
Ask HN: How can felons find programming jobs? - _tgdn
I&#x27;ve been unemployed for 12 months, went to jail 7 months ago for 2 months, applied for dozens of jobs per week for the past 5 months straight, and almost every single one of them has turned me down because I have a felony.<p>I&#x27;ve tried not disclosing it, disclosing it early, disclosing it in the middle of the interview process, and disclosing it at the end when they make me an offer. They all turn me down.<p>Half of them are judgmental turn-downs - they won&#x27;t return my call and never get back to me, because they think poorly of me.<p>Half are policy - Goldman Sachs made me an offer last month, but withdrew it this morning due to their policy against hiring felons.<p>I only have enough money to last us through April, and that&#x27;s literally because our local parish gave us a $1,000 check out of nowhere, which adds to what&#x27;s left over from our tax return.<p>I&#x27;m a hard worker with a wife and 5 kids to support. I just need a job, but nobody will hire me due to my background. Any pointers or advice would be greatly appreciated. Especially any pointers on where to actually find a job.<p>Because I&#x27;m still on probation, I can&#x27;t move out of state and can either work remote or local (greater Chicago area). Most of the jobs out here require 3+ years in C# which I don&#x27;t have and don&#x27;t feel comfortable lying about either.<p>For more background, the felony is from flashing someone (while drunk) who was just under 17 years old. This was the second offense (the other was years ago). They are inexcusable and disgusting offenses, but they are permanently on my background.<p>EDIT #1: my crime was in 4 local major newspapers, and all 4 online news articles show up when you google my name, so hiding my background is not really a possibility here. About 4 months ago, a small local software firm, which would have been an amazing job, said &quot;I know you said you&#x27;re looking for 70k, but we&#x27;d like to offer you 75k&quot;, and I asked them to give me a few days to think it over, which he was happy to do. Then they never responded to my calls after that, presumably because they found out about this.<p>EDIT #2: I am no longer able to reply to anyone here, since HN now says &quot;slow down, you&#x27;re posting too fast&quot; when I try, so, um, sorry if I don&#x27;t reply to you before that resets (probably tomorrow).
======
zer00eyz
Im going to give you some either great advice or bad advice - only time will
tell.

First of all take ANY job you can get - this means starbucks is on the table -
Get back to work, even part time.

Second if you have skills then start putting them to use - open source, build
your own thing what ever. At least 2-3 hours a day of WORK. Google up non
profits that help fellons find jobs and ask them if they can use your services
as a volunteer. You never know where opportunity will come from.

Third, start a blog. Tell your story, put your real name on it. It is
compelling and your looking to make a change. Show your work, name the
companies that reject you - you have probably given out enough info for me to
find out who you are any way just own it.

My last hint - lots of "temp agencys" and "placement agencies" will happily
take you on as someone they can place. Most of them don't care if you were a
rapist or a murder - it wasn't a financial crime so your fairly safe to
employ. I once worked at one and they ran background checks for finance ONLY -
everything else was kosher.

~~~
JshWright
I agree with 99% of this. I don't think there's any value in publicly naming
the companies that have rejected you, and there is a potential that it would
be detrimental (how would a potential employer view that?). I just don't think
the risk (however slight) outweighs the (practically nonexistent) reward.

~~~
zer00eyz
Your dead wrong.

For years there was "no value" in discussing salary... but companies were
allowed to ask you "how much did you make at your last job".

So we have/had a system that is "pro company" and "anti-worker" that took a
LONG time to change and let a lot of things that we probably always would have
been upset about go on.

There is value in publicly naming the company that didn't hire him. It stops
someone else in his position from wasting their time. The only entity that
benefits from him NOT disclosing the policy is the hiring company.

It "might" make a company look bad if it got out that they DO or DONT hire
people who were once criminals - and then we get into a larger set of
questions.

Is their policy a stealth racial bias? Is the purpose of the justice system to
lock people up and then create social shunning or reform?

This is another case where tradition and the status quo does not make sense.

~~~
JshWright
I agree with your position when taking a global scope. When looking at it in
the narrow scope of the OP's position and goals, I don't see any benefit for
them.

~~~
zer00eyz
If everyone takes that stance then NOTHING changes - your suggesting apathy -
this is how the status quo remains in place.

OP literally has nothing to loose and everything to gain by being honest about
his situation - the knowledge is already public and working against him.

