

Career Crossroad – Need Advice Please - shakycode
http://shakycode.com/post/119847169919/career-crossroad-advice

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calcsam
It sounds like you have a ton of relevant experience -- I would love to work
with you -- and your main hurdle will be the interview process. Never fear,
this too can be engineered :)

Some thoughts:

* Practice makes perfect. Practice your story, say that you're looking to a more exciting startup environment. Practice with friends or your computer camera.

* You're probably going to have to move when you start the job. Not a lot of startups are remote-friendly. I would recommend SF or NY. You're a painter in the Renaissance -- if you want to stay on top of cutting-edge techniques, best move to Florence.

* When you're talking to startups, don't mention the word IT, and change your title from "Director of IT" to "Infrastructure Lead" \-- it makes you sound more like an IC (individual contributor) w/ a DevOps role.

* Don't mention you'll take a huge pay cut. That sends a bad signal, even if it's true. It's like putting a sign on your back that says "KICK ME."

* Apply for lots of jobs. Make different versions of your resume, with a PO Box with a local address on the top. No one will likely check (though you can get the PO Box if you want) -- and it will make recruiters far more likely to call you. If they ask about your location, say "I am currently working in Houston, but looking to relocate to [TARGET LOCATION] as soon as possible, for personal reasons."

* This is something I did that got me a lot of interviews very quickly: [https://medium.com/@calcsam/outsource-your-job-search-3e9909...](https://medium.com/@calcsam/outsource-your-job-search-3e990967a1f3)

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shakycode
Wow, this is great advice! I really appreciate your candor and modalities. I'm
going to try and put this to work, immediately :)

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calcsam
Glad it's useful! I'd extensively read engineering career advice, for example:

* Patrick McKenzie's blog: best post: [http://www.kalzumeus.com/2011/10/28/dont-call-yourself-a-pro...](http://www.kalzumeus.com/2011/10/28/dont-call-yourself-a-programmer/) * Aline Lerner's Quora answers: [http://www.quora.com/Aline-Lerner/answers](http://www.quora.com/Aline-Lerner/answers)

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shakycode
Awesome! I've read both. This is really sound advice. Where were you a month
ago? :)

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shakycode
Thanks for reading, everyone. I'm hoping to gain some insight from other IT
folks out there as to where I can go from here. I'm really burning out and
could use some solid advice.

Cheers!

