Who's this Lusiphur guy anyway?

[Lusiphur]

Hello, my name is Bariby and I'm a postaholic!

I've been addicted to postahol for going on 15 days now with no end in sight.

Thankfully, I'm also addicted to Red Bull and cigarettes so I've got lots of caffeine and nicotine to help me power through hours of coding, lurking, and answering questions in these forums :)

Unfortunately I'm currently unemployed and actively seeking to break into the software development industry but having little luck doing so. One of the hazards of having a low-level post-secondary education in something is that you become "over-qualified" for things like customer service positions and "under-qualified" for all but (non-existant) entry level programming jobs...

For something to pass the time (and hopefully build up my resume) I decided to make my own website (which is a continuing work-in-progress as I think of upgrades for it) and, while doing so, discovered DaniWeb... So here I am and now I'm your problem!! :twisted:

You'll see me most if you post in the C#, ASP.Net or Web Design forums as those are the areas I'm most familiar with :)

[finito]

Welcome to the forums, I see a lot of your work, keep up the good work.

[Lusiphur]

I'm curious which of my "work" you see more of lately... the helpful answers to well worded questions or the mild (as I can make it) statements towards the people who simply drop their 1-2 sentence questions into the forums without any indication of trying to solve them themselves. :twisted:

[IB142CY]

Hi
It's me again. I'm just sniffing my way around like a curious pup. I've been to edit my profile, and have a question. Where/how did you add a default comment/quote/whatever in the space below your post? (i.e. --Google is your friend... etc.)
I can't see a direct invitation to make one or explanation of 'how 2 doit'

Yes, I tried to solve it myself!

[Lusiphur]

Control Panel > Edit Signature :)

In there you can put a formatted block of signature similar to what you might do in a mail application like Outlook or Thunderbird.

Hope that helps :)

Edit: I'm only snappish when I see little-to-no effort made to solve issues because people don't learn if they have all their problems solved by others without even trying to research it themselves. So if you've shown effort don't worry about me jumpin' down your throat :) ((in relation to "Yes, I tried to solve it myself!"))

[Lusiphur]

On a side note, in case anyone's wondering about my alias, Lusiphur, it's not as obvious as it may seem :twisted:

It's based on this, and I've been using it since early high-school as an online moniker.

[djenoe]

hi how's it going ?
i'm john from melbourne
would you be able to teach me some java prigramming..thanx
SNIP

[Lusiphur]

Sorry, I only have a general knowledge of Java2, a very basic knowledge of JavaScript and I'm not a teacher. Plus, this is a community introduction thread, hardly the place to ask for guidance and teaching in a language I've not even mentioned a knowledge or interest in :)

As a side-note, please review the rules regarding the inclusion of email addresses in your posts :)

Sorry I couldn't be more help for you, I encourage you to check Google for online coding resources for Java and if you get stuck with code that you're developing that's not working as expected I'm sure the folks who read the java forums would be happy to help.

[Ancient Dragon]

>>I've been addicted to postahol for going on 15 days now with no end in sight

Yooo. I've been addicted to DaniWeb for over five years now. And my post count shows that I too am a postaholic. AFAIK there is no cure for it except for death.

[maceman]

Hi Bariby, nice to meet you :D

[DavidB]

Hi, Bariby.

Glad you decided to join Daniweb; it is a pretty good place.

I took a look at your website and your CV. Are you still in the Vancouver area?
I am in a similar boat; although employed, it is not my preferred job. For everything half appealing to me, I am either underqualified or overqualified. Have you posted a resume on all the job sites? I know the odds are against you on these sites, but it is good to cover all the bases. And you have nothing to lose. Good luck.

[Lusiphur]

David;

I've posted on the usual gambit plus a few... Monster (useless), Workopolis (slightly less useless), I've even posted with a couple of agencies (Procom and others) as well as trolling Craigslist and applying directly to dozens of companies I've come across in various searches I've conducted.

Part of the problem is, despite my abilities and knowledge (and the fact that I can 90% of the time find a solution if I don't already know it through a bit of research and effort) I don't have the big flashy credentials that many companies seek.

Yes, I have a computer programming degree from a trade college here in Vancouver but then so do many other people (similar degrees). The problem is, while I actually EARNED my degree (and then some) with hard work and a strong ability to easily pick up on key concepts quickly... many other people with similar degrees didn't and make the degree appear worthless to employers with their lack of practical knowledge and ability.

If I could at least get my foot in the door and show my skills and willingness/ability to learn I'm sure I could become a valuable asset for any company willing to give me the chance. Unfortunately, I never get past the application to even an interview :(

[DavidB]

If I could at least get my foot in the door and show my skills and willingness/ability to learn I'm sure I could become a valuable asset for any company willing to give me the chance. Unfortunately, I never get past the application to even an interview.

I am sure that applies to many people out there; it certainly applies to me too.

However, even if you get hired by somebody, perhaps you will soon get tired of relying on other people for your money. Once people know they control your rent and grocery money, they take advantage of you somewhat. So perhaps you should not make your ultimate goal employment. Use it as a stepping stone to a career as your own boss, either as a consultant, or a contract worker, etc. If you have the creativity and initiative that you seem to, I think working for yourself is the goal you should be working toward. In the meantime, use the time, and any employment periods, as opportunities to learn skills and gain experience that make you a better professional.

While you are unemployed, work on your website and blog as much as possible. Perhaps learn more web technologies and programming languages. And feature them on your website, which can be a real-time exhibit of your skills.

Myself, I never applied for writing jobs; however, after writing on my blog for a few years, I decided that I have enough of an online portfolio to apply to postings as a writer. So, I have now started applying to writing positions--in addition to my usual postings. That just sort of snuck up on me. Perhaps as you grow your website and blog, you will develop some skills that you overlook for a while. Then one day, you'll realize you have more skills than you thought, and it will open up a whole other field in which you can submit applications.