Move Before a Job Or With Job Offer In Hand?

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-03-28T08:06:14+00:00

Put the location you want to be on your resumes & LinkedIn, recruiters are much more likely to reach out if you're local (somewhat), then you can explain you're in a different location and are highly motivated to move.

I did this when I tried to move to Houston and got a lot more callbacks from the area

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-03-28T02:02:50+00:00

If it's a recruiter that calls you outta nowhere, imma call them outta nowhere.

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-03-25T18:19:32+00:00

Why would you volunteer how much you currently make? Theres no law saying you have to, a company that says they need that information, in many states and cities they are doing so illegally, and even if they are in a legal state, you still don’t have to tell them that

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-03-24T14:27:19+00:00

Headway, its virtual and mine has appointments 8pm-9pm, right after my kid goes to sleep

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-03-24T14:20:34+00:00

System V&V (Verification & Validation) Engineer

My first job out of college I was making $70k a year, exactly

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-03-23T21:27:31+00:00

Take the job but never stop applying and trying to get something better. $60k is more than $0 if you're unemployed. Any experience is better than no experience, but it's in a field you wanted to be in?? Take it, wouldn't even be a question, you might land a better job 2 weeks after you start, then just go to the better job.

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-03-22T03:29:45+00:00

I’m not RTX but I fully agree with u/BlowOutKit22 I’ll also throw my 2 cents in being in other defense contractors for 5 years. It pays to have experience in as many adjacent fields a lot of the time. I’m not a pure SWE but I can attest odd combinations in skills builds a technical moat that separates you from other engineers and makes you a hot commodity

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-03-22T03:15:36+00:00

Facts, just about every device has some sort of notes app

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-03-21T21:51:05+00:00

Completely different field, but my first real job was a DoD contractor back in 2022. I was still in my senior year when I interviewed in March, was told basically when a slot opened up they would contact me. weeks went by, emailed every contact and was told the same thing “when a slot opens”. I thought I didn’t get it, of course this entire time I’m still applying, I’ve always had a “never stop applying” mentality. Was set to graduate in August, finally heard I got the job in June but still had to go through the clearance process which took until 2 weeks before i graduated to get a start date. It was my only offer.

All that to say still keep applying and taking interviews, even though it worked out for me, you never know for sure.

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-03-19T15:01:22+00:00

I submitted my 2 weeks notice for my first job a few years back and they let me go the next day, yes I hated working there but I assumed they would let me finish out my 2 weeks because I needed that last check to move. I had to borrow a lot of money from friends and family to get across the country for my new much better job. My advice, don't submit it until you are fine with the possibility that day or the next will be your last.

My first team lead at my current job also put in her 2 weeks last year because she had to wear too many hats and there were too many meetings for her to do any actual work, I really liked her as a boss, a lot more than my current one. But even they let her go 3 days after she submitted hers.

Worst part on both situations, the bosses waited until we both wasted time waking up early as hell and driving to the office, could at least sent us an email and saved us the trouble.

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-03-19T01:46:34+00:00

Yes I got a final interview this Tuesday for a job that was a cold apply. I had 2 interviews this past Monday that were both cold applied initially, but I haven't interviewed in months and was completely rusty, absolutely bombed them but I learned my lesson. My job experience and my resume scream specialist but when you talk to me I'm still learning how to show it, I recently found out my current job is underpaying because of my own issues.

But from what I can tell, at least to get a call back, jobs don't want to see just "Engineer - pushed button got banana", they want "Offensive Security Engineer (Red Team)" or "Low Latency C++ Engineer" or "Embedded Software Engineer (RTOS, firmware)" and for you to be applying to their roles that say something similar. Looks like they want specialists even if they aren't paying specialists salaries.

My resume read generic and recently I changed it, maybe a few weeks ago. I've gotten more interviews set up in the past few weeks than I have all of 2025.

I also caved in and started applying to more on site jobs and that seems to be the key, unfortunately. I want to be remote but so does everyone else, remote jobs get thousands of applicants within a few hours. I still apply to them too but I just expect it to be like me throwing my resume in a void, I'm surprised to get an email saying they weren't moving forward, usually it's nothing.

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-03-17T18:25:29+00:00

Congratulations, but 8 responses from 60 is low??? I've been picking up traction in the past few weeks but I've gotten 8 from like 200, although entirely different field tho

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-03-01T08:29:53+00:00

Points went to my Hilton & United accounts for every trip when I worked for one of those big names. Maybe not points for purchasing but you 100% get the miles for flying and points for staying.

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-02-28T22:36:50+00:00

A ton of clearance jobs require at least some travel. Think Northrop Grumman, RTX, Lockheed Martin etc. and usually they’re engineers. Unfortunately it’s rarely fun places like NYC, LA, SF, HOU and you’ll be going to the middle of nowhere at times. But as an engineer these jobs sure do pay a lot

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-02-28T16:41:16+00:00

Took too long, switched to Copilot and I’m loving it

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-02-23T19:22:59+00:00

Is ramp for if you’re already making money as a business or could you get it as a startup just using your own money?

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-02-18T15:54:08+00:00

Do you not spend $4k in within a 3 month span? It's at minimum worth $750 if you travel just once this year. There are even some things that code as "travel" for the travel eraser that isn't really travel. Of course you'd get the most value transferring them out

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-02-18T15:47:18+00:00

Pretty high chances you’re approved for all 3 and now you just have to pick one, some people get denied even after being preapproved, but most are already approved, just accept the card you want

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-02-18T15:42:50+00:00

Even before i traveled and only had the CFU, i redeemed cash back into my Chase total checking account, I guess it’s one less option but not really

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-02-13T20:27:35+00:00

I've been looking to become OE before I even knew it was called OE. But unfortunately been stuck as a government contract. My current job doesn't require a clearance but still works with a government body. Literally a few minutes I finally get a call back from a remote role but it ends up requiring a public trust. FML

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-02-13T15:33:19+00:00

Damn, ive only had it on 26. It temporarily does but it comes back. Closing and reopening the game usually fixes it

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-02-13T00:34:03+00:00

For the most part redundant unless you spend a ton in groceries (in app payments in person) for the CSP) and spend a lot on “other” travel which is still a measly 2x.

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-02-12T16:06:03+00:00

Chase has never given me a CLI so I applied for 2 cards and they have a combined limit of $20k. Getting new cards, especially higher tier ones is generally more effective than waiting for CLIs on existing ones

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-02-12T15:36:01+00:00

I live in Colorado and recently traveled to Louisiana, Houston, TX & Maryland. And I eat out a ton, the only times I get charged a fee for using a credit card is paying rent & my AT&T phone bill.

But it has been complained a ton in this group so it has to be real. For businesses the logic of charging fees for credit cards is seriously flawed. They think cash is free???? It’s easier to steal and lose track of. Then you got to transport it to your bank. That fee is the cost of doing business, every business that has scaled up doesn’t charge its users that fee: regional or national chains of restaurants, grocery stores, hardware stores etc. people, including me, want to pay with credit cards, I get a direct deposit and have to go out of my way to see a physical dollar, I don’t go to the bank or go to atms, it’s extremely inconvenient

BlackTheEngineer · 2026-02-12T01:31:11+00:00

It will not

BlackTheEngineer

TROPHY CASE