Also thank you for sharing - happy for the dialog!

~~~
threatofrain
Another interpretation is that we can achieve a moral victory even without
asking more disadvantaged members of society to make a sacrifice for dubious
gain.

If one believes that moral conduct ought to have a relationship with moral
results, then one must also coldly ask what sort of results one truly expects
from this.

~~~
zer00eyz
We continue to build technology without thoughts of consequences. OP's issue
IS one of technology. What 20 years ago would have required actual WORK is now
a service any one can utilize. Companies that never would have asked for
criminal and financial history now do so as a matter of course, because it is
cheep, because they can.

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was
not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was
not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."

\-- Martin Niemöller

If those who have these issues don't stand up and speak (and to a larger
audience than HN) how are they going to get the attention for us to speak up
for them? OP has been punished, he should speak out that he is CONTINUING to
be punishes, he IS a sacrifice.

------
helpfulthr312
Some ideas for you, take anything you like:

* Check out the porn industry. They are always pushing boundaries of what is possible with tech and felons frequently work in the industry.

* Military service is a "customary shortcut to public affirmation". It may be possible to enlist in some branch somewhere and request a waiver for your felony.

* Improve your portfolio. If you are a good enough developer, people will overlook certain things.

* Find a desperate entrepreneur who will pay you the bare minimum cash to support your family, along with some equity.

* Start learning C#, it's actually a great language, loved by man.

~~~
sexoffender
I know C#, learned it over winter break a few years ago, but have not used it
for 3+ years in a professional setting. That's the issue. Even if I try to
make hobby apps with it, nobody will hire me for a job using it. Unless I look
for entry-level jobs, but even then a recent college grad is a better choice
than me.

~~~
rrw023
The C# ecosystem might be less than ideal for you to spend your time learning.
Start thinking about how certain programming languages might correlate with
certain types of industries. You're going to want to target companies that are
less likely to bother checking in to your background, and if they do, are less
likely to care. Think more along the lines of hipster startup development and
less along the lines of conservative enterprise development. This might mean
focusing your efforts on learning the Javascript of Python ecosystems instead.

------
RBBronson123
Please contact me (Richard@70MillionJobs.com) We're the first for-profit
recruitment platform for people with records. We work with many large,
national employers, as well as many tech companies. (We're a YC company) We
have amassed a community of 1 million + active job seekers, and are providing
significant HR solutions to big companies. I believe we can help you. (No
charge of any kind to an applicant.)

------
garrettgrimsley
Hi OP, another felon looking for a job here, I got out this January after
serving 11 months. I would encourage you to apply for whatever government
benefits you qualify for, if you haven't already. Just like you I've had
offers rescinded after the background check. Doesn't feel great, but you have
to keep at it. As someone else said: Get a job. Get any job. Right now I'm
working at a commercial fish market doing manual labor. At the same time, I'm
teaching myself Android development so that I have a portfolio I can show
prospective employers. If I still can't get a job I'm going to try
freelancing.

>Because I'm still on probation, I can't move out of state

This may not be true. I'm on Federal probation, not state, so it may be
different, but you can have your probation transferred to another state. The
receiving state must agree to accept you, which may be an issue as a sex
offender. Best of luck.

~~~
rrw023
I'm a federal felon myself and have found success by applying to companies
based in states/cities which have "banned the box" for private employers. I'm
currently working in a very respectable software engineering position, in a
region which hasn't banned the box. The largest part of this companies
workforce however, is based in an office located in a state which HAS banned
the box for private employers. They never had a felony conviction checkbox for
me to check on the job application, and they didn't bother running a
background check which included the federal system. I've found that probably
only around 50% of companies will include a federal background check. When it
comes to background checks for housing or background checks for recruiting
agencies, virtually none of them will do this.

~~~
clackanon
I'd be interested in talking to you more about your situation. How does one
reach you?

------
jwilliams
There is a YC company that is looking at this --
[https://www.70millionjobs.com/](https://www.70millionjobs.com/) (YC S17).
Might be worth trying out. Good luck.

------
fencepost
Edit: this occurred to me after posting and may be more important than
anything else: _have you entirely stopped drinking (or using any intoxicants
/drugs should IL join the legal pot states)?_

If you have a history of getting drunk enough to show terrible judgement but
haven't stopped drinking, then you're still showing terrible judgement.

