It's hard to be serious
In such unserious times, what's the incentive to try?
Given the job market, filling out 150 workday and successfactor applications, entering your responsiblities hundreds of times only to not even have it read
Why take it seriously?
Applying for a job is no longer a personal, aspirational or career related event.
It's religious.
You put your faith in an unseeable HR manager who will never reply
You try to follow the rules, only to learn you are a sinner who isn't good enough
You need to repent – fill those resume gaps, collect references, gain linkedin clout.
These are not serious circumstances, this is not a test of if I can do the work, it's a test of my willing obedience to circumstances outside of my control for conditions which are unfavourable.
Negotiating a fair salary to support your family and grow the business is dead, that is history which has passed and is an opportunity which no longer exists for young men.
At this stage, I've dealt with so many bad actors, it seems to be the status quo.
Why look for a needle in a haystack, when I can go do something else?
If it weren't for it being neccessary to become an engineer to graduate I would never go back near this industry for the rest of my life.
One of the reasons I built this portfolio, is as a testament to what I'm capable of, despite needing to narrow myself down and enter exhausting crap into myworkday.
My intention is to say "Yeah, you've run me to the ground, so I no longer want to impress you, but I actually am fully capable if you quit acting like a dick".
The bitter irony is: I love engineering and science.