I'm looking for a change from my current position and I was just wondering if now is a good time or if it might benefit me to stay for a while. I only have 2 YOE, but the way people are talking about it makes it sound pretty brutal.
Ask HN: Is the job market is bad as everyone claims it is?
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Re: Ask HN: Is the job market is bad as everyone claims it is?
#2its the worst i've seen since 2000
Re: Ask HN: Is the job market is bad as everyone claims it is?
#3It is all relative. Different skills are in demand at different times.
What is the unemployment level in your particular skill set or desired profession?
Smart and ambitious people, always have their resume up to date, and are looking. Although this is good advise I do not follow it as I am always delusional and think my current job is the best and no need to look.
My biggest regret looking back, was not changing jobs early when I first started. With 2 years in, I would recommend you look, but be selective.
Remember, you are, from an employer perspective, significantly better if you currently have a job, as opposed to unemployed. So be wary of possible layoffs.
Re: Ask HN: Is the job market is bad as everyone claims it is?
#4Yes. It is brutal. Any position posted is swarmed with applicants. You’ll need some serious networking to get in the door. And even then, there’s already a line of equally capable people vying for the same roll.
Re: Ask HN: Is the job market is bad as everyone claims it is?
#5I'm not sure about other niches, but it seems to be fine in HPC. I'm getting more recruiters messaging me on LinkedIn than ever.
Re: Ask HN: Is the job market is bad as everyone claims it is?
#6It is all relative. Different skills are in demand at different times. What is the unemployment level in your particular skill set or desired profession? Smart and ambitious people, always have their resume up to date, and are looking. Although this is good advise I do not follow it as I am always delusional and think my current job is the best and no need to look. My biggest regret looking back, was not changing job…
Follow up note: It also depends on what country you are in.
For IT people in the USA you can look at this site: https://www.statista.com/statistics/199995/rates-of-jobless-...
I assume most people who believe it is brutal out there are looking for a job and were laid off. Being laid off is EXTREMELY PAINFUL. We were never taught how to handle it. For most people, myself twice, it was a horrible surprise.
Re: Ask HN: Is the job market is bad as everyone claims it is?
#7Companies seem to be hiring and focusing on the short term, that is focused expertise that can hit the ground running, on a hard problem, right away. Certain fields seem to be more in demand than others (ML, infra, etc) - but to me the main pattern is companies caring more about short term gains than long term growth potential.
So I think it sucks to be relatively junior right now.
To me its sad as I think how well you onboard other team members is one huge differentiator in your dev culture, and points at a healthy team that can readily share knowledge. How its setup now may work for short term problems, but also creates a lot of "bus factors" where crucial functionality depends on 1-2 skilled people.
I also see a bit of getting rid of middle management / product management type layers lately. A sense of wanting to streamline / eliminate alleged "bureaucracy"
Re: Ask HN: Is the job market is bad as everyone claims it is?
#8no it’s not.
commenters are wrong and I know no one who were not able to find a job.
Current rates - is another question. They are not that high.
long story short: if you’re a good specialist, you will be good.
Re: Ask HN: Is the job market is bad as everyone claims it is?
#9I wouldn't move. But then again I'm a low performing piece of shit with a disability.
Re: Ask HN: Is the job market is bad as everyone claims it is?
#10There is an old saying that a recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours. Nearly everyone could have an anecdote that might point to a strong job market or one that points to a weak one.
There are definitely many tech workers out there struggling to find gainful employment based on their current skill set and/or local conditions. There seems to be enough of them that things are not looking particularly rosy at the moment.