Man, don't get me wrong, I know I am the problem, but it's been a really tough ride.
I am writing this both as a rant and as a request for an advice, or even help, because I'm clearly completely lost, and my decision making has proven to be poor haha.
-Got an Associate's Degree (2021-2023) in Software Development that taught me JavaScript, React, Yii2, MySQL, React Native, and had a 4.25/5 GPA
-During that time I got an internship of 2 months, and it started amazing, but didn't end very well
-I also developed a web portfolio I am very proud of, despite of the crappy code, and nowdays its too hard to update it(for the same reason), so I never did, but I still liked the result so much, so I left it online still: https://eduardobotelho.com
-I liked the result of that so much, that I deluded myself to think I had a bright future or something. I was ready to get disappointed though, just not this hard.
-I was faced with the decision of trying to get a job, or keep studying and trying to get the next degree. I couldn't get a job because the entry level was too high and my skills were not enough. I couldn't get an internship because my city is small and the few companies here were specially uninterested that year for some reason(none of my classmates got an internship). I decided to try signing up for my next degree in the same university.
-Because of a teacher that graded me wrong in my last year, it took too long for me to be accepted in the university(2 months late), and even though everything got solved, I lost a big scholarship that I was getting from my city's local government. So I decided to not study that year after all.
-Instead, I decided I would take a 6 month online web development bootcamp at Ironhack because they had a career service in which they would give tips on how to get a job after, and I thought it would be useful(not that much tbh), plus I could resharp my skills and get something more for my CV(poor decision after all).
-And I just finished that bootcamp this month.
-During that time I also learned ExpressJS, a little bit of Docker, and got really decent/good at NextJS and TypeScript, and worked on some other side projects:
https://diary.acehq.net - an app of taking notes with auth, text editor, search filters, light/dark theme, all self hosted in Kamaterra (check video demo)
https://status.acehq.net - an app that pings my other apps (i manage it with strapi) to see if they're online
https://jmap.acehq.net/ - an app that I made because I played minecraft, and it basically uses a golang API I created to merge different pieces of a picture into a single big one(see video demo please)
-I also worked on many other side projects. Some of them are just unimpressive so I didn't mention, and others just failed due to me testing out new stuff, breaking the app, and then being too unmotivated to fix it, or simply because I was not liking it anymore. Check my Linked In for more(you can also see my github there): https://www.linkedin.com/in/eduardobotelho1029/
-I tried applying for jobs and internships again, no response whatsoever. The entry levels are still fairly high, and I know I don't have anything impressive to show.
What should I do? What is lacking on me to get a first internship/job opportunity?
Again, I know there is tons I can improve, but I want a direction, because it's really hard to stay motivated without any guarantee of anything. So far whenever I worked really hard, it never paid off that much.
Do I need to learn 10 extra technologies to enter an entrylevel job/internship?
Do I need to add something more to my projects? Maybe testing, better code??
Do I need to improve my CV? (check it here)
Do I just keep applying?
Do I need certificates?
Do I need to do more projects?
I'm already working on the next one...
I appreciate any feedback, positive or negative.
Top comments (50)
Ok, gen X incoming, so it might be harsh. I don't intend to, but clearly you need to be told something important: Life has zero guarantees. When you say:
This is delusional. Reality is: There are no guarantees in life. You can't demand for a direction that assures positive results.
Other than this, man, if this is what you like doing, keep doing it as much as you can. Just note that dreams don't come true for everyone. You need to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Worst case scenario: You are never hired as a developer. So what then? You need a backup. This is logical thinking. No more, no less. A programmer should understand this line of thought. Agreed?
Now, having said that, another piece from gen X: Life is a competition. If you really want to be hired as a developer, you need undisputed evidence that you are the best when you interview. Back in my days 20 years ago, I wanted to be a developer but studied chemical engineering. Man, I worked hard for it. I read 6000 pages (3 books) on SQL Server. I learned Visual Basic on my own, then C and C++. Man, I started sequentially reading all topics @ MSDN (until I realized it was an impossible task to complete). I joined experts-exchange.com (the stackoverflow.com of back then) and I reached Master level in Visual Basic - 50.000 expert points. Man, I worked very hard to acquire the skill. And I made it.
