Like many in the tech industry, I was laid off last year. Though I'm grateful for my time at the company, being let go knocked me down hard. What made it worse was the LinkedIn hiring scene. I quickly discovered that newly posted job opportunities were flooded with 1,000+ applicants in the first hour, like throwing food into a piranha tank. I felt bad for the hiring teams, too, having to sift through that many submissions!
Something had to be done to punch through the noise, and my viral marketing roots kicked in. I love a good adventure. 💖
Short on time, I decided to recycle and renew a pandemic project: a robot I'd previously built using popsicle sticks, hot glue, and hobby wire. Since then, I'd learned much more about electronics and acrylic work, so I crafted a new-and-improved bot to act as a PR agent. 🤖
Named Sir Bolty Gearsington by a member of the Pikes Peak Makerspace, this upgraded robot has better equipment, particularly the rotating servo base. (My last bot would topple over if it rotated too far!) I also switched from a Raspberry Pi 4 to a 3B+, since the new code was more efficient, and the Pi 4 ran uncomfortably hot (it was overkill for this project anyway).
I even wrote a short musical number for it. Hey, sometimes that random skill comes in handy! After posting the video on LinkedIn, it was a hit and helped me secure several interviews through personal contacts. If you're curious, here's a less popular YouTube link. Since then, that video has helped a lot to stand out.
These days, Sir Bolty mainly serves as a conversation piece at maker events and for nonprofit fundraising. I also toy with the idea of turning it into a physical “VTuber” someday… maybe when I find myself with a little too much free time!
Posted: 2024-02-10
