I need to tell you something nobody wants to admit.
The "learn to code and get a high-paying remote job" dream? It's not dead, but it's definitely on life support.
And if you're sitting there wondering why you've sent 200 applications and gotten 3 responses (all rejections), or why that coding bootcamp certificate isn't opening doors as they promised, or why companies want "entry-level developers with 3 years of experience", you're not crazy.
The game changed and most people are still playing by the old rules.
I'm writing this because I'm in it too. I'm watching friends with Computer Science degrees struggle to get interviews. I'm seeing talented developers give up after months of silence. I'm experiencing firsthand how brutal this market has become.
This isn't a success story. This isn't "10 tips to land your dream job." This is an honest look at what the hell happened to the tech job market, and what might actually help if you're trying to break in right now.
Remember When "Learn to Code" Was the Answer to Everything?
2020 was a different world.
Tech companies were hiring like crazy. Remote work exploded. Everyone and their uncle was starting a SaaS company. VC money was flowing like water. Bootcamps were popping up everywhere, promising six-figure salaries after 12 weeks of training.
The narrative was simple: "Tech is the future. Learn to code. Get a remote job. Make $100k. Work from anywhere."
And for a while? It was kind of true.
Companies were desperate for developers. They'd hire bootcamp grads. They'd take chances on self-taught developers with decent portfolios. Junior positions actually existed. "Entry-level" meant entry-level.
Fast forward to 2026, and it's like someone flipped a switch.
Now you see job postings like:
- "Junior Developer (3–5 years experience required)"
- "Entry-level position (must be proficient in React, TypeScript, Node.js, AWS, Docker, Kubernetes…)"
- "Hiring freeze until further notice"
- Or worse, no postings at all.
What happened?
The Perfect Storm: Why Everything Changed at Once
This isn't just one thing. It's everything hitting at the same time.
The Money Dried Up (And Tech Companies Panicked)
Let's start with the big one: money.
For years, tech companies were running on cheap money. Interest rates were near zero. Investors were throwing cash at anything with "AI" or "blockchain" in the pitch deck. Growth was everything. Profitability? Who cares, we'll figure that out later.
Then 2022–2023 happened. Interest rates shot up. Suddenly, that free-flowing VC money became expensive. Investors started asking uncomfortable questions like "When will you actually make money?"
And tech companies responded by doing what they do best when they panic: mass layoffs.
Google laid off 12,000 people. Meta cut 21,000 jobs. Amazon let go of 27,000 employees. Microsoft, Twitter, Salesforce, Stripe, the list goes on. We're talking about hundreds of thousands of experienced tech workers suddenly looking for jobs.
Now imagine you're a junior developer competing against someone who just got laid off from Google with 5 years of experience. Who do you think companies are hiring?
Yeah.
AI Became the Excuse for Everything
Then there's the AI elephant in the room.
ChatGPT launched in November 2022, and suddenly, every CEO decided they could do more with fewer people. Not because AI actually replaced developers (it hasn't), but because it gave them the perfect excuse to cut hiring.
"AI will handle the simple tasks." "We need fewer junior developers now." "AI makes our senior developers more productive."
And you know what? Some of that is true. GitHub Copilot can write boilerplate code. ChatGPT can debug basic errors. AI tools are genuinely making certain tasks faster.
But here's what they're not telling you: AI still needs humans to guide it, review it, and fix its mistakes. The technology isn't replacing developers, it's changing what skills matter.
The problem is companies are using AI as justification to not hire, not train, and not invest in junior talent. They're looking at the hype and making decisions based on fear and cost-cutting, not reality.
Everyone Learned to Code (At the Same Time)
Remember the pandemic?
Everyone was stuck at home. Everyone was anxious about job security. And everyone heard the same advice: "Learn to code!"
Bootcamps exploded. Online courses had record enrollments. YouTube tutorials went viral. Millions of people started learning web development, data science, and software engineering.
Which sounds great for inclusion and accessibility. And it is! More people having tech skills is genuinely good.
But it also means the market is now flooded with junior developers who all have:
- The same bootcamp certificates
- The same portfolio projects (to-do apps, weather apps, Netflix clones)
- The same GitHub with tutorial code
- No real work experience
When 100 junior developers were competing for 50 jobs, you had a decent shot. When there are 10,000 competing for 5 jobs? The math just doesn't work.