Finally, my opinion on academies: They suck. I learned on my own. Degrees mean nothing to me.
I honestly believe in the quote - "We overestimate what we can do in one day and underestimate what we can do in 5 years."
And it actually relates to your story ,there is no shortcut , we have to keep going actually to reach that 50,000 expert points
Correctly written !!!
The truth is that the demand for web developers is gradually declining. The skills in demand now relate to AI, ML, LLMOps, and such. Companies are looking for people who can either create new ML models or deploy them and build applications around them. And I do not mean just using OpenAI API—actually building custom software.
I have about 15 years of experience. Almost all the job opportunities I have gotten recently are related to LLMops and being an ML engineer, not the webdev itself.
Webdev helps, but it's not enough, it seems. It has become increasingly competitive, and the number of open jobs is either stagnating or shrinking while more and more people want to get in. The landscape is absolutely not the same as 10-15 years ago. Now, almost everyone and their grandpa know JS and React, so that doesn't stand out at all.
I also think it's far too soon for you to say, "I know JavaScript, React, Yii2, MySQL, React Native, etc." decently after just two years. I doubt it.
Only projects that add value or generate money will help your CV; just making random stuff won't mean much. While it's too easy nowadays to make apps and websites, it's still hard to make something that sells.
There are no meaningful certificates related to JS and most webdev technologies. Being certified in AWS and other cloud providers might help somewhat, though—but only if you prove you can deploy and manage complex infrastructure projects on your own.
You need web dev + some other skills. Like webdev + ml, webdev + *ops, etc. It's not enough on its own; it doesn't stand out anymore.
I do agree with you on some of the points but not on everything. Web dev as a profession can never die, yes AI can do some basic to little intermediate programming but relying solely on this to build a complex operation-heavy system is not just writing code. Take React for instance, you can build an analytics page, a dashboard, or an e-commerce store may look like AI can build, but can it build the same with highly dynamic business logic and using an optimized approach when it is needed not overdoing or undergoing? React is big and has more capabilities than we can imagine, like using NextJS to build SSR and SSG websites but building a framework using React as a tool tailored to our needs and making it optimized with the things we use.
AI is just a tool just like VsCode but fundamentals are still going to be there rooted.
Sure, webdev will most likely become something like Assembly language. We still need it, but how many job openings are there for that? It's not just AI; we also have more and more low-code, no-code tools and ready-to-use services.
You do not need to build a custom e-commerce in most cases.
I'm sorry, but SSR and SSG mean nothing to clients. They want working solutions, and that might as well be someone's SaaS. Honestly, PHP also has SSR and SSG capabilities since almost 30 years. So what?
All I can say is that it's all about the scope. The wider it is more vivid the opportunities are.
I am kind of in the same boat but I am almost done with my bachelors. I have an associates In software dev and databases then my bachelors is computer science and minoring in blockchain. I started going down the ml path but switched bc I felt that the ml algorithms and alot of the processes will be passed to exsisting models. But I did take some classes in data science and cyber security and ethical hacking. I worked 7 months ad a android dev intern at panera bread and for almost 2 years as a dev working with js and salesforce. The frame work I used for Salesforce is a mix of vue and react so I was able to pick up react very easily. I can setup databases, front ends, backends with java, python and node, and understand the basics of blockchain (not done with with the classes) can containerize all my apps and working on my aws certified dev certificate. But I can't get a job a couple places I talked to said I had to wait til I'm almost done with my bachelors then everyone else just says no. I don't think it's me though because I am still early career but I can setup the db either sql or mongodb, I try to write clean code and use design patterns I can setup projects and I am learning to deploy them on aws. I feel I am pretty well rounded for my experience level ans just need some where to give me a chance to go all the way. Ypu have any advice for me
First of all, you are in a very good position to start applying for any software dev jobs with everything you have learned and earned. What you should be doing is:
Overall if I can see you doing something consistently without fail and your efforts align with my needs then I will hire at one shot.
It is a game of attraction and you are your competition. Don't be afraid to fail. It is not late rather it is just getting started.
AI IS NOT KILLING YOU OPPORTUNITIES IN ANY SENSE.
