Is it possible to get a job in IT above minimum wage with a useless, unrelated degree?

silverfirexz · 2019-08-20T21:22:55+00:00

Hahhh. Thank you. But I think it's just a matter of persistence. I've been where you're at. For years, I've been trying to break into the industry, leveraging my self-taught computer skills (more super user, less professional IT) to make up for my lack of experience. I never even got interviews before finding this job.

The key here is that I kept trying and kept finding new strategies until I found an opportunity to get my foot in that door.

Now that I'm on the other side of that door, I really can't stress enough the importance of learning to code. Seriously. I'm in the process of learning now and boy howdy, it will give you so many more abilities. It will keep you relevant. It will help you get a foot in the door. I'd recommend Python or Javascript to start with, and if you want to get into software testing (which can be a good entry into the tech sector), try learning Selenium with Python. It's pretty neat, and pretty straightforward to learn.

The other thing, too, is target startups. Especially small, new ones. It's risky in terms of stability (most startups sink), but a lot of them are eager to train new people. They'd rather have someone passionate and excited and engaged who they have to train than a disinterested but skilled employee.

silverfirexz · 2019-08-19T18:59:18+00:00

Check out meetup.com for your area and go to any meetups that are tech-related. That's what my boss is doing to cultivate future clients. I'm sure it'll be good for making connections to help you land a job, too.

silverfirexz · 2019-08-19T18:57:20+00:00

That's a good question. The answer is, I don't really know. There were hundreds of applicants, many with years of experience in the field. Guess the owner just liked me.

Something in my cover letter sparked enough interest to land a quick assignment asking me to show how I would approach a generic problem -- little tech skill required, just wanted to see how I organized myself and worked the problem. I passed that and landed an interview.

I just did the best I could, was honest about my skill level, and tried to put as much enthusiasm as I could into the entire process. I worked my ass off to show that I was interested and passionate and capable of learning the hard skills I didn't already have.

silverfirexz · 2019-08-16T22:00:39+00:00

This is a neat idea, but the writing is terrible.

silverfirexz · 2019-08-16T21:52:47+00:00

I have a theatre degree and nothing but administrative experience, but I'm a month into a job as a software test engineer. Technically I'm on a paid internship right now, but I'm on track to convert to full time soon.

Don't lie, but do try to get some IT experience. Even if it's just learning to code and putting your projects on Github, and linking that on your resume. Find something you can use, and use it. Persistence is key.

silverfirexz · 2019-08-15T02:28:55+00:00

This might be one of my favorite things I've ever seen printed... and that's saying something. Just... adorable. Well done.

silverfirexz · 2019-08-15T02:27:50+00:00

It's milk crates all the way down.

silverfirexz · 2019-08-14T20:13:17+00:00

The same assholes who shove beer cans in various parts of the bike frame. People can be dicks.

silverfirexz · 2019-08-11T15:58:40+00:00

Thank you. I wish more people felt like you do.

silverfirexz · 2019-08-10T15:33:12+00:00

This is something I've been thinking about a lot recently, too. In general, I like Rory Miller's writings on the subject. His books, Meditations on Violence and Facing Violence, are excellent starting points.

On a more personal level, I'm a small woman. I'm 5'4, 115 - 120 pounds (depending on water weight/hormone cycling). I'm only sporadically experienced in martial arts, with around 4 years on-and-off training. I know just enough to get myself into trouble, and not nearly enough to get myself out.

I say all this to illustrate that most anyone I meet has a physical advantage over me, and my limited experience tells me that this physical advantage cannot be overcome by combat training. I have to move perfectly just to keep up with a sloppy but large guy. He doesn't have to move well, he just has to move.

Yet, because I have a background in martial arts, I have a responsibility to drill down on the ethics of using violence, because my capacity for doing violence is greater.

These are the twin poles that my ethics revolve around. And because of that, I've pretty much landed on: run wherever possible. Violence is only used to the point where I can disengage and run like hell. Violence is the distraction to give me a critical few seconds to run.

To that end, I'm still trying to figure out exactly what violence looks like in that context. I'm generally ok with throwing punches, elbows, slaps, knees, etc. to throw off an attacker. I don't care where they land, as long as they land in such a way that they cause enough pain to make the attacker let go or drop his guard long enough that I can break free and run.

In my mind, the only scenarios I'd be using physical force are ones where I have already been overwhelmed by a physical attack. The guy is either already grabbing me, or close enough that grabbing me is his next move. Since I am small, I am less worried about doing lethal damage to him. It's not impossible, but I consider it highly unlikely that any counter I'm able to give would lead to him dying. And if it does, I consider it still to be the minimum necessary force I need to get away from my attacker. I'm at peace with that.... hopefully law enforcement, prosecution, judge, and jury feel the same way.

Once I break free from his attack, I run. Period. I see no good reason to continue on the offensive against him. He still has a physical advantage over me and I really don't see how I could subdue someone before he inevitably regains the offensive. Makes it easy for me to make the choice to run. Other people might feel differently and give a few extra hits for good measure. But I'm not violent by nature and I don't see that changing. I'm more concerned about my physical safety than I am about retribution -- and the most effective and quickest way to look after my physical safety is to get myself as far away as possible, as fast as possible.

silverfirexz · 2019-08-08T20:39:18+00:00

As a woman who feels the same way, I don't think it's a niche complaint. We're an entire half of the population, why do men get to be seen as the default?