\---

Well, stay away from financial and medical - both are going to have background
check requirements that may also explicitly bar felons. Anything handling cash
or card payments is likely also out based on PCI.

I think the two things I'm going to suggest are setting up a company or at
least a DBA (so searches are on the company name not yours) and focusing on
things you can do that are outside company networks. Assuming you have
technical skills appropriate to HN and some level of design skills, website
development may be a place to start. Since you're in Chicago, I'd consider
going to WordCamp Chicago in April - it's cheap and informative, even if you
start out with static site generators and not WordPress (which has concerns of
its own like needing updates and maintenance).

------
seibelj
You have paid your debt to society, you should not continue to be punished in
perpetuity.

Perhaps make an LLC, and use your middle name in place of your last name when
communicating with people? Or legally change your last name? That way they pay
you as a contractor, with checks to your business, and no one is the wiser.
You are in survival mode now, I wouldn't let pride keep you from changing your
name.

~~~
sndean
> Or legally change your last name?

I think there are laws (in most states?) against changing your name if you're
a registered sex offender. But trying to get a job using a middle name instead
of a first/last name is a decent idea.

~~~
Fjolsvith
A name change doesn't remove the legal requirement to register as a sex
offender.

------
ggg9990
You’re definitely targeting the wrong companies if you are applying to Goldman
Sachs. Apply to work remotely for a Bay Area startup like a YC company. They
don’t run background checks as frequently or as well and they often don’t care
about whether their remote employees are felons (while they might care about
on-site employees).

~~~
sexoffender
Since November I have applied at every type of job: silicon valley start-ups
with just a few people, software consulting firms with a dozen or two dozen
consultants, and large corporations like GS. Initially GS told me the felony
wouldn't be an issue, made me an offer, and dragged me along for about 4 weeks
after that, reassuring me the job was a sure thing. Only this morning they
changed their mind out of nowhere. Otherwise I wouldn't have wasted so much
time with them, as I was up-front with them early on.

~~~
rrw023
As a felon myself, I have never had anything good come out of early
disclosure. I think your best bet would be to target jobs in areas that have
"banned the box" for private employers (I believe Chicago is one of these
cities). If you receive a conditional offer of employment, they will most
likely run a background check at that point. Some lower quality background
checking services can provide surprisingly incomplete results. More than
likely though, it will return your conviction history. Once you get that call
from the HR representative questioning the conviction, simply state that you
didn't feel it was relevant to the position being applied for. Refer them to
the EEOC guidelines on hiring people with felony convictions (especially the
part about individualized assessments). These guidelines are merely a
suggestion, but it might be enough to sway the mind of someone in the company
who has that discretion.

------
dcole2929
My best advice on where to find work is look for smaller companies or for
remote work with foreign companies. Small startups and the like often don't
have the ability or the time to run background checks. It's not worth it for
them. And many countries outside the US have laws against discriminating
against people with criminal history. For example if you look for remote job
for a Canadian company you'd probably have a decent chance of finding
something. The salaries going both of these routes are lower though.

Also look into getting your records sealed. If you situation is really as
you've describe a judge may be willing to help you out here.

Also check out
[https://www.70millionjobs.com/](https://www.70millionjobs.com/)

~~~
sexoffender
Oh, also I should mention, my crime was in 4 major local newspapers, and those
online news articles are the first 4 results of googling my name. So it's not
really something I can hide, at all.

~~~
DoreenMichele
Most people don't check past the first page of results. If you can establish a
robust online presence for your name, that may move those results down in the
listings.

I am not advocating that you lie, deceive or hide anything. I am suggesting
you establish a positive internet presence so that ugly stuff is not the only
information available about you.

Vanessa Williams lost her Miss America crown to scandal over nude photos. The
entire world knows that. That information never went away, yet she was
eventually deemed respectable enough to do work on music for a Disney film,
Pocahontas.

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colors_of_the_Wind](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colors_of_the_Wind)

I don't know if this is your only handle on HN or if it is a sock puppet used
for talking about controversial issues, but I will suggest you abandon it
after you are done responding to this discussion and establish a positive
presence on the site. The fact that you have a history of arguing about sexual
subjects under the handle of _sexoffender_ looks really messed up.

It's possible that is just you being naive and dumb, but it makes me wonder
what other stuff you may be doing that may be making employers think that
hiring you is just a scandal waiting to happen.