Cheers!!!
I can see two options:
--
Please do not contribute to open-source without something meaningful unless the repo clearly says it accepts contributions from juniors. Being an open-source maintainer is a thankless job, and not every maintainer can teach. Usually, smaller repos or organizations backed by some foundation have the resources to educate. Make sure you either contribute to those or have something meaningful, helpful, and of quality to contribute.
Most open-source projects operate non-profit, so you will likely find similar people to you who try to solve a specific set of issues than a potential employer. Please do not try to build up a career on top of someone else's free labor just to show off something on your GH profile.
Yeah, I do agree contributing to bad projects may have some negative effects and by reading this I can see open-sourcing was not a very good experience for you and I totally agree it is not the same for everybody. If the community around you thinks open-source or building projects and articulating your ideas and curiosity is a waste of time then I don't you will have anything going in your interest.
Also if you keep applying and your resume shows nothing that you have been doing when you are not interning or working under somebody's supervision where I receive monthly checks then it raises the question of "how can you make sure that you are keen into building something useful, solving problems that people have adjusted somehow to live with? Because if you want to go an extra mile then you must have to be really passionate about what you are doing even though how hard it is". One more extra step always boosts your chances otherwise good luck in sending 10s or 100s of applications every week.
And if you compare what is at stake then I don't see any big risk factor in going out and contributing to the wrong projects and then looking for the right ones because now you know what kind of projects you need to be contributing to by looking at the PRs, issues, number of contributors and the conversations between the contributors and maintainers. Yeah if you are a beginner then you will make mistakes and so what, no one is going to harm you in any way rather people will always help you out and guide you on what to do. There is no right time to start.
Going for the master's degree is a personal choice just like going out and building projects but you will have another thing in 2-3 years on your shoulder since now you have 2 degrees then you must get a job because hey you have spent so much money and time, let go the experience alone. You can end up at the same place today if you are not careful.
Every choice has its tradeoffs you cannot have everything and no guarantee. You can do both because you have the potential. Work hard, stay consistent, and don't be afraid to fail but be smart enough to choose your failures because it takes a lot of courage to get back up and start over again.
I'm a mid-level web developer with 5 years experience. As you say I'm finding less and less opportunities that are strictly web dev. What other skills/areas to supplement my web dev skills are in the most demand? Do you think self-learning these will be enough to make myself competitive?
Hi Eduardo,
I'm nearing the end of my career. I'm just a few years away from retirement. I've been a hiring manager for many, many of those years. I've built and led teams in startups through large enterprise. So, here's a bit of reality based on my experience: your CV is not going to get you hired. It's generic. Not because you can't write a good CV. But because you don't (yet) have anything in your portfolio that makes you stand out. In most companies, CVs are screened multiple times before any hiring manager ever sees them. Imagine the number of CVs a company like Amazon gets every month vs the number of open positions. And every company you really, really want to join has a similar process. Landing a job with just your CV is like winning the lottery. It just isn't gonna happen. So, count on the fact that your CV will be screened out. For sure. Every time. Period.
So, your mission is to completely bypass the CV process entirely. And the best way to do that is to develop your network. You don't need hiring managers to see your CV, you need them to see YOU! Invest in other ways to be seen.
One of the best comments on this thread was the advise to build something that sells. I think that's you. You need to consider yourself as the product you are trying to sell. Along with learning your craft, you need to invest in a bit of salesmanship (sales-person-ship?). You need to work on your elevator pitch, and you need to find ways to present your pitch to as many people as you can. Build a network of contacts. Join meetups. Write blogs. Find names. Find names of people who have names. Don't be discouraged by rejection. Count that as progress. It's just a necessary part of the sales process. But, be mindful that you're not simply building a list of contacts, your building relationships. Recognize that, until you get a job, this IS your job!
There are a lot of great comments on this thread about how to build relevant experience. Follow those. Master all the things. Invest heavily in developing talent. If you want this future, to do the work. Just recognize that there are 100K other people doing the same thing. So do the work to build relationships that matter.
Thanks very much for opening my eyes. I am grateful.
