Threads
@binhonglee
Honestly most of the great advice is already out there but I'll give my 2 cents. Relatively opinionated and take it with a chunk of salt because some of these are somewhat subjective. Might as well make this my #WeeklyThread so here it goes...
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@shashiwhocodes
Experienced Developers and Engineers, any words of advise or encouragement for the Junior Developers struggling to land their first tech job?
There are so many Junior Developers on Twitter working their butts off to get an opportunity, but sometimes with no success.
First off, luck plays a huge role in landing your first job in tech. Don't dwell too much into missed opportunities. I had an offer rescinded because of my visa (during graduation week) which led me to a job search that ended at Apple a few months later.
@binhonglee
I knew I missed something. Luck plays a huge role in getting into tech (regardless of degree). I wrote this back at my first job. (I'll fix the image url someday.)
https://binhong.me/blog/2018-02-10-being-lucky/
Also, follow @cherthedev for the less sexy side of big tech.
This is a pretty important point.
People tend to point to me as someone who has a lucrative career and no formal education past the 11th grade.
I am exceptionally lucky. I taught myself to code and it was the only skill I had. I had strong HTML/CSS at a time when few did. https://twitter.com/nhuntwalker/status/1459555831482048512
People tend to point to me as someone who has a lucrative career and no formal education past the 11th grade.
I am exceptionally lucky. I taught myself to code and it was the only skill I had. I had strong HTML/CSS at a time when few did. https://twitter.com/nhuntwalker/status/1459555831482048512
Don't just "solve" leetcode questions or memorize the best case solutions, work on your communications and elaboration skills as well. Here's an older thread of mine talking specifically about this.
@binhonglee
People seems to miss that interviewing is about getting to know the person (both ways). Solving the leetcode question is just the medium. Something like, calling an Uber is ultimately about getting a ride. The app by itself, is just a medium.
Start small and be patient when it comes to contributing to FOSS. Community members don't owe you anything but they're almost always happy to help as long as you don't demand instant response to everything.
Build your support network and continuously work on things (and stay open to learn). This helps build your self confidence which is extremely valuable in interviews.
@binhonglee
Tbh, this is where having a support network really makes a difference. I never really dwell over it or think I won't be a good engineer. I have great friends around me both inside and outside of the industry who gave me a lot of support.
@DThompsonDev My GPA is trash so when a job app has GPA as a required field, I just don't apply. It definitely affected me. I'd go to career fairs handing out my resume (without GPA) and recruiters would ask for my GPA then reject my resume because "tbh, you don't have a realistic chance". 🙃
Go to local tech meetups (especially if you don't need visa sponsorship). A lot of hiring (or by proxy) happens in such events.
If you need visa sponsorship, you'd likely have better odds getting an offer from larger (tech) companies.
That's all I can think of for now. Hopefully someone will find this helpful. If you're here reading this, you're going in the right direction. Keep it up! Feel free to ask for more clarification questions either in replies or in DMs.
Oh I just remembered one more thing. VERY opinionated. Someone who just got to where you want to be can teach you better than someone who was there 5 years ago.
Basically, those who just got their first job will give better advice than those who have been working for 10 years.
Probably doesn't apply to everything but most senior engineers today is unlikely to understand the pain and challenges of looking for an entry level job today.