Job Fair
dr_tectonic forwarded some info regarding a large job fair at Invesco Stadium, so I headed down there to see what this section of the Denver job market felt like. Close to 100 companies were slated to represent, and while it was clear that I had no intention of listening to Wal-Mart, Safeway, K-Mart, and other retailers, I did have the task of presenting myself as a reasonably educated Japanese/Asian Studies major with a QA background. Yeah, that was tough, but it did make for some great stories.
Anyway, not all of the companies showed up though you couldn't tell from how busy the large room became in just two hours. I had a small stack of resumes with me as I figured that most people would rather I submit it online, but was prepared for those who wanted to get to know me on the spot. It worked out both ways, as I have a ton of leads to follow and I nearly ran out of resumes to offer. While my Japanese skills were a hard sell, I had several companies openly blurt out "QA?! Oh, God! Thank you!!" It seems that the Colorado market is supersaturated with developers, IT professionals, and upper-management wannabes, but few QA folks to test the hardware and software. I even got to joke with some of the dev members about how their code is perfect and offers 'unanticipated features,' at least until guys like me show up.
I don't think I'll be unemployed for long, but it's not quite a career I desire, either. We'll see. grymmbear's exploits on his blog have taught me to keep keenly aware of possible marketing pyramid schemes and other hoaxes. I'm pretty sure there was one there, as they were insistent about getting me to attend a seminar of the growth of some new company despite my apparent disinterest in that market. I'll do some background research on them later.
Mostly, I was wading through people who tried far, far too hard to impress via a suit and buzzwords, trying to eye those companies that had promise. No, I wasn't wearing a suit, per se. While I was in Washington, tdjohnson gave me his father's sport jacket which, when combined with good jeans, a dark shirt, dark leather shoes, and a leather satchel, looked reasonably professional.
No, I wasn't going to win a Best Dressed award, but I wasn't in there in a polo and khakis, either. Anyway, as I round a corner, some thin guy in a suit passing the other way obviously latches on to my attire with his critical eyes. I could almost hear his mental insults, but when I detected the start of a sneer, I went all "OH NO YOU DIDN'T!"
I subtly shoulder checked him. I have about 40lbs on this guy, he's busy judging me, he's off balance, and I know martial arts. I barely felt him as my right shoulder collides and passes through the area where his left once was, and I just hear him lose his footing. I didn't look back and kept walking. Immediate karma, you fucktard. I can only imagine how many people have been wanting to do that to him. (Luckily, this was in an area where there were very few representatives, so no one noticed.)
So overall, this was quite a successful job fair. Not only did I get a number of leads for myself, I also acquired leads for Greg and Robb, too! Yar! Sadly, no swag. I tried to adopt one of the CU Boulder plush buffaloes, but the gals at the table wouldn't let me (which I came to read as "No, they're *ours*). :(
Anyway, not all of the companies showed up though you couldn't tell from how busy the large room became in just two hours. I had a small stack of resumes with me as I figured that most people would rather I submit it online, but was prepared for those who wanted to get to know me on the spot. It worked out both ways, as I have a ton of leads to follow and I nearly ran out of resumes to offer. While my Japanese skills were a hard sell, I had several companies openly blurt out "QA?! Oh, God! Thank you!!" It seems that the Colorado market is supersaturated with developers, IT professionals, and upper-management wannabes, but few QA folks to test the hardware and software. I even got to joke with some of the dev members about how their code is perfect and offers 'unanticipated features,' at least until guys like me show up.
I don't think I'll be unemployed for long, but it's not quite a career I desire, either. We'll see. grymmbear's exploits on his blog have taught me to keep keenly aware of possible marketing pyramid schemes and other hoaxes. I'm pretty sure there was one there, as they were insistent about getting me to attend a seminar of the growth of some new company despite my apparent disinterest in that market. I'll do some background research on them later.
Mostly, I was wading through people who tried far, far too hard to impress via a suit and buzzwords, trying to eye those companies that had promise. No, I wasn't wearing a suit, per se. While I was in Washington, tdjohnson gave me his father's sport jacket which, when combined with good jeans, a dark shirt, dark leather shoes, and a leather satchel, looked reasonably professional.
No, I wasn't going to win a Best Dressed award, but I wasn't in there in a polo and khakis, either. Anyway, as I round a corner, some thin guy in a suit passing the other way obviously latches on to my attire with his critical eyes. I could almost hear his mental insults, but when I detected the start of a sneer, I went all "OH NO YOU DIDN'T!"
I subtly shoulder checked him. I have about 40lbs on this guy, he's busy judging me, he's off balance, and I know martial arts. I barely felt him as my right shoulder collides and passes through the area where his left once was, and I just hear him lose his footing. I didn't look back and kept walking. Immediate karma, you fucktard. I can only imagine how many people have been wanting to do that to him. (Luckily, this was in an area where there were very few representatives, so no one noticed.)
So overall, this was quite a successful job fair. Not only did I get a number of leads for myself, I also acquired leads for Greg and Robb, too! Yar! Sadly, no swag. I tried to adopt one of the CU Boulder plush buffaloes, but the gals at the table wouldn't let me (which I came to read as "No, they're *ours*). :(