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I give up

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rubycareercsharpmobilesecurity
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  • M Marc Clifton

    I put my resume on Monster a couple weeks ago to see if I could drum up some additional consulting work. My experiences: 1. Even when you check "remote work only" and "NO relocation", the phone rings off the hook with "can you relocate to Timbucktoo" 2. 98% of the calls are from job shops operated by [people from a different country, take a wild guess], God only knows where they're really calling from, with names like "Lucky", and mostly impossible to understand 3. OK, I've been doing Ruby on Rails for a year and have obviously extensive .NET experience as well. What does everyone call about? Ruby on Rails. It's like they can't see anything else. 4. One company just now replied to the job shop with: Interesting candidate, but I don't see any academic achievements or any reason why his positions are short termed (see below, I let them know that these were contract roles). Also, I don't think 90K is reasonable, given these code samples. Would he be interested in discussing further at around 75k. What a joke. Academic achievements, my arse. Last time I took a college course (Fortran using punch-cards!!!) was 33 years ago. 90K was barely acceptable, and they offer 75k? And...Interesting candidate ??? F.U., given that I'd given them links to my Ruby on Rails projects, websites, and articles here, I've had people jump all over my skills (of course, they're in places you couldn't pay me to move to.) I'm so sick of this business, the bullshit interviews, the phone calls, etc. As I've said here and elsewhere over and over again, word of mouth is the best, and it's certainly how I've gotten the really fun and interesting (and great paying) jobs. The thing that pisses me off the most though is that these companies all want "on-site" contractors/employees. First off, as a contractor, it's my understanding that it is illegal to require on-site work unless it can be demonstrated that the work can only be done on-site. Second off, most of these companies create products that have something to do with remote access (for example, have you seen the ADP commercials for how you can check all your security cameras from your tablet?) yet they all demand on-site work. WTF is with that? We live in the age of telecommunications, and yet, for example, when I did a stint with Citigroup in NYC, almost every person had a 2 hour + commute, one way. I'm disgusted with this dehumanizing industry. Screw it all. Grrr. :mad: Marc

    T Offline
    T Offline
    tom1443
    wrote on last edited by
    #46

    I gave up last week, took early retirement, and waved goodbye with one finger.

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • S SortaCore

      Maybe you should request to be hired by Monster so you can increase the font size of the no-relocation information. Or a nice <marquee>. Those are so coming back. I wonder about

      Marc Clifton wrote:

      First off, as a contractor, it's my understanding that it is illegal to require on-site work unless it can be demonstrated that the work can only be done on-site.

      and if there's a UK equivalent law. I'm assuming you're in the US from the thread.

      M Offline
      M Offline
      Marc Clifton
      wrote on last edited by
      #47

      SortaCore wrote:

      I'm assuming you're in the US from the thread.

      Quite. Near Albany, NY here.[^]

      SortaCore wrote:

      Maybe you should request to be hired by Monster so you can increase the font size of the no-relocation information.

      I am half-seriously considering working this from the other direction and figuring out how a real job searching website would actually work, for both employers and people looking for employment. Marc

      Day 1: Spider Database Navigator Unit Testing Succinctly

      I 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • M Marc Clifton

        I put my resume on Monster a couple weeks ago to see if I could drum up some additional consulting work. My experiences: 1. Even when you check "remote work only" and "NO relocation", the phone rings off the hook with "can you relocate to Timbucktoo" 2. 98% of the calls are from job shops operated by [people from a different country, take a wild guess], God only knows where they're really calling from, with names like "Lucky", and mostly impossible to understand 3. OK, I've been doing Ruby on Rails for a year and have obviously extensive .NET experience as well. What does everyone call about? Ruby on Rails. It's like they can't see anything else. 4. One company just now replied to the job shop with: Interesting candidate, but I don't see any academic achievements or any reason why his positions are short termed (see below, I let them know that these were contract roles). Also, I don't think 90K is reasonable, given these code samples. Would he be interested in discussing further at around 75k. What a joke. Academic achievements, my arse. Last time I took a college course (Fortran using punch-cards!!!) was 33 years ago. 90K was barely acceptable, and they offer 75k? And...Interesting candidate ??? F.U., given that I'd given them links to my Ruby on Rails projects, websites, and articles here, I've had people jump all over my skills (of course, they're in places you couldn't pay me to move to.) I'm so sick of this business, the bullshit interviews, the phone calls, etc. As I've said here and elsewhere over and over again, word of mouth is the best, and it's certainly how I've gotten the really fun and interesting (and great paying) jobs. The thing that pisses me off the most though is that these companies all want "on-site" contractors/employees. First off, as a contractor, it's my understanding that it is illegal to require on-site work unless it can be demonstrated that the work can only be done on-site. Second off, most of these companies create products that have something to do with remote access (for example, have you seen the ADP commercials for how you can check all your security cameras from your tablet?) yet they all demand on-site work. WTF is with that? We live in the age of telecommunications, and yet, for example, when I did a stint with Citigroup in NYC, almost every person had a 2 hour + commute, one way. I'm disgusted with this dehumanizing industry. Screw it all. Grrr. :mad: Marc

