You assume incorrectly. I have no job, no home, and have been unemployed for years and years. I am an excellent engineer, and a rather inexperienced programmer. I cannot get anyone to give me an interview. My resume looks good, recruiters like it, only negative feedback was "he looks like a jack-of-all-trades". I have worked on some amazing high-profile projects, even in Hollywood, even one 'wearable technology' device that was worn by a high-profile performer during the Superbowl half-time show. But I can't get an interview! Much less a job!
Well, if I could just land one, then i would be learning like crazy as I went, and would be competent at it before anyone got suspicious about me. I'm no slouch, I work hard, and learn fast. But I have to convince someone to give me a chance! And its been years and years and no interview...
Hmmm I'm in California, near Silicon Valley...and CANNOT find a hardware job to save my life. I haven't tried to get a software job, maybe I should just go for it, even with my limited experience in C++, embedded development, Visual Basic, and FORTRAN
I've been doing charity and artist projects for years now. They aren't helping, and seem to be making the situation worse. My resume now has all sorts of unrelated projects on it, jack-of-all-trades style. I think it shows how flexible and awesome I am, but to a hiring manager, it might just show a lack of focus.
I thought the charity and artist projects would help me network with some great people, but the people I meet are charity workers and artists! None of them can employ me. The very few people I've met that actually have jobs in the real tech world, are just not around that much.
Yes, I can't talk shop. I can't even explain what an API is , satisfactorily. I still call things 'subroutines' Its obvious that I'm not a programmer!
And it sounds like in both hardware and software, they want a lot of experience in one particular area. And I'm a jack-of-all-trades, have done a VARIETY of things, my resume shows it too, all over the place. They may be seeing this as a huge MINUS instead of a plus.
Well, I grew up in Seattle but I left there for a reason. I'm looking for a hardware position in California, North or South, I'm flexible. Still having trouble finding work, even with all of SILICON VALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY, and SAN DIEGO as options. can you believe it? Its ridiculous. Maybe they really ARE competing to see who can be the pickiest... so my idea to switch to software, to be able to get a job, won't get me away from the picky hiring managers, it sounds like...
I've done that. I already tailor each resume for the position I'm applying to. And I have a great relationship with one recruiter, and have talked to many of them. I even contacted an old one that got me a great high-paying job in the past (he made a bit of money off me, let me tell 'ya). So far, though, nobody's biting. Not even 1 interview. Years and years of unemployment. So I wonder if switching to programming might be able to save my butt from the cold street!
That's kind of what I'm getting too, when looking for hardware jobs lately. The recruiters like my skills, but the hiring managers need them to be in something VERY SPECIFIC, and its never >quite there. For example, I have worked on electronics that went into aircraft, and needed certification by FCC, but since they weren't specifically for critical systems (just air-to-ground communications), its not quite 100% what they want. I have the same problem when it comes to medical devices. I have worked on a few, but they always want to know about SPECIFIC types of medical devices, and which government agency I had to do approvals with. If its the wrong one, then they don't call me for an interview.
(all this feedback is filtered through recruiters).
So i wonder if switching to programming will solve this dilemma? Your post seems to imply that no, it won't, that the hiring managers are STILL way too specific even in the software world.
@vikingpower: My situation might be similar. I don't have mental illness, but I am technically homeless, and have been unemployed for years and years (I catch a small job here and there, freelance, etc, but that only adds up to $4,000 a year, which is well below the poverty level). I know C++ already. Just not the advanced programming concepts (CompSci). I can do OOP. I might learn Javascript. Can I convince a company to give me a chance, with a hardware background and a resume that is all-over-the-place (jack-of-all-trades)? Will being skilled at a language (instead of just competent) be enough to make the difference?
I may have to try that. Spend a good amount of time getting competent at a language (Javascript seems to be the one everyone tells me to pursue), and then put all the buzzwords into my resume. Maybe then I can get a callback, cause right now, NOBODY calls back (and I used to have people banging down my door to hire me as an electrical engineer, in the wireless industry)
I'm excellent at learning new stuff as I go. And at problem solving, critical thinking, creative solutions. However, I never get the chance to prove this, as I never get the chance to even interview. No call backs from resume submissions. Very little feedback from anyone. One recruiter did say that her boss saw my resume, and said "oh he's a real jack-of-all-trades", with a harumph, and then walked off. I have worked on a myriad of different projects in different industries, from semiconductor fabrication (and writing automated test scripts for the test machines) to Hollywood props (wearable technology, worn by some high-profile performing artists, during the Superbowl no less!). Perhaps the super-serious industry engineers see the Hollywood stuff and get mad and can't take me seriously? While simultaneously the entertainment-types see me as too boring, serious, should-work-a-regular-job-at-some-corporate-office-park type of guy? I honestly don't know. The question is: will switching to programming allow me to be able to get a job, ANY KIND of paying job, even if it pays not that much? One can only be out of work for so long...
