About a year ago, I graduated with a software engineering diploma from a well-regarded Canadian technical institute. To be a competitive applicant, I re-took all my high school math, did well, and was accepted into the program, where I also achieved excellent grades. I was a mature student with a goal.

Some years before, I earned a Masters degree in the humanities and worked in the post-secondary and non-profit sectors. I decided to switch careers for a few reasons: I've always loved technology, I wanted to use it to contribute a positive difference in the world, and I thought it would increase my earning potential.

Unfortunately, I graduated at what seems to have been an all-time low point in the industry: the COVID tech bubble popped, and the wave of AI came crashing in.

I did get a contract job, for which I am grateful, and it was initially geared towards programming tasks. But it's since shifted almost entirely to what can only be described as glorified data entry.

This has been really difficult. The work I'm doing is uninteresting and doesn't leverage any of my skills in a meaningful way. I'm also earning the least amount I ever have professionally. I feel like I've taken a big step back, and it's had a pretty big impact on my mental health.

I've asked to take on more work, and even offered to take lower pay to work on programming-related tasks. A lot of staff are contract or part-time, so mentorship and training has been hit-or-miss.

Frankly, I've never felt less engaged and motivated in my life. My self-confidence has taken a big hit. Recently, I've been struggling to even do the work. This is difficult, because I know I have a lot to offer, I love to learn, I take great pride in doing good work, I enjoy contributing to a team, and so on. I have excellent references and have, I think, proven that I'm a motivated, hard-working person. I do think, with my background, that I have a unique set of skills that would greatly benefit an organization.

But, like many others, I can barely get an email back from jobs for which I apply. I follow up my applications with personal LinkedIn messages, and I've leveraged my network, but so far, to no avail.

I know I'm not alone -- a lot of people, especially in this industry, many with far more experience than me, are feeling the same. My heart goes out to everyone in such a position.

For the first time in a long time, maybe ever, I honestly don't know what to do. I feel lost and uncertain. Do I return to my previous career? Do I continue searching for a job in this field?

I'm trying to frame this as a blip in my life, a low point that will help me build grit and learn more about myself, and that's a good thing. I also know that, to some extent, I'm getting in my own way, that I'm afraid of doing what may be needed for me to take the next step, and this is part of the learning experience. All the same, it's uncomfortable to live through right now.

(I will note that I'm working on small projects in Go during my off-time, trying to maintain and build me skills.)

If you have any feedback, any advice, anything you've learned, I'd love to hear and learn from it. I deeply appreciate you taking the time to read this.