I'm a skilled open-source maintainer, but I can't interview due to my disability • Hacker News Board

Re: I'm a skilled open-source maintainer, but I can't interview due to my disability

#31

Post by 999900000999 » Tue, May 24, 2022, 6:30 AM UTC

ihateolives wrote: post #22

999900000999 wrote: post #17

I only slightly dip into management, but this person seems like the ideal employee. They won't waste time starting office drama, they'll be 100% focused on work. If I was in a position to, I'd probably let them interview via text. I was hoping remote work was here to stay, tons of people simply can not work in an office. Say you have children and can't arrange child care, etc.

As a parent: when I can't arrange child care then I can't work either. I can have at home my work or my kids, but not both at the same time.

As long as your getting your work done, it's none of my business ether way.

Re: I'm a skilled open-source maintainer, but I can't interview due to my disability

#32

Post by celdon25 » Tue, May 24, 2022, 8:15 AM UTC

Interviews were never easy for me. I have struggled with disabilities and ailments for my entire adult life. Don't sell yourself short. If I can overcome most of the challenges I've had, so can you, eventually.

It's worth playing any card you can play to get ahead, especially in this economy. But keep your eye on the prize - A big part of life is about getting dealt bad hands and still finding a way to win.

> Studying grad-level concepts that are specific to my field, and applying that knowledge to develop and maintain image processing workflows.

I used to do this exact thing, but then after switching my study time to non-tech related things, namely how to deal with people, I was able to get great results from that. Getting even better at something you're already good at is less useful than studying the basics of something already identified as being a bottleneck to your life's goals.

Re: I'm a skilled open-source maintainer, but I can't interview due to my disability

#33

Post by Kaotique » Tue, May 24, 2022, 10:21 AM UTC

I think being completely honest about it is the best approach. You can immediately filter companies that are unwilling to create a good environment for you right away. No need to torture yourself by going to standard interviews. I am sure there are a lot of companies willing to accommodate you. Not sure what the local rules are, but a lot of places have special programs for people with disabilities. It might help to get tested so you can apply trough those special programs.

Anecdotally; the company where I work has hired people who had problems with social interactions. We even had special workplaces away from the rest of the employees where they could site and code all day.