Consider that risk aversion is not a bad trait — google “three fund portfolio” and the theory behind it. Stock speculation is time consuming and akin to betting. Know when to appreciate your aversion to risk.
Another way of phrasing self-confidence is “self-validating.” Social confidence is essentially not looking to others for validation. It starts with rewiring how you perceive the world (see: CBT). Isn’t it odd that you construct stories of your failure that link back to your physical attributes? What if you told different stories? This one is hard to grok until you start to realize how much your brain filters out information to fit your core beliefs about yourself. I didn’t believe this until I realized that my negative self stories kept popping up while talking to people with strabismus (eye misalignment). I was literally looking them in the damn wrong eye, and telling myself how disengaged they were and how uninteresting I was because they “weren’t looking at me.” Most of what we perceive is what we already believe. It is unnerving, but valuable to know.
You mention the word “feeling” a few times. Is this in reference to anxiety? We’re all templated to feel social anxiety, but some more than others — especially those running negative self-talk reels in their head. Try to first start seeing that anxiety when it happens, even if you can’t halt it. Foster the skill of emotional self-observation.
Just trying to offer some new starting points. No easy answers here. Try loving-kindness meditation for a start — you’re going to have to come to love and respect your 5’5 balding self in the end.
Try playing a longer game. Pick your favorite tech and join a local group for it, and meet every time they do. Instead of the discomfort of the phone interview, you'll need to tackle the discomfort of connecting with others -- but just realize everyone's human like you, and ultimately wants to connect just as much as you do. Learn about them, look for common ground. Let them get to know you. Don't connect with a certain person? That's expected -- keep trying.
Come up with a notable side-project next time you are inspired -- but make sure it won't take longer than 1-2wks of effort. It can be a gimmick, so long as it is somewhat notable. A trivial CRUD app, but applied to a novel/fun/interesting domain. You could even look for non-profits needing a tech solution. You want to appeal to someone hiring for a jr position, and who wants to see initiative.
Good consultants -- and even FTE career-oriented devs -- tend to have their work lined up via their network. A network is as simple as casually keeping in contact with old coworkers and then pinging them when you're looking for a new opportunity. In your case, it would just be connecting with other tech folk. Open your surface area to opportunity. This is how you end up knowing about job positions not even posted yet, and end up with inside knowledge on tech that can get you into a job much easier.
Look at 1099 contracting. It's low-risk to the employer because you're easier to drop if it doesn't work out. It pays a bit better for you, in return for that risk. If you're out and looking, you can find opportunities to contract that will never be posted to job boards, because a lead engineer just wants to bring someone on quickly. The biggest risk to people pulling 1099 contractors is that contractor ghosting on them, especially when they work remote -- make one of your big selling points be communication.
This strategy -- networking -- is one that is critical to pick up not just for landing a jr/intermediate job, but for keeping career longevity in an ageism-tinted industry.
It'll be a pain in the ass, but surely better than taking minimum-wage. I think networking-motivated individuals who are still early on the dev journey can do very well.
This tool is the lowest-barrier-to-entry to get into circuit design -- used the applet after trying commercial/trial tools (including "cloud-based" ones), and all failed me.
I see testimonies here in comments by freelancers who are using 10xmanagement to source work. This specific product posted here seems to be for something else: you have a gig lined up, but want to be represented.
I appreciate the endorsements, but am now curious about the main product: how do I get on the 10xmanagement list of software engineers to be considered for gigs? I don't see a publicly visible way to apply. Is it really via referral only?
If so, where do I go to find a referral? Luck? Research existing "10x developers" and get them to like me?
What are the requirements to becoming a "10xer," aside from the potential for referral?
EDIT: Ah, I did not read the FAQ: https://www.10xmanagement.com/faq/ -- tl;dr as the response below suggests, probably need to contact them. As far as I can tell, they're basically operating as a standalone agency, so it's not much different than applying for a job interview anywhere else.
Their delivery service is frustrating. It seems to be the norm, and accepted, that drivers will mark packages delivered a full 24 hours ahead of time and do the delivery the next day, presumably to meet delivery requirements.
I've also had these individuals basically solicit me for a tip, recounting how they're underpaid, etc.
I really don't like this move to try to uber-ify package delivery. UPS/FedEx have their bad moments, but at least I don't have to worry that the employees are under too much duress to deliver, or are on the edge of unreasonably compensated.