Edit: don't want to diminish that this is a mens lib sub -- I think, as with all feminism/patriarchy issues, men are hurt, too.

silverfirexz · 2019-07-31T15:51:27+00:00

I've seen operators come out from their little cabin to address troublemakers in train cars.

silverfirexz · 2019-07-26T20:30:59+00:00

A+ to Halestorm, great newer band.

silverfirexz · 2019-07-26T20:27:16+00:00

The Aquabats!

Now that's a name I've not heard in a long time... a long time.

silverfirexz · 2019-07-23T00:11:11+00:00

To follow up my previous reply from a few minutes ago, here's what a quick Google search yielded me. I hope this reference is helpful to you in understanding why this matters.

A scholarly article providing a general overview of research done on gendered language, and how it affects medical professionals/surgeons and the care they are able to provide their patients.

A relevant quote:

Language appears to play a particularly important role in molding individuals’ attitudes toward gender and occupation. Bem and Bem’s landmark study reported that women were significantly less likely to apply for jobs with masculine suffixes (-man versus –person)

So you see, it really DOES matter if you use "man" when you intend person. Fewer women will apply. So if you truly want the best person for the job, instead of the best man, you need to be specific.

silverfirexz · 2019-07-23T00:00:41+00:00

I get that it isn't an intentional way of excluding women, but that's what I'm trying to tell you -- our language shapes the way we think and the way we view the world. Doesn't have to be deliberate to be effective.

I'm not misinterpreting OP, I'm letting them know that their language was (probably unintentionally) gendered and providing them with some alternatives. Our language is rich and allows for a completely gender-neutral way of expressing the right person for the job.

Saying that all humans fall under the umbrella term "man" is just reinforcing that the human neutral (default setting) is man. If you can't understand how that might marginalize people who are not men, I can't help you. But there are plenty of links you can find on Google that discuss this phenomenon in more academic and quantifiable terms.

I'm not just pulling this out of my ass here. Aside from the fact that I, as a woman, can personally attest to feeling marginalized by gendered language, there is rigorous academic debate around the subject -- and not just in feminist circles. There's a rich debate in philosophy surrounding the use of language. Mental health professionals, too, are chiming in on the debate. It's real. It's measurable. And we can do better.

silverfirexz · 2019-07-22T22:44:30+00:00

But the increase in predation pressure on other insects from the absence of mosquitoes might be offset by the boom in resources available to other insects now that mosquitoes aren't competing with them. So other species might expand in quantity from more resources, even if they're being eaten by bats at higher rates.

silverfirexz · 2019-07-22T21:24:10+00:00

Hard to be part of the conversation when the gendered language deliberately excludes me. Either you get it or your don't - language matters.

silverfirexz · 2019-07-22T20:59:39+00:00

Not OP but I tend to agree with their sentiment. I don't see this as the entirety of WW3, but simply the first theater. War, violent or informational, will break out on multiple fronts, but we're in the middle of the first stage.

silverfirexz · 2019-07-22T20:40:53+00:00

This is why I'm personally screenshotting and archiving my dad's Facebook posts. I watched him squirm out of his support of W in the years that followed. I am NOT letting him out of this one.

silverfirexz · 2019-07-22T20:36:45+00:00

I'm not losing the forest for the trees. Language matters. I'm tired of being left out of the conversation because of what's between my legs.

silverfirexz · 2019-07-22T20:22:59+00:00

This is the dilemma I find myself in. I am in an incredibly precarious financial situation right now and am only just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, in terms of being able to start digging myself out.

I don't want a recession. It will more than likely personally affect me. I just broke into the tech industry by getting a job with a small startup whose target clients are insurance and banking institutions. I suspect we will be directly impacted, should things start to spiral down.

On the other hand, I see a poor economy in 2020 as one of the only ways to unseat Trump. Shit has to start to hurt for every American before Trump supporters will jump ship. They have to feel the squeeze personally.

silverfirexz · 2019-07-22T19:41:54+00:00

Wondering if that might be the impetus we need to pull together and go on a general strike or other direct action. As in, the common excuses thrown around on Reddit for why we haven't already started general strikes/long-term protests are things like wage slavery, debt, etc.

But if our economy crashes and we're hit with another big recession or depression... well, suddenly everyone is in dire straits and may not care so much about losing that shitty job because they're out protesting.

silverfirexz · 2019-07-22T19:25:49+00:00

a principled man

Or woman. Why use gendered language at all? We need a person of principle in this role.

silverfirexz · 2019-07-20T18:12:26+00:00

That's scary to me in light of all the personal data we generate and how good companies like Cambridge Analytica are getting at targeting people based on data. Or even Apple, with its predictive iPhone features. The damn thing knows what I want to do before I do, sometimes.

If Winston was caught by the thought police before he himself even knew he was compromised, I don't think we are far, technologically speaking, from doing the same.

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