Journal tomhudson's Journal: Reflections upon writing a letter of recommendation 5
One of my former co-workers asked me to write him a letter of recommendation today, more or less tailored to the job he's applying for.
Looking at the job description, it's yet another month-old start-up trying to make money making web sites.
How depressing.
The simple fact is that most of the businesses who need web sites already have them. Those that don't already have one can get 1 to 4 unpaid interns who need work experience to do it for free over the course of 2 months, 40 hours per week.
It explains the high level of corruption and dishonesty in the local IT industry (more so than elsewhere). I was speaking with a government worker today who acknowledged that local IT is riddled with illegal employment practices, all sorts of business fraud, abuse, etc.
I have yet to see a single honest employer in this business. Not one. They're either lying to you, or the customer. Or much more likely, both.
So I'll write his letter of recommendation
As for me, I've come to the realization that I simply can no longer "work for" some IT boss or manager. Not in this province - the culture of corruption is just too deeply ingrained here, and the continued decline in IT employment locally is just going to reinforce that, as more people cut even more corners chasing fewer opportunities.
Move or self employ (Score:2)
Those are the choices I see you projecting. Both cases are a major change for you. But, every time you discuss a new issue it always seems to point to those choices. Personally I would lean toward the former. I've heard Montreal and Ottawa, though very urban, are nice. A'course I'm not familiar with the job market in those localities.
Re: (Score:2)
Montreal's job market cratered *again* over the last 2 years, and it will continue to lag for at least another 40 years, same as most of the previous 40. It really is a case of "we chased all the good jobs away."
Consider that someone making minimum wage in Quebec pays more in taxes than someone 100 km west (just over the Ontario border) making $50k, and you get an idea of the extent of the problem. To give you an idea, someone making the minimum wage who manages to make an extra $100 that week will pay
Sounds difficult (Score:2)
Do you code for the same reason writers write? (Because it's in you and *must* be expressed?) - or do you code because it's the only thing you know how to do / are comfortable doing?
If the former, sounds like moving time, although there are no guarantees of the grass being cleaner on any other sides of the fences...
If the latter, is it time to build plan B yet? One where you know your boss has integrity & will treat with you fairly, because you see her in the mirror every morning?
Or, were you just musin
Re: (Score:2)
Thanks for asking. I code for the same reason I write - I enjoy it.
That being said, I am looking at all sorts of alternatives. Certainly, that includes working elsewhere (another province, or even another country) and/or another field.
I'm not the only one. So many of my friends and family have left because of the continued under-performance of the local economy.
In the meantime, I'm going to keep plugging away, but like my former co-workers, we're all looking for opportunities to leave. We're just
Re: (Score:2)
While you're looking, you'll still need to fuel/feed yourself... There are *thousands of people taking advantage of "the economy" as an excellent time to combine their nutrition budget with building an additional income...