        S Offline
        S Offline
        Stephen Dycus
        wrote on last edited by
        #48

        1. + "I'm disgusted with this dehumanizing industry." == irony. Employers want you on site because being there in person allows the team to get to know you. You've been doing this 33 years and haven't figured that out? *You* are the one who doesn't want to be around other people while you work. Who's dehumanizing the industry here? 2. That's a little racist; though I find my self not returning calls to recruiters that I can't understand. The US is the melting pot, people have accents. You should get over it. :P 3. Because the people with Ruby on Rails experience are rarer than those with .NET experience... simple supply and demand here... 4. I make 45k as a Lead Android developer so I don't really want to hear your complaints on 75k/90k. That number also means different things in different parts of the country. EX. 75k in sanfrancisco would be practically unlivable. Here in North Carolina, it would be a decent salary. Last. Don't use Monster if you want an IT job. Use Dice. (Or craigslist if you want a startup but from the looks of things, you probably couldn't handle a startup salary.)

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        • S SoMad

          Marc Clifton wrote:

          90K was barely acceptable

          Wait a second... I initially read this as $90/hr. Are you actually considering a full-time job that pays $90K per year? I understand you have to lower your price if you want to work from home, but based on your contributions here on CP (I haven't gone full cyber-stalking on you :) ), I had mentally placed you in a completely different salary range. Something closer to 190K. Especially being on the East coast. Soren Madsen

          S Offline
          S Offline
          Stephen Dycus
          wrote on last edited by
          #49

          I make 45k in a Lead role on the east coast. West coast is where all the high salary gigs are. Though I am still making a startup salary.

          S 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • M Marc Clifton

            Espen Harlinn wrote:

            I think that is a part of the problem

            Actually, that's what I found surprising - most of the jobs required only 1-2 years of experience, and one even offered an apprenticeship if you were coming from a PHP background!

            Espen Harlinn wrote:

            You have valuable experience, make it count - competing on an overcrowded scene just isn't worth it.

            It actually doesn't seem to be that crowded - not more so than anything else. :) But like I said, these headhunters were looking just at my most recent work - I haven't gotten a single call regarding .NET. Marc

            Day 1: Spider Database Navigator Unit Testing Succinctly

            D Offline
            D Offline
            Dan Neely
            wrote on last edited by
            #50

            Marc Clifton wrote:

            Espen Harlinn wrote:

            I think that is a part of the problem

            Actually, that's what I found surprising - most of the jobs required only 1-2 years of experience

            Really. I'd've expected half of them to demand at least 20 years of experience with Ruby itself and a decade using Rails. :rolleyes:

            Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • M Marc Clifton

              Ravi Bhavnani wrote:

              thereby essentially substituting them for full-time employees.

              Yeah, I got bitten by that in reverse. A company I had a multi-year contract with wanted me to become an employee, but I didn't want that because it would have been a significant pay reduction, and I also would not have been able to take advantage of the health care package because I'm in NY, not CA. It caused a bit of a stir, but the legal dept. sort of looked the other way. What eventually happened though was that I was let go of because (in my opinion, and my intuition / opinion is usually correct!) I was getting paid more than the senior manager - some new guy they brought in. Marc

              Day 1: Spider Database Navigator Unit Testing Succinctly

              D Offline
              D Offline
              Dan Neely
              wrote on last edited by
              #51

              Did that company contract with an insurer that didn't have national partners or just not care enough to do the minimum legwork to offer one?

              Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt

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              • S Stephen Dycus

                1. + "I'm disgusted with this dehumanizing industry." == irony. Employers want you on site because being there in person allows the team to get to know you. You've been doing this 33 years and haven't figured that out? *You* are the one who doesn't want to be around other people while you work. Who's dehumanizing the industry here? 2. That's a little racist; though I find my self not returning calls to recruiters that I can't understand. The US is the melting pot, people have accents. You should get over it. :P 3. Because the people with Ruby on Rails experience are rarer than those with .NET experience... simple supply and demand here... 4. I make 45k as a Lead Android developer so I don't really want to hear your complaints on 75k/90k. That number also means different things in different parts of the country. EX. 75k in sanfrancisco would be practically unlivable. Here in North Carolina, it would be a decent salary. Last. Don't use Monster if you want an IT job. Use Dice. (Or craigslist if you want a startup but from the looks of things, you probably couldn't handle a startup salary.)

                M Offline
                M Offline
                Marc Clifton
                wrote on last edited by
                #52

                Stephen Dycus wrote:

                Employers want you on site because being there in person allows the team to get to know you. You've been doing this 33 years and haven't figured that out? *You* are the one who doesn't want to be around other people while you work. Who's dehumanizing the industry here?

                Of course. And the irony is that I get put into a cubicle with three other people, each from a different nationality, we never talked, English wasn't a particular strong suit for them. The concept of "getting to know the team" is a crock of shit in the majority of cases because the company does nothing to foster this.

                Stephen Dycus wrote:

                That's a little racist;

                No, it's a stereotype, and it's unfortunate that these people can be "typed" so easily in this way. If you want to call it racist, then I'm OK with that too, quite frankly. This watered-down politically correct BS we have to live with today simply means that people can't say what they really think, which means we don't actually resolve conflicts, instead we just internalize them.

                Stephen Dycus wrote:

                Here in North Carolina, it would be a decent salary.

                Absolutely, and I do take that into account.

                Stephen Dycus wrote:

                Don't use Monster if you want an IT job. Use Dice.

                Will do, thanks for the advice. I'm also looking at The Ladders. Marc

                Day 1: Spider Database Navigator Unit Testing Succinctly

                S 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • D Dan Neely

                  Did that company contract with an insurer that didn't have national partners or just not care enough to do the minimum legwork to offer one?

                  Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt

                  M Offline
                  M Offline
                  Marc Clifton
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #53

                  Dan Neely wrote:

                  Did that company contract with an insurer that didn't have national partners or just not care enough to do the minimum legwork to offer one?

                  Both. :) Marc

                  Day 1: Spider Database Navigator Unit Testing Succinctly

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • M Marc Clifton

                    Stephen Dycus wrote:

                    Employers want you on site because being there in person allows the team to get to know you. You've been doing this 33 years and haven't figured that out? *You* are the one who doesn't want to be around other people while you work. Who's dehumanizing the industry here?

                    Of course. And the irony is that I get put into a cubicle with three other people, each from a different nationality, we never talked, English wasn't a particular strong suit for them. The concept of "getting to know the team" is a crock of shit in the majority of cases because the company does nothing to foster this.

                    Stephen Dycus wrote:

                    That's a little racist;

                    No, it's a stereotype, and it's unfortunate that these people can be "typed" so easily in this way. If you want to call it racist, then I'm OK with that too, quite frankly. This watered-down politically correct BS we have to live with today simply means that people can't say what they really think, which means we don't actually resolve conflicts, instead we just internalize them.

                    Stephen Dycus wrote:

                    Here in North Carolina, it would be a decent salary.

                    Absolutely, and I do take that into account.

                    Stephen Dycus wrote:

                    Don't use Monster if you want an IT job. Use Dice.

