WTF?! Finding a well-paid coding job is a lot harder today than it was a few years ago, thanks in no small part to AI. Securing one that comes with a six-figure salary is even more difficult, but a couple of software engineers believe they have the answer: offering $10,000 to anyone who can get them a software developer role that pays no less than $100,000 per year.
From the tech industry trend of streamlining businesses to generative AI reducing the need for programmers, getting a job in the industry isn't as easy or lucrative as it once was – as illustrated by the declining popularity of coding boot camps.
Business Insider writes that software engineers Argenis De La Rosa and Ryan Prescott have decided that the best way to find a six-figure job in their chosen profession is to offer $10,000 to anyone who helps them secure one.
De La Rosa wrote in a LinkedIn post that he will draft a contract for both parties to sign that will involve him paying the person bi-weekly payments or whatever the payment structure of the job offers. "When I get paid, you get paid. It's that simple," he explained.
De La Rosa emphasizes that he needs to actually get the job to pay the person who helps him, otherwise he won't have the cash – interviews alone aren't enough.
Job recruiters usually work on commission for head-hunting new talent, and some companies offer employees referral bonuses for recommending someone who ends up being hired. It's pretty unheard of for an applicant themselves to pay the person who helped them get a job.
De La Rosa said he secured three job interviews in quick succession after he posted his offer. He is still looking for a full-time staff position, but he's received contract work in the meantime.
He says he stands by "just posting publicly, even if it seems at the moment vulnerable."
"If I give up maybe six weeks of work in exchange for an opportunity at a reputable company, I would trade that every day of the week," he added.
De La Rosa said that industry has changed drastically since the pandemic. Securing interviews isn't as easy as it was before 2020, forcing people to differentiate themselves in a market with too many people looking for jobs and not enough of them to go around.
It was reported in February that software developer job listings were down 35% compared to five years ago, despite overall job market listings increasing 10% since February 2020.
Prescott saw De La Rosa's post and decided to try the same approach, noting that it could be a "really good way to cut through the noise and have my voice heard." He notes that a lot of those who responded offered to help him find a job but didn't want the money he was offering.
Prescott did eventually get a job, and he did so without having to hand over the $10,000, but he believes his post helped him get the position due to the amount of attention it received.
Masthead: Shamin Haky
Software engineers offer $10,000 reward to anyone who helps them land six-figure jobs
