Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Has anyone else been unemployed for over two years?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

321–330 of 602 posts

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone else been unemployed for over two years?

#321

Post by albedoa »

Aurornis wrote: post #220
stego-tech wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've got every right to resent it if he's not at least maintaining the household and providing a better home life for the two of you in lieu of additional income. There's no shame in being a homemaker, and heck, I'd do it myself if I had a partner that could provide for the two of us. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, landscaping, repairs, upkeep, finances...I like the appeal, but that's because I like the job of a homem…

> You've got every right to resent it if he's not at least maintaining the household and providing a better home life for the two of you in lieu of additional income. The parent comment didn't mention that at all. > And if they balk at such a notion, well...there's more data for you to act upon in your relationship. Wild how quickly a comment about someone's husband being out of work but applying for jobs jumps to as…

> a comment about someone's husband [...] applying for jobs

Now we're wondering which comment you read.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone else been unemployed for over two years?

#323

Post by WarOnPrivacy »

autotune wrote: post #16

I was arrested for reasons I still do not understand for 1.5 years as the charges and reason(s) for my arrest make no sense, so in that sense, yes. Developed intensified bipolar disorder while locked up in jail. Biding my time until the charges get dropped or I get declared innocent by a judge so I can file a lawsuit against the police department. All that's left to do is wait, either for lawsuit time or for job appl…

I am sincerely sorry. I wish we would take the ever-intensifying War On Redemption seriously.

Or at least realize the existence of it happening all around us (crim recs, credit reports, ever harsher laws driven by crim-just industry lobbyists, etc).

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone else been unemployed for over two years?

#324

Post by lattrommi »

squigz wrote: post #279
lattrommi wrote: post #274

Lost my job on new year's day, 2020. Have not worked since. I am not considered skilled enough for the kind of work I imagine most readers here do, meaning no degree or certifications and I've never worked in tech, mostly worked food service and manufacturing, plus odd jobs. So my context might seem irrelevant to some who frequent this site. When I say I have not worked since, I am only referring to taxable income. H…

Is there any field of tech in particular that interests you? Programming? Game design? Systems stuff?

Quite a lot of it.

I was a huge gamer for years but quit playing them as a new years resolution (along with watching TV and movies) the same day I lost my job, so I could improve myself and learn more.

I've learned how to install Linux. I haven't used Windows since September 2021.

I got my amateur radio technicians license 2 years ago.

I've programmed "Hello world!" in 14 different programming languages, because that takes about the same amount of time as I can maintain my focus. I've only written a few programs outside the Hello World ones, most of which do not work.

I've built every computer I've owned that I've used regularly (3 total) and feel llike I have a better understanding of them than the majority of people I know (non tech types mostly) and occasionally make money or end up with hand-me-down parts, by helping friends pick out compatible parts and assisting with assembly of their builds.

After I stopped using Windows, I lost alt-keycodes for special characters, so I made a custom keymap/keysym setup that includes characters not normally on keyboards but still are frequently needed. ≈ ± ≠ ∞ √ ∅ Ω © ® ™

I've penciled out and/or made somewhat tech-related things, like costumes and props that use simple robotics (moving hand for Halloween) and LEDS ('magic' wands made of wood that light up from the inside with certain movements).

One project currently in progress (i have 100's in progress) is a little box that has sensors for weather, an RTL-SDR to pick up aircraft and a raspberry pi in a 'hopefully' weatherproof case, with the goal of data collecting from locations near me.

I make a ridiculous amount of directed graphs and diagrams.

I have a memory map like a wikipedia of my own life and knowledge.

So yes, I am interested in a little bit of everything, possibly to a fault.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone else been unemployed for over two years?

#325

Post by scarface_74 »

rhetocj23 wrote: post #318
scarface_74 wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of my pet peeves are people who don’t understand what I call “gravity problems”. You may not like gravity. But that doesn’t mean you jump off of a 30 story building and hope to survive. Whether I like LinkedIn or not is completely irrelevant. I play the game, add connections, post a few banal “Thought Leadership” posts, ask for recommendations, etc. My remote job at BigTech fell into my lap in mid 2020 and at 46…

"It does absolutely no good being good at your job if no one knows it." Yeah and LI is a terrible way to show it. There is a better way, and will be a better way. With time. For now I agree - have to play the game.

So exactly how was a company in Seattle going to find out about me in Atlanta if not through LinkedIn to offer me a remote job paying 50% more than i was making? How were the next two companies where I worked remotely going to know anything about me?

What “better way” is there?

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone else been unemployed for over two years?

#326

Post by Aeolun »

dudus wrote: post #29
SeanAnderson wrote: post #15

I've been unemployed for almost three years. It's somewhat intentional - at least leaving my last job was and I've been dragging my feet. Hopefully will have a job in upper management at the start of next year if things work out. Coping by trying my best to become the type of person that I aspire to be. Quit weed, alcohol, caffeine. Lost 20lbs of fat and put on some muscle. Run 6 days a week, lift 3-4 days a week. Me…

Also unemployed for the last 3 years after a layoff. Partially on purpose because I felt I needed a pause to recharge but I kept extending because money was not a problem due to stonks going up. I learned react, go. Played videogames and had a child. Things are going well. Part of me is afraid that too much time off the market will make me not fit for the workforce anymore but tbh I feel like my mental health really…

> Go back to my home country where I probably could retire now

May want to consider that things won’t stay the same price for 40 years?

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone else been unemployed for over two years?

#327

Post by rizky05 »

pluc wrote: post #59

Lost my job in early 2023. Couldn't find anything (25 years of exp, director of engineering managerial/technical type, great at what i do by past coworkers/bosses admission). By EOY I had to sell my house, figured I could use the (significant) profits to buy time or I could travel and make the time a little more enjoyable, so I set out to explore most of Europe thinking, well I'll for sure find a job before I run out…

[dead]

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone else been unemployed for over two years?

#328

Post by rhetocj23 »

scarface_74 wrote: post #325
rhetocj23 wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"It does absolutely no good being good at your job if no one knows it." Yeah and LI is a terrible way to show it. There is a better way, and will be a better way. With time. For now I agree - have to play the game.

So exactly how was a company in Seattle going to find out about me in Atlanta if not through LinkedIn to offer me a remote job paying 50% more than i was making? How were the next two companies where I worked remotely going to know anything about me? What “better way” is there?

ha, I cant say. Im working on something related to this.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone else been unemployed for over two years?

#329

Post by potsandpans »

wvlia5 wrote: post #252

I've been happily unemployed since 2022. Not planning to be employed ever again. Have enough money for the rest of my life already. Not because I'm rich, but because I live cheaply. Working on self-improvement: excercise, eat/sleep well, defeat phone addiction, become social. I enjoy drugs once a week. I travel all year in some beautiful places. Spend ~2 hours every day trying to find a wife. In 5-10 years (wifed up…

These are my life goals. I'm still too scared to pull the trigger.

Re: Ask HN: Has anyone else been unemployed for over two years?

#330

Post by goykasi »

unretiring wrote: post #232

Thirteen years. Maybe not what you were expecting to hear. It's hard to remember beyond vignettes, but around when I left my last regular job it felt like my world was collapsing. I'd drifted out of a relationship, I was struggling with mental health just as my physical health was improving, my social and political environment started feeling uncomfortable, the small startup I worked for was struggling to pay me (at…

Are you unemployed or just not trying? After 13 years, I think its the latter.
Post reply on HN