currently in bay area. quit 10 months ago because of health reasons. 110% better now, thank goodness
i've mostly done lifecycle software engineering for the last 10 years (python c++ javascript). I rarely got to develop features; happened a couple times in the last year. I enjoyed bug fixing but it's such a rare position to find. i've gotten a few interviews, more coming.
i've never gotten a job through a referral. i don't really know anybody but going to meetups is on the agenda. does meetup.com even work anymore? not sure how that works, tho...social anxiety+cptsd+autism makes it so difficult.
how do you even find 'mentors' ? no one has ever helped me like that, it's inconceivable.
I've been grinding leetcode more, and am getting better ( dont have to look at answers as much), studying SD question/answers. working on side projects that are technical enough
But i'm so scared i wont ever find another job. im thinking of just going to trucking school, but i like software a lot.
There is a discussion on Hacker News, but feel free to comment here as well.
With your background, consider pivoting into another skill subset. Specifically, the Salesforce job market has been completely flooded with people who don't have a baseline understanding of code and coding best principles and practices.
People that I work with that understand those, get really far in the Salesforce ecosystem. Having a solid background in those OOP languages would help you really shine in that market.
It's a skill set that's needed and for you, will be relatively easy to go into, just go out and pay $200 to get your admin cert and another two to get your SF Dev 1 Cert. The Apex language is just a flavor of Java and LWC is just JavaScript. You'll then get a ton of recruiters reaching out.
Whatever you decide though, good luck and keep at it! It took me over a decade of bouncing around different niche IT areas before I found something that stuck.
Source for my opinions: I'm currently working as a Senior Enterprise Architect at one of the big 4 consulting firms and have been for years.