Hi Jon.
I'm not a Java programmer either - there is life outside the JVM after all! Sorry to hear about your situation - as a 40-something database developer (in the UK) I've had some very long spells out of work myself in recent years, so I know how dispiriting it can be. Like you, I have found it can be hard to break into a new area when you don't have enough "relevant" experience. As you know, "relevance" here is subjective: most recruiters know nothing about IT and don't understand that several years' commercial experience as a programmer in another language may be a better guide to somebody's skills than 6 months of Java or C# straight out of college. But if they don't see the right buzzwords on your application, they will toss it and move on to the next one.
So maybe one thing you can do is get the right buzzwords on there - get some certification in your target technologies, or look at picking up some extra business skills alongside your IT skills. Also think about what skills are really most marketable. For example, there may be a lot of Java jobs in your area, but there may also be a lot of people with those skills. Would it be better for you to look at picking up some niche skills that are less widely available, especially if there is some relevant business area where you already have some experience? If all else fails and you can afford it, you might even think about going back to college and getting some new qualifications.
As for experience, are you in a position to work for free for a few months? If so, try and find some local employer or organisation who could use your skills as a kind of "intern" for a spell, while also giving you a chance to pick up some more "relevant" skills for your next job, even if these skills are outside your current target area. Or see if there are any open source projects you could get involved with. This might help
boost your skills, make the gap in your working history look better (after all, nobody needs to know you were working for free), provide some recent "employer's" references, and perhaps most importantly it will boost your own confidence. It is very easy when you're out of work to feel like you are a failure and that nobody will ever employ you again. But you have several years' commercial experience, you have already shown that you are motivated enough to pick up new skills, so you just need to find a way to get past the door and into a position where you can demonstrate those qualities to a potential employer.
Also, if you have a friendly employment agency or a local university careers office, try and get them to advise you on how to present your skills and experience and how to target potential employers. And take any opportunity you can to network e.g. join your local user groups or professional organisations where you might hear about all the jobs that are never formally advertised. You never know when somebody might have a new job requirement and remember that guy Jon they met at last week's Java user group meeting.
Anyway, best of luck with your job search - hope things turn around for you soon.
Chris
. But even entry level and junior level .net web development positions require relevant experience. I thought that my experience was somewhat relevant (programming is programming) but, consistent with what I suspected, an adviser over at the school told me that it's unlikely I'll get one of those jobs just yet and that I should be targeting different positions. I think I understand, since companies can easily hire a laid off .net developer with many years of experience and pay him what they would have paid a person like me.
