Seeking web/software development position in Chicago
by Smooth Jimmy Apollo (click here to email the poster) (2014-06-18 23:54:29)
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I'm a January 2011 alum (CSE). From early in 2011 to mid-2013 I was in San Francisco working for Industrial Light and Magic (Lucasfilm) doing Python/web app development and VFX quality control. Alas, I ultimately did not survive the Disney purchase, so for the past nine months I've been living in Elburn, IL (far west Chicago suburbs) job hunting and serving as a primary caregiver for my infant niece and nephew.

I'm not at all opposed to broadening my horizons (though I do want to be in Chicago proper), but what I am and have been actively looking for is the same type of work I was doing at ILM.

I think the long stretch of time without a job is starting to adversely affect my ability to find a new one, so I'd appreciate any good leads or insight anyone has to offer.

If you're flexible on location, consider Epic in Madison.
by epmnet37 (click here to email the poster)  (2014-07-11 15:14:38)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

We're slowly transitioning a lot of our functionality from VB to the web, so I'd expect you could get on a project doing that. I'm not really technical enough to say how similar that is to what you're doing, although I could put you in touch with some ND developers here who might be able to.

Obviously, not in Chicago proper, but not a bad drive for visiting on weekends and the traffic is certainly an improvement. Helps that we're pretty much always looking for developers. Email attached in case I can answer any more specific questions.
Have you tried applying at Google?
by G.K.Chesterton  (2014-06-29 23:05:05)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Our oldest daughter just got hired there as a technical writer in their NYC office. Compared to other places, they seem to be hiring like crazy. They have offices at various points in the country and I don't recall if they have a Chicago office.
Google was actually my first interview after being let go.
by Smooth Jimmy Apollo  (2014-07-02 01:44:50)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

They contacted me about a position in Mountain View (and I certainly would have stayed in the bay area had I received an offer, but that ended up not happening). They do have a Chicago office, but the last time I had checked they didn't have any relevant positions. Checking again now though, it seems they have a couple that I might be suited for. Thanks for the heads up, and congrats to your daughter!