Ask HN: Has anyone else been unemployed for over two years? • Hacker News Board

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

#401

Post by uxcolumbo » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 5:50 AM UTC

DamonHD wrote: post #30

Retired - sort of - when the remains of my last two start-ups died (in the same month!) after the pandemic and were sold for OK money. Now doing a part-time PhD working fixing the climate. Coping - generally fine - helped by building up a new network of friends and doing things like going clubbing and going to music festivals and giving talks and running voluntary orgs. Just been out for beers with my mentee; he will…

What’s your advice for people who want to transition to working on projects to help fix the climate crisis?

Where would you start?

Curious, what bit are you working on to help fix this? Research as you’re doing a PhD?

Reading “Reinventing Fire” currently. So much needs to change, but it feels like there is zero political will to address this crisis.

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

#402

Post by kh_hk » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 5:52 AM UTC

lotsoweiners wrote: post #256

kh_hk wrote: post #68

Left my job in 2022, thought I was going to just take a short break. Been applying to jobs but I really struggle to find something that motivates me enough to pass the interviews. Probably have gone through 20 processes. Got one offer, but also managed to get a grant to work on my side project for the last year, so I did that instead. We see what next year will look like, but I am not too optimistic honestly.

I find this mentality very strange but maybe it’s because I don’t have as much saved as I’d like to have. If I were out of work I’d find significant motivation to do whatever I could to pass an interview and at least make some money while looking for something better.

I don't know. It's all a mix of factors, but it's basically "been there, done that". The last times I was really excited about the jobs, nowadays I have this doom feeling it will be the same experience over again. Maybe burnout, maybe being too privileged to fail and still somehow make ends.

That said, I forced being motivated, and I did whatever took, and still failed interviews. So, now I know it's not on my hands to pass or not.

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

#403

Post by SeanAnderson » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 5:58 AM UTC

balamatom wrote: post #253

SeanAnderson wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah exactly :) I had no experience and, if I'm being honest, I was shit at game dev, but boy is it a nice means of creative self-expression. ( https://github.com/MeoMix/symbiants/ / https://ant.care/ ) It's really fulfilling to be able to show people your work and have them play with it. It's so different than like.. spec'ing out a new database schema and then building some APIs over it. They're both coding, but one…

Not to push you into the rabbit hole but... have you looked into bolting some sort of scripting language onto your Rust program for quick prototyping?

I haven't looked into it seriously, no. Scripting support in Bevy (the ECS framework I was exploring) is pretty limited. There's an add-on that can provide unofficial support for LUA (https://github.com/makspll/bevy_mod_scripting) but I doubt that would be compatible with a WASM build target.

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

#404

Post by uxcolumbo » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 6:06 AM UTC

petsormeat wrote: post #305

Yes. Last full time software development job was in 2017, under the most abusive manager I've ever had in my 20+ years in tech. Took a full year out just for psychotherapy. Unfortunately, the subsequent years had me branded with that "employment gap" stigma that recruiters and hiring managers can't see past. I'm now doing temp office work for my local government. I actually prefer the job setting, aside from the low…

Thanks for the tip.

When you say abusive manager, do you mean micromanaging and the likes?

If not, is this something HR could have helped with. But then again the saying goes HR is not your friend?

What would be your advice how to deal with abusive managers? Especially not letting it get to a point where you need therapy.

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

#405

Post by uxcolumbo » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 6:09 AM UTC

xvector wrote: post #307

petsormeat wrote: post #305

Yes. Last full time software development job was in 2017, under the most abusive manager I've ever had in my 20+ years in tech. Took a full year out just for psychotherapy. Unfortunately, the subsequent years had me branded with that "employment gap" stigma that recruiters and hiring managers can't see past. I'm now doing temp office work for my local government. I actually prefer the job setting, aside from the low…

The "employment gap" stigma is so frustrating. I want to find every recruiter that thinks it is okay to stigmatize this, and smack them. My girlfriend is currently suffering a lot because of this because she had to go on extended bereavement and now no one will hire her.

Can you put ‘freelance’ or volunteer work in that gap? And have friends or family as reference?

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

#406

Post by uxcolumbo » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 6:11 AM UTC

ChicagoDave wrote: post #86

The longest was 20 months last year. In this market with GenAI and an uncertain U.S. administration, it’s not likely to improve for years. I would recommend everyone hunker down and do what you need to survive, including selling things and moving to lower cost locations and combining assets with family where possible.

Good advice.

Stay lean and prepare for tough(er) times.

