive a cab in my town (requires fingerprint submission and signoff by local police chief), but I can work for small hedge funds that aren't SEC registered broker/dealers, etc.
And of course the comments about working for yourself are good, but it's tough to break into the market with no experience or existing clientele...
It is far easier to get a development job than an IT job as a felon. There are many industries that wouldn't care you are a felon as a developer. You couldn't work for many companies that are strict, financial, medical, etc..., but many software start ups or small software companies won't even do a background check. You might also be interviewed by the founders of the company. Some might even higher you for your sob story--at a lower price because that can save their start up money. But if you can code, your in. Once hired, your past doesn't matter--at least until the promotional opportunities. :-)
Yes you can find IT work as a felon. However, there might be some places that wont hire you. For example, schools or banks. However, look for small to medium companies. Most of these types of companies will over look convictions in the past if they were years or decades ago. I have worked at several level 1 and level 2 tech positions at call centers and they didn't care one bit about a persons background. I have one, but it's been 15 years with no other convictions. I have a Bachelors degree. So by showing that you are someone that has changed, dedicated, and willing to make a difference, I find that most people shrug their shoulders at the past conviction. I have also found that not hiding the fact that I have it has helped. If they ask about it, be honest don't shy away from it and point out what you have done despite it. So maybe perhaps you should look at getting a college degree and maybe some certifications.
When I was younger I was convicted of multiple felonies which cannot be expunged. I now work as a Software Engineer for a very large corporation and am very gainfully employed Here is my recommendation:
1. Get a Computer Science or equally hard to obtain engineering degree
-It's a lot of work, but it'll make employers want you REALLY bad.
2. Once you have said degree you'll get interviews - lots of them.
- Many of these companies will offer you jobs and then deny them based upon said convictions
** I was denied at least a dozen times
- Some wont (here is the key)
By getting the degree you will greatly increase the number of the interviews you receive and thus your chances of being hired. It's simply a game of statistics.
It seems like the questioner and all commenters are assuming that all "work" in IT involves a "job" where someone in HR decides to let you in. Have you considered freelance? Or starting your own consulting business?
American society is set up to promote recidivism. If you want to do meaningful work you've got very limited options on the "clean" path. I think Hawaii actually prohibits the consideration of criminal records for hiring. Everywhere else you're forced to wear your scarlet letter in full view. Small business might be your best shot. Your call on whether or not to fess up on your past. The chance of a background check varies by the sector the business is in.
Or, you can acknowledge reality and just go shop around for a plush job doing IT for the underground. I'm told they hire some of the best and brightest while offering very respectable compensation packages. e.g. medical, dental, 401K, etc.
Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once
You really only have four options. Find a company that doesn't look. (As others have noted, this limits you to crap jobs.), start your own company, (and all the resulting headaches if you don't have the upfront cash for that), bail and find a new career, or move where your record won't follow you; preferably away from the land of the Freeloaders and those of the Slaves.
14 fucking years ago I was federally convicted for something I didn't do, and have been paying for it ever since. It cost me $500k/year businesses, wife & kids (stillborn from the stress), and my career. I tried so hard to make a go as a private consultant, and after years of fighting it out and getting my ass handed to me from the larger, well heeled companies, I bailed and moved out of country, and am at least starting to make a go at it.
Depends on the charge, when I got hired on by my employer, I had 5 points, all drug(cannabis) related as a late teenager, early 20s. That drug is now legal in my state..
It wasn't an issue, but they stated if any of it was fraud, theft, etc, I would not of passed.
Now, through buyouts I am employed by something large and blue.
I was in a similar boat. But after 7 years, many background checks will not show felonies. Some use 10 year background checks. My suggestion is to find a contract company that uses a 7 year check and do contract work. In my case, one of the companies I contracted with recognized my talent and hired me. Despite having fallen off the background check time, I still disclosed my situation. However, the company recognized my talent and already knew me so the decision was easier. Although I didn't have to disclose and they might not have found out, I chose to disclose in case someone with a personal vendetta chose to bring up the matter with HR in the future and have it disclosed in a manner I didn't choose. For me, it worked out and I feel like I work for a company I can retire from.