                    Will do, thanks for the advice. I'm also looking at The Ladders. Marc

                    Day 1: Spider Database Navigator Unit Testing Succinctly

                    S Offline
                    S Offline
                    Stephen Dycus
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #54

                    Marc Clifton wrote:

                    Of course. And the irony is that I get put into a cubicle with three other people, each from a different nationality, we never talked, English wasn't a particular strong suit for them. The concept of "getting to know the team" is a crock of sh*t in the majority of cases because the company does nothing to foster this.

                    Wow, what kind of crap jobs are you working lol? I guess you mostly work in corporate settings, yuck. If you could take a hit to the salary, I'd recommend a startup. Lots of freedom, everyone's close on the team, and (depending on your startup) they don't care if you work from home 3 out of 5 days a week.

                    Marc Clifton wrote:

                    This watered-down politically correct BS we have to live with today simply means that people can't say what they really think

                    I said "get over it" not because being racist is "wrong," it's just pointless and unhealthy. You're stressing yourself out because these people calling you have an accent... There's no *benefit* to being a little racist, so try not to let it get to you.

                    M 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • M Marc Clifton

                      I put my resume on Monster a couple weeks ago to see if I could drum up some additional consulting work. My experiences: 1. Even when you check "remote work only" and "NO relocation", the phone rings off the hook with "can you relocate to Timbucktoo" 2. 98% of the calls are from job shops operated by [people from a different country, take a wild guess], God only knows where they're really calling from, with names like "Lucky", and mostly impossible to understand 3. OK, I've been doing Ruby on Rails for a year and have obviously extensive .NET experience as well. What does everyone call about? Ruby on Rails. It's like they can't see anything else. 4. One company just now replied to the job shop with: Interesting candidate, but I don't see any academic achievements or any reason why his positions are short termed (see below, I let them know that these were contract roles). Also, I don't think 90K is reasonable, given these code samples. Would he be interested in discussing further at around 75k. What a joke. Academic achievements, my arse. Last time I took a college course (Fortran using punch-cards!!!) was 33 years ago. 90K was barely acceptable, and they offer 75k? And...Interesting candidate ??? F.U., given that I'd given them links to my Ruby on Rails projects, websites, and articles here, I've had people jump all over my skills (of course, they're in places you couldn't pay me to move to.) I'm so sick of this business, the bullshit interviews, the phone calls, etc. As I've said here and elsewhere over and over again, word of mouth is the best, and it's certainly how I've gotten the really fun and interesting (and great paying) jobs. The thing that pisses me off the most though is that these companies all want "on-site" contractors/employees. First off, as a contractor, it's my understanding that it is illegal to require on-site work unless it can be demonstrated that the work can only be done on-site. Second off, most of these companies create products that have something to do with remote access (for example, have you seen the ADP commercials for how you can check all your security cameras from your tablet?) yet they all demand on-site work. WTF is with that? We live in the age of telecommunications, and yet, for example, when I did a stint with Citigroup in NYC, almost every person had a 2 hour + commute, one way. I'm disgusted with this dehumanizing industry. Screw it all. Grrr. :mad: Marc

                      Y Offline
                      Y Offline
                      Yvan Rodrigues
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #55

                      I got a call from a recruiter a few months back looking for someone for a MonoTouch (Xamarin.iOS) project. He saw that my company is listed on Xamarin's website. He was looking for someone to work in Montréal, about 8 hours away. I told him that I wasn't interested in working personally, but he could contract me through my company for a project, and I couldn't offer 40h/wk, but could probably do 20. A couple of weeks later he called up and said the client was OK with it. I've done about $35,000 for them since with no hassles.

                      Yvan Rodrigues, C.Tech. Red Cell Innovation Inc.

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • S Stephen Dycus

                        Marc Clifton wrote:

                        Of course. And the irony is that I get put into a cubicle with three other people, each from a different nationality, we never talked, English wasn't a particular strong suit for them. The concept of "getting to know the team" is a crock of sh*t in the majority of cases because the company does nothing to foster this.

                        Wow, what kind of crap jobs are you working lol? I guess you mostly work in corporate settings, yuck. If you could take a hit to the salary, I'd recommend a startup. Lots of freedom, everyone's close on the team, and (depending on your startup) they don't care if you work from home 3 out of 5 days a week.

