“The only part where I’m dishonest is how enthusiastic I am about the roles.”

I was messed around in my last contract role as I was moving between companies within a shared project. The latter company took a long time to get my contract ready. They expected me to work without a contract, but the idea of them paying me before the contract was ready was treated like a physical impossibility. After the 2-month delayed payment there was a lot of uncertainty and no communication about whether my contract would be extended.

Mid summer was probably not the best time to start looking for jobs. The first 30 I applied for got only three, negative, responses. Most expect a covering letter. It takes some effort and emotional energy to write and care, or pretend to care, about the role. In return I got a lot of tumbleweed. I’m not yet lying on my CV or massaging it for AI. The only part where I’m dishonest is how enthusiastic I am about the roles.

It seems like 90% of the software engineering jobs are either creating some kind of generative or agentic AI-enabled service or insist on engineers using it regularly for productivity. I’ve used it a bit, but wasn’t very impressed. Some ex-colleagues on LinkedIn sing the praises of gen-AI, but I am not sure I trust them, given the above observation about the job market. I have serious practical and ethical misgivings about gen-AI, but have held back from sharing my opinion online in case it scuppers my chances of getting one of these jobs. It seems that generative AI is the pit that people with money are pouring it into right now and all we can do is sit at the edge of the pit with our mouths open.

As Autumn starts I have at least had a couple of interviews, but it’s slow going. As well as applying I’ve been trying to expand my skillset as most jobs want more than just one language. None of this is made any easier by the stress of lack of funds while being the sole breadwinner in the household and going through a divorce that started before this work crisis.

I’m fortunate to be able to get some financial support from family, but it’s not a good feeling.