I'm currently hiring for two roles for Three.js developers for my company to be my teammates (hit me up if you're intersted btw!).
We work very hard and care a lot about our project. A person I took over the project from didn't and it showed, they probably considered it a "bullshit" job.
The author of this article is applying to roles they consider "bullshit" jobs and is wondering why no one is hiring. Maybe it's because the people hiring also don't consider the work to be bs, but rather, very important, and would rather, like me, work extra hours every day just to avoid being around a coworker who thinks that way about the thing they (are paid to) spend half of their conscious life doing.
Stop applying for roles you think are BS and maybe you'll see people a lot more intersted in hiring you. If you lack the skills to be hired for work you consider meaningful, that's due to your own life choices up to this point, and you should start working to fix that right now.
If you had read the entire (very long) comic strip, you would know (a) this is not an article that has been linked and (b) that she isn't applying to bullshit jobs, and (c) her issue is being expected to care for a job like it's the most important thing in the universe from the get-go while the companies she applies to literally couldn't care less about her even though she matches or exceeds the skill requirements listed in the job postings.
"I have sent hundreds of applications, competing with thousands for yet another ‘bullshit job’. And like many, I’ve had enough"
and seen it was a lengthy comic.
I have now taken the time to read the entire comic. My advice for this person hasn't changed substantially. They seem to have few rare and marketable skills, just a lifetime of employment in what they consider "BS" jobs, and are now wondering why they aren't receiving responses from companies looking for skilled workers to do meaningful jobs.
It still reeks of the exact kind of self inflicted cynicism that I wouldn't want to have in a coworker. I'm happy to discuss specifics though if there's a nuance in it you think my advice missed.
Sounds fair, not everyone is everyone else's cup of tea, I have my preferences and you have yours. I have read the "comic" at this point and the cynical attitude towards work without requisite personal effort to apply only to meaningful jobs and invest in learning the skills for them is as I'd expected from the headline.
I personally turned down a lucrative "bs" job after college to do work I considered meaningful, and was nearly homeless many times for the several years I worked on it. I now have the skills from those years of refusing to do "bs" work and instead focusing on work I personally considered meaningful, even when the few who offered employment doing it then wouldn't hire me. The comic doesn't seem to demonstrate them having done anything but trying to "get in" on the easy money from "bs" jobs and being disappointed they can't.
Seeing from your profile you seem to be trying your best to help create meaningful and balanced work lives for people, I hope you continue to succeed in helping people do so!
Even though I feel very very fortunate to work in tech, I'm starting to feel more and more of this energy as I stare down the barrel of endless whiteboarding and leetcode style interviews :(
Won't name the company, but during my last round of interviews I was asked to build a logging app, which took a considerable amount of time only to be completely ghosted. After I repeatedly asked for a follow-up, they sent me a letter filled with typos that called me a shit developer. Not saying I'm not a shit developer, but just imho there are much better ways to handle rejection than this.
Every experience I ever had with a take home test was terrible for a different reason:
* The one that was just take home leetcode. Ugh. Why?
* The one that simply ghosted me.
* The one that gave feedback so nonsensical I can only assume they mixed me up with somebody else or just made up some bullshit so they didnt have to read my test.
* The one that told me that they'd filled the position by email 36 hours later while I was putting the finishing touches on my response.
* The one that said I did great and offered me an interview!
(...one month later... when I already HAD a job).
One of these was as a result of me violating my long standing policy of "never do take home tests ever" just once, thinking that the company was well respected, and maybe 5th time's a charm...
All that stuff is a red flag, man. I did a take-home project once. Lesson learned. Whiteboard quiz? Yep, had a few. Took a monumental amount of effort to fake giving a shit in those moments. I just say "I don't know" right away now to end it. No interest in faking anything.
Oddly enough, refusing to do the whiteboard dance has resulted in some poeple just dropping it and raving about how awesome I was. In truth, they were probably glad I bailed on it after poking holes in their pet problem they failed to vet properly.
What a terrible experience. I'd recommend a name-and-shame, as it give a little ounce of hope that this doesn't just fall into the ether and continually happen to everyone.
Readit News
We work very hard and care a lot about our project. A person I took over the project from didn't and it showed, they probably considered it a "bullshit" job.
The author of this article is applying to roles they consider "bullshit" jobs and is wondering why no one is hiring. Maybe it's because the people hiring also don't consider the work to be bs, but rather, very important, and would rather, like me, work extra hours every day just to avoid being around a coworker who thinks that way about the thing they (are paid to) spend half of their conscious life doing.
Stop applying for roles you think are BS and maybe you'll see people a lot more intersted in hiring you. If you lack the skills to be hired for work you consider meaningful, that's due to your own life choices up to this point, and you should start working to fix that right now.
"I have sent hundreds of applications, competing with thousands for yet another ‘bullshit job’. And like many, I’ve had enough"
and seen it was a lengthy comic.
I have now taken the time to read the entire comic. My advice for this person hasn't changed substantially. They seem to have few rare and marketable skills, just a lifetime of employment in what they consider "BS" jobs, and are now wondering why they aren't receiving responses from companies looking for skilled workers to do meaningful jobs.
It still reeks of the exact kind of self inflicted cynicism that I wouldn't want to have in a coworker. I'm happy to discuss specifics though if there's a nuance in it you think my advice missed.
I personally turned down a lucrative "bs" job after college to do work I considered meaningful, and was nearly homeless many times for the several years I worked on it. I now have the skills from those years of refusing to do "bs" work and instead focusing on work I personally considered meaningful, even when the few who offered employment doing it then wouldn't hire me. The comic doesn't seem to demonstrate them having done anything but trying to "get in" on the easy money from "bs" jobs and being disappointed they can't.
Seeing from your profile you seem to be trying your best to help create meaningful and balanced work lives for people, I hope you continue to succeed in helping people do so!
Why won't you name them, exactly?
* The one that was just take home leetcode. Ugh. Why?
* The one that simply ghosted me.
* The one that gave feedback so nonsensical I can only assume they mixed me up with somebody else or just made up some bullshit so they didnt have to read my test.
* The one that told me that they'd filled the position by email 36 hours later while I was putting the finishing touches on my response.
* The one that said I did great and offered me an interview!
(...one month later... when I already HAD a job).
One of these was as a result of me violating my long standing policy of "never do take home tests ever" just once, thinking that the company was well respected, and maybe 5th time's a charm...
Oddly enough, refusing to do the whiteboard dance has resulted in some poeple just dropping it and raving about how awesome I was. In truth, they were probably glad I bailed on it after poking holes in their pet problem they failed to vet properly.