How do I reenter the job market after a failed small business, 2 kids, and a non-traditional resume?
I'm feeling very frustrated because it seems impossible for me to get a job. In theory, I've got a lot going for me: undergrad in computer science, then 4 years working (first in a more technical role, then product management); while I was working I opened my first dance studio, then I moved to Europe to get my MBA, then opened another studio here, which I had to close after a year because it just wasn't working financially. I had my first kid right after the MBA and my second right after closing my studio. I've recently been writing a Substack and posting on LinkedIn about the boutique fitness industry and I've used Claude Code, Cursor, API integrations, etc. to build websites, dashboards, tools, and more.
I've spent the past year looking for a job and for the life of me, I can't even make it to an interview.
Initially I went broad, mostly looking at product roles. Then I narrowed to boutique fitness-adjacent stuff (small world, but I can genuinely speak to it credibly) – spent 6 months writing and networking. I've managed to get a few responses and even close to a collaboration, but still nothing. Now I'm broadening my search again. But at this point, I'm thinking I might need to go back to some kind of bootcamp so I have something more recent and maybe a bit of a network.
Would love advice! Should I stay niche? Broaden? Keep applying and hope that the numbers eventually work in my favor? Give it a break and apply to a bootcamp?