Interesting, though I must ask: Why YML instead of a DSL?
Granted, I come from Ruby, and writing DSLs is pretty typical. Maybe not so popular in Python.
I am asking this because I become suspicious of config languages that read like code. Is not a bonafide programming language the better choice in this scenario? i.e. all overly-configurable formats (e.g. Terraform .tf files, JSON schemas...) converge on just being a new scripting language?
I am curious, is it possible that countries / regions share such lists? i.e. would refusing to comply with a digital search at the US border possibly affect me in EU?
I'm going on a trip to Canada within the next month, from the US, as a US citizen.
I want to be let into Canada without issue, so am taking a burner smartphone connected to a non-critical gmail account that is plausibly-maybe my "real" personal one. But not really. The maximum threat to me is detention, or more likely, refused entry. If I am asked to unlock the device, I will.
Crossing back into the US, I am less concerned. If I am asked to unlock the device, I will NOT. The maximum threat to me is semi-indefinite detention, and I know at the end of it, I can reach out to the EFF to seek representation in a larger action.
Does anyone else have any tips/tricks/ideas here? I realize trying to subvert any Canadian border search is not a good idea, but it's a good middle-grounds vs. "don't go to Canada" or "give them all your private data", I think. On the other hand, I am willing to be more stringent with the US border because (A) I am a citizen, I cannot be refused entry, and (B) this is a cause I would like to participate in, so invite any negative outcome caused by my refusal to unlock the device or share any logins.
Contraband can be digitally transmitted without physically traversing a border. Given this, what purpose is there to performing extended searches (potentially of cloud / remote data) at the time of border crossing?
This opens a door to unlimited search power at US borders against US citizens. There is already a 100-mile inland range where your can be searched without a warrant around our borders -- we are only going to make this worse by extending that range into all of our private digital data.
I posted a house/key analogy just now that may help clear up the distinction between physical and digital data search. Just to be clear, I'm actually ok with border guards physically inspecting my electronics. I am not ok with them compelling me to login to them, decrypt them, or otherwise hand them over my social media / banking logins / etc.
Keep in mind, we're talking about US citizens re-entering their own country here. I think this is a key point.
It's one thing if a border guard inspects your house key you brought along, analyzes for dangerous substances, drugs, etc.
It's another if they clone that key and have someone drive out to inspect your house with it.
To me, your house in this scenario is your entire collection of private data accessible online / remotely (finances, taxes, possibly the private data of others -- possibly even portals to HIPAA/other PII data of a more commercial nature).
Assuming you agree that it is unfair to let the border search data outside of the phone, then it gets still more problematic.
One of the tricky aspects here is that it seems you can be detained / intimidated if you refuse to decrypt / unlock your device (as a US citizen re-entering your own country). I think you're getting at the idea that the phone/laptop is a physical device and should be searchable like any other object -- and, I think that's fairly reasonable. The problem is that the border guard can also "compel" you to decrypt that device / log in to it if you've put these measures in place. People have been forcibly detained for refusing to cooperate [1], even being put into a chokehold [2].
I respect that some amount of extra search power is required at borders -- but that power must be reasonably scoped (and in this case, I'd say it is not).
Another way of phrasing self-confidence is “self-validating.” Social confidence is essentially not looking to others for validation. It starts with rewiring how you perceive the world (see: CBT). Isn’t it odd that you construct stories of your failure that link back to your physical attributes? What if you told different stories? This one is hard to grok until you start to realize how much your brain filters out information to fit your core beliefs about yourself. I didn’t believe this until I realized that my negative self stories kept popping up while talking to people with strabismus (eye misalignment). I was literally looking them in the damn wrong eye, and telling myself how disengaged they were and how uninteresting I was because they “weren’t looking at me.” Most of what we perceive is what we already believe. It is unnerving, but valuable to know.
You mention the word “feeling” a few times. Is this in reference to anxiety? We’re all templated to feel social anxiety, but some more than others — especially those running negative self-talk reels in their head. Try to first start seeing that anxiety when it happens, even if you can’t halt it. Foster the skill of emotional self-observation.
Just trying to offer some new starting points. No easy answers here. Try loving-kindness meditation for a start — you’re going to have to come to love and respect your 5’5 balding self in the end.