4 years unemployed despite having a BSc, MSc and two tech internships – what should I do?

[EazyDuz]

I'm in my early 30s, an EU citizen (Male) living in Ireland, relatively close to the UK. Despite having a BSc (2020), MSc degree (2022) in computing-related fields and two internships, I've struggled to get a proper job in tech for around four years.

I've faced constant rejections, ghosting, hiring freezes and difficult technical/ coding assessments. Even graduate and entry-level positions seem to require experience. With layoffs, huge numbers of applicants and AI potentially affecting junior roles, breaking into tech feels increasingly difficult.

Due to personal circumstances and other factors, things haven't gone as planned. I'm now living with my parents and relying on government benefits. I'm grateful to have their support, but being in my 30s without financial independence has taken a toll on my self-esteem and mental health. My brother has even called me a leech, which makes things harder. Atm, im struggling with self esteem issues, struggling to get out out of the house properly, binge eating and gained weight, etc.

I'll admit I've probably been too focused on finding a job in tech instead of considering other options (low tech jobs or minimum wage job) I genuinely want to work, get out of the house, meet people and move forward with my life.

I'm considering applying for minimum-wage jobs, but I worry employers might see me as overqualified, so perhaps I'd need to remove my master's degrees from my CV. I also have a car and have considered doing delivery work, although I'm not sure how worthwhile that would be.

What should I do in this situation? Should I keep trying to break into tech, look for a different career entirely, or take whatever job I can get for now? If you were in my position, what other careers or options would you suggest?

Overqualified is the thing that makes me eye roll the hardest.

If you meet the requirements for the role and you are the best candidate then you will get the job. Your issue isn’t going to be that you are overqualified, it’s that you haven’t been holding a job for years.

When you apply for a job in a supermarket, it’s not your masters that will cause problems, it’s that Sally and David have both worked in stores before. When you apply for a cleaning job, Mark and Jim both worked in a hotel as maids, so they’ll get the jobs…you need to take ANYTHING someone will give you, while you look elsewhere.

It’s a very poor stance to take benefits and not look for a low level job because you are holding out for something in your field, and to expect your parents to pick up the slack in your 30s. And the longer since you did your degrees the harder it will be to break in, the tech is changing and the new grads in their 20s will be more likely to get the roles with their more recent qualifications.

Get any job, then work up. Honestly I would recommend banking, huge scope for promotion from something like a contact centre role into a tech role if you have the qualifications you do.

Dunnes have started their seasonal hiring. Any job is better than no job and prospective employers want to see you can turn up every day, as well as the rest.
Code jobs are dying unfortunately, you need to look for related roles which use your skills but aren't so vulnerable to being offshored or AI.

If you have contacts in your industry then use them. Ask them what you need to be doing to get a job. Ask them to give you a heads up (and support to apply) if any paid jobs are coming up.

If you are the poster I think you are, then you need to stop posting on Mumsnet and start engaging with the real world. I suggest you seek therapy to talk through the issues you have.

If you are not the poster who posts about following a particular woman on SM for years and becoming obsessed with her, and about whether you want to have a girlfriend or a family anyway, then you are remarkably similar, but my advice remains the same, which is to get out of your bedroom, sign up to do some voluntary work, and get on with living instead of posting on here about options that frankly you won't have unless you leave. I would also sign up for CBT yourself usually hosted by the local health-care service or see your GP about some support to shift your thinking and support your MH.

I think the poster you are referring to did have a job (unless details have been changed).
OP can you go back to where you did the unpaid internships and ask if they will have you back? If they are relevant to what you want to do they will be more useful than not doing anything.

I’d just keep applying for any job, even if it’s something unrelated like working in a shop or an admin role. All experience is good and through meeting new people you can sometimes unlock some contacts.

Also, not always easy but you could see if any charities or schools need help with tech work. Just build your own stuff too and do some certifications so you can show wha you’re capable of at an interview.

Why not do a teacher training?

You just have to get a job, any job. Ds has a masters and did 18 months of minimum paid work until he got a job in his field. The interviewer actually said he stood out as he obviously wanted to work and also ds was able to give real examples to the interview questions. Ds comes from quite a privileged background but has always had a part time job from 16. You need to gain real life experience alongside applying for the jobs you want.

This may be true, there might be more than one early thirties male living with their parents doing computer science seeking advice from Mumsnet!

