u/Crafty_Ganache_745

I'm finally trying to get a job. Last time I worked was as a cashier at dollar general in 2019. I've been trying to find jobs that are outside or look like they require little contact with others. But, I don't get many responses. Went two to 2 interviews, I'm pretty sure I smelled bad for both, so I ain't getting those.

Maybe, I just smell worse than most people on this sub. I'm very hygenic though. I brush teeth. Shower throughly, under forskin, butt, ears, feet, armpits. Ok, I'll admit, sometimes I do wear the same cloths for a few days (maybe weeks), but theirs no way that would make em stink as bad I seemingly 'natrually' do. I'll try cleaning cloths mroe often, but I think it will help like 5% at most, so not much.

I workout a lot too, but I have workout specfic cloths that I weare all the time.

I don't know if anyone will even hire me. But, I guess if i do get hired, I'll have to thug it out. My diet has been shit too latelly. I'm not sure if I diet is hte reason I smell so bad. I'm trying something else right now.

4.5 years of college (Dec 2023, CS).

2.5 years of independently studying (after graduating).

Never had tech internship or tech job.

Here's my Portfolio (still junior level)

My skills are still weak and I have much more to learn.

Is this normal? Or am I just not cut out for this?

I applied on line through zipRecruiter, but have not got response (maybe been 1-2 weeks). The job posting also says:

"Open Interviews: Monday-Tuesday 1-4pm & Friday 1-4pm"

Am I supposed to just show up instead of waiting for them to call me?

I have a medical condition (its undiagnosed, its rare, doctors don't really help) that makes me smell bad. I used to smell much worse, but I'm a lot better with 'hygiene', so its not as bad, still though I would say its not good. I shower very thoroughly, I wash teeth. I use a bidet after BMing even. Very clean, very 'hyginc', yet I still smell bad.

Oh, also I'm workout alot so, manual labour won't be an issue for me. I'm also on a diet (I recernly fell off it, but I'm back on it) of no junk no sugar drinks, and I'm taking pyslum pills, this hopefully helps reduce smell.

Anways, I'm going to apply regardless. Just wanted to see your guy's opinions, good or bad.

My idea is: cart pusher works outside, so at most people will smell me walking by, its outside so the smell won't build up like being indoors and it will air out quicker too.

Also, I do want the job (not just cause I think its a good option for me due to cndition). I've like studying math & progamming, and was planning on trying to get remote job as progammer but it looks liek that won't happen anytime soon, but recently I lost abilty to study, and can't handle being in room (alot of random bursts of anger), so I was thinking a manuel labour low stress low contact with others would be good for me. I like being outside too, seems to really keep me calm.

Some questions:

1. Can I clock in without going in the store, I think I saw one cart pusher do this?
2. How often would I need to talk to mangar? Can I just show up clock in and stay outside all day?

Yeah, this is a bit of a weird post, but its all the truth...

I've been solo-studying on my own for past 2 years. Doing games and graphics, mostly graphics lately. I think I've trained myself up to a strong junior games & graphics programmer, so that's good. I work in isolation, and I'm not really part of any community related to games/graphics IRL or on the internet, so some advice / second-opinion as to where I am and what I should do next would be appreciated.

https://rose-mtz.github.io/Portfolio/

I've never worked in games or tech, so I just have projects on my portfolio. List of projects:

• Super mario bros clone (C++, ECS)
• Flappy bird 3D (C++, OpenGL)
• Pathfinder [A*, BFS, DFS] visualizer (C++, OpenGL)
• Render: Ray caster (C++)
• Coherent noise visualizer (C++, OpenGL)
• Render: Rasterizer [Offline] (C++)
• Render: Rasterizer [Realtime-ish] (C++, SDL3)
• Render: Ray marcher (C++, Win32)

I've made a few other games too. I also have a CS degree. Also, I'm 26, and only really started programming like 5 years ago, is it too late to get into games as a programmer?

https://preview.redd.it/1dvmf2c0x33h1.jpg?width=791&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8198c8ee89875ed14bca41e4aa989ea703076f81

A local plant wants a programmer who will handle C# and .NET and databases and work to built/maintain software for the plant. However, I haven't touched C# .NET and DBs since college, and was bad it when I did. But, as you can see I've gone down the route of games/graphics. I don't think I can keep going games/graphics as it will take much more time to gain enough skill to be hirable, maybe 1 or 2 years more. So, I think I'll try apply to that plant programmer role. If I don't get it I won't be too bummed out, as I was already planning on getting part time job at retail store or where ever, while still continue studies on the side. Also, I think I could learn .NET and databases again, as I am a much stronger programmer, since I last touched those tech in college. Any advice?

