[LabMechanic]

I visit job search sites and select the “entry level” filter. Then, I read requirements such as “2+ years (non-internship) experience in C++”, “5 years of professional experience in the game industry”, and “excellent C++ skills”. Furthermore, there are requirements like “Fluent in speaking reverse Mandarin Chinese” and “being able to perform perfect back and front flips on command”. The latter two are, of course, exaggerations, but I couldn't help joking about them to alleviate the dire circumstances not only I find myself in, but also others in my circles.

I know individuals who attended top computer science universities, earned master's degrees, yet they still struggle to find a job. The missing element in such conversations is that recent graduates often lack the required expertise that HR departments demand. Companies or their HR departments have become extremely selective and require multiple interview rounds before considering employment. Alternatively, companies hire student workers because they are cheaper, or they outsource hiring to countries like India, Eastern Europe, or Turkey, pausing hiring for entry-level applicants in high-income countries.

However, some governments claim a “shortage of skilled labor especially in the IT sector,” while individuals with computer science degrees find themselves unemployed in these “uncertain times”. Experienced individuals may manage to stay afloat, but those without experience, such as recent graduates like myself, are deemed less valuable. This is partly due to the prevalence of Large Language Models (LLMs), which I refer to as “Google search on steroids”.

Have you heard of “bullshit jobs”? If so, I suspect that many positions are actually insignificant. As a student worker, I co-developed an audio editing application (C++17, Qt 5). To be honest, there was nothing in it that hadn't already been solved. Would you argue that a “level meter”, “equalizer”, or “JSON parser” are things that need to be reinvented despite the availability of MIT-licensed libraries?

Rather, these jobs appear to be a form of “collective busywork”. Nevertheless, the fortunate few engaged in such “busywork” earn significant sums despite not contributing much. What kind of economy is this, where one can thrive without generating actual value (e.g., innovation, non-copy paste work)?

A “consumer-oriented economy”, huh? We need consumers, yet we cannot drive up consumption, because we collectively play a game of hot potato until someone solves all the world's woes for us.

[findingMeaning]

Bruh, you are me. You are literally me. You speak the same thing I speak. You wrote the same things I think. The idea about only few writing something novel and everyone else riding waves on top of it.

I am really happy that someone else also came to same conclusion. It means it's not just us! There will be many more like us who truly want to build new things.

How should we do that? Like you I also find that anything I want to build as MIT licensed software and it works. Then I wonder what do the engineers do?

Oh yes, the new graduates like us are the bottom feeder that are valueless to the companies. They demand 3yr+ for entry level. It's "entry level".

To them we are just expenses that should be cut. I am blessed to learn this really early on. Now I can quit even before starting. Kinda happy about it NGL. I am thinking of building things for myself and when these companies come after me, I would charge them in millions. Let's see how long they can play this game.

They can't speak the local language like I do since I come from fairly backwarded country. That is a huge advantage.

[danlugo92]

Love your username.