The advice remains the same, though, something is better than nothing, it is depressing staying in, so you need to fill your time with volunteering, mending computers and setting up your own business, applying for jobs of any type to bring in income, and starting to think what you could do instead.

Computer Science has a higher unemployment rate than most humanities degrees, partly because so many people do it and also the tech dates quickly, the market collapses a bit though it usually recovers. I'd do anything to get a foot in the door at this point, which might involve moving.

I don't think teacher training should be used as a fallback option. And there's nothing in this OP (not even online tutoring for maths/science which I would think would be an easy job to pick up) that suggests they have any interest in teaching.

You need to get a job. Any job. Can you then do some voluntary work in IT? Charities always need help with IT. This will help your CV.

Go for any job in any field. Even minimum wage. You need to show that you can show up and hold a job down, any job, day after day. Get someone objective to review your cv (and cover letter if its required) tailor them for every application. After maybe a year apply for 'foot in the door' jobs in industries more relevant to your qualifications. Qualifications enable you to go further once in your career but they don't automatically equal a superior starting point. Seen so many make this mistake over the years. Part time and summer work whilst studying enables this track record for employers.

It has probably changed significantly, but Dublin used to be the HQ for pretty much all the big tech firms, including gaming companies, due to the tax breaks. If you haven't been able to find a role at any of these, you may have missed your chance, as you'll now be up against either graduates or more experienced people who are taking a step sideways/down because of redundancy or life reasons (parenthood, carers etc). Have you tried any of the global insurance companies that sell tech products? Have you done any training around AI, as even the insurance companies are now introducing that to manage their tech products? Do you go to any of the industry events and network?

Are there coding or tech charities (like Code for Girls in the UK) you could volunteer with, to show you're utilising your skills and developing new ones, even though it's not a paying job? Could you set up your own co providing support for small businesses?

Personally, I would take any job I could get. The longer you're out of work, the harder it will be to find any job, let alone one in your desired industry.

Make sure your CV is good. Are you getting interviews?

enterprisersproject.com/article/2021/3/artificial-intelligence-ai-screening-tools-how-build-resume-5-tips

I think it is because of your gap on your CV. I mean, you presumably know how to get around AI being the primary CV checker?

I think a lot of men are unaware of the gap issue triggering auto refusal on AI, as it usually effects women who have had kids and been out of the workplace or been off doing unpaid care work. It is a huge barrier.

Hi - I’m at the other end of my career. I’m a scientist, degree and PhD. I’ve also spent the last 20 years recruiting all sorts of staff from clinical, PhD level, undergrads and admin. It’ll be the experience you’ll need, we almost never recruit complex high paying roles at post uni levels, you’ll need to pull your work boots on, get more temp / seasonal jobs if that’s all that is available, and get lots of good stuff on your cv. Have you tried clinical trials companies? They’re often looking for bespoke database support from programmers, especially if it’s WFH as being in Ireland wont be an issue.
good luck and be positive, hard I know, but you’ll get there!

I’m going to be blunt. In the name of tough love and what I’d advise my son.
You need to stop thinking of IT as ‘your field’. If you’ve never had paid work in a full time job in that industry, it is not your field.
it’s merely a field in which you have studied and aspire to at some point in time.
Employers looking at a thirty year old who has never had a full time job aren’t thinking ‘oh he’d be great but he’s got a masters,so no thanks’
they are thinking ‘what the heck has this bloke been doing for years on end’

Take anything. Both your career prospects and mental health will be massively improved

What’s your network like? Linked in? Do you attend tech events/ webinars? Will your uni help support you so yo7 can attend uni events? Are you keeping your tech skills up to date? So many free on line courses.

Have you tried public jobs . Ie for government jobs? (Am in Ireland too!) Also look at pharmaceutical companies who may need it people . Also go in in person into recruitment agencies and I’m nearly sure there’s some job expos coming up. Best of luck 🤞

To be blunt, if you are looking for an engineer / dev role you have missed the boat. You last studied 4 years ago which is an age in that world.

To even consider an interview I’d want to see examples of how you are keeping up to date, courses you have done, a public repo of your work and contributions to open source projects.

I’d also want to see that you are motivated enough to have found jobs in the interim.

my advice would be, first go get any job even deliveroo, get on some free courses, and look around for ways to use your skills to gain experience, open source projects, volunteering to help a charity with their IT, then think about applying for adjacent roles in support, implementation (software projects type roles) account management, scrum roles.