And companies responded by raising the bar. Why hire someone with 6 months of bootcamp training when you can hire someone with a CS degree and internship experience? Why take a chance on a self-taught developer when you have laid-off senior developers willing to take junior salaries?
The supply-demand equation broke.
The "Entry-Level Experience" Paradox Got Worse
You've seen it. We've all seen it.
"Entry-level position. Requirements: 3–5 years of professional experience."
This has always been frustrating, but it's gotten exponentially worse. Companies are genuinely posting junior roles with senior requirements because they can. The market is so saturated that they can afford to be unrealistic.
They want someone who can start contributing from day one. No training period. No onboarding costs. Just plug and play.
Which would be fine if there were also actual entry-level roles for people to get that first year or two of experience. But those positions have largely disappeared.
Internships are more competitive than ever. Junior roles get hundreds of applications. Companies aren't investing in training programs like they used to.
It's a catch-22: Can't get experience without a job, can't get a job without experience. And the gap keeps widening.
Remote Work Became a Double-Edged Sword
The pandemic normalised remote work, which seemed like a huge win for developers. Work from anywhere! No geographic limitations! Access to global opportunities!
Except it works both ways.
Now you're not just competing with developers in your city or country. You're competing with developers globally. That remote job at a US company? You're competing with candidates from India, the Philippines, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and everywhere else.
And many companies discovered they can hire senior developers from countries with lower costs of living for the same price they'd pay a junior developer in expensive markets.
Why hire a junior developer in San Francisco when you can hire a senior developer in Nigeria or Poland for less?
Plus, many companies started pulling back on remote work entirely. "Return to office" mandates cut the number of truly remote positions. Even "remote" jobs often have geographic restrictions now.
The advantage remote work promised to international developers? It's being eroded by these same market forces.
The Africa-Specific Layer (Because Location Still Matters)
If you're in Africa; Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, anywhere on the continent, you're dealing with all of the above plus some extra challenges.
The Infrastructure Tax
Let's be real: reliable power and internet aren't guaranteed. And for remote tech work, they're non-negotiable.
You might be the best developer in the room, but if your internet cuts out during a client call, or you can't meet deadlines because power has been out for 8 hours, that's a problem.
International clients worry about this. They've heard the stories. They've had bad experiences. And unfortunately, you pay the "trust tax" for it even if your personal setup is solid.
Payment Platform Restrictions
Stripe doesn't work in Nigeria. PayPal is limited. Payoneer has fees. Wise has restrictions.
Getting paid as a freelancer or contractor is genuinely harder from Africa. And many international companies don't want to deal with the complexity.
"We only hire contractors who can invoice through Stripe" eliminates you before the conversation even starts.
Currency Devaluation Pressure
The naira has lost significant value. The cedi is struggling. Many African currencies are under pressure.
Which means two things:
- Local salaries can't keep up with inflation. That ₦200,000/month job from last year is worth significantly less today.
- Dollar-paying remote jobs become even more competitive. Everyone wants to earn in dollars or euros, which makes those positions brutally competitive.
You're not just competing for jobs, you're competing for economic survival.
The Local Market Maturity Gap
The African tech market is growing, but it remains immature in most places.
There are fewer tech companies. The startups that exist are struggling to raise funding. Corporate digital transformation is slow. Many businesses still don't see tech as essential or they want it done as cheaply as possible.
"My cousin can build a website for ₦30,000" is still a common response.
This means fewer local opportunities, increased competition for international remote work, and pressure to undervalue your skills just to gain experience.
The Time Zone Challenge
Most high-paying tech jobs are in the US or European time zones. Which means:
- Interview scheduling is complicated
- Real-time collaboration is difficult
- You might need to work odd hours
- Asynchronous communication becomes critical
Some companies love hiring in different time zones for round-the-clock coverage. Others see it as a dealbreaker. And you can't always tell which one you're dealing with until you're deep in the process.
Why Entry-Level Developers Got Hit Hardest
Here's the uncomfortable truth: when companies tighten budgets, junior developers are the first to go.
Training Is Expensive
Junior developers need mentoring. Code reviews. Guidance. Time to ramp up. Senior developers need to spend time teaching instead of shipping features.
