Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (February 2024)

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Hundreds of engineers, designers, data scientists, product leaders and other tech professionals worldwide are advertising their availability for work, detailing skills that span web and mobile development, DevOps, ML/AI, embedded systems, UX, and product management. A strong preference for remote or flexible arrangements, along with openness to contract, fractional, and consulting roles, runs through many entries. One contributor also analyzes the most commonly listed technologies, highlighting how languages like Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Rust, Go, and cloud platforms such as AWS and Kubernetes dominate the current self-reported talent pool.

Overall Thread Character

  • The thread is almost entirely individual “seeking work” posts rather than back-and-forth discussion.
  • Posts span a wide range of seniority: interns and recent grads, mid-level engineers, senior/staff/CTO-level, plus designers, product managers, data scientists, and freelance consultants.
  • Contributors are globally distributed (US, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Australia), but nearly all are targeting employers in North America and Europe.

Work Preferences

  • Remote work is overwhelmingly preferred; many specify “remote only”.
  • Some accept hybrid or on-site within their city/region; relatively few insist on on-site only.
  • Many are willing to relocate, but often with constraints (specific countries, regions, or requiring visa support).
  • Several are explicitly seeking part-time, contract, or fractional roles rather than full-time employment.

Common Skills and Tech Stacks

  • Strong clustering around:
    • Web & backend: JavaScript/TypeScript, Node.js, React, Next.js, Ruby/Rails, Python/Django/FastAPI, Go, Java, C#/.NET.
    • DevOps/Infra: AWS, GCP, Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD, Linux.
    • Data/ML/AI: Python, PyTorch/TensorFlow, SQL, Spark, Airflow, LLMs, RAG, MLOps.
    • Systems/embedded: C/C++, Rust, Linux kernel, firmware, robotics, real-time systems.
  • Several people emphasize being generalists who can adopt new stacks quickly.

Domains and Values

  • Popular target domains: fintech, crypto/web3, AI/LLMs, devtools, robotics, games, healthcare, education, climate/“positive impact”.
  • Some explicitly refuse certain industries (ads, gambling, environmentally harmful work, ethically dubious sectors, sometimes crypto).
  • Multiple posts highlight interest in open source, developer experience, and internal platforms.

Meta Discussion and Technology Survey

  • One participant analyzed “Technologies” fields across both “Who’s Hiring” and “Who Wants to Be Hired” threads, counting mentions of languages and tools.
  • Follow-up discussion derived ratios (candidate mentions vs job mentions) suggesting:
    • Rust appears relatively in-demand compared to candidate supply.
    • Skills like CSS, Express, Bash, MongoDB, MySQL show apparent oversupply.
    • Git looks underrepresented on candidate side because many treat it as assumed and don’t list it.
  • Another commenter notes remote preference in this thread seems much higher than in the wider job market.