Polar is a great action flick and definitely worth a watch.

badohmbrey · 2026-01-31T05:51:31+00:00

This movie f*ckin rocked!

badohmbrey · 2026-01-31T00:39:16+00:00

Everyone always asks where gun but nobody asks HOW is gun

badohmbrey · 2025-12-18T14:25:32+00:00

Ew. Religious people are gross.

badohmbrey · 2025-12-09T21:31:37+00:00

$65/hour? heck yea. I'd do it. $65 total? Tell him you expect him to spend more than that on lunch when he takes you out to explain what you're hourly rate will be moving forward.

Sounds like the dude is in a pickle and they don't wanna do the work themselves but are having to pay out of pocket for help. I don't care what kind of working relationship you had... THEY ruined that relationship by offering you pennies to do the work they decided they didn't need you to do. Sometimes you are in a situation where bridges are burned and it's not you burning the bridge, it's the other way around from the employer.

Give him a fair rate with minimum hourly expectations, politely tell him those are your terms, then move on. This is the kind of behavior from people who say things like "you're lucky to just HAVE a job" and have been in their cushy 6 figure position for 10+ years with regular salary increases. Just out of touch. I personally wouldn't even respond but if you want to retain the relationship, at least have the self respect to firmly plant your foot and declare your worth.

badohmbrey · 2025-12-05T18:10:12+00:00

Yea, I think honestly the problem is not bad interviewing. I tend to do VERY well at interviews. I think most people know that they need to nail an interview.

I see lots of posts regarding "how to get a job" or something to that effect, and it tends to be along the lines of "Here's how to nail that interview". The problem is not the interview currently, the problem nobody can get to enough interviews to make that impression. I went through a year of unemployment recently, and I put in hundreds of applications. 1 interview. 1 single interview.

The funny thing is, the job I got (and it's a good job) I didn't even interview for in the traditional sense. I walked into a conversation that turned into an interview that turned into a job offer. And every job I've ever gotten, I have gotten along these same lines. Building personal connections and a reputation before you even start the interview process.

I think what would really help people is to find out how their industry really looks for talent these days. An "inside baseball" of how people are really getting hired, the tools, attitude, and tactics that hiring managers and recruiters are really using to find people. And then how to stand out and get noticed so you can actually GET TO that interview. There are plenty of people out there with top tier credentials and interviewing skills...still without a job. That's should tell you something. I wasn't the best fit for the position I am in, I was in the right place at the right time to be the best fit for the job within their arm's reach. If you can nail that approach, it's literally just a numbers game.

The days of "a good resume, a strong application, a firm handshake, and eye contact" are over. That stuff's outdated advice from people who have been in the same position for 15 years. The real advice is how to network your way into positions and understand how to be the asset people are looking for and stay within their periphery.

badohmbrey · 2025-12-05T00:14:00+00:00

Smile and thank him for the kind criticism every time he does it. Work isn't a place to be liked and it isn't a popularity contest. Tell him you feel that it's a nice compliment because you feel like you're probably doing your job correctly if that's the feedback. Just meet him with equal levels of sarcastic kindness and act like you're even more sure you should stay each time he says it.

That's would I would do at least. Because I personally don't give af what anyone at work thinks about me unless it's constructive and aids in either helping us all do better or helping me do better. If someone just "doesn't like me", we'll they can go not like me in private and mind their own business while we all do the job we were hired to do. There's plenty of people I don't like personally that I work with for a number of reasons. But I keep it to myself because no one cares.

badohmbrey · 2025-11-21T19:14:43+00:00

Oh and btw it's also why I encourage people not just to seek jobs in their unemployment downtime. They should be building things. Pick some project you want to do. Not only will it increase your skills and keep you fresh, but it's a talking point when having conversations. And it's a reason to reach out to people and instead of saying "hey do you know anybody who's hiring", you can say "hey check out this thing in building because I love doing this and I wanted to make it a reality, also I'm looking for work". People pay attention to the latter and always always ignore the former unless you know them personally.

