Job Search Notes
Honest thoughts about finding work
The problem
Most job search advice is performance theater. "Build your personal brand." "Engage with content." "Network strategically." It's all treating people like engagement metrics instead of humans.
I'm not good at this kind of performance. And I don't want to be good at it.
What I'm actually doing
Building things. Documenting what I learn. Putting the work where people can see it. If someone finds it useful, great. If they want to hire me because of it, even better. But I'm not optimizing for engagement or strategically dropping hashtags.
The theory: People who value the same things I value will find work that demonstrates those values more compelling than a polished LinkedIn presence.
What I'm looking for
Teams where documentation is infrastructure, not overhead. Where "move fast" doesn't mean "create tech debt we'll never pay off." Where thoroughness is valued.
Developer tools, platform engineering, R&D, educational technology. Places where careful thinking about problems creates actual value.
The uncertainty
I don't know if this approach works. The standard advice is standard because it produces results, even if those results feel hollow. Maybe I'm just being stubborn.
But I'd rather find a job through work that represents who I actually am than through a performance that doesn't.