The working world, when it was male dominant, was 100x more fun to work in. Guys could "shoot-the-shit" with each other, say whatever they wanted and competitiveness was seen as fun not as "toxic". The work environment when it was male dominant made people better because the men would compete with one another and strive to improve. Work was actually a lot more "fun" and in some ways it was a "safe-space" for men to get away from all the drama and toxicity that existed in their personal lives.
Women have utterly destroyed the workplace. Men's lives are inarguably much worse with women in the workplace. Nothing good has come of this.
Networking, I'm afraid.
Long story short, I emigrated just before the pandemic hit to take care of a parent. Decided to hang around, with the pandemic and all, and needed employment so I reached out to some folks I knew. Got lucky.
Now, despite not being fond of where I'm living, I'm actually reluctant to leave as I haven't enjoyed work this much since... shit, the honeymoon period of my gamedev career.
Boutique software shops tend to specialize, and be picky about who they hire given the small team size. Regardless of networking, proof of work/ability in the domain you'll be working in is a must.
Thanks. So I should somehow make my moves within the globocorps, try to complete some project to make myself stand out, and keep my eyes peeled for some well-run operations in the field as time goes on? I think that seems reasonable
Regarding your last point, my problem is the work from my current job is not showcase-worthy, I just do a bunch of small fixes, find solutions to really annoying technical problems, and help carry the water of those who can't on their own. For personal projects, I can never really finish anything when there is no real purpose for it. I've been stuck like this since the pandemic started and I'm not sure what to do
Pleasure.
If there's a particular domain you're especially skilled in, or one that you have a particular interest in, I'd have a look around and see if there are any smaller companies catering to it first. Certain industries are more likely to require bespoke solutions.
From there, maybe join an open source project or two. In many cases, "impressive" projects are beyond a single developer, or a realistic time frame. Collaboration is also great motivation, and if the project is successful, it's good exposure.