Because I recognized your handle due to this bizarre choice you have made to
talk about sexual subjects and parenting choices under this handle. I recall
wanting to debate you and choosing to refrain because I felt like no good
would come of it.

So I think you need to take a long, hard look at some of the social signalling
you are doing. I will suggest therapy and journaling to sort out some of your
sexual issues.

Please note, that is intended as kind and supportive. I spent plenty of time
in therapy for my own sexual issues. I'm not trying to be ugly here.

~~~
nickthemagicman
They made the name out of frustration and highlighting how reciculously easy
it is to become a sex offender. Its not some.faulty social.signaling.

------
forapurpose
> Half of them are judgmental turn-downs - they won't return my call and never
> get back to me, because they think poorly of me.

I'm not at all downplaying your difficulties, but it may help to know that
many people without felonies on their records endure this same lack of
communication from perspective employers. In some cases, it may have nothing
to do with the felony.

I hope you find a great job.

------
makmanalp
Not sure this is what you're looking for, but I listened to a podcast about an
organization (Defy Ventures) that helps formerly incarcerated people kick off
entrepreneurial careers:

[https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/con-jobs-inmate-
entreprene...](https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/con-jobs-inmate-entrepreneur-
catherine-hoke)

------
skrap
I really hope you find something, and never having being in your situation,
it's hard to know whether I'm being helpful or not. But have you considered
working on open source bug bounties?

Here's some bounties available in C#

[https://www.bountysource.com/bounties/search?direction=desc&...](https://www.bountysource.com/bounties/search?direction=desc&order=bounty_total&can_add_bounty=all&languages=28&trackers=&per_page=50&page=1)

------
joshmn
Felon here!

Being a felon has impacted my life in several ways. I'm going on almost 10
years of being labeled a felon, so I have some stories to tell as to how it's
impacted my life:

I've struggled with relationships ("omg my parents Googled you"), friendships
("I googled you"), finding a place to live ("sorry, we don't accept people
with a criminal history like yours"), bank accounts ("sorry, we can't give you
a bank account due to your criminal history"), payment processing accounts
("sorry, we can't accept you to process payments on our platform because of
your criminal history")... list goes on.

But I've never, ever had a problem finding work. Maybe it's because of how I
go about finding work.

I don't work in corporate environments by choice, as I'm just a terrible fit.
I've worked with headhunters without issue, and I've applied to Who is Hirings
without issue. I've worked as a business entity with larger-ish companies
without issue too (but they're still small enough to not be super corporate)

It's one of the first things I tell people when I wouldn't work under a
registered entity: "just a heads up there is no way in hell I'll pass any sort
of background check whatsoever"

Somewhat ironically, what's on Google, or any news outlet, is significantly
less severe than what a thorough and complete background check will show
because of how the courts proceeded (at least for me)

Would love to talk more about getting you in the right direction. Email's in
my profile.

------
RcouF1uZ4gsC
I think you are in hard place because of the the current culture. It seems
that in the present climate, a business would hire someone that actually
killed people while driving drunk before someone who flashed someone while
drunk.

~~~
varcharlie
We're not just talking about "flashing" someone while drunk, we're talking
about exposing oneself to a minor, twice. Once may be seen as a "drunk
mistake", etc. Twice is a pattern that will make people think twice. Not to
mention people generally don't like hiring sex offenders.

~~~
RightMillennial
Maybe the OP has a drinking problem that he's working on. Who knows?
Regardless of the offense, there's no reason to ostracize him from society and
employment after he's done his time.

~~~
varcharlie
I'm not ostracizing him, just pointing out that exposing yourself to a child
is a very serious crime. Found the articles about OP and it pretty well
explains why he's having a hard time finding a job. IMO he should just start
his own company, because most software companies aren't going to hire a sex
offender.

------
ghostbrainalpha
This is a wonderful startup in Las Vegas. They definitely hire Felons.

[https://pigeonly.com/about/#careers](https://pigeonly.com/about/#careers)

Any chance your former employer would take you back on a reduced salary, while
you work on your portfolio/freelancing/rehabilitating your record?

Why don't you have references?

I think long term you should focus on changing your name and getting a good
profile and work history on UpWork. This could lead to a steady job, and no
one will ever check your background for freelance jobs.

