>be me
>6 years dev experience
>last "real job" ended a year ago
>got really fucking burned out doing enterprise
>been working on hobby projects, some contracting work, conferences, open source, regaining sanity
> my insurance sucks
> must get normie job to afford to live
Just got off the phone with a recruiter. Two companies she has can afford my rate (what I got paid when i left my last job).
Gripes:
Both companies have coding assessments. I get that.
Company A has an hour long assessment, you turn in whatever you get done and then that's it. Reasonable.
Company B has a 24 hour long assessment. They expect me to break my dick working on this project.
Why the fuck does this company think that I have nothing better to do than dick around with their "assessment" for a whole day? I'm not getting paid. I either have to take off my contracting gigs, or spend vacation time working on this. I get coding for an hour and then that's it, but 24 hours is basically asking for me to do a marathon.
I guess it's possible that a skilled person could do the work in less than 24 hours, but you can be damned if I'm going to put in anything less than my best.
This kind of shit is why I burned out. I was making a handsome paycheck and then one day I just couldn't do it anymore. I still haven't really recovered from that, and now I'm going to go broke if I don't start working soon.
What makes the interview process more bearable for you all?
open your own business
I once applied for a company which required an 8 hour coding assessment. What it turned out to be was basically writing a linked list class in Java. That really says a lot about the type of people who work there.
Stop taking things too seriously outset. 24 hour coding assignments are 1 day assignments. Don't ever work more that 8 hours per day. Don't spend more than 2 on that assignment itself unless you actually need to learn some new solution to implement it.
>>54840470
god why. It's like every other Java job interview includes a part where you have to write a linked list. One's ability to write a linked list does not prove they are a good developer.
>>54840469
it's coming to that.
And yes, the company expects that. If they don't, they are looking for a sucker. See this guy? http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20140507/BLOG111/140429807/4-tips-to-hiring-an-awesome-software-engineer
Never work for someone like this.
>>54840548
>These are the ones that will code all night, the ones you want on your team.
pic related
>>54840782
>burn out
>heart palpitations chest pain
>shortness of breath
>weakened immune system
>gi pain
I spent 1/2 my time in college burned out. That shit doesn't happen. That sound more like a mix of aids and heart failure. The other shit I can't rule out because who doesn't get angry or have a headache every once in a while?
>>54841463
It's a combination of burning out and 30+.
And yeah, it's difficult to believe you can burn out in college. Unless you mean being a bernout which is different and can do that kind of damage to you as well.
>>54840389
I do enterprise, what's wrong with doing enterprise?
>>54840389
You see, burnout has to do with overcommitting and not setting limits.
I am currently working at a consulting company and you see some crazy shit there.
>doctor calls secretary that boss should take some days off, but boss doesn't give a shit
>guys sleeping in their suits at the office
>70 hours week because troublesome projects
Of course that's not "business as usuall" but rather when times are getting rough, but I've been there, I've done that.
I've done "allnighters", 24 hours without sleep to hit arbitrary deadlines because THE CUSTOMER WILLS IT !!
And some day I just had enough of this shit.
I'm still comitted and try to make my customers smile, but - no, I won't answer the fucking phone every second of the day anymore. No, I won't work overtime. Yes, I said it will be done this week, but we had problems - do you want to code it yourself? No? Than shut up.
It's difficult in the beginning, but you have to do it. Just say you can't work at weekends. Just go home at least two times a week without overtime. Just don't let them put pressure on you. And as IT guy you can get a lot of "exceptions from how we usually do it" if you are good enough.
This will make you feel better and eventually even help your company, because if you put 8 hours of dedicated work into something it's often better than endless days where nothing really flows.
just my 2 cents
>>54840389
>This kind of shit is why I burned out.
Google "financial independence"
>>54840389
>I still haven't really recovered from that, and now I'm going to go broke if I don't start working soon.
Its time to pick another career path, if you don't have the mental fortitude for this there is no way you can do it until you retire.
>>54840389
You are literally me. I worked big enterprise jobs for about 8 years, got burned out after working 80+ hour weeks and decided to try my own work for about 9 months.
Yea, it was fun and relaxing, but I made no money and my insurance was awful + expensive.
I recently started a new job in the tourism industry and everyone is basically a dudebro programmer. The pay is nice, the work is easy, and the hours are capped at 40 per week, but the bro culture grates on me.
As for your situation, avoid all interview processes which require assessments of greater than 1 hour of your free time. Sometimes they pay, which is OK, but still annoying.
Just find a company which doesn't put a lot of emphasis on bullshit like that. There are a lot of small ones out there that are just starting up or have a more relaxed culture.
Discussion oriented interviews in which you talk about your experience, real world problems, and problem solving are more preferable than just "here's an assignment, do it" or "here's a whiteboard, implement a red-black tree in 30 minutes."
>>54840470
>>54840516
Is that seriously a thing?
Linked lists are literally first assignment in most data structures courses.
I suddenly feel much better about my abilities.
>>54840389
By being picky and having the ability to choose from a list. Having a high demand skillset means that you don't have to put up with the grade A bullshit companies.
>>54840548
but everyone who's hiring says those things in one form or the other
>>54840782
>tfw have all the head stuff
