Earlier quoted context omitted.
That is a true insight into why there is so much bullying (of women, of other men, of people of color, etc) in tech. I can see how that could really be upsetting throughout a life, and how it could engender a kind of constant (justified) anger. But then one would hope we could all realize this and move toward empathy and support the marginalized, each of us having had these experiences ourselves.
> That is a true insight into why there is so much bullying (of women, of other men, of people of color, etc) in tech. I don't see how that follows from the parent comment. What do you mean by this?
Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
451–460 of 541 posts
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#452Earlier quoted context omitted.
It would be so great if attitudes were changing quickly in a positive direction. In tech, it is still impossible to get your first job after a career change as a woman, a person of color, or a person over say 35. Many of these people fall into one or all three of these categories. In addition to that, they have this ridiculous other hurdle to clear, and tech is still trying to figure out if women can do any technical…
> In tech, it is still impossible to get your first job after a career change as a woman, a person of color, or a person over say 35. Nope. This is hyperbole (although not completely unfounded). My department hired a junior female of color coder of color after she completed a coding bootcamp. She wasn't a diversity hire, she was simply the best person for the job at the time. We legitimately needed to fill the positi…
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#453Former career criminal here. Spent 19 years of my adult life in a combination of jail and prison. Longest stint was for 14 consecutive years. Been working in IT for the last 17 years, mostly as a developer. Had a very hard time getting my foot in the door; was denied employment more than once because of my record. Not sure that my current employer is even aware that I have a record, and to be honest I have no plans t…
Don't you have to reveal that you're a felon by law? I ask because we have a student in our CS academy who is in a very similar situation.
"Have you ever been convicted of a felony?"
I would just leave it blank. I figured if anyone asked, then I'd humbly explain the circumstances and I could take my chances from there...
Nobody ever asked, and I went about my life. Obviously YMMV.
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#454Former career criminal here. Spent 19 years of my adult life in a combination of jail and prison. Longest stint was for 14 consecutive years. Been working in IT for the last 17 years, mostly as a developer. Had a very hard time getting my foot in the door; was denied employment more than once because of my record. Not sure that my current employer is even aware that I have a record, and to be honest I have no plans t…
Don't you have to reveal that you're a felon by law? I ask because we have a student in our CS academy who is in a very similar situation.
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#455Earlier quoted context omitted.
so you aren't seeing evidence of institutional racism, sexism, and ageism in tech? Not in your personal experience? When was the last time you reached out to someone in a marginalized group where you work and asked them about it? You might start with that, in fact we could all start right there. And maybe open with empathy and the assumption that their experience of these is true, rather than demanding evidence. I wr…
FWIW getting into tech as a stereotypical white male is also an uphill struggle. Years of ostracism as a nerd, discrimination in school and early social life. It wasn't a pleasant experience for me and not I expect for many. If anything, computers were a respite from the unpleasantness of social life.
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#456Earlier quoted context omitted.
I want to believe that attitudes are changing and I do believe that more and more people are behind efforts to make it easier for people with a criminal history to find jobs. But I still think that most people are quite NIMBY about it. They'd love for it to be much easier for them to find jobs, but they're still uncomfortable being the ones actually working with them. Don't get me wrong...I think what you're doing is…
I'm curious about "changing attitudes". Why should I give an opportunity to someone who has gone out of their way to hurt other people over a similarly qualified person who doesn't view other human beings as objects to take advantage of for their own personal gain? Not sure I have all the answers but your concept of "the right thing to do" seems fairly unexamined.
Are you sure you've deeply examined that concept?
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#457Earlier quoted context omitted.
I want to believe that attitudes are changing and I do believe that more and more people are behind efforts to make it easier for people with a criminal history to find jobs. But I still think that most people are quite NIMBY about it. They'd love for it to be much easier for them to find jobs, but they're still uncomfortable being the ones actually working with them. Don't get me wrong...I think what you're doing is…
I'm curious about "changing attitudes". Why should I give an opportunity to someone who has gone out of their way to hurt other people over a similarly qualified person who doesn't view other human beings as objects to take advantage of for their own personal gain? Not sure I have all the answers but your concept of "the right thing to do" seems fairly unexamined.
I'm not advocating for preferred treatment, just a lack of discrimination against ex-cons. The person who never went to prison should still have the advantage of work experience gained during the period that the felon was in prison. Anything beyond that is, in my view, unfair. I personally believe that the current system is designed, largely by lobbying on behalf of the for-profit prison system, to make it difficult for ex-cons to re-integrate into society and encourages recidivism. Society should want these people to be successful, if only so that they are no longer a financial burden.
I also believe that once people have finished serving their time, their right to vote should be restored. If you're expected to pay taxes and follow the laws of society, you should have your say in how public policy is made.
I recognize that my views are predicated on the idea that our justice and prison systems should aim for reform over punishment. Others will have a more vindictive goal for those institutions. I think the "changing attitudes" that I mentioned are people who are being converted from the vindictive camp to what I see as a pragmatic camp that believes a more compassionate approach will reduce crime and reduce the amount of money the state spends imprisoning people.
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#458Earlier quoted context omitted.
It probably depends by state. I was required to reveal I was a felon while on parole. Once I was off parole I no longer had this requirement but... I was constantly faced with the question on my job applications. My approach was always not to lie and only answer the questions asked, adding "will discuss during interview if needed". Twice I made it to the interview only to be rejected after the nature of my crimes wer…
Happened to me too. Went straight to probation though, no prison time. Still, was given a job offer and worked for two weeks then the company asked everyone to do a background check. I was out in two days after that. Now almost a year into my current full time job. I've been very lucky and fortunate but the threat of a background check will always look in the distance :/ will keep my chin up though.
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#459With the immigration crackdowns by the Trump administration, we've seen more and more stories about labor shortages in agricultural jobs often performed by immigrants. The problem has reached the point where wages have been increasing. Do those with criminal records consider these jobs? Why or why not? I would imagine that agricultural jobs would be low-risk for those types of employers since those with criminal reco…
A similar thing is happening here in my home state in Australia. The government introduced a new tax on the backpackers that traditionally filled out the fruit-picking workforce. The fruit-pickers cried foul about how the government was now strangling them... but this story has a twist: the fruit-pickers have been treating the backpackers like shit, withholding pay, for enough years for word to get around that it was no longer worth doing.
In short, local residents don't want to do short-term seasonal work under poor working conditions - unskilled agricultural jobs really suck. Not to mention that you're not going to draw city-dwellers out to the farm if they're poor enough to be attracted to that kind of work - who is going to give up their home for short-term work? Only those folks who don't have any roots put down; that is, people who are already travellers of some kind.
Longer-term agricultural work can attract people more easily, since they'll have an ongoing income and can put roots down.
Re: Launch HN: 70MillionJobs (YC S17) – Job board for people with criminal records
#460I just randomly came across this very relevant TED talk given by a prison inmate yesterday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F89eycANUrQ I definitely feel that American prison policy leans way too far on the side of moral judgement and retribution than rehabilitation. In my personal opinion, anyone who has served their term has already paid for their mistakes and we, as a society, should be more concerned with helping…