[rjplatte]

I'm in a small city, where not much work is available. I need to pad my resume a little more to make the work I do more attractive, but the reality is that LAMP devs aren't in high demand near me. I apply to several jobs daily, but not much is around. I'd appreciate pointers on how to improve my prospects, but the last place I interviewed was a seedy adult entertainment company, and I wouldn't have taken an offer if they begged, simply for personal reasons.

[reificator]

You said you're 18, you're young and hopefully don't have kids, so apply in other cities as well.

Yeah it's scary. But if the job is good enough, and the pay is good enough, then you've got to figure out why your bullshit reason for staying where you are outweighs both your mental health and your career prospects.

EDIT: And don't forget remote options.

[shantly]

God, at 18—or hell, at 22—showing the fuck up and not seeming entirely incompetent is a big deal. Show up, be engaged, do both consistently, and anyone who's not a total piece of crap will be all over giving you more responsibility and mentoring you up to bigger and better things. Total pieces of crap may still be interested, but it'll be in exploiting you (as in current situation). Oh, and ask questions. No one expects you to know diddly-squat, so ask away. Ask about stuff that's not part of your job description at all. People will tell you all kinds of stuff, and, incredibly, the whole exchange will make them like you more.

Phenomenally small amounts of give-a-shit go a long way for youngsters. It's basically their superpower, if they're willing and able to use it.

[DoreenMichele]

List of Remote Jobs or Gigs Platforms

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JfNAbUX_lN9K3MCNHO15...

[eropple]

I know a bunch of remote-hiring places and if nothing else I'd be happy to help you figure out what to learn (and, probably, how to approach it) to GTFO. Email is in my profile.

[chaostheory]

Leave the city. It doesn’t end well if you stay... unless you can get remote work (even then it’s risky), but you definitely have to leave the company ASAP

[brandmeyer]

> I need to pad my resume a little more to make the work I do more attractive

A word of caution: One of my objectives as an interviewer is to drill into a candiate's resume to see if they actually did what they said they did. Its OK to talk up your accomplishments. But don't claim expertise in language X or technology Y unless you are prepared to answer some questions about it.

[rcollyer]

I interviewed a guy who's masters work was in the field I did my doctoral work in. I think I'm the only one in the company who knows anything about the particular topic, and considering that the role was far removed from that topic, it was a very unlikely coincidence. However, when discussing his research, he mostly missed the mark. It wasn't enough to sink his application as at the masters level I wouldn't expect him to know it nearly as well as I do, and he was ultimately hired. But, you never know who you're talking to.

[reificator]

Taken out of context, I agree with you.

But this conversation has been about them saying they need to learn more before they can get a new job, and me replying that they shouldn't use that as an excuse to procrastinate. Thus the `need to pad my resume` comment.

[jimnotgym]

Magento shops are always looking for LAMP devs. A national recruiter told me they place PHP devs at the big Magento shops without the job ever existing.... There must be a Magento agency in your city?

[tomlock]

If you're 18 and already know why version control is a good idea, you're very hireable in any number of cities/remote!