I've been actively interviewing for almost the past five years. I recently concluded my job search and basically landed my dream job (or very close to it). However I was extremely picky about what I was looking for which probably made my search take so long.
If I was less picky, I could probably have gotten a new job at a decent, but not spectacular, company, with probably at max, ~3 months of active interviewing.
Likewise one of my friends is what I'd like to describe as a "master networker". The way he can easily and quickly network his way into a new job is shocking - often times without an leetcode interview. These jobs typically tend to pay at least above average (hedge funds). However the caveat is that he has to be very unpicky about the exact nature of the role, sometimes working with very boring or unsexy tech stacks for example.
I spent two years looking and then just threw in the towel and took a job at GE. They turned out to have a far more inflated view of themselves than was warranted or even healthy...so that only lasted a few years. Consulting now with one of the few boutique firms in my city...which has been fairly nice.
If I was less picky, I could probably have gotten a new job at a decent, but not spectacular, company, with probably at max, ~3 months of active interviewing.
Likewise one of my friends is what I'd like to describe as a "master networker". The way he can easily and quickly network his way into a new job is shocking - often times without an leetcode interview. These jobs typically tend to pay at least above average (hedge funds). However the caveat is that he has to be very unpicky about the exact nature of the role, sometimes working with very boring or unsexy tech stacks for example.