Well, there are some problems that make it hard to hire.
- Being in Outer Nowhere. It may be a nice place to live, but if you go there, you're trapped. No other employer unless you move.
- Being in an obscure technology niche. If you spend five years working on railroad locomotive motor control, you have a hard time getting a job afterwards.
- Going to a company that's in a mess and has no one with a clue. This is a setup for either overwork or failure.
- A staff job, rather than a line job. At a "tech" company, developers contribute to revenue. At a company that just has an in-house IT unit, developers contribute to cost.
- Being in Outer Nowhere. It may be a nice place to live, but if you go there, you're trapped. No other employer unless you move.
- Being in an obscure technology niche. If you spend five years working on railroad locomotive motor control, you have a hard time getting a job afterwards.
- Going to a company that's in a mess and has no one with a clue. This is a setup for either overwork or failure.
- A staff job, rather than a line job. At a "tech" company, developers contribute to revenue. At a company that just has an in-house IT unit, developers contribute to cost.