Hi DEV Community,
I hesitated before writing this post.
For years, I was used to being the person people called when something had to be built, fixed, investigated, deployed, or understood.
Today, I’m on the other side of that experience.
I’m looking for work.
And after months of applications, silence can become surprisingly heavy.
A little about me
My name is Hamza AIT-SIDI-SAID. I’m a software engineer from Morocco with more than six years of experience in web development.
My main stack is:
PHP · Symfony · Laravel · SQL · REST APIs · React · Git · CI/CD · Docker · Linux
But those technologies only tell a small part of the story.
During my most recent experience at Capgemini Morocco, I worked on enterprise applications for clients including ENGIE and UGI / Antargaz.
These were not side projects or tutorials.
They were real production systems, used by real businesses, where bugs had consequences and where reliability mattered.
I worked on application development, APIs, SQL optimization, production support, deployments, incident resolution, CI/CD, code reviews, application maintenance, and technical troubleshooting.
I also had the opportunity to support junior developers and share knowledge with the team.
There were days when everything worked normally.
And there were other days when a production incident appeared, something broke unexpectedly, or an application needed to go live.
Those moments taught me something that no framework documentation can teach:
software engineering is not only about writing code.
It is also about staying calm when something breaks.
Understanding systems you did not originally build.
Reading logs.
Asking the right questions.
Helping teammates.
Taking responsibility.
And sometimes spending hours chasing one small detail that turns out to be the entire problem.
Then suddenly, everything became quiet
My latest professional chapter ended in 2026.
I expected that with several years of experience, enterprise projects, production experience, and a solid technical background, finding the next opportunity would be relatively straightforward.
It hasn't been.
I have applied.
I have rewritten my CV.
I have adjusted my LinkedIn profile.
I have searched locally and internationally.
I have explored remote roles, freelance opportunities, relocation opportunities, and traditional employment.
And sometimes the answer is simply silence.
No rejection.
No technical interview.
No feedback.
Just silence.
I won't pretend that this is easy.
When you spend years being useful to teams and suddenly struggle to get even the first conversation, you start questioning things you never questioned before.
Your experience.
Your skills.
Your decisions.
Sometimes even your value as an engineer.
But I also know what I have done.
I know the systems I have supported.
I know the incidents I have solved.
I know the applications I have helped deliver.
I know how many times I had to learn something quickly because production could not wait.
So instead of keeping this search private, I decided to write this post.
What I can bring to a team
I’m particularly comfortable working on:
PHP and Symfony applications
Laravel projects
REST APIs and system integrations
MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL and SQL troubleshooting
Existing and legacy applications
Production incident investigation
Application maintenance and modernization
CI/CD pipelines
Backend architecture
Performance investigation
Code reviews
React when a project requires full-stack work
Technical support for business-critical applications
I am also comfortable joining an existing project.
I don't need everything to be greenfield.
Actually, some of the work I enjoy most is opening an unfamiliar codebase, understanding how it works, identifying where the problems are, and gradually making it better.
What I am looking for
I am currently open to:
Full-time positions
Remote work
Freelance missions
Contract work
Short-term projects
Backend PHP / Symfony roles
Full-stack PHP / React roles
International opportunities
Relocation opportunities
I am based in Morocco, but geography is not a limitation for the right collaboration.
If a company has an old PHP application nobody wants to touch anymore, I can help.
If a Symfony application needs new features, I can help.
If APIs need to be built or fixed, I can help.
If production issues keep returning, I can investigate them.
If your team has accumulated months of technical backlog, I can help reduce it.
And if you simply need another experienced engineer who can join a team, understand the context, and start contributing, I would be happy to have that conversation.
Why I am writing this publicly
Normally, job searches happen quietly.
You send applications.
Recruiters receive them.
Algorithms rank them.
ATS systems parse them.
And somewhere behind all of that is a human being.
So I wanted to try something different.
I'm putting my story here.
Maybe a CTO reads this.
Maybe a recruiter sees it.
Maybe another developer knows a team looking for someone.
Maybe someone has a Symfony project that has been sitting unfinished for months.
Or perhaps somebody simply shares this post with the right person.
Sometimes careers change because of one conversation.
I'm looking for that conversation.
If you can help
You don't have to offer me a job.
If you know someone who is hiring, sharing this post is already useful.
If your company needs a PHP/Symfony engineer, feel free to contact me.
If you have a freelance project, even a small one, I am open to discussing it.
And if you are another developer going through the same silence after months of applications:
I understand it much better now.
Keep building.
Keep learning.
Keep showing your work.
Eventually, someone has to open the door.
For me, this post is another knock on that door.
Contact
Hamza AIT-SIDI-SAID
Software Engineer
PHP · Symfony · Laravel · React · REST APIs · SQL · CI/CD
🌍 Morocco — Open to remote work and relocation
🔗 Portfolio: ait-sidi-said.work
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamza-ait-sidi-said/
🔗 GitHub: https://github.com/hamza-topo
📧 Email: hamzaaitsidisaid11@outlook.com
Thank you for reading.
And if you know someone who might need my experience, I would genuinely appreciate you sending this post their way.
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