I have 15+ years of experience and hardly any downtime over the course if my career and even I struggled hard last year. Landscape is changing. Frontend alone is not enough. Grab some Python and Java. Learn about FaaS, AWS lambda and edge computing. Grab some MLOps skills. Don’t spend too much time on side projects, unless you want to highlight your skills.
But in doing so, focus on good practices more than writing stuff that just works.
Learn clean code, design patterns, oop, hexagonal architecture. Those skills are universal across any language.
In the meantime - try freelancing until you actually get stable job. You will gain more experience this way in working with client requirements which will make you more valuable asset. Also check out startups. They are not the best employer though ;(
With your 15 years of experience, what are your thoughts on the right way for a junior developer to learn a new framework (like Vue.js) or a new language?
Frontend work is the work that is easiest to replace by AI or Low-Code/No-Code platform. More and more job offers focus on full-stack developers. I would suggest grabbing a backend language, and learn working in major framework in that language. Compared to Frontend frameworks, backend ones are pretty stable and stay unchanged for years. Also - research job posts, check what's in demand in your area, and focus on that.
Hi there, Eduardo! I have been on the same journey so far, still struggling but figuring out one step at a time.
From what I understood in your post, I see that you did not try out contributing to Open Source repositories. Here are the repos I found on DEV to contribute:
If you need a refresher for coding and testing best practices :
Good luck and cheers mate!
Don’t give up. Keep up the fight and Enjoy the journey 😊🛤️
Don't contribute to OSS repos for the sake of building up your career. Only contribute if you have something of value to add.
See also: dev.to/jitendrachoudhary/stop-cont...
Thanks for the constructive feedback. Of course, I understand your point of view. I am way too-responsible to ruin anybody’s work and that is something which hindered my journey to open source far too long.
OpenSauced is beginner-friendly and the other two are a bit advanced.
I believe only learning and building projects by-yourself is not a great way to showcase what you got in your skillset. Based on the author’s skillset, I guess they just need to sharpen them with some collaboration.
I believe contributing is always open and welcome from upcoming software developers. And I believe there are issues called good-first-issue 😊
Also, contributing is about picking and choosing the right repo, right issue based on their current skill and the contribution instructions.
Here are some of my guides which helped me to get into the open source journey:
Skill assessment by OpenSauced
How to Assess Your Skill Level Before Contributing to Open Source
BekahHW for OpenSauced ・ May 28
Contribution to open source to advance in your career by Gitroom
Contributing to open-source will 10x your chances to land a new job 🚀
Nevo David for Gitroom ・ Apr 30
And I am very grateful and aware of this too!
💡What contributing to open-source is, and what it isn't.
Samuel-Zacharie FAURE ・ Apr 19
Would you help a really niche repo that almost nobody has heard about, and it would not help your career at all, but you think it has potential and would actually help some niche community? Would you be able to bring something unique and valuable to that project and invest your time into understanding it?
I would like to have your opinion and suggestions to start contributing to open source. Given that you have been into Software engineering for so long you should probably have a unique point of view to approach on open source contribution. Please do share. How did you start?
It wasn't my goal to start contributing to Open-Source in itself. I saw a problem that could have been solved through an Open-Source project, so I started a repo and shared it with the relevant community. That simple. I only did that because I couldn't find anything else that could solve the particular issues and I shared the solution.
That should be the correct mindset, I think. Not to contribute something at all costs only to to show off something, but only contribute to something when you can organically bring something of value. If the solution to the problem is open source, that is fine, but that is secondary, just a means to an end.
The goal should be to solve problems, not to produce Open-Source code.
Thank you very much for your honest answer.
As I understand you opened a public repository on GitHub and setup contribution guidelines. So you needed someone from a specific community to solve it. My point is that there could have been an upcoming developer who could have contributed if the platform was welcoming and supportive.
At the end of the day, everyone wants to feel good about how they resolved a problem at work or in life.
Nevo David (author from above Gitroom article) explains exactly same opinion as yours about upcoming developers’ contribution to Open Source in one of his comments.
As I mentioned previously, issues with the label “good-first-issue” are there for a reason, especially for people such as you looking for solutions and problem-solving skills from the community.
