Measuring my Worth in 8 Questions or Less

Just when I thought I could put my job worries on the back burner, a new development occurs. A few weeks ago, racked with guilt for having gone an entire month without making any effort in securing my future, I decided to post my resume on dice.com. It was only intended to be a gesture. See, friends and family, I'm really trying - I'm not just thinking about this hike!

A few days after my posting, I was contacted by 4 recruiters. Two were jobs in Bioinformatics programming, something I was considering pursuing anyway. I sent my responses, noting my availability of November 15, and one recruiter remained interested. She kept sending me identical questionnaires to fill out; every time, I responded, and two days later she would send it again. I assume she was dealing with several candidates and couldn't keep track of us all.

Once I left for Florida, I figured the jig was up. There's no way of scheduling an interview now. But she called me yesterday. She wanted an updated resume spelling out my experience with C++ programming, AND she wanted me to take a TEST! They call it a skill assessment sheet, but it amounts to the same thing.

So yesterday and today, the girl with 10+ years experience in engineering, research, and computing had to take a test on C++ pointers. You'd think this would be an easy thing, given my background. But pointers suck. A freshman who's just taken his first programming class could have done better than me, because that information is fresh in his mind. Plus he has the benefit of having references surrounding him. After struggling for a few hours, I had to download a C++ compiler onto my brother's computer and borrow books from Helena's brother. All this for a job I'm not even sure I want.

What bothers me is that it's all about numbers to these people. My scores on a test about C++ pointers have no bearing on what I'm capable of doing. And I told the recruiter as much when I sent her the finished test. But she just wants to check that box off her list; she doesn't care about the fairness or worth of what she does. This is why I experienced so much frustration with the tech field to begin with. Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes.

To complete my application, the recuiter also spent two weeks browbeating me for exact numbers on my salary expectations. Each time, I responded with a polite and evasive, "I can't give you a range without knowing more about the position and its location." A few minutes ago, she called me and said that she would not submit my application until I gave her a number. Again, I refused, and said it should be up to the employer to determine an offer based on my experience. We went back and forth, and finally she said, "How about I put down $x?" Since it was the exact number I had in my head and more than I ever dreamed I'd make, I said fine. She has her number. And I still don't know anything about the job.