[WFHRenaissance]

Apply for jobs at defense contractors, they're always looking for people that know C++. It will not be glamorous work, but I think it might be a good bet for you. Raytheon Missile Systems is hiring in Tuscon Arizona, inquire about remote work. Also, I recommend you learn SQL (just learn SQL Server or Postgres).

[_bohm]

OP specified they live in Northern Ireland so it is unlikely they will be able to get a job with an American defense contractor as a non-citizen who can't obtain a security clearance.

[prh8]

This is correct.

I live in Tucson and am quite familiar with Raytheon (having been recruited and know numerous employees as they are the biggest employer here). They are not going to be hiring remote developers from Ireland. In all likelihood, they will not be hiring any remote developers anywhere, unless those people will be relocating to Tucson and being on premise once this calms down.

[exikyut]

Hmm. How are environments like this handling the WFH status quo?

My completely naive/distant presumption of sites like these is that they are fundamentally incompatible with the security concessions inherent to remote work.

[prh8]

What toomuchtodo said. Plus, some of those places fought it as long as they could.

[toomuchtodo]

Critical staff live onsite. Everyone else goes home and doesn’t work.

[ohitsdom]

Defense contractors are also notoriously old school in management, and remote positions are very hard to come by (also due to security concerns).

[hkmurakami]

They should have various tiers for security levels. What is often the challenge is that the most interesting work requires citizenship + clearance. Since OP is fine with rote work there might be some possibilities here.

[joncrane]

I work for a government contractor on a tier of clearance far below what's used in defense, and we are not even allowed to take any US Gov't issued equipment outside of the US, much less actually work from there.

No way in hell anyone in Ireland is going to be doing US Gov't contracting work, unless they are on the US Embassy grounds.

Sorry. (Government contracting is exactly what the original recommendation describes..unglamorous but steady, FWIW)

[dippersauce]

I know Lockheed Martin is also hiring for software developers in the East US, might be worth a look. A job is a job, and the culture at the company doesn't seem too bad.

[jeremyjh]

I've never seen a job listing for C++ development that doesn't require professional experience in that language.

[bashwizard]

I've never bothered with the requirement of professional experience when applying. Still got interviews and offers.

[meheleventyone]

Then the only way to get professional experience without it is to apply to them anyway and it’s a pointless qualifier.