                        Marc Clifton wrote:

                        This watered-down politically correct BS we have to live with today simply means that people can't say what they really think

                        I said "get over it" not because being racist is "wrong," it's just pointless and unhealthy. You're stressing yourself out because these people calling you have an accent... There's no *benefit* to being a little racist, so try not to let it get to you.

                        M Offline
                        M Offline
                        Marc Clifton
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #56

                        Stephen Dycus wrote:

                        Wow, what kind of crap jobs are you working lol?

                        Citigroup on Wall Street. :)

                        Stephen Dycus wrote:

                        it's just pointless and unhealthy.

                        I agree, but quite frankly, it also disgusts me that this is yet another example of money leaving America, and Americans being too lazy to do the grunt work that these foreign recruiting agencies do. So my gripe is larger than just taking pot shots at people with different accents. Marc

                        Day 1: Spider Database Navigator Unit Testing Succinctly

                        D 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • M Marc Clifton

                          Stephen Dycus wrote:

                          Wow, what kind of crap jobs are you working lol?

                          Citigroup on Wall Street. :)

                          Stephen Dycus wrote:

                          it's just pointless and unhealthy.

                          I agree, but quite frankly, it also disgusts me that this is yet another example of money leaving America, and Americans being too lazy to do the grunt work that these foreign recruiting agencies do. So my gripe is larger than just taking pot shots at people with different accents. Marc

                          Day 1: Spider Database Navigator Unit Testing Succinctly

                          D Offline
                          D Offline
                          David Knechtges
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #57

                          I've been reading this thread.... Here is what I did: I was looking to get a job where I could work remotely too. I live near Cleveland, the MECCA of programming and like work - NOT! I ended up getting a job that required me to commute for an hour each way, which is a long commute for this area. I have a unique background that my company needed, which was .NET on Windows CE (of course, we all know that isn't a big deal). Anyway, I worked on site for about a year, proved that I was willing to do what it took to get the job done. When my review came up, I knew they weren't able to give me a raise, so I asked to work remotely and come in when needed. Fast forward 4 years later, and I now work remotely 95%+ of the time, and go to Florida many times a year and work from there too (actually leaving later today)! And by the way, we have moved on, and morphed the Windows CE project into an ASP.NET app. It can be done, you just need to find the right fit.

                          M 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • D David Knechtges

                            I've been reading this thread.... Here is what I did: I was looking to get a job where I could work remotely too. I live near Cleveland, the MECCA of programming and like work - NOT! I ended up getting a job that required me to commute for an hour each way, which is a long commute for this area. I have a unique background that my company needed, which was .NET on Windows CE (of course, we all know that isn't a big deal). Anyway, I worked on site for about a year, proved that I was willing to do what it took to get the job done. When my review came up, I knew they weren't able to give me a raise, so I asked to work remotely and come in when needed. Fast forward 4 years later, and I now work remotely 95%+ of the time, and go to Florida many times a year and work from there too (actually leaving later today)! And by the way, we have moved on, and morphed the Windows CE project into an ASP.NET app. It can be done, you just need to find the right fit.

                            M Offline
                            M Offline
                            Marc Clifton
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #58

                            David Knechtges wrote:

                            It can be done, you just need to find the right fit.

                            Definitely. The majority of my work over the last 20 years has actually been remote work, anywhere from 20 miles to 3000. For more "local" remote work, I do thoroughly enjoy spending time with the client, as much as they need, and for the long distance work, I would arrange travel when we all agreed a visit would be worthwhile - those were intense days! And I completely agree, that establishing a relationship is key, and I'm quite willing to make that effort as long as it's reasonable, an hour or so of commute is fine. It is definitely wonderful when there is a good relationship and people are flexible and also realize that there are other ways to create value than just money. Thank you for the feedback, Marc

                            Day 1: Spider Database Navigator Unit Testing Succinctly

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • M Marc Clifton

                              SortaCore wrote:

                              I'm assuming you're in the US from the thread.

                              Quite. Near Albany, NY here.[^]

                              SortaCore wrote:

                              Maybe you should request to be hired by Monster so you can increase the font size of the no-relocation information.