Please please don't do this and don't recomend it as a strategy, open source repo's are NOT a resume building platform nor a learning environment. If you actively use a given library and find a place to meaningfully contribute i.e. bug or feature then of course work on the contribution. However, several of the big libraries are awash with junk PR's for 'spelling mistakes' and similar it just takes the time of the volunteers to sort through low value PR's
Hi Evan. Thanks for the constructive feedback. I appreciate the idea that a person could contribute to the libraries that they consume during the development process.
However, as you mentioned the libraries (mostly popular ones are used by beginners) would be piled up with "junk PRs", what would be the point of throwing down time and effort where the results (accepting the contribution) can never be visualized ?
Also, there are Open Source repositories which ask for beginners' contributions through good-first-issue labels. Please read the comments below in which I have already made it clear what I exactly meant in my suggestion.
Don't contribute to OSS repos for the sake of building up your career. Only contribute if you have something of value to add.
See also: dev.to/jitendrachoudhary/stop-cont...
Whatever is written in this thread is correct.
But what I believe you need to do is network.
I'm studying the Azure platform and aim to get certified. I'm still happily employed, but as stated by the others, you might never know for how long.
As someone who has settled on many hiring committees, the questions I try to find out are:
None of these require a degree or certifications. I've worked with some amazing people who never went to college and are completely self-taught that are amazing devs because they have passion about solving problems using programming. My advice is this:
Good luck and I hope you find yourself in a job you love!
There's lots of legacy code out there that needs to be maintained and/or converted to other languages. Focusing more on general programming knowledge (algorithms, data structures, etc.) and less on specific languages or frameworks might be helpful. Even for an experienced programmer, it can be difficult to jump right in to a large, old codebase, but there are plenty of employers out there hoping to find someone who can do that.
Think about looking for job as a programming project: at first it's tough, but little by little you figure out what's wrong and fix it.
So the problem is that you don't get any responses and thus it's very hard to know what's next.
And thus your first goal should be to adjust your applications to draw attention for them enough to receive any sorts of feedback, because when you do get "We really liked your CV, but we're looking for someone with // - it would tell you specifically what you're lacking and you wouldn't need to waste your time on learning something you might never ever need.
Now when it comes to how to get that feedback: you gotta make sure that your application is very different from the mass. No templates, no cliche, no chat GPT, as authentic as possible. There's a human behind every position - try and connect to that human. Read every job ad you're applying to with care and try to figure out what you can relate to personally, what excites you about that company and speak about this in your personal letter. If you can't find anything - don't apply - it wouldn't work for you even if you would get a job.
Job hunting is a two way process: you're looking for a long term commitment and it's important to keep in mind that they need you as much as you need them. You can and should be assertive and reasonably picky: you have talents and skills regardless of lack of professional experience.
Best of luck!
Lots of great feedback on the skills and the HOW, but I'm going to challenge you to think about the WHY.
You talked a bunch about the past and how you got here, but that's all over, and almost doesn't matter anymore. Where do you want to go? Where do you want to be? Once you know that, then you can figure out how to get there.
Do you want to be an expert in something specific? Do you want to be a jack-of-all-trades who can solve any problem on any project? Do you want to be really good at UI/UX so you can solve people's interaction problems?
The people who go into an interview who can say: "I know React, NextJS, Angular, PHP, Node, ..." are a dime a dozen. The amount of people who go into an interview saying: "I'm a front-end developer who loves understanding how a user interacts with applications and I have the skills to turn that interaction into code." are much less.
Plus, if you know where you want to be, you can actually get there. "I want a job in tech" isn't a location or a destination. At least not a clear one.
This advice goes for new developers, mid level developers, and even senior+.
1) Know where you want to go
2) Map out how you're going to get there
3) Know how to communicate that to others
4) Take steps to getting there.
You got this. If this is something you want, keep working on it and it will be yours. If you wanted an easy way to make money, go flip real estate.
I've been in data management and related industries for about 35 years. Ask yourself, Am I passionate about what I'm doing? If the answer is yes, then you have to keep going forwards! You are on the right track. The most brilliant coders think they are average.