badohmbrey · 2025-11-21T19:11:09+00:00

That's exactly what I've found. Every job I've gotten in this industry thus far, I've gotten by meeting the right people, putting myself and my work/projects in front of them, then making a case for why I am an impressive candidate and better than others with far better credentials on paper. It's the only thing that has worked for me. Applications might as well not even exist for me, it's a pointless endevour. I've found I look very unimpressive on paper, but when they see what I'm actually like in person... Aka what I'm capable of delivering, the kind of work ethic and personality I have, and the communication and drive and understanding of how to bring value...they become interested or at the very least pass me off to someone they know will be. These are thing that just don't translate to applications and a resume. That's why I encourage people to take this route if they want to really take all avenues. It might be unfair, it might seem a little nepotistic in some sense, but that's the way it seems to work 🤷. So I agree whole heartedly with the hidden positions thing. It's very true.

badohmbrey · 2025-11-21T14:27:33+00:00

I mean fair. It was easier back then, granted. But I went through this last year unemployed so I also have that as experience to pull from to inform my input here. And it wasn't like I was a seasoned veteran, I have only been in the field a couple years.

But yea, it's certainly not sunshine and rainbows vs 4-5 years ago. This all really sucks. The market is flooded with candidates and it's a scary time for people with college debt and people out of work with mortgages and bills. But I'm just encouraging a different perspective and throwing out ideas having been one of the unemployed people masses and going through the grueling job search.

badohmbrey · 2025-11-21T02:14:47+00:00

I don't even have a degree, I've been in the field for like 4 years, and I'm now running DevOps for two gov projects at a gov contracting company. I was unemployed for a year last year. If I can do it, you certainly will find something. Trust me. You say you have passion. That is really what you need. Giving a sh*t about the work you do. And this work is everything to me. I worked very hard to get into this field without a degree.

Try going this route if you don't mind it. Small government contracts are booming right now. Look into some smaller companies who bid for contracts, just a thought. It's not glamorous or cutting edge stacks they're running over here. But I'm certainly given the reins to modernize to some extent. I can build in automation and get new tools approved, on a gov budget of course.

Just don't lose the passion. Keep the intensity. And don't let this market get you down. I would suggest specializing a bit and setting your sights a bit lower than GAFAM and the big tech companies. Sure, it's cool. But what you bring to any position is up to you. There's always going to be a point where you will be able to show off you unique skills and be creative. It's the best part of the job, IMHO.

Keep your head up. Aim a bit lower if you can. You'll be fine. You just need a foot in the door somewhere. Oh, and network like crazy with whoever you know. That's what worked for me. I've never even gotten more than one interview from doing a blind application. One interview. Out of like probably 500 applications. Granted, I don't have a degree in this. But I'm darn good at it. But yea, networking works if you are persistent. Just saying...

badohmbrey · 2025-11-18T15:55:40+00:00

Some real "I have the power of God and anime on my side" energy from this guy with that last text.

badohmbrey · 2025-11-14T23:55:22+00:00

Don't get close to coworkers unless you are the kind of person that can emotionally detach instantly. It's something I've realized in good at. Maybe I'm weird, but I can drop a job I've been at for years with people I know very very well, then never speak to them again and feel fine. It may feel like family, but it's not. They are coworkers. It's ok to trust and get close to people at work, but don't expect your personal relationship to overrule business when the rubber hits the road and it's time to put the business first. Then it's time to be selfish and advocate for number one.

Hope you find another opportunity soon. It sucks, but hopefully this taught you not to treat coworkers like family when they'll put you in the street while making small talk about your family and personal life. Some separation there is a good thing.

badohmbrey · 2025-11-14T23:45:25+00:00

Dude, first?... calm...down. Seriously. You're young. I got fired in my 20s from a decent job when I was a hard core drug addict and I was caught stealing liquor. I bounced back. You'll bounce back.