                              I am half-seriously considering working this from the other direction and figuring out how a real job searching website would actually work, for both employers and people looking for employment. Marc

                              Day 1: Spider Database Navigator Unit Testing Succinctly

                              I Offline
                              I Offline
                              IndifferentDisdain
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #59

                              Marc Clifton wrote:

                              figuring out how a real job searching website would actually work

                              Funny, as I was reading through this whole thread, the thing I kept thinking was "this sounds like a problem that needs to be solved". Here's been my experience with Monster and all of them. My first job in college (fall 1999) was as a bus boy at a local Outback that I got by just going in and applying. Since then, I believe I've worked for 9 different employers, and every single one of them was through personal and/or professional contacts, including my first full-time gig out of college (CEO ate at the restaurant I was working at) and every one since. I've done the Monster thing and never once got a real offer/look/etc. The simple fact is that employers want to hire people where someone in the org already knows the applicant. There's a lot less risk if someone you know is vouching for somebody. That is the problem that needs solving, and I think something like LinkedIn could do that, but it's just too douchey. As I heard on some TV show once, it just reeks of guys that wear their cellphones clipped to their belt.

                              M 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • M Marc Clifton

                                I put my resume on Monster a couple weeks ago to see if I could drum up some additional consulting work. My experiences: 1. Even when you check "remote work only" and "NO relocation", the phone rings off the hook with "can you relocate to Timbucktoo" 2. 98% of the calls are from job shops operated by [people from a different country, take a wild guess], God only knows where they're really calling from, with names like "Lucky", and mostly impossible to understand 3. OK, I've been doing Ruby on Rails for a year and have obviously extensive .NET experience as well. What does everyone call about? Ruby on Rails. It's like they can't see anything else. 4. One company just now replied to the job shop with: Interesting candidate, but I don't see any academic achievements or any reason why his positions are short termed (see below, I let them know that these were contract roles). Also, I don't think 90K is reasonable, given these code samples. Would he be interested in discussing further at around 75k. What a joke. Academic achievements, my arse. Last time I took a college course (Fortran using punch-cards!!!) was 33 years ago. 90K was barely acceptable, and they offer 75k? And...Interesting candidate ??? F.U., given that I'd given them links to my Ruby on Rails projects, websites, and articles here, I've had people jump all over my skills (of course, they're in places you couldn't pay me to move to.) I'm so sick of this business, the bullshit interviews, the phone calls, etc. As I've said here and elsewhere over and over again, word of mouth is the best, and it's certainly how I've gotten the really fun and interesting (and great paying) jobs. The thing that pisses me off the most though is that these companies all want "on-site" contractors/employees. First off, as a contractor, it's my understanding that it is illegal to require on-site work unless it can be demonstrated that the work can only be done on-site. Second off, most of these companies create products that have something to do with remote access (for example, have you seen the ADP commercials for how you can check all your security cameras from your tablet?) yet they all demand on-site work. WTF is with that? We live in the age of telecommunications, and yet, for example, when I did a stint with Citigroup in NYC, almost every person had a 2 hour + commute, one way. I'm disgusted with this dehumanizing industry. Screw it all. Grrr. :mad: Marc

                                L Offline
                                L Offline
                                Lost User
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #60

                                The pendulum doth swings. Ruby on Rails, extensive .Net experience? I may have missed the autocoder or big iron assembler experience. Current advantage is to the employer. It used to change before globalization. I've been thru several swings of the pendulum. Was a time when employees could walk across the street for 25% more pay. Some Oracle hotshots met potential emplorers in Hotel conference room and let them bid against each other. Employees certainly press the advantage when they have it. Casual dress is a by-product of that from long ago. Used to be mostly sduits at large companies, then Hawaiian shirt day Fridays, then simply jeans on Fridays, to now everyday, UNLESS you meet with clients. Regarding contractors working at home - Independent contractors can. That is a tough test they must pass muster too - they must be classified by IRS as independent contractors - they own the master contract, there would be no 3rd party. They are not sub contractors or anything else. The old "if you walk like a duck, talk like a duck" test. And that means you are actively working multiple contracts. Maybe it will swing back, but I doubt it. It is such an odd thing that they require folks to work in the office (probably a result of the same 10% bad employees that wreck everything for others, or CEOs thinking they aren't "hip" because Google changed their @home policies so they need to change theirs), yet allow off-shore workers on same projects. Botton line is if someone can demonstrate they can do your job for $5/hour (US) then your job is worth $5/hour. I would think in a contry run by a tyrant who ran on a platform that many energy sources will be taxed out of existance and energy costs overall will hurt everyone and skyrocket that companies would get a clue and shift more to @home work saving money wasted on 2 hour commute each way, thus being able to short the raises as people don't need the extra $$$ wasted in traffic, that they have 3-4 hours more to, hopefully, split between work and home.

