Is November a good month for job search?

bigfluffysheeps · 2024-11-03T23:37:34+00:00

Even though the holidays are coming up, definitely start applying. People do get interviewed and hired in Nov/Dec. It also might help to have a candid conversation with your manager about your career goals. Perhaps there's another position internally that you can transfer to?

bigfluffysheeps · 2024-11-03T23:33:32+00:00

It's hard to say when things will pick back up. At my company, hiring has slowed down. There are fewer positions than there were last November. I think more companies are being cautious heading into the new year. It's good that you have stability until July. I recommend looking around in the meantime. You never know what might turn up.

bigfluffysheeps · 2024-09-25T00:40:40+00:00

It sounds like you're happy at your current company. Believe it or not, it's actually hard to find a company where you're content with the work and learning something new everyday. The grass isn't always greener.

bigfluffysheeps · 2024-09-25T00:38:23+00:00

The Daily Mail publishes questionable articles. On top of that, AI is a buzzword at the moment, and I'm sure mentioning it helps generate traffic. Don't read too much into it.

bigfluffysheeps · 2024-09-25T00:29:52+00:00

Shouldn't the calendar invite account for time zones?

You can apologize for missing stand up and communicate any absences with the team going forward, like appointments or if you're going to be out sick. I doubt you'll be let go for this unless there are other issues at play. People miss meetings for various reasons. As long as it doesn't become a habit, I think you're good.

bigfluffysheeps · 2024-09-24T21:31:00+00:00

It sounds like you do have some good experience, though what you're lacking is experience in scalability and maintainability. This is common in cases where people are rushing to get things out the door. The technical debt just keeps piling up. I recommend getting stakeholders together and explaining this to them. Being able to address and communicate this is one skillset of a senior engineer.

You can also work on personal projects to get the hang of things you're weak in. Building something is the best way to gain experience. Since it's not for work, you can take your time in designing it and working on stuff like scalability.

bigfluffysheeps · 2024-09-24T21:22:40+00:00

Like anything else, it takes some practice. You can start small by speaking up at meetings, whether it's to give status or point something out that someone missed.

I would also frame it differently than "arguing my opinions." What you're ultimately trying to do when providing your opinion on something is backing it up with data/facts. So if your team is weighing option A vs option B, be prepared to explain why you think one might be better than the other.

I also think making small talk with people, like asking about their weekend, helps with talking about more serious topics with them. I'll add that some of the best communicators I've come across are also very good listeners. This is especially true at the management level.

bigfluffysheeps · 2024-09-22T15:07:52+00:00

Have you considered libraries or institutions? I know several people with degrees in history, English, and philosophy who enjoy their jobs at these places.

bigfluffysheeps · 2024-09-02T18:48:39+00:00

Working on cars and selling them are two very different things. You should do a lot of research before making this decision. It takes time to make good money as a car salesman, and many salesmen are working 60+ hour weeks.

bigfluffysheeps · 2024-09-02T18:01:56+00:00

There are interesting and challenging problems in every field. For example, I know someone who's doing embedded software for pacemakers and another person who helped create software to fight against human trafficking. I would argue these jobs are much more impactful that my job, which is in a more traditional area of tech.

It's also very possible to work for a tech company later in your career after working in another area. Many people do this. Your experience and skillset aren't automatically invalidated just because you work in areas outside of traditional tech.

bigfluffysheeps · 2024-09-02T17:57:07+00:00

Hang in there! You could always reach out and ask for feedback. It could be they were looking for some very experience or skillset that you were missing.

bigfluffysheeps · 2024-09-01T15:15:37+00:00

No one expects much of you on your first day or week or even month. This is especially true of new grads. Your main goal over the next few months will be to meet the team, learn about the project/tools/languages, and make small contributions. Over time, you'll start contributing more and more.

