Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by jerf 1575 days ago
A lot of people have given good specific advice, so, let me point out that you are young, and while you may not like your exact specialization right now, you've still got quite a base of skills that can be leveraged into numerous other positions. Try to not feel bad. Try to let the large number of options given in other posts here some time to sink in, and marinate your subconscious in the realization that you are not trapped, but in fact standing in front of a wealth of opportunities.

You have to soak your subconscious in that information because it is slow to realize things like this, and it needs to be reminded many times a day for a long time. This is the core of truth behind the "self-affirmation" self-help movement. As with many other self-help movements it oversells what it can do, but it can do this. You will need to repeat to yourself many times that you have many options. Your conscious mind may feel stupid, but your subconscious needs to hear this many times, so consider doing it.

The first opportunity didn't work out. That's fine. Frankly, it almost never does. Careers often need a few years to get going anyhow. Remember that coming out of school and getting the job you're going to have for the rest of your life is the exception. Even the people going to FAANGS or whatever the acronym is this week often burn out and leave and do other things, after all.