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I put my resume on Monster a couple weeks ago to see if I could drum up some additional consulting work. My experiences:
1. Even when you check "remote work only" and "NO relocation", the phone rings off the hook with "can you relocate to Timbucktoo"
2. 98% of the calls are from job shops operated by [people from a different country, take a wild guess], God only knows where they're really calling from, with names like "Lucky", and mostly impossible to understand
3. OK, I've been doing Ruby on Rails for a year and have obviously extensive .NET experience as well. What does everyone call about? Ruby on Rails. It's like they can't see anything else.
4. One company just now replied to the job shop with:
Interesting candidate, but I don't see any academic achievements or any reason why his positions are short termed (see below, I let them know that these were contract roles). Also, I don't think 90K is reasonable, given these code samples. Would he be interested in discussing further at around 75k.
What a joke. Academic achievements, my arse. Last time I took a college course (Fortran using punch-cards!!!) was 33 years ago. 90K was barely acceptable, and they offer 75k? And...Interesting candidate ??? F.U., given that I'd given them links to my Ruby on Rails projects, websites, and articles here, I've had people jump all over my skills (of course, they're in places you couldn't pay me to move to.)
I'm so sick of this business, the bullshit interviews, the phone calls, etc. As I've said here and elsewhere over and over again, word of mouth is the best, and it's certainly how I've gotten the really fun and interesting (and great paying) jobs.
The thing that pisses me off the most though is that these companies all want "on-site" contractors/employees. First off, as a contractor, it's my understanding that it is illegal to require on-site work unless it can be demonstrated that the work can only be done on-site. Second off, most of these companies create products that have something to do with remote access (for example, have you seen the ADP commercials for how you can check all your security cameras from your tablet?) yet they all demand on-site work. WTF is with that? We live in the age of telecommunications, and yet, for example, when I did a stint with Citigroup in NYC, almost every person had a 2 hour + commute, one way. I'm disgusted with this dehumanizing industry.
Screw it all. Grrr. 
Marc
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I have found, the only way to get good leads from job boards is to proactively call yourself they day they are posted. Be aggressive, make the first call the interview call for the first round.
Also, and here is the hard one. Get over the notion of working remote, these are the dream positions for many but not only are the highly competitive they are also easily offshored in anonymous budget meetings for 1/10 your cost. Travel and charge for it. Most positions like to hover in the $45/hr land but nationwide there are always many positions open for $85/hr+ because they desperately need someone and the local talent pool just isn't up to snuff. Take it, you can use it to pay for the commute. Heck there are probably positions open in that range in Albany right now ... see next paragraph:
Next, get an el-cheapo hotel for a few weeks to test the waters and learn the community. You might hate the job and want to leave first week. Also, you can use the first two weeks to negotiate tele-commute 1 week on 4 weeks remote isn't that bad and is easier to negotiate after they have seen you work for a week. (Just don't bank on it)
Lastly, give up software development. I love it but I am going to move on. My next contract will be project management.
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Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote: the only way to get good leads from job boards is to proactively call yourself they day they are posted.
Great advice. I'll do that.
Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote: Get over the notion of working remote,
I agree, the biggest problem with that is that I'm rather connected to this and the neighboring communities - I'm involved with some things (not programming related) that require daytime meetings every week or two. Additionally, and I know I'm being pigheaded, but I'm really not willing to give up work/life-style that I have. I could get any number of lucrative jobs if I wanted to move to NJ or anywhere else, but I'm not, and neither is my partner - she also has a lot of ties to this community.
I've done the commute to NYC. It's an hour drive to the metro-north, then $45 round trip ticket, then whatever it is for the subway, all told it's 3 hours one way. I used to stay with my Aunt 3 days a week in Stratford CT to cut the expenses. Sure, Amtrak is 12 minutes away, but that's $75 round trip. That said, I'm totally open to the Albany area.
Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote: Next, get an el-cheapo hotel for a few weeks to test the waters and learn the community. You might hate the job and want to leave first week.
Also excellent advice!
Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote: Also, you can use the first two weeks to negotiate tele-commute 1 week on 4 weeks remote isn't that bad and is easier to negotiate after they have seen you work for a week. (Just don't bank on it)
Precisely.
Ennis Ray Lynch, Jr. wrote: Lastly, give up software development. I love it but I am going to move on. My next contract will be project management.
Agreed as well. I guess if push comes to shove, I can make major lifestyle changes, but right now that would be a major upheaval, and I'm not at that point yet.
Sooo...my rant should definitely be qualified by the fact that I'm choosing a certain lifestyle and want to find work that fits within that lifestyle, not the other way around. 