Why was the crime of flashing a 17 year old published in 4 major newspapers?

~~~
varcharlie
Because he was already a sex offender and it happened in a residential area,
the parents contacted the police obviously.

------
logfromblammo
Chicago is a tough market for ex-cons. Illinois never lets the conviction drop
off your background check, and a lot of companies won't hire a felon, period,
even if it's for aggravated jaywalking or grossly negligent mis-parking on
your 18th birthday.

You're _not_ going to get a job in Chicago in software or IT unless you start
your own business or work remote.

Apply at Goodwill or somewhere else known to hire non-violent, non-theft
felons, to pay the short-term bills. Then you'll have to form an LLC and work
through the business name. It will limit your opportunities until you can
leave the area.

------
dddddaviddddd
Project-based contract work / freelancing? A good portfolio, some networking,
and interviewing well could get you some gigs. Not being an employee would
probably reduce any risk-averse corporate refusals.

~~~
sexoffender
For that I would need references (I have none), a good portfolio (I have
none), or the ability to start off making almost no money (my family would
starve).

~~~
PenguinCoder
You're just like every other entry level developer in the industry then. The
only thing that is setting you apart is the conviction. Yes it will be harder,
but with the items you just specified, everyone else is dealing with too. Get
a portfolio (make one), get references (find some), and don't let your family
starve. Take any job you can to make money while always looking for that
better one, working on the references and portfolio. This is no different
advice than what I'd tell any other developer starting out.

~~~
olkid
I fully concur. Find your first reference today(mayhaps, someone from your
parish).

------
Optimal_Persona
At least around me (SF Bay area), social service/healthcare non-profits are
open to hiring felons, and do so regularly. At my current job, the best boss
I've ever had revealed she was a felon at her going-away party on her last
day. Organizations with missions focused on building life/parenting skills
actively seek people who have learned from their mistakes, and who want to
help others do the same.

------
tapitest123
Send an email to: tapitest123@gmail.com

I think I have some contacts you can try out. Small companies, especially ones
with minimal public interaction should be good targets.

------
PakG1
Check this out:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14911467](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14911467)

Mind you, I did a quick search in the Chicago area for developer jobs, found a
bunch of them have written n+ years of experience required. But give it a
shot, and read the comment threads too. At the very least, hope it's a bit of
inspiration. Good luck.

------
JohnStudio
It's a tough bag, and unfortunate, because there are some really talented
folks left swinging in the wind. Case in point - Kevin Mitnick, but that is a
solid example to follow and take advice on post-computer access from yore. You
don't exactly need the programmer job, considering there are many options for
fronting a self-employed avenue and doing the consultant thing. The comments
so far are much around small companies and beyond because the need is there
more than the rigors of corporate American which places a premium on vetted
resources w/o a mark on the record.

Hope this helps. There is plenty of work to be had and the avenues are wide
and paved with honest wages if you advertise and remove yourself from the past
and work towards the culture.

G'luck!

------
mynameishere
Even without the record I would expect you to have a hard time. I'm surprised
you're getting offers. Try to keep in mind that there are people who 1) Have
3+ years experience, 2) Have portfolios, 3) Have references, 4) Have clean
records, and 5) Still can't find work. Yes, it happens, believe me. So, you're
going to have to get way, way, way back in line behind those people. And
that's fair.

