I applied to 300 jobs, didn’t get a single call back, so I’m building my own SaaS company... Because why not?

[godiscomingmyway]

Hey fellow saas devs,

After hitting the magical number of 300 job applications and collecting exactly zero callbacks (I know, my popularity is overwhelming), I've decided to switch gears. Instead of continuing my quest to become the most rejected developer in history, I've embarked on a slightly more traditional journey: building my own SaaS company.

Why, you ask? Well, between trying to decode the beauty of “entry-level positions” requiring 5+ years of experience and figuring out how many JavaScript frameworks are too many, I thought, “Why not create something where I can make all the rules?” (And yes, the first rule is that there are no rules. Except when it comes to writing clean code. Maybe.)

Introducing: KeyShade. It's an open-source configurations and secrets management tool that's as secretive as my love life (read: “very secretive”) and as reliable as my determination to ignore rejection emails (also very high). Features include Post-quantum safe encryption, IAM controls, and a special function to whisper your secrets into the void. Perfect for those who, like me, have a little too much time on their hands and a penchant for over-engineering solutions to problems we didn't know we had.

But here's the twist — I need YOU. Yes, you, the one currently debugging code while questioning all your life choices. Come contribute to KeyShade! Whether you're into coding, designing, documenting, or simply want to star our repo to boost my fragile ego, all forms of support are welcome.

Why should you care?

• It's fun (subjectively).
• It's open-source (objectively).
• You get to be part of something that started as a small side project but is now too far gone to stop.
• Did I mention the exclusive bragging rights you get for contributing to a project founded out of sheer job application despair?

So, if you’ve ever faced rejection, love coding, or just want to see if I can pull this off before I start applying to another 300 jobs, hop on board. Let's build something great or, at the very least, have a good time trying.

Check us out [https://git.new/keyshade - because apparently, I’m serious about this], give us a star (pretty please?), and let’s show those companies what they’re missing out on!

P.S. If by some miracle this thing takes off, I promise to not require 5+ years of experience for our entry-level positions. Scouts honour.

Cheers to making our own paths (or at least some really cool software)

Bye

 

[happychristian738]

@godiscomingmyway I can't believe that the person who can build a SaaS on their own, can't find a job as a developer and has 0 result after 300 sent resumes. Something is wrong here. or maybe sounds a bit click biting.

 

[joeyvimsantethepoet]

@happychristian738 Sounds indeed, but, the dev world is pretty messed up. It has its highs and its downs in very small periods due to the “internet speed” of course. So taking that into consideration is kinda believe him..

 

[zam]

@joeyvimsantethepoet 2 years ago I applied to a few hundred job applications, and didn't get hired. I'm a self taught, immigrant. I'm not good with verbal communication and solving harder algorithms/leetcode type questions. Was looking for a job at the peak of layoffs, and was feeling hopeless.

Was building an app on the side. Prior to launching, I applied to hundreds of applications, over a period of 4-5 months. I was about to give up... only could afford to keep trying for another 2 months or so... started making income from day one of the launch. Thank got I didn't get hired.

That being said, I heard that about 89% apps fail to generate 1k MRR. I know several people tried, but unfortunately failed.

It's hard... But possible!

Good luck OP!

 

[ahcadvocacy]

@happychristian738 Many of saas owners I know were unemployed devs in the past.

 

[roadtodamascus]

@happychristian738 My guess is that he's self taught and has no professional experience

 

[happychristian738]

@roadtodamascus How come? A person who is able to build a SaaS, ALREADY has some experience. And it's a very good candidate at least to junior position.

 

[davidcfname]

@happychristian738 I'm not asking you to like this, but it's a fact - there has been a growing number of top performers being completely ignored for job roles in favor of the B/C students.

I have a similar story to OPs but I was top of my class, a very well-liked team member and leader, had hands on experience in my field, prestigious internships, patents, and more.

My resume and linked in were ignored. 2 years and 300 applications. Not a single response. I applied within 2 standard deviations of where I should be based on my own, as well professionals assessment. That's 2 sigma above AND below (as well as where I should be).

It stung.

But I went on to found 2 innovative tech programs, several successful startups, and I've been invited to private, unadvertised meetings with some immensely wealthy people to help shape the future of fairness for everyone (as in, yes, they're trying to help fix things for people and they need someone like us to come and help them understand various things involved in it).

A job at another company will always be that one that got away from me. No awards, accolades, smarts, references, or perfect fit made a difference.

Supposedly they want high achievers and performers, but hiring has yet to back that up.

Building my own stuff has worked well and gotten me in the news.

This problem doesn't just apply to high performers. The whole system is broken and getting worse. If you've never gotten stuck in it you will find this hard to believe because it's magically worked for you. Trust me, I've had that conversation on behalf of countless people.

(But I've also gotten my students, volunteers, and interns into places such as the FAANG companies in their desired tech roles. That's a bit of my training and connections. Also, those I'm referring them to know my tech and people prowess and trust my recommendations.)

 

[happychristian738]

@davidcfname The problem couldn't be your or the system but just your resume.

You can show your resume in the /Job sub to ask people to help and I believe you can improve it.

Also, we don't know if OP or you sent your resumes to relevant positions.

Once upon a time, I was participating in hiring and OMG, 90% of resumes didn't meet the requirements of positions at all! WTF!

 

[davidcfname]

@happychristian738 Haha thanks for that.

No, I'm long past that time.

My resume often got weeded out in an ATS but when friends would out it on their manager's desk it was an instant "why did we never see this one???"

I've had some large companies give me offers from interviews.

The system is very broken.

I also addressed your point about applying to relevant positions. Trust me, I was. I am 100% certain.

I'm very happy with my tech startups. They're going incredibly well and directly impacting people's lives in a positive way.

 

[man_with_a_plan]

@happychristian738 every business wants mid - senior level devs that's already trained up from other jobs. If you've limited experience it's tough

 

[nelxoxox]

@happychristian738 ding ding ding

 

[chuatnhat]

@happychristian738 I have no skin in the game but it also matters what tech you use, if he coded in Java he would have got a job, if I'm here does go rust and dart maybe it makes total sense

 

[happychristian738]

@chuatnhat But the choice is voluntary, isn't it? Everyone who started coding, may think how he/she is going to earn by it. They could chose Cobol too by why?

 

[lalagata]

@godiscomingmyway You could also apply as a copywriter. You have talent.

 

[meshangel]

@lalagata I back this you really are good at making relatable content. Also i like what you’re building.

 

[genxgirl]

@lalagata Good luck competing with everyone who thinks writing content is copywriting.

 

[tamsyn]

@lalagata ChatGPT copywriting service

 

[seekinghispresence]

@tamsyn Yo I have a saas idea, create an AI copywriting tool and charge per copy. /S

 

[kobolt]

@tamsyn Rather market research service since that's also a big part of copywriting(experts say 80%)

A writing portion of it needs to be double-checked manually by an actual copywriter...