Update: After receiving some feedback for this Job Log both in the comments, and from talking to people that read it, I decided to explain a little better, now that I have a clearer head, exactly what I’m looking for in a job. This entry is obsolete, but left mostly unaltered for archival purposes only.
This week, I spent a somewhat relaxing time at home with my parents. After I got unjustly fired, I just needed to take a break from everything and think about what I really wanted to do. Like any unemployed person, I started looking for a suitable job, which is not easy for several reasons. I’ve been searching several job websites including Seek, My Career, CareerOne and Candle Recruit, but only came up with a handful of jobs that sound even remotely interesting.
I’m looking for a job as a web developer. I’m finding it hard because many of the jobs either want several years of commercial experience, which I don’t have; knowledge and experience with the disastrous .NET technologies, which I don’t want to touch; or don’t focus on, nor care about standards compliance, which is a requirement for any job that I will consider. I realise that may sound quite picky, but why should I bother trying to work with a company that I know I’m not going to be happy with?
Searching and applying for a job is as much about the company trying to impress me, as it is for me to impress them. Being as talented as I am, that is not so difficult, but as many of you know, only a handful of sites even come close to validation, and even fewer companies care about validation and standards compliance, so finding an impressive employer is big challenge. It is an unfortunate reality, but until I have the experience, knowledge and skill to start my own business, I have little choice but to work in the very corporate environment I am morally against.
My moral dillemma is that far too many decisions are based on marketing or financial reasons, rather than what is valid, and what is the right thing to do. I prefer to make decisions based on what is the most ethical, and valid reasons. I try to avoid making decisions based on personal gain. I’m in this to make a difference; to improve the quality, usability, and accessibility of the web as a whole – I am not in this for personal gain, as so many are, and I will not be corrupted. I realise how idealistic that sounds, and I have been told on many occasions that I have a lot to learn and that I must accept reality.
Having said that, I have managed to be called back for two jobs that I applied for, and I will most likely make it to the interview stage. One of the questions I asked on the phone was whether or not they focus on standards compliance, and I did receive a somewhat comforting yes
, in reply. However, I was only speaking with their recruitment managers, and neither of their web sites validate. But one, at least, does use reasonably semantic HTML, and insisted, in the job advertisement, that candidates do not use tables for layout – that one looks the most promising for me!