In the meantime, just get whatever work you can.

~~~
sexoffender
I have several years of experience but it's all niche or outdated tech, hard
to find jobs in it even without the felony.

------
nnn1234
70Mjobs was created to solve exactly this issue . Don't know how useful they
have been. But might be worth a try

------
coffeebucket
so,

My heart goes out to you brother. I can give constructive advice:

1\. Set your expectations.

Many things in life now are more challenging for you. You're a second class
citizen now. Expending your mental energy hating that, or feeling victimized
by it, will paralyze you. Instead, spend that energy identifying your specific
challenges and planning how to deal with them.

2\. Expect failure and rejection. Use each one to refine your approach.

Rejection is a part of life now, but that's okay. Just like sales is a contact
game, so is the job hunt. You may need to make 50x more applications than a
non-felon to get serious consideration. That's not fair, but fair doesn't
matter. Just make those application, and approach each one as if it matters.
Use your network. Write good cover letters. Be ready to sell yourself as
someone who is a better hire. Be ready to answer tough questions honestly, and
with humility.

3\. Recovery from a criminal conviction is a marathon, not a sprint.

While you reach for what you want to happen, you need to be willing to take
whatever you can get.

Set realistic goals. Probation is HARD. It's very oppressive, but it's a
necessary component of our system. You can't stay free, and improve your life,
if you fail at probation. Know your conditions inside and out, better than
your PO does. Never make them question your compliance or honesty. Put
yourself out, to never put them out.

I wasn't able to get back into programming until I was off probation. What
employer wants to be told "If you hire me, federal agents reserve the right to
search your office at any time, including copying all the contents of my work
computer, and all network attached data too."

4\. Lay the groundwork to sell yourself.

You need to have more to offer than a college grad with a CS degree. Find, or
refine, your specialty. Be spectacularly good at something specific and
specialized. Be prepared to prove that value to an employer. The downtime with
no job is terrible. But use it to improve your marketability. Then you can
reach out to people who need that specialty. Find others with similar skills
on IRC, mailing lists, boards like stackoverflow and HN. Learn to cold contact
somebody and say "I see you're into $skillset, I like what you have to say on
that. I work with it a lot too. Do you know anybody that's hiring with that
need?" Us programmers love to make referrals... most orgs pay a big bounty for
bringing in a new hire.

5\. Don't give up.

Stay positive, especially when it hurts the most. For your family. For your
friends, and the people around you. Don't become one of those guys who has
given up, who is always full of victimization and anger. On a long enough
timeline, as your trouble move further into the past, you will find more
success. Give everybody a chance to treat you like a human being. Sometimes
you'll be pleasantly surprised.

My background:

I dealt with a similar situation. I was convicted of a sex offense conspiracy,
because some people I was associated with committed some very serious crimes.
To get their prison time cut in half, they implicated several others along
with them. I had a fantastic career before the 7 years in prison. I also had
sensational news coverage. A slow news week, my face was on the 10pm news
every day for a week. You can imagine how well that went over at the county
jail.

After prison, life was HARD. Those fucking scars, man. Most people will never
comprehend what you're going through, and frankly they're never going to care.

I had a similar experience with Goldman Sachs. They contacted me and asked me
to interview, because they liked my hackerrank code in a few contests. I aced
the phone screen. They basically demanded I fly to meet them right away. Two
days later, I got a form rejection letter in E-Mail, as if I had submitted an
application but was being declined for an interview.

After probation, I started seeking remote work nationally. I applied to
everything I qualified for on the HN Who's Hiring posts. It took me about 3
months to find a job. Now I work as a full-time contractor for a small firm,
with zero benefits, for acceptable pay. They never asked about criminal
history, so we never had that conversation. I like to pretend they wouldn't
fire me, but we both know how that goes. I'm hoping this can lead to full-time
employment, or at least strengthen my future employment prospects. But the
work is really fun, and the people are great too.

I still live poor. I drive a 22yr old car. I carry a shitty old phone. All my
furniture came from goodwill for $20. I save every dollar, because I need to
be prepared for the hard times. I can't pretend hard times aren't coming
again, but I'm going to be ready. I'll greet them with a smile, like an old
friend.

~~~
gesman
The brick wall happens with full-time employment.

\- You can still do consulting/contracting or act on behalf of your own
company.

\- Build website for "your company" and describe services you offering that
are matching your skillset.

\- You can still look for job at upwork.com (or whatever sites there are).
Granted - you'll be competing with bottomfishers from developing countries -
but the point is to make your expertise known. This may evolve into good
business relationships down the road.

\- You can still participate in contests (as a company) and build your
hackerrank or whatnot. If asked to work for someone - tell them you only do
consulting/projects on behalf of your own company, not as individual.

\- You can still hire others as consultants to do work for you or for
customers you find need your skills. Again - acting as a business, not as
individual.

------
ShabbosGoy
> For more background, the felony is from flashing someone (while drunk) who
> was just under 17 years old. This was the second offense (the other was
> years ago). They are inexcusable and disgusting offenses, but they are
> permanently on my background.

Just a side note, why are these felonies? Or even crimes to begin with? It’s
not like you tried to force yourself on those underage girls or rape them. In
Europe, there are many nude beaches where girls under 18 regularly go to with
their families.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that it’s harassment and unwanted on the part
of the girls. But I am surprised that it is a felony and not a misdemeanor.

~~~
bootloop
You don't know the details.

~~~
wilsonnb
I don't think I can imagine a situation where exposing yourself in public
merits 7 months in jail and permanently making it almost impossible to find
employment.

