From Amazon to bartender, my personal fall from grace

[nbow]

It has been a tough last few years. It's often difficult to explain to people how I got to where I am right now, making minimum wage across two jobs when I was once a boot camp graduate who landed my first full time role with Amazon within 6 months of graduation. Truth is, I've spent the last few years getting fired from positions for lack of productivity. I would move from contract to contract after I left the amazon, thinking things would be different next time, but it always ended badly. My last gig was 6 months ago, and I took up a job working as a bartender and another at a smoke shop, making easily 5x less than I made previously. Although the simplicity was nice at first, I've realized that it really isn't sustainable where I'm living, both financially and intellectually.

I have ADHD, and I am in my first year of understanding that this is what was truly happening. I see a therapist for my condition, and am more hopeful than ever about my progress. After a long wait I had my first appointment with a covered psychiatrist, it's looking promising that I will be to receive treatment for my inattention. I am still trying to find a job in the industry, but it's seriously disheartening the lengths I need to go through to stand out from other candidates, as well as make it past ATS filters. I didn't understand nearly to the extent it was holding me back.

For example, I recently had an ATS scanner service explain to me that if I apply for a "ReactJS Developer" position, the algorithm can't even discern that my roles that generally I describe as "Senior Front End Developer" are being filtered out before they reach a human. Even though every position on my resume lists React! What an infuriating system! We as the progenitors of so much of the systems that run the world today are behest to the the stupidest bots imaginable to save costs.

I work on personal projects, but more often than not I lost motivation and don't make it across the finish line. my github looks sparse, my job tenures look strange, but my will to continue on has not faltered. To anyone who has faced challenges in the recent job market, know it isn't your fault. Our profession is less than 100 years old and carries power beyond measure. If you struggle with focus but love to learn new things you are not alone. It's a hard card to be dealt but you can find the help you need. I am here, I am still trying, and there is no harm in pouring a few beers.

[gymbeaux]

There are certainly things you can try to mitigate ADHD, including of course Adderall. There’s a subreddit called ADHDProgramming I think… they seem to have a lot of good advice and anecdotes.

As far as finding a job goes, I think grinding leetcode is your best bet to stand out. While ChatGPT makes it easy to cheat on leetcode, now more than ever employers seem to be relying on it as a means of filtering out candidates- what with all the layoffs in the last couple of years, this makes sense. Also consider that devs leaving Google and Amazon and the like- they all did the leetcode grind to land those jobs, so that’s who you’re up against. The only way to compete is “leet”.

HackerRank, Cracking the Coding Interview, AlgoExpert, Leetcode of course… all good resources. Pick one and stick with it. Probably takes weeks or a couple of months to get “decent enough” to pass most leetcode style interviews.

It’s ass, and I hate it, but sometimes you have to play the game.

[nbow]

Yeah it's fairly disheartening that it often comes down to leetcode. We're really failing our entire profession with that trash. There are crafts that have been around for hundreds of years that don't have to put up with the nonsense we do. We build things, not solve logic puzzles. I stare at that crap for 10 seconds and go back to working on projects. I wonder how many capable developers just throw in the towel for this very reason?

Personally if I get meds and it helps I'll spend my time finishing and releasing projects, that'll be what will make me stand out. For now I will keep following my therapist's advice and working on being a stable and happy person.