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codedraken
6,117 PointsHow to find work
I'm having trouble finding any job as an entry level web developer. I can't find any paid or even free work to do. Nearby I've only found 1 company that was hiring, but that didn't work out. I tried looking for meetups to network, but there aren't many. I looked for remote jobs and most of them are looking for only senior developers.
Any advice / tips would be appreciated, thanks.
1 Answer
Patrick Hager
15,539 PointsNetworking definitely can help. But don't overlook the job sites as well, it can end up far more fruitful then you'd think.
I was bored at my "day job" (Mindless retail) last Saturday and logged into Indeed. As my skills here have developed, I've found myself more and more frustrated with the retail world, and have started trolling though Indeed and other job sites. I stumbled across a listing for a "Software Implementation & Support Specialist" position at a company 3 miles away from my current job. I looked through the listing and found the "Qualifications" were an understanding of HTML/CSS and customer interaction and basic help desk stuff with a requirement for an Associates or equivalent.
On a lark, I wrote up a functional resume at home and had my editor sister-in-law look it over for errors and submitted it through indeed. They called me on Tuesday, I interviewed yesterday, and was offered a part time contract position with the option to go full time if I mesh with the team, and the team meshes with me. This actually works well, since I keep the safety of my full-time job while I test the waters and find out if my skills are what I think they are. If it fails, I learn from that and no harm done.
Keep in mind, I live in a rural part of SW PA so tech opportunities are not common within a 1/2 hour commute of my home. There is a lot of luck of the draw involved if you live in the sticks.
The take away from this is that you have to keep in mind that if you're starting out in a new field, you goal isn't to find your perfect job, you have to find that job that will get your foot in the door. My long term goal is to code (likely in Ruby) but by taking this job I'll now have something in the tech industry for my resume, that will help with the next job and the next until I get to the perfect opportunity for me. Don't rule out things that seem unrelated to your desired field, even a help desk position could help you transition to that web dev position you're looking for.
Finally don't be afraid to submit you resume to positions that you don't meet all the qualifications for. Given the complete ease in which a resume can be submitted (I submit some on my vape breaks at my day job), there's little energy expended in applying. The worst that can happen is you don't get called.
Good luck in the hunt!
Pat
Keith Ostertag
16,619 PointsKeith Ostertag
16,619 PointsI certainly would also like to hear a few responses to this question!
I suspect the answer would include networking- somehow finding people in your area who work in the field and make friends with them- but that of course is easier said then done...
The only guess I have is- keep making web pages to show around as examples of your work and expand your experience. I disagree with part of your statement-- there IS always work you can do for free, since you can do that for individuals (not just companies).
And you can volunteer to help at various non-profits in your town as well. Oftentimes, small non-profits will get a grant to start a web site but won't get the funds to hire anyone to maintain it after it is up and running for awhile... and they can always use more (and better) functionality (like better and easier methods to keep info and data updated).