I've recently been looking for work, and I've been getting hung up a lot on application forms. About 3/4 of the time, there's a litany of questions sitting between "apply for this job" and "submit your application".

Some are fun to answer, some are fairly routine, but the lack of any meaningful context makes them a stress point for me, and it may be hurting your chances of finding the kind of talent you need.

I think there might be a better way, but I'm not sure if you're going to like it.

I am a proud autodidact. That means I am entirely self taught. 🤔 🎓 ❤️ People like myself are not uncommon in the tech industry, but we have always been in the minority. Autodidacts represent industry outsiders, because we've diverged from the typical learning path: a degree at a four-year college. With the advent of "let's code" initiatives, coding boot camps, better programming curriculum at 2-year colleges, and easier self-lead study, the number and varieties of outsiders is growing every day. We need to stick together.

We are a constant stream of new programmers, often without any sort of support system to help us along after we complete our training. Getting into this industry can be scary. So, for my fellow outsiders, I've put together some thoughts that will help you thrive and excel. I've based this on on what helped me, and my personal observations over the years.

However, I've realized that the difficulty of getting established is real, even for people with a typical education. There's a sort of innocence that is impressed onto new graduates, and there aren't a lot of resources for them either. So college grads, this is for you too.

What's the deal with DevOps? In 2015, I asked myself that question and came up with a tounge-in-cheek answer that provided some catharsis and really helped put my career into perspective. It was one of the most popular things I've ever done. I've preserved it here for posterity. The comment section is a riot.