The actual reason you can't get a job

To be fair, having a cushion is how you get to take risks and try a bunch of stuff. If you're going to end up homeless or deported if your startup idea fails, it's a lot harder to make your own luck.

"as a developer" is doing this video injustice, this is for almost everyone

Watching a man who is objectively successful across multiple domains divide 70 by 2 and get 45 is the most "what's your excuse" moment I've had this year

My luck is being born when the internet sucked so you could suck too. That's how I'm employed. Senior dev. Art degree. Can't write sorting algos without google or AI or pass a coding interview but also architecting an entire new platform for a medical company. Best suggestion: make friends.

Watching this was depressing, because it made me see how many opportunities I probably wasted by not socializing more and not keeping in touch with people.

I really appreciate the sentiment in this video—creating your own luck is real, and I’ve seen it work firsthand. In university, I did a lot of what Theo talks about: building things, reaching out, creating momentum. And when things started to click, I found myself in a positive feedback loop. One opportunity led to another. But I think one piece that’s missing here is how bad luck can spiral just as fast—if not faster. I got COVID, then a concussion in my final year, then lost my grandparents, all while the job market tanked. And even though I had built great connections, many of them faded away over time. I did eventually land a role through an old uni contact, but life still feels like a shell of what it used to be a few years ago. Good luck compounds, but so does bad luck. And when you’re already in a rough spot, hearing “just try harder” can feel more like a fast-track to burnout than encouragement. It’s true that we need to build a runway—but sometimes life burns through it before you even get a chance to take off. And then what?

Bro, hey from Cape Town South Africa. I just wanted to say thanks. Your honesty , intergity and no BS approach is really refreshing, and a value scarsley seen these days. Your content is really great, but more so the level of respect you show us in the careful consideration that clearly goes in, is not un noticed. So just two little, yet important words that people have seemingly forgotten these days, "Thanks You". Appreciate you.

😮 I’m super old and I love the hot take that “college is a way to pace yourself” (like a running club) — this sounds intensely fresh to me, and way fresher than my old standby, “you learn how to learn”. Love it!

As the senior dev taking a break for a short and traveling around the word your videos had been the most inspiring lately. Thanks for sharing, motivating us and keeping us close to the industry!

Thx for another video for my "Inspiring / Dev" playlist