[bschabs]

This one hits the nail on the head. For instance immediately when I started the job search I got a couple referrals from friends. Unfortunately they still didn't work out but I made it the furthest with those, since then I have applied to 150 jobs anywhere from mid level to lead, and a few phone calls here and there but ultimately without those referrals most turn into nothing sandwiches. I'm not a coding god but I do love it and spend a lot of time doing it, and this job market is by far and away harder than when I entered software in 2019, and the pay is much lower than even 2019 pay.

[lylejantzi3rd]

> I entered software in 2019, and the pay is much lower than even 2019 pay.

I've been in the industry for 20 years now and the 2019-2021 market (ie: the pandemic market) is the craziest I've ever seen. You definitely came onto the market at the highest possible point. The only time the hiring market was better was during the 90s dot com boom (or so I'm told. That's before my time.)

[tvaughan]

Getting a job in the 90s was easier (depending on how you define easier), but none of it was online. There were plenty of open positions, but you had to attend a lot of in-person job fares, send actual paper copies of your resume and cover letters to people in Human Resources, follow-up with phone calls, and show up to interviews in a collared shirt. The job market right now is a lot like after the bust in 00. Everything really sucked for a few years after that