Unfortunately, unemployment is sticky[1]. That <i>might</i> be your entire problem.<p>When I'm hiring software people, I get three types of applications:<p>1) Self-taught, usually working in startups and small companies; often a little bit older<p>2) CS grads, usually working at larger companies<p>3) Totally unqualified (non-technical applying for technical role, etc.)<p>It sounds like you're in bucket #2. As an employer, I'm naturally going to wonder why you've been unable to find a job in a good market. Hiring (like venture capital, dating, and all other human selection processes) is highly social. We tend to want the people who are in high demand.<p>What makes my job hard is that a lot of the CVs in each bucket are very, very similar. My job becomes finding ways to narrow the applications down from hundreds to, hopefully, less than 10. But how do I do that?<p>You eventually start finding excuses to exclude someone: got an unrelated Master's degree, went to a lesser-known school for undergrad, etc. These are usually really bad filters, but unless you start using software to do this process for you, there isn't much choice. You can't interview 100 people for every role[2].<p>If I had to guess from my own experience, I'd guess that your biggest problem (by far) is the gap in your resume. If you can find a way to retroactively fill it (adding volunteering, descriptions of contract work, etc.) then you'll be much better off.<p>My other guess is that many companies are getting more reluctant to hire self-taught people. There are enough CS grads that you just don't need to hire self-taught people anymore (if you don't want to), and if that person turns out to suck, you can cover your ass by saying, "Well, they had the degree..."<p>If you've been burned out by doing Github projects, I think you should think about whether a career change makes sense. You could also try to become a freelancer. If you need to build up your portfolio, you can try to do work for free for non-profits until people want to hire you.<p>I hope that helps! Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. Your family knows you best and is probably right that seeking to learn and practice social skills could help.<p>1. <a href="https://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2011/07/labour-markets" rel="nofollow">https://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2011/07/labour-...</a><p>2. I know there are startups created to solve this exact issue, but I despise the idea of whiteboard-style interviews (even the online ones that work more like homework or a standardized test)