reactreflux1

I no longer feel motivated to compete. Maybe I just need to get back the motivation but I don't know how. The mass layoffs weren't even the tipping point for me. Even when the market for tech jobs was healthier, the whole process of interviewing felt unforgiving and sweaty. And this doesn't include the FAANG-type companies, just the more mundane ones.

I've been applying to jobs non-stop since 2021 and interviewed at many places, and getting no offers. I faced the burnout sometime early last year. I don't have a job, yet the stakes still feel low for me right now. Even for the more "chill" jobs you are expected to pass multiple rounds, and be the best among the candidates.

Just being a finalist isn't good enough to pass, it seems. I would prefer to avoid this criteria of placing first and still find a means of getting hired. For an average developer job, I just want to have an average mindset, not very competitive, where being average among the interview candidates is already considered "good enough".

Scenario: you are long term unemployed, your immediate needs differ from the employed. Health insurance, and some welfare, might be taken care of with some outside (usually government) assistance. But, you are more likely in a worse motivational state to be very effective at finding work.

A highly popular view is that self-improvement should come before a job offer. If you have to emphasize esteem and social belonging to optimize your chances in being employable, but you also need the job to satisfy financial and physical needs, doesn't that turn some of the pyramid on its head?

Among almost everything people do, finding work is more optimized for people who are well-connected, confident, and respected. These traits are associated with middle-upper tiers of the pyramid, but are also often treated as recommended prerequisites to getting a job more quickly- something that most people need to satisfy physical and financial safety needs. At least in the way most job markets are set up.