Ask HN: How to get hired as an inexperienced developer?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2569369

by mpg33 • 15 years ago

21 11 15 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Is it possible? I have course-level knowledge of programming(Java, VB.NET) but no actual industry experience. My only industry experience is that of software testing.

What should i do to prove to employers to hire me as a developer?

mmilkin• 15 years ago

Work on Open Source projects.

Usually employers will take a chance on some one who is inexperienced if they can prove they are a passionates programmer, show that that you have some initiative. Work on your own projects, or at least join discussion groups in your desired field such as meetups.

megamark16• 15 years ago

Build something that they can see, or contribute to an open source project, or both! If I were looking to hire you I'd want to see some of your work, maybe even just your personal website, and I'd love to see some of your projects on Github (or at least a github account that has forked some other projects, show me what you're interested in).

darklighter3• 15 years ago

I'll second the advice of building something that displays your skills. Another option would be to use your testing experience and look for a position building an automated test suite. Once you've proven yourself and gained some experience you'll probably get an opportunity to take on other projects. Are you looking to get hired in a startup or anywhere? There are employers that hire less experienced programmers regularly - usually larger companies. With a year or two of experience there you should then be in a position to get a job wherever else you like.

mpg33• 15 years ago

It seems that a lot of companies want at least a year or two experience...i have seen some junior developer positions require 5 years.

ido• 15 years ago

Seek an internship.

mtogo• 15 years ago

As everyone else here has said, actually do something. Start or contribute to an open source project. Write a web app and get people do use it, just make something that shows off your skills.

CyberFonic• 15 years ago

Generally companies hire on the basis of current experience and less so on potential. So why not get hired as a tester and then seek out avenues to increase the amount of development work? You could discuss your goal of such a career progression at interviews.

jparicka• 15 years ago

How to get hired as an experienced developer?

amorphid• 15 years ago

There is no barrier to entry to start your own consulting business. If you have to learn to sell yourself, you may want to start with small jobs. Sites like Elance are probably good, too. Take on any work you can find, and then work on becoming more discriminating as you move up the foodchain.

ookblah• 15 years ago

I would say a combination of luck and your own projects. You have to make up for your lack of industry experience with your own personal projects and show that you have the skills or the initiative to pick up new things quickly.

My short story:

I graduated college w/ a degree in EE and after working for a defense company for about a year, realized I hated it. Web dev/design was my hobby and I had hacked together a lot of random projects, but never had any "official industry experience". On my resume I had listed a lot of side projects I had. I applied to a few places and a few called me in for an interview and also a short test of what I knew. This is where you will get a chance to try and prove yourself. I was nervous as heck, but thankfully, they gave me a chance and the rest was history.

I don't think I would have been given the chance had I not been doing those things on the side. The other nice side effect was that because I actively worked on projects, I actually knew what I was doing and for some reason that surprised a lot of employers(?).

I think the one thing I took away from that was that if you're passionate about learning and improving, you'll be better off than the majority of people just there looking for a job. "3+ years" exp. or whatever had a different meaning for me after that.

Ask HN: How to get hired as an inexperienced developer?

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