Who am I
I'm a Computer Systems Engineering student in my 3rd year based in Palestine. I did start quite well with problem-solving in my first year, then I started to seek new skills.
What did I start
I saw people entering the world of front-end development. So, I took my chance and started taking courses like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I started well and I felt great designing web pages with cool interactions and responsive designs, so I wanted to learn more, so I took a React.js course. And one more time felt good about the pages I've created.
I took a Fullstack course on Udemy called "The Web Development Course 2024" to learn some back-end using Node.js and to be a MERN stack developer.
What am I doing now
After learning a lot about front-end & back-end development, learning some good folder structure and all the SOLID principles in React + Express, and started creating useful projects to help me out in college.
*Why am I lost *
Here in my country Palestine, there aren't a lot of opportunities for developers, as there are a lot of front-end and back-end developers in addition I can't get internships in well-known companies. I need something to learn that is actually useful in the tech stack industry.
Top comments (4)
As a business owner that hires developers I would say the key things I look for in a developer are actually not tech-specific - if someone is presenting themselves in the market with a base level of skills, that tells me they’re keen and able to learn whatever is needed - after all, particularly in web dev, there will be new frameworks etc to learn within months of starting anyway!
So here’s what I try and discover about candidates:
Can they listen and are they curious about the customer’s needs? Like are they engaged and seeking actively to find out not just about the requirements or problems but also about the context of the solution, the goals of the customer, the motives of the solution’s intended users?
Do they show an understanding of what it means to get something minimal and viable working? Here, initially the commercial scenario to demonstrate value to the customer is far more important than the elegance of the solution structure or the clever use of technical components. These things are of course important, but only after the value is confirmed.
Can they understand, define, and achieve a proper definition of “done” for a task, that extends beyond their own frame of reference. Something might be technically “done” but is it tested, deployable, documented, comprehensible to the end user, and is it suitably hardened/robust so that there is a reasonable expectation that it won’t need immediate support attention.
I suggest giving some thought to how you can demonstrate these aspects of your practice - if you can, you’re well on your way to getting good offers and finding a role.
I found this really helpful, thank you so much.
I now have more visual about how the tech market looks like. However, web development is kind of frustrating to work with. Do you suggest continuing in this field or looking for something needed in the tech market?
First step - divest yourself of the American LIE of internship at a well known company. Seriously - it is a LIE and leads too many people astray.
Simple fact is that most jobs (in any field) are with smaller companies. This has been and always will be the case. Too many large companies leads to economic collapse. Future proof yourself by NOT focusing on "well known" companies. Go talk with the employers and ask how to become employable. Then take those steps.
You need professional experience, sometimes you must start in some less-known company and take your time.
Keep working! 🙏👏