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by csmdev 4306 days ago
Welcome to the bucket. I see you're new here. :)

Some tips for next time:

- if they want timed coding challenges or quizzes, skip them

- if they want you to work for a couple of days on a task to see your abilities, skip them

- if they don't accept a Skype interview and insist on going to their headquarters in another city, skip them

- if you're creative and like innovation, you're pretty much fucked because you don't fit the standard way of thinking

There is no shortage and there is no actual demand. Companies just want better people for less money. They say that are no more good developers. But what they mean is: "There are no skilled suckers that will accept our ridiculously low pay".

You need to jump through hoops only so they can get an easier recruiting process. You're no longer a valuable resource. You're just a mindless robot that needs to meet specific keywords. Doesn't matter if you learn, adapt or solve problems. All that matters is how you fit on a very specific recipe. Interviews are the same. Vomit the fizzbuzz solution, some "core programming" buzzwords and maybe two or three generic tasks with stupid loaded questions. And you're hired.

Software developers are now just employed freelancers. Doesn't matter how you think or what you can do. All you need is keywords and experience with highly specific things.

2 comments

Wow, I'm just a recent college grad, but you're experience seems vastly different than mine. That's a much more negative view than the one my friends and I developed going through job searches. I wonder what the most important contributing factors to the differences are.
You're fresh meat and cheaper. There are no downsides for hiring college grads. You take a low pay and learn the exact technology stack the company is using. But when you decide to change jobs, that's when the real fun starts.
Fair enough. Although the low pay thing is all relative. I went to a top school with heavy recruiting, so pretty much all of my friends going into tech took salaries in the 80k-200k range (or knowingly took a paycut to work somewhere particular such as taking a paycut for equity at a startup). To some people those salaries are massive and to others they're tiny. I guess I'll have to check back in on this comment thread in a few years.
Say that again? 200k for a new grad? Where may I ask?
I had a friend with a few offers from top places (of the google, facebook, microsoft sort of variety) who ended up taking one for about 100k a year base plus about 500k stock vesting over five years. That was definitely atypical, though, particularly on the stock front.
When I graduated from college in 2011, my good friend and classmate went to work as an engineer for a high-frequency trading firm. They offered him a $160K base salary and a signing bonus of ~$20k.

I'm not surprised at the $200k offer.

Yup, quite new here. My experience haven't been that negative. But still its a bit frustrating.