Oh, I did have a fullstack (terrible) tiwtter clone (JS, Express, MongoDB, React) but I delted it some time ago, so I have nothing for more app/web dev to show for, even though I did study it for some time, before switching ot games/graphcis that is.

From 2019-2022 I was majoring in Nuclear Engineering. In 2023 I decided to switch majors to CS. I did my CS major in 2 years, and graduated in Dec of 2025 (from a small uni in Illinois [USA]).

After graduated w/ CS degree I did not feel 'ready' to be a professional programmer. So instead of searching for a programming job, I decided to fully focus on self studying, and this is what I've been doing for past 2 years since I graduated.

Now I don't want to make it seem like college was a waste for me. No, it was a good step forward in my education (and also thankfully I did not pay much since I got a full ride scholarship).

Actually, some projects I built while in college that I'm proud of (although they are not production level, only educational) are: a virtual cpu (c++), and a 2D zombie-shooter like game (Pygame, Python). Both of these projects are college course projects, however they where really 'solo projects' as the course was mostly like "build something with what you learned from the course". I bring these up to show you that I wasn't slacking in college, at least not completely, and that I did learn some things about programming in college.

However, I would most definitely say I was just not ready to be a programmer after graduating. The main reason being that 2 years of CS was just not enough, at least for me. But thankfully, as I said earlier, I have put in another 2 years of self studying programming since graduating.

So, what have I studied? I have studied front-end programming, back-end programming, game programming, and graphics programming.

Some front-end only websites I have built are: battleship (JS), and pixel art (JS). Also, I did built a 'CV builder' front-end only website using React, but I no longer have access to the repo. All this is to say that I did put in some good time into learning front end programming, and did gain some ok skills in it.

For back-end, I studied MongoDB, SQL, and a little of Express.js. I did build one full-stack app that was like a very terrible twitter (Express, Node, Heroku, MongoDB, React). I also have read the book "TCP/IP Illustrated". I would say this is my weakest programming skill, or at least least experienced in.

For games programming, let me just list the projects I've made: snake (SFML, C++), snake 3D (OpenGL, C++, my art too!), Flappy Bird 3D (OpenGL, C++), Super Mario Bros Clone (SFML, C++, ECS), Geometry Wars (SFML, C++). All are educational builds, nothing production level, but still good work I'm happy with.

For graphics programming, I've built: 2D ray caster (C++, SFML), ray caster/tracer (C++), two software renders [1] (C++) [2] (C++, SDL2), and a noise demo (C++, OpenGL).

I also have studied other things some not so deeply others more, which include: math (linear algebra, geometry, calculus, differtial equations), physics (classical mechanics, E&M), OS theory (very little on this one), and some other subjects. However, I'm not so good at any of these, but my foundations and inuition for what I have learned is very solid.

That's who I am as a programmer. Ok, so what will I do now? Try finding a job? No. I still find programming to be incredible difficult, and feel like I still have much to learn. And, I don't think I'll find a game or graphics or web job. So, I will continue to study...

Oh also, I'm not like John Carmack (Doom guy) or Tim Sweeny (Epic CEO) who can do like +8h programming days. No, at most I do 6h, and not so consistent with it. Also, for me programming and studying can be very painful mentally, has been and still is, probably will always be.

That mental pain is, I think, the main reason why I've decided to slow down on studying. I am also running out of my saving and parents want me to get job, so I'll be getting a part time job (non-programming). This seems like a good path for me, a path that actually makes me happy. But, I won't give up on programming. I will try to programming 1h everyday.