[undershirt]

I applied to a couple jobs in the bay area and didn't do well. I had about the same reaction you did.

The result was that I started working really hard on side projects to see if I was really capable of working up there. That was the beginning of last year, and that pattern of work hasn't stopped. I've learned and built a lot.

About phone interviews though, I've been requesting Google Hangout interviews in place of them. And I've been a lot more comfortable I think because of the face-to-face interaction. Something to think about.