First, I apologize if this is against the rules of the GNV subreddit. I don’t use Reddit much and I tried searching for a rules post but could not find one. I saw that if I explicitly go to ”new.reddit.com” I can see a sidebar and I don’t think I’m breaking the “no sales” rule.
In October 2022, I left a $120K programming salary (I was only recently raised to that much, but previously it was still $90K) because I didn’t feel like the company (Tera Insights LLC) was actually building anything worthwhile. For years I believed in the product because I got to build many “cool” things from a technical perspective (and learned a lot), but when I looked objectively at the bigger picture I realized I was one of the people I despised for working soulless jobs that drag down society. Coupled with stress over the environment and other societal problems, I decided it was time for a change. I think that if I knew how hard it would be to find a decent wage elsewhere (I have no college degree), I would not have quit. Which is why it’s a good thing I didn’t know—because staying at that job would’ve meant compromising my values anyways.
I was also dealing with a lot of mental health issues following my first relationship, so I put off job searching and instead chose to burn through savings for a while. Less than a month after leaving the company, I met my current girlfriend, Kaley, who I am in a much healthier relationship with. In December 2022, she pointed me at LifeSouth, so I applied to them with a very carefully crafted cover letter and resume, and made it past the first interview and onto the team interview. The first interview felt like it went amazing but the second was lackluster. I waited for a month to hear back from them, only to end up emailing them to ask—turns out they forgot about me, and all I got was a brief response saying I wasn’t selected.
Up until May 2023, I continued to apply to lots of software jobs through websites like Indeed, putting time and energy into writing a couple dozen cover letters, sometimes filling out application forms, and even completing weird corporate personality tests. Only a couple of those companies could even be bothered to notify me that I wasn’t selected. At some point Kaley or me heard about Upwork, so I tried freelancing. Upwork makes you pay for “connects” to apply to more than a few gig postings, which is good because it mitigates automated application bots—something Indeed seems to be infested with. As I searched, I found a few promising opportunities and even had what seemed to be good conversations with the employers, only to suddenly be ghosted. A couple times I made the mistake of answering some technical questions to demonstrate my knowledge, at which point I presume they decided it would no longer be necessary to hire someone. I never made a cent off that platform, but I did lose $40 or so on connects. For months I invested a lot of time and energy into companies and people that could not be bothered to reciprocate. It was depressing and demoralizing. Throughout all of it, Kaley supported me emotionally and financially.
In late May 2023, I talked to Kaley and we decided I might as well work on something good for the world if I can’t find a decent software job. I had been using the official RTS bus tracking app/website for years and it was always frustrating to me as a rider. I had wanted to make a better alternative for a long time, but didn’t have much energy for programming side-projects when I was already programming for a full-time job. It took me a couple of months, but I was successful in developing the GNV Transit website. I announced it on r/GNV on August 17th.
Meanwhile, on June 22nd, after applying to multiple software development positions at the City of Gainesville and hounding an HR person in-person and via email, I got to interview. I had 3 interviewers, all from GRU. Kaley’s dad even got me a suit as a gift and I got all psyched up for the interview. I was so hopeful that I would finally get somewhere! Instead I ended up talking to 3 human walls. Suffice to say, the interview went poorly and I left dejected yet again.
I had also applied to the “transit operator” (a.k.a. bus driver) position at RTS, and I received a call from them in early August, right before I announced GNV Transit. I went in for an interview. “Yes, I can work whatever hours.” “Yes, I agree to this and that.” “You’re hired.” Straightforward and simple. The RTS job paid a little under $17/hr once I got my CDL and I got paid (albeit less) while in training for my CDL which is not to be taken for granted. A lot of the bus drivers were very friendly and one veteran driver even fist-bumped me after he caught me whipping one of the #5 buses around the curve behind Yamato’s! Unlike programming, the job never left me depressed at night, with my mind buzzing and stressing about all sorts of abstract concepts. I got a good dose of sunlight and human interaction each day. However, the schedule was ridiculous. They have a unionized bidding system for driver’s to pick their set schedules every few months. New drivers are “extra board”, meaning they just fill you in wherever there are holes and they only tell you each day’s schedule at 6 pm the evening before. One night, I was leaving RTS by 6:20—I wrote this down in my notes. I grabbed groceries on the way home. It was 7:10 when I got home, and Kaley and I immediately went for a run. We got home at 8 pm and I checked the schedule webpage to find out I had to be at RTS (which is across town from me) at 5:44 the next morning! That meant a 4:30 am wakeup and definitely NOT 8 hours of sleep after making/eating dinner. (You probably want 8 hours when driving a ~35-seater full of people around town!) I confronted the scheduler the next day and learned about the automated scheduling system. She said she would keep an eye on it and try to make sure I don’t get scheduled like that again. That was a Friday. The following Monday, I had a split-shift meaning I worked from 7:13 am to 11:13 am, and then 1:49 pm to 8 pm. Because it’s a half-hour commute for me to get to RTS, it makes zero sense for me to go home during the gap in a split shift. Which means I spend all day driving and sitting at RTS headquarters. I got off at 8 pm, checked the schedule—WHAT?? 5:30 am start the next day?! I was livid. I worked the shift the next day, then confronted the scheduler again, and that time I brought the trainer who was the direct supervisor for most/all of the new drivers. After an emotional discussion, we reached an agreement that the scheduling was unreasonable. My schedule was never that ridiculous again, but it was still pretty bad with random 14 hour days and the like.
