That really does sound depressing.

I remember when I applied for my first professional job in 2004. I didn't even want the job, I applied out of obligation to get unemployment benefits for another two weeks. So I applied to a senior engineering role, as a grad, and somehow was given an interview. I didn't get the role, but they called me back to say someone else more junior had just quit and offered me her position.

Much easier times for new grads.

Side note: one of my colleagues there had a new baby. This week I learnt that baby has just had a baby.

Woof, it does genuinely seem that if you "cold apply" to basically any job these days it goes straight to /dev/null. At this point I don't even bother unless I have a foot in the door through some irl networking means. It can be friend of a friend who works there or I met someone at a conference or even just talked at a booth. It doesn't have to be much but not applying through the web form is the only way to get an interview.

I thought the pressure of applying for jobs was too much in 2000 when objectively it was much easier, and just went to work in a plastic factory. After learning programming I've only applied to seven jobs in nine years, and it takes me weeks of procrastination for each one. Just like married people are all glad they don't have to deal with the dating apps today, I'd probably be unemployed again if I went back on the job market. I have endless appreciation for recruiters helping me through the friction parts, and wish there were fixers like that for everybody.

1200 applications over a period of 18 months is over 2 applications a day for 18 months solid. If thats the case there's no way you're putting in the time needed to A) find jobs that actually excite you; B) reflect on where you can improve after each rejection; C) write really effective cover letters.

I spent 11 years at a small nonprofit in Washington, DC starting in the late 1990s. I was one of two paid staff at the start and as we grew, I was appalled that the ED did not include info updates to those who sent in resumes. At most, we had 50 candidates. So I created a postcard that the administrative assistant would send if we passed on a candidate. (Of course, the admin complained about having to do such b-o-r-i-n-g work when I got all the fun stuff. I was, for a time, the only public policy person. And I had a college degree and Master's. I explained that I did all manner of work from boring, like cleaning out the supply closet because she never did and I used a lot of supplies and needed to find them quickly usually, to "fun," going to meetings outside the office.)

When I was looking for a job out of college in 1986, I hated not hearing from companies. That I was the only one of three staff who thought follow-up was important still bothers me to this day.

Is this a community college perhaps? I think we have another problem with this industry moving way too fast for even very well funded colleges to keep up. Let alone a community college. Of course it’s sad, but at the root it feels like we are now preparing CS students for an outdated job market. I don’t know the answer to this. Of course the fundamentals don’t change, but the market is rapidly changing. Who is even hiring juniors except those with impressive projects, from prestigious colleges or with at least 2-3 years of experience?

If 2025, would have been my own graduation year, I would have had a bad taste in my mouth believing that LLMs can do everything I spend 4 years in college for. Not knowing that writing code is only a small part of the job (as I lack the experience).

This has as much value as an anecdote. The Open University? Is that even good? Idk. Does she have a shit resume? Any projects? We don’t know anything other than “I’m sad and stressed” from her.