When companies are focused on efficiency and cutting costs, training programs get axed. Junior positions get eliminated. They'd rather hire one senior developer who can work independently than two juniors who need support.
AI Took the "Learning Tasks"
A lot of what junior developers used to do, writing basic CRUD operations, fixing simple bugs, writing tests, and updating documentation, can now be partially automated by AI tools.
Not completely. Not perfectly. But enough that companies think "we can have our senior devs use AI for this instead of hiring juniors to do it."
Which means the tasks that used to be learning opportunities for junior developers are disappearing. And with them, the justification for junior roles.
Risk Aversion in Uncertain Times
When the market is good, companies take chances. They hire promising juniors. They invest in potential.
When the market is uncertain, they play it safe. They want proven skills. Immediate impact. No risk.
Junior developers, by definition, are a risk. You might be great. You might struggle. You need time to prove yourself.
In this market, companies don't want to take that risk.
The Skills Paradox: Everyone Has the Same Resume
Here's something I've noticed: most developer portfolios look identical.
Same projects: To-do app. Weather app. E-commerce clone. Netflix clone.
Same skills listed: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Node.js, MongoDB.
Same GitHub: Full of tutorial code and incomplete projects.
Same about section: "Passionate developer eager to learn and grow."
When everyone has the same skills and the same projects, how do you stand out?
You don't. You're just another resume in a pile of 500.
The baseline skills that used to be impressive (knowing React, building a portfolio site, having a GitHub) are now just… expected. They're not differentiators anymore. They're table stakes.
And this creates a problem: what used to get you hired now just gets you in the door. And the door is crowded.
What Companies Are Actually Looking For (Hint: It's Changed)
From what I've learned and noticed, the job requirements haven't just gotten harder; they've gotten different.
They Want Specialists, Not Generalists
"Full-stack developer" used to be impressive. Now it's generic.
Companies want depth, not breadth. They want someone exceptional at one thing, not mediocre at everything.
"Expert in React performance optimisation" is more valuable than "knows React, Vue, Angular, and Svelte."
"Specialised in building accessible UIs" beats "can do frontend and backend and mobile and…"
They Want Proof, Not Potential
"I'm eager to learn" doesn't cut it anymore.
They want: "Here's a live product I built that 500 people use."
They want: "I contributed to this open-source project and got my PRs merged."
They want: "Here's my technical blog with 10,000 readers where I explain complex concepts."
Potential is cheap. Everyone has potential. Proof is expensive and rare.
They Want Communication Skills (More Than Ever)
With remote work and distributed teams, communication isn't just nice to have; it's essential.
Can you write clear documentation? Can you explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders? Can you collaborate asynchronously across time zones?
Technical skills might get you the interview. Communication skills get you the job.
They Want People Who Can Work Independently
Hand-holding is expensive. Training is expensive. Constant questions are expensive.
They want developers who can:
- Figure things out independently
- Ask good questions when stuck
- Manage their own time and priorities
- Ship features without constant oversight
Which, again, disadvantages junior developers who are still learning these skills.
What Might Actually Help (No BS, Just Honest Strategies)
I can't promise these will get you a job. The market is tough, and sometimes it's just bad luck or bad timing.
But here's what seems to be working for people who are breaking through:
1. Go Niche (Really Niche)
Stop being "a frontend developer." Start being "the developer who builds e-commerce sites for Nigerian fashion brands" or "the specialist in making government websites accessible."
Niching feels scary because you think you're limiting opportunities. But you're actually making yourself more visible to a specific group that needs exactly what you do.
2. Build in Public
Document your learning. Share your projects. Write about what you're building and why.
Not for clout. Not to go viral. But to create a paper trail that shows:
You actually ship things
You can explain your thinking
You're consistently learning and improving
This is more impressive than any portfolio.
3. Contribute to Real Open Source (Not Just Beginner-Friendly Repos)
Everyone knows the "find an issue labelled 'good first issue'" advice.
Go deeper. Find a project you actually use. Spend a month understanding the codebase. Then make a meaningful contribution.
One substantial PR to a real project is worth more than 20 tiny contributions to "beginner-friendly" repos.
4. Solve Actual Problems (Not Tutorial Problems)
Build something someone actually needs. Even if it's just your friend's small business website or a tool for your local community.