It very much matters why you were convicted or even changed with. I'd never hire a DBA who has a record of stealing, however I'd have no problem if you had murdered someone. Drugs and alcohol (especially DWI) are problematic as everyone will wonder if you're high (or drunk) right now. If you have those problems and have followed a 12 step program I'd emphasize it. Otherwise take steps to get employed that everyone should take such as joining professional organizations and networking. Most jobs I've ever found have been through someone who knows me. Good luck
Could always go 'freelance' and/or self-employed - that seems to work for some guys with felonies that are having a hard time getting hired in IT. Do a bit of 'word-of-mouth' work that gets your skills noticed, build up clientele that make good recommendations, find a niche IT market that no-one else is doing, or find a niche IT market that the 'big boys' are doing and make friends with some of their smaller, local clients: "hi! i see you use company-x for your 'cleaning dust bunnies from Mainframes' service. I can offer the same serivce or better, and cheaper, and I'm local!"- sort of thing. attend parties, bars, meetups where you can listen in on the woes of the drunken: "dang outsourced IT guys gave me wrong hardware/software/support! wish i could find someone better!"-sort of thing.
http://about.me/jimm.pratt
You can probably get with a small outfit that doesn't check these things. OR you can be guerrilla, talk to everyone in the field and be up front about who you are. Someone will give you an opportunity. And if you go in business for yourself, that's another way. Might be difficult getting bonded, but there's always a way. Always a way.
Throughout my career... I have been at two jobs where background investigation was not done....
I'm not saying you should give up... but while pursuing a job in this field... you should also consider other alternatives.... They may be far as good as IT... but better than nothing.
Given not a few but several incidents... it's on you and not anybody else's fault... Cleaning yourself up is good.... good for you and for everybody else... I applaud that and wish you much luck!
I've been a dev for many years and transitioned to my real passion, databases, over 12 years ago. I've had many jobs over the last 20 years or so and only ONE wanted to do a background check and that was for a financial institution. So, just be a dev and the chances of a background check go way down. Or shoot for working at smaller companies that, probably, won't bother with those kinds of checks.
Good luck!
I have been in your shoes. It is possible, but not necessarily easy.
I have a single felony conviction (Federal Class E meaning up to 5 years in prison). I was convicted back in '98 and it was all just a result of me making a really, really, REALLY stupid decision. I have worked in IT since that time (with a brief stint when I decided to try something else).
I'll caveat this with two things:
1. My offense did not involve violence, drugs, or theft.
2. I did not serve any time in prison. Only home confinement and probation.
So ymmv.
Some thoughts:
I was lucky enough to have an IT job right out of college and then have the conviction wrapped up after I was hired, which meant that my background check was run BEFORE I was convicted.
All this certainly helped me at the time, but I have held other jobs since and have not had any problems with the background check. Even after answering "The Question" honestly. What I have discovered is that an employer cannot disqualify you for employment for simply having a conviction.
Don't even bother to look at anything working for the government at any level. Felony (from what I know) = no security clearance.
I NEVER volunteer my background. Most times the hiring manager will never see the results of a background check. So unless they ask, I don't tell. That said, I am ALWAYS honest on the application when asked. I've never had an interviewer ask me directly about my background.
Make sure you read "The Question" carefully. Sometimes they ask about specific types of crimes or crimes in a specific time period.
Along with the previous statement: time is your biggest ally. The more time that passes with you keeping your nose clean the better it is for you.
If you get turned down you can always ask about getting a bond. I've never done this, but I have read that it has worked for others. The company might be willing to reconsider if they know that they have some assurance that you'll behave.
The bottom line is it is possible. Just gotta be patient and remember that there is a HUGE difference between being honest and volunteering unsolicited information.
