The problem with being self taught is that you're competing with applicants that have degrees. As someone who is self taught and making 6 figures in tech within 2 years of studying, the way I got interviews was to have a good portfolio of projects that demonstrated that I knew what I was doing. Good cover letters and applying for clear entry-level positions are also the way to go, and try to target mid-sized companies. For projects, try something that you are genuinely passionate about and can be published and easily seen by the hiring manager, like a website. The best project is a real profession product that is easily displayed, like a website for a local business. As someone who does interviews for the company that I work for, if I was interviewing an entry-level applicant, and that applicant clearly knew what he or she was talking about, had the initiative to learn, and wasn't a scumbag, then I would give my approval to the hiring manager. Web development is, in my opinion, the most easily accessible point of entry for new developers. I suggest learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, then moving to frameworks, like React, and then SQL and Git. According to a friend that went to a 4 year university, SQL and GIT weren't required courses, and many graduates don't know what they are. Also make sure you understand APIs and how they work, which you would presumably tackle when you study SQL. Automated testing, such as Jest, is also very important and can give you a very strong edge over almost all entry-level applicants. As you make Git repositories, also make sure to have a good Readme file, which you will learn later. Finally, know that your Python and Java studies are not worthless, as the core object-oriented concept is very important and can be translated to almost any programming language.
Also diversity hires are 100% a real thing. I have seen and been recommended positions from recruiters that explicitly call for a certain ethnicity and/or gender (even though I'm white and have a blatantly white name, a lot of recruiters are retarded). However, if you are a genuine good applicant, then very few companies will ignore your application in favor of "diversity." I know both a man and a woman from my previous job that were very solid software engineers, and went through a coding bootcamp, following these similar guidelines. There are companies that will give you an improved chance of getting hired at on the basis of diversity, but I work for a very large company and they don't give AF about diversity in their IT departments.
Good luck; Just don't give up and you can do it :)
Really good info, thank you
I would suggest to start with GIT if you are doing any kind of development. The 4-year I was going to didnt teach any kind of source control and students were constantly being told by companies they applied to that it was expected for them to have experience in it.
Even sysadmins should be using git most of the time with all of the automation going around (such as ansible).
A bonus of having some projects publicly on github is that you can use it as part of a portfolio. Just make sure you only use it for things you want to show off.
Otherwise Python is a good choice as it is the most popular language of 2022 (And has been for a while now). https://statisticstimes.com/tech/top-computer-languages.php
I appreciate the advice. I am overwhelmed with it and thats why I love poal!
I second javascript and web development.
If you want to get a job as fast as possible then get into web development, get a mentor, strive to become an expert in one field rather than jack-of-all trades, make sure you have one (hobby or otherwise) project that you can show off.
One thing to be weary of when searching for information about web development on the internet is that there is a lot of very outdated information that will lead you astray. Try to read, watch info that is at most 3-4 years old or preferably newer. Honestly it's very easy to waste time trying to learn the wrong things and this is something a programmer friend or mentor could help you with a lot.
Perhaps there some club or organization in your area who arrange programming events or something where you can make contacts?
Also don't get into the trap of trying to learn several things at once. Get good at one thing.
Also, I know this is not what a Poaler wants to hear but, I think it would be best to concentrate on the current trends and follow mainstream. Don't be cutting edge or experimental and don't start working with frameworks that has fallen out of fashion.
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