Is It the Location?

If you're having trouble finding work, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's your location that's the problem... but it might be. I've talked to hundreds of aspiring developers who drastically misdiagnose their job search problems.

• I met a woman with an awful resume who was convinced that Los Angeles just had no opportunities.
• I met a guy at a meetup who had never heard of Postgres who was convinced that AI had taken all the jobs
• I met someone on Twitter claiming that they were too old at 28 to break into tech. When I asked for their portfolio they didn't have a single project on GitHub ready to share.

So, before feeling like you must relocate, get really introspective on a few things:

1. Does your portfolio look fantastic?
2. Are your LinkedIn, resume, and GitHub profiles in a great state?
3. Have you applied to all the jobs you can find in your area, and have you tried any side doors?
4. If you're getting interviews, are you actually doing well in them?

As with many things in life, a great strategy is to start checking boxes on everything you can easily control. Make sure that none of those things are the bigger problems before you start thinking about riskier options.