The only shot you have is to work for a smaller company that doesn't have an HR department and would give you the chance to explain your circumstances. You would need to be upfront and honest with any potential employer, as they always eventually find out. I once hired a felon and didn't regret it. He was a hard working individual. He was also upfront with me of his circumstances, but I ran a smaller IT consulting company.
...and have good enough skills to make up for your felony. Also, having some connections can help. I would recommend going for smaller companies since they're less beholden to mindless policies.
Here's my experience (in Wisconsin):
Throughout college I was a weed dealer. I also had an internship as a software dev at a small (<30 employees) company. After a year or so there it came out that I smoke weed. My boss and coworkers didn't really care, so I was fairly open about it from then on. During that time we worked with a middle-aged contractor for several months, who I'll call R, who also quickly found out about my weed usage. On his last day, when it was just me and him in the office, R asked if I knew where to find some weed. Over the next few years I would sell R a half ounce ever few months.
Right around the time I accepted a full time position at my company, my weed business was booming. A few months later, my apartment got raided and I was charged with multiple felonies (maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession of THC 200-1000g). Shortly after my charges showed up in public records searches, upper management became aware of them. Long story short here, I ended up with a month long paid suspension while upper management "decided what to do".
Here is where it all ties together: Literally just days after coming back to work after my suspension, while my case was still pending, I met up with R. R was now the CTO of a small company that was recently bought out, and they were looking for new hires. The VP and HR guy both knew about my pending felonies, and I informed R that it was very likely that once my case was concluded that I was likely to be spending some time in jail with work release (Ended up with just probation luckily, but the felony stuck), which he didn't seem concerned about.
Fast-forward a year later. I was arrested again, while still on probation, at an indoor music festival with a small amount of MDMA and weed. Since I was on probation, and it was a second drug posession offense, I was charged with two more felonies. I spent the next two weeks in jail while my PO decided what to do with me. I had my sister email my boss as me claiming I needed the week off due to "personal emergency". Once the second week came, I realized I couldn't BS and had my dad call my boss to tell him what happened.
R had since left the company, but the VP and HR guy were still around. My boss, along with the upper management at my new company decided to give me until the start of the next week to come back to work. Through discussions with my attorney and my dad, my PO let me out Friday night, so I could have the weekend and then get back to work in time to save my job on Monday. I ended up having to do 60 days work release a month later for violating my probation (and my new felonies got turned into misdemeanor probation; I've gotten very lucky in the legal system, all things considered) which my company was willing to deal with for me.
So, the moral of my story is: if you're good at what you do and have a good reputation with people in the field that you can use to network with, you can definitely find a job. A lot probably depends on the nature of your felony as well, so YMMV.
You can also look at it from a cost/benefit perspective. Having such a history raises the perceived risk (or cost) of hiring you, so you need to make up for that by demonstrating a greater benefit to the company than an average person would offer. Having a felony definitely will make things harder, but if you think you excel at what you do, I would say keep trying, and just make sure to present yourself in the best light possible.
I run a small IT company, and if we discuss it - and I understand where you're coming from, I would rather judge you on where you're at now and whether you love to code or not (or whatever it is the role you are going for). No one is perfect - in fact I've met a great many people who have such low moral standards I'm sure there are plenty of felons I would much prefer working with. It's about who you are now, and what you want to achieve with the rest of your life - and if that fits in with what we want to achieve also.
In Australia, I know a couple of people who managed to get into IT despite previous convictions.. One of them served a few years for vehicular manslaughter.
My job required me to get a police background check in order to get security clearance for induction on customer site but I had the option to decline to do this... Figure I managed to keep it clean so no harm..
Also on my work's payroll page they have the forms required for those on probation which shows they are willing to take on people trying to get their lives on track.
But dunno how things are in the US..
Aside from the fact that it's fundamentally incompatible with democracy, wasn't a huge part of the American revolution the idea that there should be no taxation without representation? Those felons are taxpayers, aren't they?
Technically representation and voting are different things. Representation means you have a person in the legislature representing you. Someone you can go to and share your grievances with. Voting means you got to pick that person.