I can certainly write code that could pass both those tests, even with my current basic level of programming competence. And I might be able to do it in 15 minutes. But I can't tell you what a "non-standard hashing function" would look like (just a standard one), and I can't really explain what an API is to anyone's satisfaction.
I've tried that, but can't get any response/call-back from submitting a resume. I got one rejection letter, once, but the rest of the time I don't even get that. Just crickets.
Yes, I'm lost with just the lingo. "standard container" ? I know what a hash function is, but a "standard hash function" vs a non-standard one? I'm lost. Already. Obivously, I can't fake my way through an interview. I don't have the computer science background, just the ability to hard-code things when necessary (and I took enough CompSci classes to learn what object-oriented programming is, and can write classes and make objects, but that's the most advanced I ever got). I can certainly learn more advanced stuff, if I apply myself, but the question is: will it pay off? or will I be forever chasing something that stays just out of reach?
Yes, but I'm talking about STARTING programming at 40, with a resume that shows very little programming background (some embedded microcontroller, some C++ from 10 years ago, some Visual Basic). I'm an excellent engineer, but I can't make heads or tails of a complex Java program. I COULD get good at it if I focused on it (I have the right brain for it), but I have to have some feeling/idea that its the right direction to go. Right now, finding engineering jobs has been all but impossible. I went from having people banging on my door to hire me, to COMPLETE ghost town. I can't even get a phone interview. But if I were a programmer things might be different...
Slashdot Mirror
Hmmm tried emailing you, but it bounced back.
@vikingpower thanks, I'll do that. I think its very telling that I had no idea what you meant by the term "CV" . I had to look it up.
Yes, this seems to be true. From my perspective. Requirements that are impossible for anyone to meet.
You assume incorrectly. I have no job, no home, and have been unemployed for years and years. I am an excellent engineer, and a rather inexperienced programmer. I cannot get anyone to give me an interview. My resume looks good, recruiters like it, only negative feedback was "he looks like a jack-of-all-trades". I have worked on some amazing high-profile projects, even in Hollywood, even one 'wearable technology' device that was worn by a high-profile performer during the Superbowl half-time show. But I can't get an interview! Much less a job!
Well, if I could just land one, then i would be learning like crazy as I went, and would be competent at it before anyone got suspicious about me. I'm no slouch, I work hard, and learn fast. But I have to convince someone to give me a chance! And its been years and years and no interview...
Hmmm I'm in California, near Silicon Valley...and CANNOT find a hardware job to save my life. I haven't tried to get a software job, maybe I should just go for it, even with my limited experience in C++, embedded development, Visual Basic, and FORTRAN
I've been doing charity and artist projects for years now. They aren't helping, and seem to be making the situation worse. My resume now has all sorts of unrelated projects on it, jack-of-all-trades style. I think it shows how flexible and awesome I am, but to a hiring manager, it might just show a lack of focus. I thought the charity and artist projects would help me network with some great people, but the people I meet are charity workers and artists! None of them can employ me. The very few people I've met that actually have jobs in the real tech world, are just not around that much.
I thought about breaking it up, but that seemed to formal a style of writing for slashdot. I instead wrote it like a blog post.
Yes, I can't talk shop. I can't even explain what an API is , satisfactorily. I still call things 'subroutines' Its obvious that I'm not a programmer! And it sounds like in both hardware and software, they want a lot of experience in one particular area. And I'm a jack-of-all-trades, have done a VARIETY of things, my resume shows it too, all over the place. They may be seeing this as a huge MINUS instead of a plus.
Well, I grew up in Seattle but I left there for a reason. I'm looking for a hardware position in California, North or South, I'm flexible. Still having trouble finding work, even with all of SILICON VALLEY, ORANGE COUNTY, and SAN DIEGO as options. can you believe it? Its ridiculous. Maybe they really ARE competing to see who can be the pickiest... so my idea to switch to software, to be able to get a job, won't get me away from the picky hiring managers, it sounds like...
