An Update - Two Months After My Last Blog Post

      It’s been two months since my last blog post, and finding time to write has been challenging. I’ve started a few posts, and saved them as drafts, but never managed to finish. I also took a break from coding and job hunting, as my day job has been especially demanding and has led to a tough bout of burnout. I work in inventory, and with our yearly audit just days away, there’s a major push to clear up any outstanding issues. This season is always stressful, compounded by an ongoing labor shortage. To me, it’s not just about a lack of workers but a lack of well-paying jobs. Where I work, the starting pay is minimum wage, and it’s a physically intense job. Many new hires end up leaving because they don’t feel the pay justifies the effort, which leaves the rest of the team under even more strain.

   I took a few weeks off to give my mind a break and to step back from the constant cycle of either not hearing back from job applications or receiving generic rejections. During that time, I watched movies, read on my Kindle, and admittedly spent a bit too much time on social media. I did apply for a corporate inventory analyst role within the Finance department at my current company. After ten years here, I feel I’ve hit the limits of my professional and financial growth. I've learned everything I can in my current role, and moving forward, raises would only be a small bump every five years, which feels inadequate given my potential. So, a shift to a corporate role with better growth opportunities and a significant pay increase sounded ideal. After a phone screening with HR, I had a remote interview. While I connected personally with the interviewer, I didn’t feel my current experience transferred smoothly into the qualifications for the new role.

   About a week ago, I received an email from HR saying they were moving forward with other candidates but would keep me in mind for future roles. It was a standard rejection template, with just my name copied and pasted. My first reaction was disappointment; after ten years with the company, it stings to feel that my qualifications aren’t enough for a corporate inventory role. It’s that classic paradox—needing experience to get the job but needing the job to gain experience. It took a few days to process, but I’m not too upset, as it wasn’t my dream role. However, the increased income would have really helped my family.

    Lately, I’ve been questioning whether switching to tech and investing a couple thousand in a boot camp was the right choice. That money could certainly come in handy now—my son’s hoping for a PlayStation this Christmas, and my significant other is dealing with car troubles. Maybe I should have stuck with my current field and looked for better-paying opportunities with a different company. It’s frustrating because I’m not happy in this field, and despite applying to hundreds of roles, I’ve had little success. Lately, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m letting my family down. It shouldn’t be this difficult. I may not have technical experience yet, but I’m willing to learn anything to prove my value. I just need the opportunity.

    My dream job is a web developer role at a larger company that values the potential I bring, even if my current experience is limited. I want to work on a team with peers and senior developers who can offer mentorship and guidance. I’m looking for a healthy environment that encourages growth and learning, ideally with a meaningful pay increase as well. I’ve been meditating on this goal, manifesting it, and researching how to land a first tech role without formal education or professional experience. I know finding a mentor, attending meetups, networking, and freelancing are essential steps, even though, as an introvert, they’re outside my comfort zone. I wish I could just apply and get the job, but I know I have to push myself to try new strategies if I want a real shot at achieving my goal.