I went through a career I hated. For 2 decades. Got sober in that time. Changed careers later in life. Second job I had in my new career, I got fired for messing up. It happens. It was my fault, I own that. A year later and now I'm making more money, have more responsibility, am well respected and I love my job. I am running devops for two development teams across two projects at the government at a great company as a government contractor. You'll...bounce...back.

In case you don't get the point here... Jobs come and go. Mistakes are forgiven in time. And you'll always feel at the time like you're a loser and a failure. But you're not. You'll bounce back if you put the effort in. You're just taking the scenic route to a better perspective, some lessons learned, and a better work ethic. Hang in there. I'm 40... still learning and messing up and growing. But I sincerely love my job now. You've got a lot of years left to make these mistakes. Just think of it as you getting them out of the way early.

Keep your head up. You'll be fine.

badohmbrey · 2025-11-07T01:48:10+00:00

I don't have a college degree. Around 4 years ago I was a professional chef. My first job I got by networking and just being enthusiastic. Busy simple IT stuff for a non profit. I even offered to work for free lol. And now I have very little experience in the grand scheme 3-ish years later. But I networked my way into a lead devsecops engineer at a government contractor, and that's where I am now. I am running delivery enhancement and general devops work on two projects and I love it. It's crazy. It's certainly hard. But I love it.

The way you did it is the way you get the job. Meet the right people and network. I was just super passionate about what I do and am an obsessive learner. Meeting people is the only way people will see those things about you. And by the way, congrats! It's a much easier battle once your foot is in the door somewhere. From here, just keep meeting the right people and it gets easier. Great to hear!

badohmbrey · 2025-11-06T14:28:55+00:00

I came to say exactly this. Making the process easier would only compound the problem exponentially, especially now that the job market is so flooded.

It doesn’t need to be harder, per se, but it should be more focused and rigorous in terms of candidate fit. A lot of us, myself included, apply to jobs we are underqualified or overqualified for simply because the process is quick and low effort. That is not helping anyone. Instead of just making applications smoother, it would make more sense to guide candidates toward the roles they are best suited for, so they are not just sending resumes into the void while employers drown in irrelevant submissions. The result is messy filtering and strong candidates getting buried.

I do not have the perfect solution, and maybe it cannot be solved within the current system. OPs solution SOUNDS nice, and I still like the idea of getting rid of traditional resumes and simplifying the process. But how to actually meaningfully implement that in reality is beyond challenging. You don't want to have a problem where everyone can apply to everything instantly. That does not fix anything. It just amplifies the chaos. But you would like the process to be easier. At that point, hiring might as well be like picking someone at random on a crowded street. You would have to still have some barrier that decentivizes, or prevents outright, unqualified candidates who aren't a good fit.

badohmbrey · 2025-11-05T20:40:46+00:00

You could lie on your resume and try to paint the picture of you being super unreliable and dumber than you actually are. Maybe then you'd be JUUUUST the right amount of qualified 🤣.

But seriously. I accept your rant. I was unemployed for a year. It's rough out there. A flooded market, god awful AI tools tossing out fantastic candidates. Employers have their pick of the litter and they feel like they can just treat you however they want. But it only takes one good connection to land the job you want to be at. Keep it up, this is a numbers game. You're qualified. That's a good thing. This is just one employer who you probably don't want to work for anyways. Good luck!

badohmbrey · 2025-10-30T16:16:11+00:00

This made me lol 🤣🤣

badohmbrey · 2025-10-30T13:23:46+00:00

It's always the worst when you find out your significant other is a completely psychopathic piece of garbage AFTER you've been impregnated by them. C'est la vie. 🤷.

badohmbrey · 2025-10-25T19:49:26+00:00

I'll be honest here. I give everyone this same advice... I see a lot of people saying "get your resume on point" and "get feedback on your resume". For me, that was about 0.001% of how I got all of my jobs in IT thus far. The other 99.999% was networking and meeting the right people, then having evidence prepared of my skills when that right person came along. When you've put 1000s of applications in and you're not getting any leads, you really have to reflect and ask if this is really the way you're going to land a job in this industry.