So, why couldn't all those colonialists send a letter to an MP back in England?
Because there was no colonial sent to Parliament as an MP, no MP representing the colonies. No colonial, not even those with a franchise to vote in a colony, could vote for an MP. Only those living in England could vote for an MP.
Sadly in the US once you commit a crime and actually have a police record, you will be stuck at lower end - minimum wage jobs. The best thing to do is start your own company. :-(
I'm also a X-Con, and it is hard to get most any job with anyone. But you can work for yourself. Outsource your services, advertise your services, and do remote support work and get paid. I make a monthly income from home as a self taught IT tech. Plus I manage 45 websites and a server plus do remote support for customers. Use Amazon Payments to get paid, plus Paypal and Solid Trust Pay. Employers now days do not believe anyone can change their life and turn around and do better and thats why they look at your past not your present. Makes you wonder why prisons have rehabilitation programs since nobody will hire you after you get out unless your in the construction business. Why rehabilitate if they wont hire? Waste of tax payers money.
Go to work for yourself is what I say.....
I too had my spurt when I was younger. You'd think that writing a check on your own checking account wouldn't be the end of the world, especially if you turn yourself in, but it cost me two years in prison and a nice record with felonies. Even though I paid the restitution and did my time, the system is setup in such a way that you really don't ever stop paying for mistakes - like I can never own a gun, even though I've never had anything remotely violent in any history, but such is life. I started in the technology industry after all this happened, first at technical support and quickly advanced to systems administrator at an ISP. After a couple of years of that I went into programming and have never regretted it. I was lucky with the first company that I worked for after all this didn't care, and that paid off for that company as I took them from losing $30,000 a month into making a profit of around $22,000 a month within 8 months of being a sys admin. They sold off that company and asked me to move to a new company they were starting, built around a web site their in-house designer created that went viral and had over 3 million unique hits a day. All this spanned about 3 years and got some good experience under my belt. If you can make it past the first 3-4 years, most companies are going to take your experience over a mistake long since gone by. I've passed background checks and only had one issue in over 17 years working at a programmer. It has been a non-factor, whether brought up and discussed or not, with every job I've had spanning those 17 years - and that covers a good amount of jobs. Personally I don't go out of my way to volenteer the information, but also won't lie if asked or there is a generic form asking about criminal past. Making mistakes is part of living life, and I think most people and companies understand that and will look beyond it, but it does take you showing and proving it first. I wouldn't change what happened, as it has defined a part of me, and I believe made me a better person because of it - but in the same breath, I certainly wouldn't repeat it. Either way I don't believe that it would hold you back working in the future once you've established that it is a thing of the past.
Prior misdemeanor convictions do not make you a felon. To be a felon requires at least one conviction for a felony.
As most jobs are truly landed by knowing someone that is my case also. I have 4 felonies related stealing crimes and was able to get a second chance.
I'm a felon with several prior misdemeanor convictions
If they're just convictions for misdemeanours, then you're not a felon.
To be considered a felon, you have to be convicted of a fucking FELONY. Is it possible that nobody wants to hire you because you're a dumb fuck who can't grasp basic concepts?
I know how you feel. I have 3 felonies on my record (2 of which I can't expunge) from my experimental years. I pretty much assumed that I was screwed and would never amount to anything in life unless I succeeded on my own. In my early 20's I took the last of the money I had saved and started an ebay business with a friend. We did alright and were profitable within the first month. About six months in, I started looking for a second job so I'd have additional money to funnel into the business to help it grow and landed a job at a small computer repair shop.
I pretty much knew that I needed to work twice as hard as anyone else if I was going to get anywhere and couldn't screw up or slack off. I continued the two jobs for another year before the relationship with my friend went sour from spending 12 hours a day everyday in my basement and shut down the business. I continued to work at the computer shop and made sure to offer the best service I could and grow my knowledge. It wasn't long before I was promoted to senior technician and manager soon after that.
