[alt2319]

I was convicted of nearly the same offense over 10 years ago. Actually, I live in the same area and was prosecuted by the same exact attorney. I spent nearly $50,000 setting the precedent that allowed you to serve your six months in home detention rather than actual federal prison. You're welcome :).

First of all, you need to shift your story. You make it sound like you were persecuted for white hat actions. You weren't. You made a mistake, you learned a lot from it, you've changed, and nothing like that will ever happen again. That's your story. Write a letter of explanation and get some friends to review it. You should include the fact that you were never in prison and if you're able to pay restitution, make sure to explain that. Keep that letter handy and include it whenever you apply.

As for jobs, I've been able to stay employed by networking through friends. I doubt you'll be able to find and hold any IT job found through recruiters or job postings. Network like crazy. Get to as many Meetups as you can, visit hackerspaces (like FamiLAB), go to CodeCamp, BarCamp, startup events, etc. and volunteer to help with lots of things. Become that super-helpful guy that will do anything to make stuff work.

Anyone that hires or contracts you needs to know up front that they're going to have to deal with your probation officer. Mine actually visited my office and talked to my boss in person. It is possible to somewhat shield yourself with layers. Like if you have a friend running a consulting company, become a contractor or employee of his and he knows about your conviction and assumes the risk, but if he doesn't inform end customers, your probation office may be fine with that.

You can also go indie and build stuff. Apps, Wordpress themes, anything that can go on Kickstarter, ebooks, affiliate marketing websites, etc. All that direct-to-consumer stuff was great for survival-level income while I was recovering.

Check my comment history for other advice on this topic. I only use this account for posts like this.

[alt2319]

I was going to suggest that you do some SEO work on your name but I don't know if it's possible to bury all that news coverage. I was able to bury mine with a mountain of other content but yours got more coverage. Eventually maybe you can push that stuff off the first page of results and present a better view of yourself to anyone that searches.

[sarciszewski]

Yes, that would probably help tremendously as well.

[alt2319]

It's hard to believe now, but some day this will all fade. I go days and weeks without even remembering that I'm a convicted federal felon. Today I only really think about it when I'm volunteering somewhere and it's time for a background check, when I think about travelling to Canada, or when I see a firearm I wish I could own. I've passed a half-dozen background checks and been able to volunteer without a problem, I think I could travel to Canada now but there's a chance they would deny me, but I doubt I'll ever get firearm ownership rights back.

[alt2319]

I should also add that I've been amazed by the number of gainfully employed people I've met that have felony convictions. It's a lot more common than you'd think. I even have two friends with vehicle-related homicide convictions (one DUI, one reckless driving) that are employed and another friend that has four DUI convictions but is employed in the IT field.

I've also been amazed at the jobs I've held and the work I was trusted with after my conviction. I've rolled out software at Fortune 500s and sensitive government agencies and survived a lot of corporate restructuring and mergers.

[sarciszewski]

Sorry to hear about your experience. This is all good stuff. I was actually going to try to do my community service through FamiLAB, but the person I contacted was super busy.

To make matters more complicated, FamiLab's office is like 2 hours away by bicycle and, ironically, 3 by Lynx bus. (I do not have access to a car.)

[alt2319]

I originally did mine through a church where the pastor was a former IT guy. Spent a lot of time doing his website, cabling, etc. Then the probation office (or at least my officer) changed their policy and I had to do neighborhood cleanup with the parks department instead. It also seems like I got more hours, maybe 200. Anyways, I spent a lot of days mowing medians, parks, vacant lots, picking up leaves, burying dead stray dogs, etc., mostly with guys with DUI convictions. Gives you a lot of time to think.

I hope your PO doesn't make you go to his office every month. I only had to do that a couple of times. But he had a knack for showing up at my house right when I got in the shower. You just have to suck it up, be humble, and do your best to show them that you just want to get through it without extra hassles.