"I built a booking system for my uncle's barbershop that handles 50 appointments a week" is infinitely more interesting than "I built a Netflix clone following a YouTube tutorial."
Real problems have constraints, edge cases, and users. Tutorial problems don't.
5. Network Locally (Not Just Online)
Twitter applications disappear into the void. LinkedIn cold messages get ignored.
But showing up to local tech meetups, developer communities, and startup events? That creates relationships.
Most jobs come from referrals. Referrals come from people who actually know you. And people get to know you in person or through sustained online relationships, not from a cold email.
6. Add Adjacent Skills
Pure coding skills are commoditized. Coding + something else is valuable.
Developer + designer = rare and valuable
Developer + writer = technical writing opportunities
Developer + domain expertise (healthcare, finance, education) = specialized roles
Developer + data analysis = product-focused roles
Don't just be another developer. Be a developer who brings something extra.
7. Be Realistic About Timeline
This sucks to hear, but it might take longer than you thought.
Not because you're not good enough. Not because you're doing something wrong. But because the market is genuinely tough right now.
Six months of job searching is becoming normal for junior developers. A year isn't unheard of.
That doesn't mean give up. It means adjust expectations and plan accordingly. Keep learning. Keep building. Keep applying. But also keep your day job or freelance income flowing because this might take a while.
8. Consider Alternative Entry Points
If direct-hire developer roles aren't working:
Freelancing (smaller projects to build experience and income)
Contract work (temp roles that might convert to permanent)
Agencies often hire more junior devs than product companies.
Startups (more willing to take chances, though often lower pay)
Adjacent roles (QA, technical support, technical writing) that get you in the door
These aren't failures. They're strategic entry points that build experience and connections.
The Uncomfortable Truth Nobody Wants to Say
The "learn to code = guaranteed job" narrative was oversold.
Not because coding isn't valuable. It is.
But because the market changed faster than the narrative did. The promise was made when the market was hot. Now it's cold. And people are still making decisions based on old information.
Does that mean learning to code was a waste of time? No.
Does it mean everyone who learns to code will get a high-paying tech job? Also no.
The truth is messier: tech skills are valuable, but they're not a guaranteed meal ticket anymore. The market is oversaturated at the entry level, undersupplied at specialist levels, and in flux everywhere else.
Some people will break through quickly. Others will struggle for months. Some will need to pivot or add skills. Others will find success in unexpected places.
There's no one path anymore. And anyone selling you a guaranteed path is lying.
What Happens Next? (Looking Forward)
The market will shift again. It always does.
AI will stabilize from hype to reality. Companies will realize they actually do need developers (just different kinds). The economic cycle will turn. New technologies will create new opportunities.
But when? How? Nobody knows.
What we do know:
- Junior positions will probably stay rare for a while. Companies are prioritizing experienced hires.
- Specialization will matter more. Being good at one thing beats being okay at everything.
- Non-technical skills will differentiate. Communication, problem-solving, business understanding, these separate good developers from great ones.
- Alternative paths will become more common. Fewer people will go straight from boot camp to a full-time dev job. More will freelance, contract, contribute to open source, or enter through adjacent roles.
- The African opportunity is still there, but it requires different strategies. Building for local markets, solving local problems, and creating products for African users might be more sustainable than competing for international remote roles.
Final Thoughts: You're Not Crazy, the Market Is
If you're struggling to get a tech job right now, it's not because you're not good enough.
It's because you're entering the market at one of the hardest times in recent tech history.
Layoffs. AI hype. Market saturation. Economic uncertainty. Everything hit at once.
That doesn't make it easier. But maybe it makes it less personal.
You're not failing. You're navigating a genuinely difficult situation that's affecting thousands of talented people.
Keep building. Keep learning. Keep applying. But also be kind to yourself. The market is brutal right now, and that's not your fault.
Some of you will break through next month. Some will take a year. Some will find success in unexpected directions.
But if you're still in the game, still learning, still trying, you're doing better than you think.
The tech job market is brutal right now.
But it's not forever.
And knowing what you're actually up against? That's the first step to figuring out how to navigate it.
If this resonated with you, share it with other developers who need to hear this. We're all figuring this out together.
What's your experience with the current tech job market? Drop your story in the comments, let's talk about what's really happening out there.
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