[dcminter]

Software isn't done eating the world yet; it is worth hanging in there.

End of year is the worst time to be looking even in bullish markets; New Year is always when hiring picks up as the hiring managers are finished with their vacations, new budgets are in, and the summer vacation is too far away to mess up the process.

Pesonally I'd pick a "enjoyed bug fixing" over leetcode-prepped every time. My tip is to focus on soft skills; being amusing in interviews has always been my superpower :)

[dieselgate]

You mention some great points but I'm not a fan of the "focus on soft skills; being amusing in interviews has always been my superpower" advice. That's not scalable and means nothing given the limited context.

[dcminter]

Fair. I'm not suggesting he should focus on being amusing in interviews - just that soft skills have value and sometimes in surprising places. Time invested in them is unlikely to be wasted. Time spent grinding leetcode not so much.

His milage may vary; my main message is that we're still in the inflationary universe stage of professional computing so despite the current undeniable demoralising blip a career change is unlikely to be a good idea for someone who enjoys it.

I should also add that someone who spent 10 years in a role before taking an extended break is a much more interesting prospect than someone with lots of long gaps. They sound like they should be front of the queue when things warm up again.

[isbvhodnvemrwvn]

The guy mentioned he has social anxiety and autism, the likelihood of him being able to improve his soft skills meaningfully without a long (and costly) therapy is unlikely to say the least.

[dcminter]

Perhaps? Soft skills includes stuff like writing though, not just schmoozing.