To OP, sorry you're experiencing this. If you want 1:1 help debugging your job search, feel welcome to email me directly (contact in HN bio). I probably won't be able to get to it until this weekend, but I will try to help if I can.
Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
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Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#12Many student loans can be put on basically indefinite hold via income based repayment (if you make little enough, your minimum payment is zero, but the interest keeps accruing). This gives you some flexibility to take any job you can find, even something that doesn't require a degree.
You might also look into trades, depending on your engineering specialty. A machinist with a MechEng degree from MIT or a millwright with something related to manufacturing will be extremely valuable, especially if you're willing to move where the work is.
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#13> I've applied to tons of places
What kind of places are you applying? FANG? Startups? Something else?
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#14Look for marketing jobs, technical marketing, marketing on social media. People are hooked to youtube, tiktok, instagram.
That being said, the whole tariff situation is creating a dark cloud over all jobs
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#15Consider tapping into the alumni network - I can help with more guidance on this front. Drop me an email.
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#16These days, applying through job portals is a losing strategy. People are overwhelmed with perfect-on-paper AI-generated applications.
Email people directly. DM them on Twitter/LinkedIn. Meet people in person.
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#17To me, it sounds like you need professional experience on your resume so that should be your goal. However, professional experience != a full time software engineer role. Can you find something really small that pays from a freelance site? Maybe it's just a python script that takes 4 hours and pays $10 - but with that you are a professional software engineer. Do you anyone who owns a website for a business? Ask them if you can do some really basic work for $1 - because if you do that, you're a professional software engineer.
Once you have some professional experience on your resume, it should get a little easier - it's still going to take some time and grit, but it should work out.
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#18Decide where you WANT to be (like, literally, location).
Plan to move there and get any job.
Don't be ashamed to apply for any and all government assistance you might be able to find.
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#19If you can get support, staying for a graduate degree is a time honored way of riding things out when you graduate into a recession. And if the stock charts are an indication, industry is bracing for the mother of all recessions.
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#20Look for marketing jobs, technical marketing, marketing on social media. People are hooked to youtube, tiktok, instagram. That being said, the whole tariff situation is creating a dark cloud over all jobs
I'm not sure that's the best advice unless you're looking to build a career in marketing
If you're looking at your long term career trajectory you're probably better off taking a (maybe much) lower paying job in the area you want to end up in. Grow relevant skills and gain experience
Of course this is irrelevant if you just need money to survive today