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

#407

Post by justinyee17 » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 6:15 AM UTC

It's a bit vindicating seeing the volume of responses to this. It's possible this is a biased sample and not representative of the majority, but it's nice to know I'm not alone and at least 1 other has experienced exactly what I have.

I was always made to feel fundamentally broken, and I wondered if I was really that terrible. I had no clue why I was treated with such malice and made to feel so unwanted.

Adding my story to the hat - graduated in 2022, naively thinking the world was eager for new contributors, and having finished my degree, I could start working on interesting real-world problems right away. Instead, I got nowhere and spiraled into the most severe self-doubt, worthlessness, and depression in my 20-something years of life.

I had the opportunity to learn and contribute through volunteering, joining my first organization in 2023. Used to be a full-time thing, even what one may consider overtime. Now, I'm kinda spread thin with projects, and also done everything important to where the projects are in maintenance mode.

But finally having that proof - that I could learn, contribute, and do well. I think it was life-changing. Yet judgement and imposter syndrome still hits like - "well, you didn't get paid, so it doesn't mean anything. That's not real work experience." Heard that's basically what someone said about my CV.

Did a smaller project across 3 months, then joined a third org in 2024. Obviously, not pulling 40+ volunteer hours a week anymore, but I still do what I can. Big progress through small changes, doing more in less time, and all that.

I got to work on these projects, learn a few lessons, and I can now bring my ideas to life using what I know. It's relieving to have some control over my endeavors finally. I don't really need a tech job anymore, because I've gained the insight I once thought I could only get from having one.

Technically, I'm employed, but it's on the retail floor. Though I was unemployed for 27 months beforehand, over 3 years without starting what I once thought would be my career. And I'm about to be on the search again.

I think more physical jobs are catching my interest. I'm just focused on seeking novel experiences and further knowledge to broaden my horizons.

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

#408

Post by anonzzzies » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 6:16 AM UTC

craftkiller wrote: post #205

ComputerGuru wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t have a LinkedIn and it has impaired my job hunts in the past but I always worry that creating one now (without the references of colleagues from decades of past work) would look worse than not having one?

Do people still do endorsements on LinkedIn? There was an initial flurry when that "feature" launched but I haven't been endorsed for anything for I think the past decade. Really the only things I do on LinkedIn are update my job history and accept connections from coworkers.

Yeah, I have like 50 endorsements from when it launched and 0 since. It looks fake to me (like I paid them) but that was how it was.

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

#409

Post by randycupertino » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 6:21 AM UTC

com2kid wrote: post #133

pluc wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've done a few rounds of CV edits and reviews early on, it hasn't helped. It's worth noting that the initial CV I had was one where I never had trouble finding work with. Edit: misunderstood "referrals" for "references" so edited my reply out. No, I've never asked for referrals from past colleagues.

Not having LinkedIn is ruining your chances. Candidates without a LinkedIn are going to come across as a scam in the very least, 90% of the time your application will just get tossed if you can't be found on LI.

Agree with this, unfortunately. I have a coworker who routinely calls people without linkedins "sketchy" and obsessively looks everyone else, vendors, functional area colleagues, etc up on linkedin. I didn't have a very fleshed out linkedin myself because I value privacy and was surprised how biased some people are about it. I've also seen candidates who have otherwise passed interview panels get veto'd because the dates on their linkedins don't match their CVs.

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

#410

Post by remorse_jaunty » Sat, Sep 20, 2025, 6:27 AM UTC

jfil wrote: post #380

remorse_jaunty wrote: post #361

Couple years back I walked away from a company that IPO’ed, cashed out enough to not worry about rent or food for the next 20–30 years. I swore off jobs, told myself I’d build something of my own. But I haven’t built anything. Haven’t even tried applying anywhere, too stubborn for that. Most days I just circle around ideas, start, stop, drop. Repeat. Money isn’t the problem—it’s this gnawing restlessness, this sense…

Most people underappreciate how tough it is to get yourself motivated & creating anything when the structure of a job falls away. Its fine to go take a job, just for the structure/mental stimulation it provides. If you do take a job, I wouldn't be surprised if you eventually find a passion project that'll make everything fall into place. Its ok that it takes time to discover that passion. (I took 2 years off for an e…

It’s not like I haven’t considered getting a job — I’ve gone through this exact cycle so many times I’ve lost count. The job hunt feels dismaying, so I default to chasing ideas. It feels right for a while… until I’m back at the same question: is a job what I needed all along? My better self honestly craves structure, waking up with a clear, singular goal.