I've concluded you can't get a job these days unless you're some fucking wizard. It's always the response: "We found better candidates than you".

Dick person who writes such a response though

Translates as "we found someone cheaper than you"

@nibor lolol

well, that's usually how failed interviews go, and the job market really is crap rn

Huh, apparently I'm a wizard.

Where's my Hogwarts letter?

"We weren't actually even hiring but we won't tell you that"

@electrineer We just wanted you to write this example "interview" code to solve a problem for us.

you're supposed to have connections on the inside hook you up with the job

how to get these connections or be so good at your job that you have this reputation and build them, idk

@GeorgeBool I have the opposite problem. I refuse to work a job I'm not qualified for. I refuse to be paid for standing around with my dick in my hand.

Unfortunately that apparently means I'm not qualified for anything.

This must be location based. Most companies here are permanently hiring for devs simply because they can't find enough.

@Nanos London. But that's certainly not the only place.

well people who study for leetcode and hacker rank, even if they cant build a rest api that just returns a hello world string...

will often be chosen over people who are shit at online code exams but have single handedly done and maintained several big projects

@Nanos rejection can be painful I know. If you can somehow get past that, then you literally have the Midas touch. I think I may be misusing the word literally here. In any case the ability to keep on chugging and trying means you are inevitably going to manufacture your own luck. If you really look at life from this lens, thoroughly and completely, you can in aggregate have anything you want within reason.