I think nothing in the world gives you a guarantee of anything. Even though I'm employed today, I'm here on a Sunday morning studying and learning something new. I know being employed takes a weight off your shoulders, but I think you need to move on. As much as this is a bit strange to say, as a coach, you need to follow this path because eventually, it will pay off.
I think you need to be more incisive, and try non-traditional paths. Applying for jobs isn't working out? Call a recruiter directly, call company owners asking if there are open positions, or try to find HR emails to contact.
Yes, the level has increased and it is more difficult, but I think you should keep trying. If financial issues are a problem, don't add this headache to your search for a job in tech. Get another one, cool down, but don't give up and keep studying.
been doing this for a while (~20 years now). i burned out a few times as a full-stack dev, reluctantly grew into tech leadership and finally joined the Dark Side about 5 years ago -- management. i wanted to share a few thoughts:
first, great questions! and, thank you for posting. this takes bravery.
for me, on the west coast of the US, the industry and job market have changed quite a bit over this time. from my current perspective, the software eng/full-stack developer job i had in the early 2000s doesn't really exist anymore -- few companies can afford to hire engineers for specific web technologies. today, it seems less about the technologies you can use and more about how one uses them, more about whether you can help a business overcome its business and growth issues.
being able to quickly become effective with new tech and new perspectives (e.g. learning new frameworks and new programming languages, integrating with other systems) is important. being able to show results quickly, i.e. demo problem and solution in a compelling way, is HUGE. there are also bonus points if you can solve their legacy code and tech debt issues in a predictable and consistent way.
i can sense from your CV that you've built things with your development skills. i would want to know more about their scope and your role in their development (team vs solo?). it's rare that recruiters will look into the details of your repos/projects. if you added more detail about the impact of your accomplishments, it might help; "helped local nonprofit with website" or even "led volunteer development team in redesigning local beach cleanup org's website to help with recruitment efforts" reads more impactful than "followed a tutorial to build a website."
also, it helps to include what you are looking for and why, how it fits your skills and your current understanding of your career trajectory. a professional summary on your CV will go a long way toward that. at one point, i was a "full-stack software engineer: self-starter with multiple successful solo projects, looking to improve my skills and work on larger projects." later, i became closer to a seasoned professional, looking for leadership and growth opportunities, using different titles and descriptions... a professional summary would really help, i think. and should be tailored to the role you're applying for. i have found it helpful to think of this rather important section as if it is a condensed version of what a cover letter used to provide: summarize your experience in a way that shows you understand the role's expectations and its fit into your career goals and next steps -- it should show them that they want you while demonstrating that the role is what you want.
It's not you, it's the market. Jobs are shrinking, layoffs are still happening all over and the market is flooded with people who can do backend, frontend, JS/TS and even people with degrees and five times your experience are having a hard time right now.
My advice to you is either WAIT... (but you may wait years or forever), or immerse yourself in AI/ML to become better than most other applicants in the field. The average HTML/CSS/JS/TS/React/NextJS/Mobile programmer can't do serious ML/AI work without relying on "API calls to an AI service provider". Consider that an opportunity.
Thats a quote from Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.
Your journey so far reminds me of mine. Started with community college, did some online courses, and then transferred to a four year institution. It took me many years to break into the industry, and several more after that to get to where I wanted to be. I was lucky to land a job right out of college, but I credit that to tenacity.
Sometimes you have to grind for a while to get what you want. While you’re working, it might not feel like you’re making progress until all of a sudden things start to change.
Passion and hard work trump talent and luck every time. I firmly believe the more time you spend doing something, the more likely you are to experience favorable outcomes.
So keep up the good work. Your portfolio is looking great!
If you’re looking for direction, the only advice I can give is to start broad and then focus on a particular skill set. For example, dive deep into JavaScript (since you seem to be shaping into a front end developer). Really learn the language front to back. I’ve used a similar strategy over the years, successfully. You don’t have to learn a million things, just learn a handful really well.
One way you could do this is by revamping your website. I think it looks great, but if you’re not satisfied with the code maybe now is the time to rework it. You could even try migrating it to a new framework or platform. Doing something simple and doing it well is always impressive.
And also, give yourself some grace. You’ve put in a lot of hard work creating unique projects, and I think if you stick with it you’ll surprise yourself on what you can achieve.
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