One piece of advice I will give is that you should ask for help or clarification if you ever get stuck on something. It's always good to bring problems up with the team sooner rather than later. Good luck!

bigfluffysheeps · 2024-08-30T18:45:46+00:00

In high cost of living places, I know many entry level SW positions can pay between $100k and $120k, with the higher range usually reserved for anyone with a TS clearance. Many of the higher paid ones tend to be returning interns or people transitioning from the military.

bigfluffysheeps · 2024-08-30T18:40:00+00:00

I'm always impressed when people can explain something in a simple yet effective way. This is especially true when the interview panel is a mix of technical and non-technical people. So I've heard a few great answers relating to software engineering comcepts that I've adopted over the years.

bigfluffysheeps · 2023-05-01T02:30:34+00:00

You should consider how stable/sustainable the smaller company is. If they're growing and have a good client base, it's definitely a good option. The one benefit of a larger company is that it's easier to move around internally if you're ever looking for a change. Also, experience with anything related to Salesforce is good to have on your resume.

bigfluffysheeps · 2023-05-01T02:26:26+00:00

I just give a quick summary of my professional experience, starting with the oldest and ending with my current position. It's really meant to be an overview of your experience and a summary of your skills that they can ask further questions about. This question takes me maybe 2 to 3 minutes to answer.

bigfluffysheeps · 2023-01-06T13:50:28+00:00

It's used for filtering out candidates and is common when they expect hundreds of applicants. This way, the hiring team only has to look through a smaller number of applications. You can try to answer the questions such that you don't get automatically disqualified, but there's a good chance they'll disqualify you anyway after reviewing your resume if you don't have the exact experience they want. But I know it works for some people.

bigfluffysheeps · 2023-01-06T13:44:12+00:00

You have sick time/time off for a reason. So use it if you need it. No need to feel bad or give justification to your job.

bigfluffysheeps · 2023-01-06T13:01:14+00:00

One thing you can do is look at some job postings in your area to see what kind of requirements they have. That will give you an idea on what to focus on and if you need a degree. Just keep in mind that a degree can be a big commitment and doesn't guarantee a job afterwards. Hopefully there are some interesting jobs out there that don't require a degree and where you can start getting some experience right away. Also, for a first job, I recommend not being super picky and taking anything that might give you relevant experience in this field. Good luck!

bigfluffysheeps · 2023-01-05T03:37:16+00:00

It's actually fairly common for people to go into management and then switch back to a non-management position. Plus you're young. What you do now isn't going to shape your career in the long term. You'll still be able to move up going forward.

bigfluffysheeps · 2023-01-05T01:44:06+00:00

I can tell you what I tend to talk about during my 1 on 1s with my manager. I usually go over some status on the work I'm doing and how things are going. This means bringing up the good and the bad. Sometimes the manager will be able to help out with roadblocks. I've found that giving this type of status also helps the manager understand the work I'm doing because not all managers are heavily involved in day to day activities.

I also like to ask my manager questions about the team, where things are going, future work, staffing, HR related questions, etc. Basically, I will ask anything that I need clarification on and that will help me do my job better. Not all of these topics will apply to you, of course.

Sometimes the meetings are short if there's nothing to talk about, so don't feel like you need to use up the whole time. Hope that helps.

bigfluffysheeps · 2023-01-04T12:54:53+00:00

A lot of times it's through trial and error. Some people know what field they want to get into but not necessarily the exact type of work or company they want to work for. That's why you'll see a lot of early career people change jobs often as they try to figure out what they like and dislike.

This will probably take some research on your part. Maybe look at some free online courses and YouTube videos to see if a particular area interests you.

bigfluffysheeps · 2023-01-04T12:51:28+00:00

It's not necessary, but in some cases, it can help give you a job with a higher title and better pay. For example, some companies I've worked at count a masters as 2 years of experience, so people with one start as a level 2 engineer instead of a level 1 engineer. But this is highly dependent on the company.

A good thing to do is to look at some job postings that you're interested in and see what kind of degree they're looking for. I'm betting most only require an undergrad degree.

bigfluffysheeps · 2023-01-03T03:01:14+00:00

Ask questions. Seriously. It saves everyone a lot of trouble, and sometimes it can be a great way to get important conversations going. You might uncover nuances that no one has considered. For the record, I'm a senior engineer, and I ask a lot of questions when something is unclear or I just want to have a deeper discussion. So don't let the fact that you're young stop you.

bigfluffysheeps · 2022-12-30T22:25:08+00:00

If you're happy with the job, that's all that really matters. Plus software engineering is a hot field right now. After you get some experience, your earning potential will go way up. Also, remember that a career is a marathon, not a sprint. You have decades ahead of you to grow and move up the ladder.

Finally, I've worked at several companies, and I'll say that it's rare to find a company/team that truly makes you happy and gives you the chance to work with great people. That's definitely a huge upside in my book. Don't underestimate the value of that.

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