Marc
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Hi Marc,
I'm currently working for a company in Trondheim, and I work three days on-site every other week.
This seems to actually work out rather nicely, as I'm well in touch with rest of the team; while I'm also having time away from the team, which provides me with time to get down and do some serious work.
We've both been around for some time, so I guess that we can agree that the opportunity to work for a company that actually understands what's in their best interest - e.g. aggressively killing attempts at workplace politics - doesn't come around all that often.
What really impresses me is that everybody seems to be honest - which is a novel experience, and all of the team I'm working with is actually d*mn good at what they're doing.
So, yes, I agree with you, word of mouth is the best thing - but if you want premium payment, I'm fairly certain that marketing yourself as a C++ developer would generate more of the interest you are looking for.
The stuff I would be showcasing would be related to optimization, parallelization, and multicore development - and it wouldn't hurt if you could demonstrate some mathematical abilities as well. The thing is, you don't really have to be all that advanced - basic skills will put you well ahead of the general ruby crowd.
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Espen Harlinn wrote: I'm currently working for a company in Trondheim, and I work three days on-site every other week.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm totally thrilled to do some work on-site. I probably didn't convey that very well, haha. The issue is, even suggesting doing, say, 1 day a week remote is a show stopper.
Espen Harlinn wrote: I'm fairly certain that marketing yourself as a C++ developer would generate more of the interest you are looking for.
What's funny is I had a recruiter tell me that folks doing Ruby on Rails expect to work remotely and therefore employers are forced to accept that. Not really my experience though - lots of the RoR jobs demand on-site.
Espen Harlinn wrote: The stuff I would be showcasing would be related to optimization, parallelization, and multicore development - and it wouldn't hurt if you could demonstrate some mathematical abilities as well. The thing is, you don't really have to be all that advanced - basic skills will put you well ahead of the general ruby crowd.
Heck, I would think my articles on RoR that I've posted here would be sufficient, not to mention three websites I've put together for myself and three others I've done for my clients plus several github projects. The recruiter this morning asked me to put together what I've done in RoR and after I did so, I thought, geez, I actually have quite a portfolio for being in this environment for only 13 months.
Marc
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Marc Clifton wrote: I actually have quite a portfolio for being in this environment for only 13 months.
I think that is a part of the problem - while I'm certain that you have worked as diligently as you use to, you're not distinguishing yourself, at least not in a way that gets noticed by those who are generally willing to pay more for you services, there are just to many generation Y2K that is fighting for the attention on the Ruby scene.
Your experience goes way back, you're not a stranger to counting bits, bytes, and cpu cycles - and this still counts, but not for every company. You have valuable experience, make it count - competing on an overcrowded scene just isn't worth it.
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Espen Harlinn wrote: I think that is a part of the problem
Actually, that's what I found surprising - most of the jobs required only 1-2 years of experience, and one even offered an apprenticeship if you were coming from a PHP background!
Espen Harlinn wrote: You have valuable experience, make it count - competing on an overcrowded scene just isn't worth it.
It actually doesn't seem to be that crowded - not more so than anything else.  But like I said, these headhunters were looking just at my most recent work - I haven't gotten a single call regarding .NET.
Marc
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Marc Clifton wrote: Actually, that's what I found surprising - most of the jobs required only 1-2 years of experience
And how well are they paying?
For the right customer - your experience, and productivity, should be worth well above the average. At least that's my view of your skills, and from what I've seen, you know how to develop decent software, and you know how to document your work - which is often at least as valuable, especially when you're doing contract work.
I really wish you the best of luck, and I really think you deserve it 
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Espen Harlinn wrote: And how well are they paying?
Most of the contract positions are paying $75/hr. Obviously the headhunter takes a cut (when I worked for a consulting agency in NYC, they were taking an additional $40/hr. Money in the bank.) Must be making a lot of Indians some money. 
Espen Harlinn wrote: I really wish you the best of luck, and I really think you deserve it
Thanks! I'll keep folks posted. Right now, I'm wondering why I shouldn't get in on the other end of the business. Clearly there's a need for a professional job placement website, and I bet employers have as many complaints about places like Monster from their angle as well. Currently, I'm poking around The Ladders to see if it's more professional.
Marc
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Marc Clifton wrote: Espen Harlinn wrote: I think that is a part of the problem
Actually, that's what I found surprising - most of the jobs required only 1-2 years of experience
Really. I'd've expected half of them to demand at least 20 years of experience with Ruby itself and a decade using Rails. 
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Espen Harlinn wrote: What really impresses me is that everybody seems to be honest
Espen Harlinn wrote: all of the team I'm working with is actually d*mn good at what they're doing.
