[deleted]
Ask HN: How to cope with job hunting and depression?
21–30 of 60 posts
Re: Ask HN: How to cope with job hunting and depression?
#22Utilize your skills that you have gained through your experiences. You don't have to be a full time employee! For example, you can even do freelance works on different platforms. You might not get hand full of money at the beginning but, something is better than nothing right?
Another option will be to build a network while working and start consultancy services. Just find the people that needs your help. And, start helping others.
I'm not as experienced as yours (I'm 25 years of old). But, I had suffered from depression as I faced betrayals in my first job at a startup. Then, started from scratch and started focusing on freelance works. I was lucky enough to find some great clients from the globe. One of them even gifted a laptop to me that I'm using to write this comment. Eventually, with the help of my clients me and my wife even started our own startup (still self funded)! Its been almost 1.5 years and counting...
Please, don't quit. You will never know what is waiting for you! Sometimes you won't find a door of opportunity so, all you have to do is build the doors so that opportunities can come to you! I wish you all the very best.
Feel free to get in touch[1], If I can help you in any way. :)
Re: Ask HN: How to cope with job hunting and depression?
#23I can relate to what you are going through. Depression sucks. And not everybody can understand what it feels like.
I was in a situation where depression messed up my career and I had to open up. But what helped me was opening up to people who are not very close. There was no fear of judgement and they were also going out of the way to help out. There were so many who reached out to offer help. While it did not improve my personal situation, it did provide me the hope when I needed it badly. And over time, the situation gets better.
Also when I started looking at my depression as an illness rather than a reflection on myself, it made things slightly better.
Would suggest you to hang in there. Please talk to folks who have reached out in this forum and outside, support groups.
Maybe reaching out to old employers, ex-colleagues, taking up part time or related work might open some doors till you can get things right.
Please know that situations do get better, you have held up so far and give it some more time. When in doubt, think of the days prior to the illness, it will help you to bounce back.
Re: Ask HN: How to cope with job hunting and depression?
#24Rejection sucks for anyone, but I can see how it's worse when you suffer from depression. It's a kind of negative feedback that you really don't need.
The first important thing to realise is that depression is a disease; it's not you, it's a disease messing with your brain chemistry. It's a disease that makes good things feel pointless while making bad things, like rejection from a job interview, feel even worse than usual.
I can't cure your depression for you (but do talk to a shrink or at least a support group), but I do know how to make job interviews less stressful: have job interviews when you don't really need a new job.
That's not very useful for you now, when you really do need a new job, but bear with me: maybe you can find a different job, less ambitious, lower pay, not quite the kind of work you want, but something that will help pay the bills. A job at a place you like, where you like the people, preferably. A job that makes you feel happy and appreciated is more important than a job that pays well.
Then, when you have that job, look for a better job from the comfort of that job. That's hard, because you already have a job and don't really need another one right now, so why would you go to those horrible job interviews anyway? Because the stakes are lower. When you already have a job, there's no penalty for fucking up a job interview, and at the same time, you'll be more relaxed and less stressed, and because you need it less, you'll actually do better in the interview. And even if they want to hire you, you can reject them. Hold out until you find a job you want. But first, just get any job. Take a step back in your career, a big step if need be, flip burgers if that's what it takes, just to get in a position from which you can take a step forward again.
It's deeply unfair that finding a job is easier when you already have one, and harder when you don't have one. The human mind is weird that way, but you already have some hands-on experience on how weird the human mind can be. Use that experience to your advantage.
Re: Ask HN: How to cope with job hunting and depression?
#25I'm 44 with fewer years of experience as a developer than yourself. I've been through the job hunting meat grinder a couple times in the last year myself. I've been homeless in the past, too. Here's what I have to say: - therapy is for people who can afford it; don't get hung up on the fact that you can't afford it, and do what you gotta do to keep going - leave your personal drama out of the interview, no matter wha…
> if you suck at interviews, practice interviewing
You know what's also a great way to practice interviewing? Interviewing for jobs you don't want. Just for practice. Because you already don't want the job, the stakes are low for you, so you can relax and just do the interview.
Re: Ask HN: How to cope with job hunting and depression?
#26If it is of use, feel free to email your resume and I will provide a free 1-2 page review (OP only). I run a professional services firm creating them, LinkedIn Profiles and interview coaching for global job seekers.
Re: Ask HN: How to cope with job hunting and depression?
#27Hope is definitely there. As long as we are alive, there is hope. Please hang in there. As many people here, I as well can relate to many aspects of what you are currently going though. I'm sending you some positive energy and can share one practical advice - consider attending your local tech meetups (find them here: https://www.meetup.com). There is a very good chance that conversations with people there will open you to various and unexpected (in a good way) career opportunities. But first (or in parallel with meetups) try to reach out to people here who offered you some networking help (myself included). Best wishes!
Re: Ask HN: How to cope with job hunting and depression?
#28Wow - you're getting rejection letters/emails? You're doing much better than I've been faring. Have reached out to around 25-30 places in the last 2 months - 2 have actually responded with "you're not a fit".
Consider connecting with someone at 7cups - https://www.7cups.com/ - it's free.
Re: Ask HN: How to cope with job hunting and depression?
#29> I'm increasingly finding it harder to get any interest from employers, it seems like they all have better, younger, candidates
Ageism might be part of it, and there's not much you can do about it with those companies (assuming that's a factor). As someone north of 40, yeah, some aspects of this aren't all that fun, because it does seem like there's always someone younger and 'better'. My cynicism has grown greatly, though, and I realize that I'm generally going to have jobs cleaning up after most of these "younger better" folks once they move on to the next shiny thing. I'm not saying I want to be code cleaning forever, but, looking at the market, there will likely always be demand for that, and you can't be all that good at it without experience, which you've got (and will get more of).
re: friends - well, if you want a job, you do have to keep trying, but you may do better changing how you're working.
do not end your life. sounds a bit harsh when I say it like that, but... give it more time, and come up with some plans - multiple plans - to try to get past this. therapy and medication may be in your future, but it sounds like anything paid may be out of reach at this precise moment(?)
I've been in your shoes - many of us have. Mental health issues in the tech community are only just starting to be recognized and addressed. If you'd like to talk (phone/email/whatever), please contact me at https://kims.al. I can ... just listen if you want, or give some feedback, or perhaps help on some practical things (resume review, etc). Your call.
Re: Ask HN: How to cope with job hunting and depression?
#30I'm 44 with fewer years of experience as a developer than yourself. I've been through the job hunting meat grinder a couple times in the last year myself. I've been homeless in the past, too. Here's what I have to say: - therapy is for people who can afford it; don't get hung up on the fact that you can't afford it, and do what you gotta do to keep going - leave your personal drama out of the interview, no matter wha…
> if you suck at interviews, practice interviewing You know what's also a great way to practice interviewing? Interviewing for jobs you don't want. Just for practice. Because you already don't want the job, the stakes are low for you, so you can relax and just do the interview.
if you're just getting rejection letters (or no call backs), "interviewing" at "real" places is kinda hard in the first place.