Ask HN: How can I make my career change a reality?

[lfnik]

I work for a start-up in a smaller city. I was lucky to find this job when I did and now we've been acquired by a very large company which will remain anonymous. With the acquisition, things have changed we have to use the technologies listed in their corporate policy.Any enjoyment I had working here is now gone.

My family and I have made the decision that we want to move to San Francisco. I want to find a job there and work on a new challenge. My real passion is for Rails and other open source technologies. I've been a speaker at a couple of conferences and I have contributed some to open source. My work experience for the past few years is mostly .Net which I no longer want to have much involvement with.

My plan is to puts loads of code up on github and and possibly travel there to network.Is there something else I can be doing? Are the odds stacked against me?

[mcgraw]

You're jumping into a pretty darn good area for development. Given that you probably have some really good experience behind you it's hard to say it'll take you long before you snag something up here. Hell, I moved out to Cali, from the Midwest, with < $1000 and little programming experience in the deepest part of this economic downturn...

Set your mind and go. The odds are not against you.

As for things to do. Fix up the LinkedIN profile and fire up a digital portfolio real quick (nothing crazy fancy). Hit up craigslist, monster, and startuply and let the games begin.

Good luck

[arete]

Posting here is a great start, what's your email address? Several companies that I know well are complaining about their inability to find good Rails developers here in SF. A good company will value passion and the ability to learn over X years experience in Y, as long as you can convince them that you can deliver.

[lfnik]

sae.spare [at] gmail is my email address for contacting me.

Thanks for the input. This is becoming an adventure.

[jeffepp]

The odds are certainly not stacked against you. It would appear the best way to make your career change a reality is to quit your job.

Connect with your network and see what jobs are available.

With several speaking engagements and an acquisition under your belt -- I am sure you will add value to another company!