The latter explains the former. If they're good, they don't need to lie.
Politicians are always realistically manoeuvering for the next election. They are obsolete as fundamental problem-solvers.
Buckminster Fuller
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Jörgen Andersson wrote: If they're good, they don't need to lie.
That's probably true - but it's still refreshing
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Jörgen Andersson wrote: Politicians ...They are obsolete as fundamental problem-solvers.
Well, that explains ObamaCare.
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25 years in the IT industry, all in Finance - Pensions, Banking [Retail and Corporate], Asset Management, Trading, Market Data, etc, etc, etc. Pretty damned good across the .Net and Java stacks. Development, Implementation Project Management and Product Management.
Recent examples include would I go to Brum* for £40k as a dev? FOAD.
I know we're old fecks, but that means we know our shyte and not that we are worthless. Rule of thumb - born after I started work === not worth speaking to.
*Birmingham, Alabama's is a lot nicer and more tolerant. Imagine the worst of Soviet deprivation, then take away the style and taste.
speramus in juniperus
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Nagy Vilmos wrote: FOAD.
Had to look that one up. I'll be sure to use it in the future.
Nagy Vilmos wrote: I know we're old fecks, but that means we know our shyte and not that we are worthless.
Exactly.
Marc
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I'm 26, giving you've had 25 years in the IT industry, I'm safe? 
Simon Lee Shugar (Software Developer)
www.simonshugar.co.uk
"If something goes by a false name, would it mean that thing is fake? False by nature?" By Gilbert Durandil
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Nagy Vilmos wrote: born after I started work === not worth speaking to.
What's your birthdate? 
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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Clarification - I'm talking about management types on the whole, but it is funny when a grad tries to tell me how trading software should work.
speramus in juniperus
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Nagy Vilmos wrote: it is funny when a grad any developer tries to tell me how trading software should work.
Not many knows how to do this, even after many years of practice ... and even if you did really good quantitative work last year, you're seriously outdated today.
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Espen Harlinn wrote: and even if you did really good quantitative work last year, you're seriously outdated today.
..as a rule of thumb, of course. Which is how this thread got started
Bastard Programmer from Hell
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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Nagy Vilmos wrote: 25 years in the IT industry, all in Finance - Pensions, Banking [Retail and Corporate], Asset Management, Trading, Market Data, etc, etc, etc.
£40K??? 
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Nagy Vilmos wrote: *Birmingham, Alabama's is a lot nicer and more tolerant. Imagine the worst of Soviet deprivation, then take away the style and taste.
Oi! Oiu hayle from Brumidgum, and it's roit grate, k? I amn't goan tayke that from sum suthenner!
MVVM # - I did it My Way
___________________________________________
Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011
.\\axxx
(That's an 'M')
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I've also been in the *the game* for a long time and until recently I've always been busy, I find myself back job hunting and can't believe the people you have to deal with in your quest for a contract, a typical advert is something like this
Senior .NET Software Engineer, minimum 5 years experience, must have: TDD,AGILE,SCRUM,RUBY,PHP,POSTGRE,SYBASE,INGRESS,BDD,FU2,C#,VB,C++,SQL RDBMS, etc..., then the killer line WOULD SUIT GRADUATE !!!!
WTF ?
We can’t stop here, this is bat country - Hunter S Thompson RIP
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Nagy Vilmos wrote: Rule of thumb - born after I started work === not worth speaking to.
Well, they definitely are impacted by growing up through the internet age but I think it is more about maturity of experience. When I was 21, I didn't feel like an adult, but was kind of insulted and then missed getting asked for my ID every time I went into a bar about 6 years after that.
First off, you get exceptions. My nephew at 15 was difficult to talk with, knew very little about general conversation, but left me in the dust with computers. I felt like an idiot about a field I had been in longer than he was alive. That hasn't changed, he recently turned down a $2M offer for his source code.
Anyway, my rule of thumb is >=28. (My nephew has several years to go, to reach that ripe old age.)
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Marc Clifton wrote: it's my understanding that it is illegal to require on-site work unless it can be demonstrated that the work can only be done on-site
You are absolutely correct.
They want contractors so they can avoid the hassles of withholding taxes, paying SSI/Medicare, paying FUTA, providing Workman's Comp insurance, and paying for health benefits; these cost 55% to 75% of the employee salary. In theory, that's why contractors are paid so much more than employees, since they are presumed to provide these things for themselves. But any employer who attempts to dictate the hours or location of work is violating Federal labor and tax laws. If you have nothing better to with your time, you should accept one of these positions, then file criminal charges against the company.
Will Rogers never met me.
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