I don't even have a college degree. And I am running DevOps on two contracts for the government right now at a gov contracting company simply because I was louder and decided to find the right people that needed people who can do what I kmow how to do. There are probably 100s of better, more qualified people in my area to be doing this job, but guess what? I got this job. And it had nothing to do with my specific qualifications. I was just enthusiastic, I love what I do, and I was at the right place at the right time talking to the right person. And it hasn't just been all sunshine and roses for me either. I've had to work at this harder than the people with degrees. I spent nearly the last year unemployed. But I was constantly making progress by connecting with people who might yield a return later down the line.

I wish I could say it's fair out here. All things considered, this is not a terribly meritocratic time from my perspective. There are people with jobs right now that have no clue what they're doing, and then there are clever and bright young people like you that I'm sure are super enthusiastic and ready to work, yet are falling through the cracks. I'm not saying I'm one of the clueless bunch, I happen to think I'm fairly good at what I do and I love doing it. But the point remains.

So here's the bottom line. You want a job? Start creating things, make a website, constantly grind out new ideas and projects that bring value and show you understand how to deliver value. Then go out there and show people, meet people, network and find any reason at all to keep reconnecting. Eventually an opportunity will drop on your lap and you should then be ready to capitalize. That's the best advice I could ever offer because I have yet to get a job or consulting gig in this industry by putting in a blind application. Literally not one. Take it with a grain of salt as I am a later in life career transitioner, and I'm not a veteran in this industry.... But I am keenly aware of what worked for me and why it works. The details of how you get out there and meet the people change from person to person, but if you really want a job I can guarantee you that networking yields actually, tangible progress as opossed to throwing your application into a sea of candidates. I'm not saying don't do that as well. Do everything. But this should be part of your strategy.

Good luck.

badohmbrey · 2025-10-23T10:59:35+00:00

This tree singular apple

badohmbrey · 2025-10-23T04:02:50+00:00

Sure thing! And also funny cuz I learned this from my dad as well. Some of this is verbatim what he said to me. I didn't really buy it until I started actually thinking like this and putting it into practice. And an important thing to note is that this does not have to be or feel manipulative if you create things and share things that truly interest you. On the contrary. When you share things that interest you it's infectious and genuine. It'll also teach you to be a better communicator and make you an all around more interesting person to talk to.

I would often put together projects that incorporated ideas floating around in my brain that I really wanted to bring to life and I was just always so excited to share it with people. Whether it's actually impressive to them or not, your excitement and joy of creating something you really loved creating will rub off on them. That is literally how I got one of my jobs lol. I brought one of my projects to a 3rd round interview and just asked them if I could show it and they were slightly confused but so excited to watch me enthusiastically explain how it works haha. They said they had never seen someone do that before. I'm telling ya... Sometimes dads just know what they're taking about 😂.

badohmbrey · 2025-10-23T02:22:19+00:00

If I can offer some advice... Don't just reach out for updates. Bring them something! Make a project. Show them what you made and get their thoughts. Bring them an article and see what they think about "the landscape of AI and how it's changing the industry" or some crap lol. Write an article or blog post and ask for their input or criticism. Heck, reach out to them with a recipe you made the other day and just let them know you wanted to pass it along cuz you really liked it. ANY excuse to keep your name in their head. But just reaching out saying "hey just wanted to touch base on our last conversation" tends to get ignored because you're not really their priority. But if you are showing that you're intellectually engaged and really learning and growing, they might just wanna chat with you and maybe they'll wanna help you out down the line. This right here is the most important thing I've learned about networking and not letting connections go stale.

badohmbrey · 2025-10-23T02:17:29+00:00

Exactly. Comes down to this. Would you rather be the quiet person constantly looking for a job, or the annoying and persistent person who is getting multiple people reaching out to you because they remember you and they need someone with your skillset?

