I'm stuck! Tips for starting your career?

Greetings,

I would like some constructive advice,
I'm stuck! Tips for starting your career!

Greetings,

I would like some constructive advice, I'm self-taught myself as a full-stack developer but I have difficulty finding my first job.

To improve further I should be part of a team but I am not yet good enough to pass all the interviews.

Starting an internship is impossible for me because there are no remote ones in Italy.

I also struggle with open-source projects.

Thanks in advance to anyone who has some practical advice without being aggressive :)

Comments

[Joe Mainwaring]

Hello Antonio!

I myself was a self-taught developer who struggled to break into the industry, but I eventually did succeed and have had a very rewarding career since. It took me quite some time to finally break through, and in hindsight there were a few shortcuts I could have explored to expedite the process. If I had to do it all over again today, here's how I would approach it:

• Network with recruiters: This was the single most valuable thing I did to break into the industry. Third-party recruiters are a good place to start, as they'll get to know you in order to sell you as a candidate to the companies they're contracting with. You of course will need to sell yourself once your foot is in the door, but getting face-time with a hiring manger is more than half of the job-seeking battle. Don't be afraid of taking short-term work initially either, as it will give you concrete employment experience in the industry, making it easier to land a full-time role.
• Establish a public presence: Posting technical articles which demonstrate your knowledge is another good way to attract the right kind of attention (recruiters, potential employers, and even book publishers). Additionally, your public writings can be shared with hiring managers as portfolio pieces to provide them with evidence of your skillset and knowledge.
• Attend a bootcamp: This may seem counter-intuitive as a self-taught developer (why pay to learn what I already know), but the right bootcamps will do more than just teach you how to code, they'll provide instruction on supplemental responsibilities (sprint planning, code review), help prepare for you for the interview process, and connect you directly with companies looking for talent.
• Create a Portfolio: A portfolio can provide you with a space to aggregate content which will help market yourself to potential employers, but I would recommend some caution with this approach as it's not appreciated equally across the industry. Some potential employers (agencies for example) are more inclined to consider a portfolio in their evaluation while other businesses may not accept a portfolio as part of their process.

[Antonio Colaierà]

Thank you a lot!