Another aspect I hated about RTS is their unwillingness to help me help them with their software. Turns out some higher-ups were unhappy with my GNV Transit announcement post, which briefly denounced the official app. I had a number of seemingly fruitful conversations though, only to never get the API key limit (see the announcement post for what that is) raised for GNV Transit, meaning it would never be usable by that many people on a single day. I built that website for free, and I know several people who use it regularly and have given me good feedback. I didn’t even ask RTS for money—they just couldn’t be bothered to connect me with the right people for the sake of ego. Also, no one at RTS even made the official app—it’s just another copy-paste project by a 3rd party—so I don’t understand why they would be so defensive over it.
Anyways, I quit RTS on December 6th. I worked there for just under 4 months, and it felt like my days were completely eaten alive by the hectic schedule and that I would be trapped without energy to pursue other jobs if I didn’t just quit.
On January 3rd, 2024, I got an email notification from DemandStar, a website where the City of Gainesville posts contract bid solicitations. Someone pointed me to it when I was working at RTS, so I signed up for an account sometime around October or November. Holy shit—the City of Gainesville is putting out a bid for a new “Transit Planning System”! The 1st year budget for the project was $88K. I was ecstatic. It felt like the contract was made for me. I quickly began doing research and set up a one-man LLC, got advice from a US Small Business Administration consultant, and began working on the project before I even wrote a proposal to submit. I figured because I don’t have any track record as a contractor, I better be ready to demo something tangible to prove I know what I’m doing when the proposal submission deadline rolls around. I spent all of January and February 2024 working on the project and my bid proposal. Only to have it rejected on February 26th, presumably because the other 3 bidders (Optibus, Podaris, and Remix) are well-established companies with premade software.
It’s now March 2024. Still no job. I feel broken and disgusted. Disgusted with most of the tech industry. Disgusted with the City of Gainesville. Disgusted with people. The first thing I mentioned in this post was my high salary at my previous job, but I wasn’t even looking for a high salary when job searching. If I prioritized money I never would have left that job. I applied to $20/hr software development jobs, even a couple from UF, and got no response. I would rather have an employer give me negative feedback than no feedback at all. That just tells me they don’t care about anything but money and they feel that messaging disqualified candidates is not a valuable use of their time. Who cares if it leaves job-seekers wondering and discouraged, right? Kaley is an angel for supporting me for so long, but even her patience has its limits. I would love to be the breadwinner so she can follow her dreams.
I’m still not desperate enough to settle for less than $20/hr and I definitely won’t settle for minimum wage ($12/hr) because that is not livable with inflation. Please DM me if you have need of an experienced programmer for $20-30/hr (whatever you can afford). I’m also interested in agriculture jobs, but unfortunately I have no prior experience. I would love the opportunity to learn about ideal soil conditions, crop seasons, etc., so that I can become a more self-sustained individual in a society that doesn’t seem to give a fuck about the average person’s quality of life. My contracting website is clauseffect.dev and my personal website is samcla.us. You could even reach me via email: hello@samcla.us.
I can do tutoring, develop a website, or we could even see about large scale projects. For example, a dedicated business listing/map/review site for Gainesville with local niceties that Google/Apple Maps don’t offer. You describe it, and I can tell you how feasible it is based on what I know about software architecture.
Thank you for taking the time to read.