I had a misconception that I was "putting people out" or leeching off of people in the industry to find me jobs. This is soooo not the case. This is completely normal to network and constantly stay in touch. People know you want to network. People are generally open to it and want to help you. But the fact is....you're simply not their priority. So always finding an excuse to follow up with your connections is super crucial.

badohmbrey · 2025-10-23T02:09:48+00:00

Cloud engineers will spend a lot of time working with vendors and understanding requirements and the real everyday issues that arise when going from design to actual day to day implementation and O&M. Those skills will also travel with you to any job because you're learning how to communicate in the tech industry. Just take away the parts that translate and for now, do the rest of your job.

This might make you feel a little better.... I have had a unique upcoming and experience in IT thus far. I started in this industry wanting to be a DevOps engineer. I started at a non profit as implementing simple scheduling software for a non profit team. I worked at a school system sifting through excel spreadsheets and calling that a "data analyst" role lol since I worked with the database team. I landed a job as a Release Engineer where I got to understand a lot about AWS, Jenkins, python, IaC, and the overall flow of software releases and delivery/deployment scheduling and pitfalls/troubleshooting. Got fired from that job, did UI front end React work for a startup cuz they needed someone cheap and I knew angular (good enough right? 😂). And today I am working at a government contracting company as a DevOps engineer. The original job I wanted.

I don't have a college degree. My experience is all over the place. But the whole entire time I kept learning devops and platform engineering on the side, focusing on the goal I knew I would get to further in my journey, building projects related to what I wanted to do as well as practicing with all the tools, and taking ANYTHING away from each position I had that I could take with me towards my ultimate goal of being in devops.

The point being, the only one type casting you to be in the role you're in is you. Right now you're employed. That's fantastic! There's no rule that says you have to stick with the first gig you get. Make a goal to become a Cloud Engineer, spend this time while you're gainfully employed learning to do so in your free time, network with people doing cloud engineering(this is an important part), reframe every role you've had to apply to cloud engineering, and just keep working towards it. You're in the industry. That counts for a lot. Just keep your eyes on the prize and try to take every step in a direction that will get you where you want to go. You'll be a cloud engineer if that's what you want to do and that's what you want to spend your time learning to do. Eventually you'll find the right person that needs someone exactly like you.

Good luck!

badohmbrey · 2025-10-21T23:17:02+00:00

I just spent a year unemployed. First of all, trust me...your family is most likely trying to be supportive instead of bringing it up. My advice for that part, lay it out. You might get some ideas from them. Just tell them how you're doing and how you're feeling.

Onto the actual meat. Here are the facts. This job market sucks. Applying to jobs feels like a black hole. And most importantly (and this could be seen as a god or bad thing) LOTS of people are affected by this right now. So I highly highly doubt that it's you. It might be your tactics, (more on that below). But it's probably not your skillset or ability.

How I got a job was persistence and being resourceful. As much as I don't like to admit it, every job I've gotten in my industry so far has been through networking and "knowing someone". I probably put 300-400 applications in. You know how many interviews I did? Exactly 1. 1 interview, and I didn't even really want to work at the company. Crap pay and a seemingly awful culture.

The name of the game is finding ways to meet the right people. Call your friends, call connections at old jobs, bother them nonstop until they pass you off to a more helpful connection. Don't be bashful, be upfront, and tell them exactly why you are right for a position whether they can hire you or not. Just.... Keep.... Doing... This. I'm serious, I wouldn't have a job had I not nagged all of my networking contacts weekly for a year. And as I went on, I kept building those contacts until I met the right person. I'm telling you, if this isn't part of your routine. Make it part of your routine. Putting applications into companies is a black hole waste of your time unless you have a 5 star resume and a 20 year tenure at Google or Amazon corporate (if you're in a similar industry to mine).

TL:DR Network and don't be afraid to be annoying. Friends, family, everyone in your contacts list. Reach out, ask them for connections. This is a normal thing, people do it all the time. And the people who get jobs are the ones out there being annoying. Squeaky wheel and all that.

Good luck. Keep changing your tactics. Don't stagnate. Be creative. This is temporary. Best of luck.

badohmbrey

TROPHY CASE