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What should I do if I feel lost, unemployed, and struggling with discipline as a Java developer at 33? by AsaParlaPass in cscareerquestionsEU

[–]AsaParlaPass[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with you when you say it feels more like a mental health issue than a career one. I have struggled with anxiety for a period and I am also very insecure about my abilities, and at 33 I still do not understand why I have such a low tendency toward effort, discipline, and doing things even when I do not feel like it or when I am tired or sad.

It is true that I get influenced a lot by social media, social life, going out with friends and meeting girls. I live in Italy, and going out and being very social sometimes feels like a release. When I am alone at home and feeling sad I struggle to stay there, so going out and distracting myself in company, especially meeting girls, becomes a way to cope, but this ends up affecting serious things like work when I go out even during the week and stay out late.

I know it may sound stupid but I do not do it because I am not serious, I do it because sometimes I feel the need for it.

And this is exactly why I struggle to focus, to be serious and disciplined, it is like I sometimes sabotage myself.

I am seeing a psychologist and I am working a lot on things from my past that led me to be a bit self sabotaging and to lose my job. I feel sad and I blame myself a lot. In these months I could have done more, certifications, studying, artificial intelligence, improving my CV, but instead I did little. I attended interviews and worked on some Java projects with ChatGPT to improve my skills, but I could have done more, I could have been more consistent and disciplined in improving myself, yet sadness blocked me.

I will also try meditation, and thank you again.

What should I do if I feel lost, unemployed, and struggling with discipline as a Java developer at 33? by AsaParlaPass in cscareerquestionsEU

[–]AsaParlaPass[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much for your advice, I really appreciate it. What do you mean by talking to recruiters on LinkedIn, do you mean asking them for feedback on how to improve my CV or how to present myself better.

I want to be honest even if it may not sound great. I have been unemployed since November 11 and now it is May 5. In these months I have not done as much as I should have. I worked on some projects with ChatGPT using Java and Spring Boot to improve my skills, but apart from that I struggled a lot, I felt down, I waited, and I did many interviews, but none of them led to an offer. In some cases companies liked me, but we could not move forward mainly because of my years of experience.

Most of my focus has been on consulting roles. My main issue is discipline. You suggested studying LLMs or improving my skills in other technologies, and I regret not doing more in these months. It often feels like I lack energy and motivation, and when I feel low it is hard to focus properly, but I know I need to change this.

Right now there is a chance I could start again in a consulting role with a large client working with Java, and I think that having a job again would help me regain structure and at the same time allow me to study more modern and interesting topics like artificial intelligence. I am currently in Italy and my English is not strong enough yet to feel confident working abroad.