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                                • M Marc Clifton

                                  I put my resume on Monster a couple weeks ago to see if I could drum up some additional consulting work. My experiences: 1. Even when you check "remote work only" and "NO relocation", the phone rings off the hook with "can you relocate to Timbucktoo" 2. 98% of the calls are from job shops operated by [people from a different country, take a wild guess], God only knows where they're really calling from, with names like "Lucky", and mostly impossible to understand 3. OK, I've been doing Ruby on Rails for a year and have obviously extensive .NET experience as well. What does everyone call about? Ruby on Rails. It's like they can't see anything else. 4. One company just now replied to the job shop with: Interesting candidate, but I don't see any academic achievements or any reason why his positions are short termed (see below, I let them know that these were contract roles). Also, I don't think 90K is reasonable, given these code samples. Would he be interested in discussing further at around 75k. What a joke. Academic achievements, my arse. Last time I took a college course (Fortran using punch-cards!!!) was 33 years ago. 90K was barely acceptable, and they offer 75k? And...Interesting candidate ??? F.U., given that I'd given them links to my Ruby on Rails projects, websites, and articles here, I've had people jump all over my skills (of course, they're in places you couldn't pay me to move to.) I'm so sick of this business, the bullshit interviews, the phone calls, etc. As I've said here and elsewhere over and over again, word of mouth is the best, and it's certainly how I've gotten the really fun and interesting (and great paying) jobs. The thing that pisses me off the most though is that these companies all want "on-site" contractors/employees. First off, as a contractor, it's my understanding that it is illegal to require on-site work unless it can be demonstrated that the work can only be done on-site. Second off, most of these companies create products that have something to do with remote access (for example, have you seen the ADP commercials for how you can check all your security cameras from your tablet?) yet they all demand on-site work. WTF is with that? We live in the age of telecommunications, and yet, for example, when I did a stint with Citigroup in NYC, almost every person had a 2 hour + commute, one way. I'm disgusted with this dehumanizing industry. Screw it all. Grrr. :mad: Marc

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                                  RafagaX
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #61

                                  It gets more funny when several different agencies call you for the same job, this happens here very often...

                                  CEO at: - Rafaga Systems - Para Facturas - Modern Components for the moment...

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                                  • S Stephen Dycus

                                    I make 45k in a Lead role on the east coast. West coast is where all the high salary gigs are. Though I am still making a startup salary.

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                                    SoMad
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #62

                                    Yes, it's not really correct to divide that into East and West coast. In one of your posts, you said that you live in North Carolina. My old manager now lives and works in New York state and the general salary level is well above what it is here in San Diego where I live. Then again, the salary level is also higher up in the San Francisco area, so... Soren Madsen

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                                    • L Lost User

                                      The pendulum doth swings. Ruby on Rails, extensive .Net experience? I may have missed the autocoder or big iron assembler experience. Current advantage is to the employer. It used to change before globalization. I've been thru several swings of the pendulum. Was a time when employees could walk across the street for 25% more pay. Some Oracle hotshots met potential emplorers in Hotel conference room and let them bid against each other. Employees certainly press the advantage when they have it. Casual dress is a by-product of that from long ago. Used to be mostly sduits at large companies, then Hawaiian shirt day Fridays, then simply jeans on Fridays, to now everyday, UNLESS you meet with clients. Regarding contractors working at home - Independent contractors can. That is a tough test they must pass muster too - they must be classified by IRS as independent contractors - they own the master contract, there would be no 3rd party. They are not sub contractors or anything else. The old "if you walk like a duck, talk like a duck" test. And that means you are actively working multiple contracts. Maybe it will swing back, but I doubt it. It is such an odd thing that they require folks to work in the office (probably a result of the same 10% bad employees that wreck everything for others, or CEOs thinking they aren't "hip" because Google changed their @home policies so they need to change theirs), yet allow off-shore workers on same projects. Botton line is if someone can demonstrate they can do your job for $5/hour (US) then your job is worth $5/hour. I would think in a contry run by a tyrant who ran on a platform that many energy sources will be taxed out of existance and energy costs overall will hurt everyone and skyrocket that companies would get a clue and shift more to @home work saving money wasted on 2 hour commute each way, thus being able to short the raises as people don't need the extra $$$ wasted in traffic, that they have 3-4 hours more to, hopefully, split between work and home.