I've done that. I already tailor each resume for the position I'm applying to. And I have a great relationship with one recruiter, and have talked to many of them. I even contacted an old one that got me a great high-paying job in the past (he made a bit of money off me, let me tell 'ya). So far, though, nobody's biting. Not even 1 interview. Years and years of unemployment. So I wonder if switching to programming might be able to save my butt from the cold street!
Right now, any type of job will do. Gotta get out of poverty, years and years of unemployment
That's kind of what I'm getting too, when looking for hardware jobs lately. The recruiters like my skills, but the hiring managers need them to be in something VERY SPECIFIC, and its never >quite there. For example, I have worked on electronics that went into aircraft, and needed certification by FCC, but since they weren't specifically for critical systems (just air-to-ground communications), its not quite 100% what they want. I have the same problem when it comes to medical devices. I have worked on a few, but they always want to know about SPECIFIC types of medical devices, and which government agency I had to do approvals with. If its the wrong one, then they don't call me for an interview. (all this feedback is filtered through recruiters). So i wonder if switching to programming will solve this dilemma? Your post seems to imply that no, it won't, that the hiring managers are STILL way too specific even in the software world.
@vikingpower: My situation might be similar. I don't have mental illness, but I am technically homeless, and have been unemployed for years and years (I catch a small job here and there, freelance, etc, but that only adds up to $4,000 a year, which is well below the poverty level). I know C++ already. Just not the advanced programming concepts (CompSci). I can do OOP. I might learn Javascript. Can I convince a company to give me a chance, with a hardware background and a resume that is all-over-the-place (jack-of-all-trades)? Will being skilled at a language (instead of just competent) be enough to make the difference?
I may have to try that. Spend a good amount of time getting competent at a language (Javascript seems to be the one everyone tells me to pursue), and then put all the buzzwords into my resume. Maybe then I can get a callback, cause right now, NOBODY calls back (and I used to have people banging down my door to hire me as an electrical engineer, in the wireless industry)
I'm excellent at learning new stuff as I go. And at problem solving, critical thinking, creative solutions. However, I never get the chance to prove this, as I never get the chance to even interview. No call backs from resume submissions. Very little feedback from anyone. One recruiter did say that her boss saw my resume, and said "oh he's a real jack-of-all-trades", with a harumph, and then walked off. I have worked on a myriad of different projects in different industries, from semiconductor fabrication (and writing automated test scripts for the test machines) to Hollywood props (wearable technology, worn by some high-profile performing artists, during the Superbowl no less!). Perhaps the super-serious industry engineers see the Hollywood stuff and get mad and can't take me seriously? While simultaneously the entertainment-types see me as too boring, serious, should-work-a-regular-job-at-some-corporate-office-park type of guy? I honestly don't know. The question is: will switching to programming allow me to be able to get a job, ANY KIND of paying job, even if it pays not that much? One can only be out of work for so long...
I can certainly write code that could pass both those tests, even with my current basic level of programming competence. And I might be able to do it in 15 minutes. But I can't tell you what a "non-standard hashing function" would look like (just a standard one), and I can't really explain what an API is to anyone's satisfaction.
I've tried that, but can't get any response/call-back from submitting a resume. I got one rejection letter, once, but the rest of the time I don't even get that. Just crickets.
Yes, I'm lost with just the lingo. "standard container" ? I know what a hash function is, but a "standard hash function" vs a non-standard one? I'm lost. Already. Obivously, I can't fake my way through an interview. I don't have the computer science background, just the ability to hard-code things when necessary (and I took enough CompSci classes to learn what object-oriented programming is, and can write classes and make objects, but that's the most advanced I ever got). I can certainly learn more advanced stuff, if I apply myself, but the question is: will it pay off? or will I be forever chasing something that stays just out of reach?
Yes, but if you've been out of work for years and years, you'll take $30 an hour!
Yes, but I'm talking about STARTING programming at 40, with a resume that shows very little programming background (some embedded microcontroller, some C++ from 10 years ago, some Visual Basic). I'm an excellent engineer, but I can't make heads or tails of a complex Java program. I COULD get good at it if I focused on it (I have the right brain for it), but I have to have some feeling/idea that its the right direction to go. Right now, finding engineering jobs has been all but impossible. I went from having people banging on my door to hire me, to COMPLETE ghost town. I can't even get a phone interview. But if I were a programmer things might be different...