One of my customers worked for a local chain that offloaded their repair work to us and I was usually the one to help them out when they walked in the door. As I did with any customer, I always smiled and took good care of them. I knew that I wasn't going to get anywhere if you look at my record alone. I'd seen a few people get poached from the shop I worked at so I hoped that the same could happen to me if I played my cards right. I knew that I needed to earn peoples trust and prove that I was a good employee.
Eventually that customer came to me and said I should apply for an open position with their company. I was nervous as hell and thought that I'd get rejected once they found out about my record. I explained in advance and told them how embarrassed I was in an email. I never got a reply to that email but still got an interview and even hired. I worked as a field tech for them for several years working my butt off and doing it with a smile.
I've received several promotions and am currently an IT manager being groomed to take over the director role. I never expected to be able to get this far given my past. I guess what this proves is that if you have the determination, work really hard, have good social skills, do your job well, and don't burn any bridges, there is hope. I attribute a lot of what happened to me luck but not entirely.
Looking back, I don't know that I'd be where I am now if I didn't have the felonies. It drove me to try harder. To do better. To prove that I wasn't a "bad" person. Rather than giving up, it had the opposite effect. I hope it does for you as well. Good luck.
Moving internationally can be impossible with a criminal record and I (an Australian) get the impression that few places in the US are going to be welcoming to him.
Start your own business right now. Freelance at whatever you're good at. Companies don't to criminal checks on other companies. So be a sole proprietorship. Seriously what is stopping you from doing that?
I've been free-lance exclusively for 11 years, and I can tell you there is SO MUCH free-lance computer work out there begging to be done, my phone number has to be unpublished and I don't even give out business cards, because people have this annoying habit of referring me when I already have too much work.
I have a few felonies (more than 2) on my record, albeit they happened a long time ago, I have been working in IT for over 10 years. It depends on the time lapsed since the crime(s), the seriousness of the crime & rehabilitation steps taken since the occurrence of the conviction.
Not sure what kind of IT work you are looking for, but platforms like oDesk can provide an opportunity to apply your skills.
Start a company. Be a consultant.
California has some pretty strict standards about what they can ask, and it has to be job related. That means what you did has a bearing on what your chances are. I've only ever worked in IT so I can't really speak to the notion of how you'd fare in other careers. I know there's more than one organization here that specifically recruits felons in order to help out. Good luck!
I would hire you if you wanted to work in a Prison. You know your way around so it makes sense. Plus I would ask you to come to the bathroom with me wheneva I needed protection or backup.
Any good (underhanded if needed be) Lawyer could remove that crap from your record and the cost would be worth it. Fix it. I don't see why you don't.
and lived as a thief. I don't now, but I also don't apologize for surviving. Fuck your basic-needs-slavery capitalistic bullshit.
This also goes hand in hand with state unemployment reviews unequivocally taking the side of a business while the business knows you don't have the resources to fight all the illegal shit they do to you in court (if you're any kind of hourly employee).
captcha: villains
we're also heavily conservative in most other ways on the whole.
Design and implement a new Silk Road, with an architecture that resists detection and takedown far more vigorously than the earlier incarnations. You'll have enough to retire on within months. Problem solved.
-- In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was UNSIGNED, and the main(){} was without form and void...
I'd imagine that if you're a felon, you'd have a fast-track in any MBA program.
I keed, I keed.
That said, I don't presume to know the laws, but I'd think you'd be better suited as part of a break-fix sort of shop. Never once in all my years was I ever asked about a criminal history or otherwise unsavory aspects of one's past. I have to support the suggestion of becoming a developer of some sort, since most of them are usually considered socially marginal, anyway.
Consistency is only a virtue if you're not a screw-up.
I am also a felon for a marijuana posession charge. I am currently working in IT as a network admin. So yes, it is possible. This also depends on the felony as well. Just because you're a felon doesn't mean your life is over. If you are a recitivist and a violent felon, it would obviously be much harder for you to find work.