Ask HN: How can i help my dad? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: How can i help my dad?

#41

Post by jheriko » Fri, Jun 13, 2014, 3:59 PM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #39

dansman wrote: post #36

Bulgaria is in the European Union since 2007. Your dad is eligible to work in any of the 28 Member states without any restrictions. Why did you not consider this yet?

Because people have lives. You can't just pack up and leave normally speaking. Also, being from Romania or Bulgaria is not exactly treated as a preferential attribute when trying to locate work in other European countries. It shouldn't matter but it does. So even if there are no legal restrictions there are plenty of barriers.

aside from that most people can't afford to go that far for work... by a long way. it takes money to make money.

Re: Ask HN: How can i help my dad?

#42

Post by fredkelly » Fri, Jun 13, 2014, 4:22 PM UTC

I felt a similar predicament with my father after he was made redundant at the age of 65, having working for large US corporations (working from the UK) for most of his working life. He spent many months searching for work, at first for equal/lower calibre roles in similar industries (he was a manager for a large telecoms company), later just looking for anything to fill his time and bring in some money. You could argue that he could've tried X or Y, but the truth is it seems (at least for his line of work) that job-hunting in the "twilight years" of your career is always going to be a struggle.

At first I thought this was wholly unfair. I know have come to think it's more an unfortunate fact of life. That said, it's not as if our ability to do go work just vanishes as we get older. For sure we aren't as sharp; but I don't see this as a deal breaker.

I'd like to think when I reach his age there will still be a meaningful role for me to fill?!

Re: Ask HN: How can i help my dad?

#43

Post by hluska » Fri, Jun 13, 2014, 4:23 PM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #17

eagerNewb wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The country is Bulgaria. His English is fluent. He has developed a project which requires funding, yet no one wants to fund, because of the unstable situation.

Please ask your dad to send me an email (or mail me directly). I will be back in Romania in early July, I could conceivably hop over to Bulgaria to talk this over in person. I've done a few other things like this with good results: http://jacquesmattheij.com/journeyman-project-trip-1-united-... And I'm doing a few more as we speak. My email address is jacques@mattheij.com

I second Thaumaturgy and Yepyepyep's comments. This was an amazing comment and you're one of my favourites.

Re: Ask HN: How can i help my dad?

#44

Post by blablabla123 » Fri, Jun 13, 2014, 4:23 PM UTC

Do you have an E-Mail address or some stuff? I know a Network company that has a lot of people working remote.

Re: Ask HN: How can i help my dad?

#45

Post by ForHackernews » Fri, Jun 13, 2014, 4:28 PM UTC

Would it be possible for him to get a remote-work job? That would get around some of the problems specific to your country, and it might also help somewhat with the ageism issue.

Re: Ask HN: How can i help my dad?

#46

Post by rwhitman » Fri, Jun 13, 2014, 4:34 PM UTC

The connections you're going to get out of the comments on this HN thread will probably be a huge gift to your dad. You're a good kid.

Re: Ask HN: How can i help my dad?

#47

Post by jkaljundi » Fri, Jun 13, 2014, 4:44 PM UTC

dewey wrote: post #30

S4M wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you thought of doing a Kickstarter?

Kickstarter is US/UK-only.

You can do Indiegogo anywhere I believe. But even for Kickstarter to set up or find intermediaries&friends in the US is easy. Many European projects there that way.

Re: Ask HN: How can i help my dad?

#48

Post by jkaljundi » Fri, Jun 13, 2014, 4:52 PM UTC

How about he approaches some Bulgarian accelerators, seed funds etc and offers to first help them, even if pro bono to begin with. Mentor startup teams on technology and other issues. Build a network. You build great contacts and definitely something will show up if he is good. Not starting from "I need a job" or "I need an investment" but just getting involved in the scene? A network engineer is usually a good all-around tech guy and as such can be very valuable to young people. Also participate at events there and help out.

Quite often in that situation being part of a community and being useful can do wonders to your mentality and self-assurance. But networking is just as important.

Why not go visit http://11.me/ and http://launchub.com/ and http://www.betahaus.bg/ and others?

Re: Ask HN: How can i help my dad?

#49

Post by YZF » Fri, Jun 13, 2014, 5:11 PM UTC

silverbax88 wrote: post #33

thefreeman wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

even if he is just trying to recoup unpaid wages? there are fairly strict laws in this country surrounding that. I understand how being in litigation with a previous employer would look bad to a potential new one but I'd like to believe there is at least a little leeway there.

Yes. It will hurt his employment status. Companies don't want to hire employees who are suing former employers. Not always fair, but it's because there are a TON of people who frivolously sue their employers.

I strongly disagree. He should absolutely go after his lost wages by any means possible and it will do nothing to affect his employment status. There's no reason for him to inform future prospective employers of this and there's no way they will find out. As a hiring manager I would have absolutely no problem hiring someone who had to sue a previous employer for lost wages and I doubt anyone else would. If there's a long pattern of suing employers in various situations that's obviously different.

Re: Ask HN: How can i help my dad?

#50

Post by drinchev » Fri, Jun 13, 2014, 5:22 PM UTC

Disclaimer: I'm a Bulgarian.

My story short : I recently moved to Berlin without knowing German. I was hired 2 weeks after I started to search for a job and I had enough offers to choose the job I want ( I've graduated law, but programming is what I've been doing my whole life ). Before this I was freelancing successfully in Bulgaria for awhile and had pretty decent amount of income anyway. I moved here, because of personal wishes ( I really like the spirit here ).

Nowadays is really easy to change country inside EU, but anyway I don't believe that Bulgarian economy is unstable especially for IT. You can also check out a lot of positions in Sofia and around the country that are in extreme need for specialists ( my friends still keep complaining they can't find people, because most of them are abroad ).

Whatever your father is doing if he really knows English ( working level ) he will be offered with a job here or if the position allows he can even work remotely from BG.

If you think I can help you personally contact me.