Where does one start when looking for a job? In my current field of bio-research, I would look at jobs online or get referrals for a job of interest. Now that I'm looking for a job as a software developer, I'm not sure where or how to begin.
It's been almost two months since I graduated from my Software Engineer bootcamp. During that time, I worked with my career coach to draft a good resume, tweak my LinkedIn, and do a mock interview. Now that I've officially declared the start of my job search with my coach, the anxiety is really kicking in. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but there's so much to learn for a tech interview that I don't know where to start. Below are my thoughts on some of the main aspects of a dev job hunt:
Learning DS&A
Data structures and algorithms are the bane of my existence. Don't get me wrong! I love solving code problems since they remind me of puzzles and I learn new algorithms. Bootcamp didn't really cover that part during the curriculum. After graduation, they threw a link at me with some resources and that was it. The real struggle is learning all the different data structures, such as recursion and binary trees, while learning the best algorithms to solve them.
"Just do Leetcode problems" - Everyone
I find it hard to solve Leetcode problems with no knowledge of data structures. AlgoExpert is a site that has really helped me out. AlgoExpert is not free, but it gives you 160 coding questions to ace the coding interviews with video explanations and additional interview resources. As someone with no past experience with Leetcode, AlgoExpert's problems and explanation have really helped. I highly recommend AlgoExpert if you're just starting data structure and algorithms.
Networking
My coach and everyone I know advocate that networking is the most important part of finding a dev job. Cold applying to jobs is a black hole without a referral. Most of my time is spent on searching people on LinkedIn and messaging them. Connection is key for finding a job, but my main goal, as of now, is to connect and ask people how their job search journey went.
Applying for Jobs
You would think applying for job is the easiest thing to do, but it's actually pretty difficult. The job description for each Software Engineer role can differ vastly from one another. It's hard to know what I want to do in a role when I haven't experienced a tech job before.
The Race
This blog post is my starting line. It's really here to keep me accountable and motivated during my journey.
Daily Goals
- At least two Leetcode problems
- Network with 2-4 people
- Apply to one job
Feel free to give me tips and advice! I would greatly appreciate them!
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