Hi all,
I'm a long-time user of HN, but using a throw away for this one.
I'm a US-based 31yo software engineer with my last "real" job ending in late 2010. I've been a stay-at-home dad of 2 kids since then, and in between changing diapers and late night coding sessions kept myself plenty busy with side projects and continuously kept up with new technologies and stacks. I also did some freelance work here and there.
I've been doing software development since 2001 and am currently most proficient in Python, Javascript, and Java, with background in large scale data analysis and machine learning and am looking at back-end developer positions.
So I'm ready to go back on the job market. I'm getting my Linkedin profile in order and my resume updated, but I'm stuck. How do I deal with the obvious employment gap? Do I mention being a stay at home dad in a cover letter? What do I need to know before I start applying to positions?
Any feedback is greatly appreciated, especially if you or someone you know were in my shoes once.
Thanks!