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                                      M Offline
                                      Marc Clifton
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #63

                                      Member 10417115 wrote:

                                      I may have missed the autocoder or big iron assembler experience.

                                      Yup, done that too. ;)

                                      Member 10417115 wrote:

                                      they own the master contract, there would be no 3rd party.   They are not sub contractors or anything else.   The old "if you walk like a duck, talk like a duck" test.   And that means you are actively working multiple contracts.

                                      That's certainly been the case for the last 20 years. Certainly my accountant hasn't squawked.

                                      Member 10417115 wrote:

                                      Botton line is if someone can demonstrate they can do your job for $5/hour (US) then your job is worth $5/hour.

                                      Aye, and there's the rub. How do separate the job from the person? Certainly, the my job my be worth $5/hr because someone is willing to take that as compensation, but that doesn't mean that I'm worth only $5/hr. And this I think is where the difficulty lies - it is nearly impossible to measure the value that a person brings to a job, and in some jobs, what's at least equally of valuable is the person. If we value work based entirely on a monetized market demand of the work itself, then I think we, as a species, have lost. Period. And certainly, the best jobs I've had are the ones where the person is valued, not just the labor they perform.

                                      Member 10417115 wrote:

                                      that companies would get a clue and shift more to @home work saving money wasted on 2 hour commute each way,

                                      Preach it, bro! Marc

                                      Day 1: Spider Database Navigator Unit Testing Succinctly

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                                      • I IndifferentDisdain

                                        Marc Clifton wrote:

                                        figuring out how a real job searching website would actually work

                                        Funny, as I was reading through this whole thread, the thing I kept thinking was "this sounds like a problem that needs to be solved". Here's been my experience with Monster and all of them. My first job in college (fall 1999) was as a bus boy at a local Outback that I got by just going in and applying. Since then, I believe I've worked for 9 different employers, and every single one of them was through personal and/or professional contacts, including my first full-time gig out of college (CEO ate at the restaurant I was working at) and every one since. I've done the Monster thing and never once got a real offer/look/etc. The simple fact is that employers want to hire people where someone in the org already knows the applicant. There's a lot less risk if someone you know is vouching for somebody. That is the problem that needs solving, and I think something like LinkedIn could do that, but it's just too douchey. As I heard on some TV show once, it just reeks of guys that wear their cellphones clipped to their belt.

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                                        Marc Clifton
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #64

                                        IndifferentDisdain wrote:

                                        That is the problem that needs solving, and I think something like LinkedIn could do that, but it's just too douchey.

                                        Agreed. And certainly, all my contracts over the last 20 years have been through word of mouth, personal encounter (one was at a potluck dinner for a Quaker Intentional Community) or people calling because of my articles here on Code Project (2 clients). Marc

                                        Day 1: Spider Database Navigator Unit Testing Succinctly

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                                        • J Jorgen Andersson

                                          Espen Harlinn wrote:

                                          What really impresses me is that everybody seems to be honest

                                          Espen Harlinn wrote:

                                          all of the team I'm working with is actually d*mn good at what they're doing.

                                          The latter explains the former. If they're good, they don't need to lie.

                                          Politicians are always realistically manoeuvering for the next election. They are obsolete as fundamental problem-solvers. Buckminster Fuller

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                                          KP Lee
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #65

                                          Jörgen Andersson wrote:

                                          Politicians ...They are obsolete as fundamental problem-solvers.

                                          Well, that explains ObamaCare.

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