Breaking into Tech: How to Find a Job as a Junior Developer?
I must admit, juniors are the last pick in most companies unfortunately. Software projects with tight deadlines and speedy deliveries aren’t going to be looking at fresh talent or interested in working with inexperienced developers.
However, not all is lost – there are a few things that you, as a junior developer, can do to improve your chances of securing a job!
I get this question asked most often. Though this answer might suit for this and probably another year or so, I do think “AI eating the world” isn’t that far and hence I may need to update this answer perhaps in a years time!
Finding a job as a junior software developer this year (2023) isn’t drastically different from previous years, though the landscape and tools available might have changed a bit.
Here’s my take on how to secure a job as a junior developer — perhaps a concise guide for your job search:
Skills Assessment
First and foremost, companies look for experienced talent. Period.
Unless you can prove you are pretty skilled in what you do (in the skills that employer is finding the talent), you’d be not necessarily noticed by neither recruiters nor companies.
To get noticed, this is the plan I’d employ if I were a junior developer:
I’ll choose/hone the popular in-demand programming languages, frameworks and tools.
For example, I’d start with Python perhaps, touch base with Flask or Django(Python WebFrameworks), learn the language in and out; I might pick up the required expertise around standing up a Python based microservice, deploying the services to a Kubernetes (K8s) cluster.
I might also get my hands dirty on the database side of SQL skills.
Should you choose Java as your preferred language, I’ll surely learn all about Spring ecosystem — I’ll get my hands dirty on Spring framework, Spring Boot, Spring Cloud and what not!
I’ll make sure I’m up to date on Java programming language though. You wouldn’t believe me when I say how developers lose their second round when I start quizzing them on fucntional programming or streams or threading. Get your subject well and well.
Brush up on data structures, algorithms, and system design. Though I don’t consider them to be the evaluating criteria, I know few would.
Websites like LeetCode and HackerRank can help you practice coding challenges. Also, prepare for behavioural questions and understand the company’s culture.
Portfolio
Coming to an hour interview with all the answers in your head may help you pass the interview. But how do you expect one to pick up your CV for the first round out of tens and tens of CVs in front of them? Why I should select and pick your CV amongst others? Why you and not him/her?
Well, the first stepping stone for a developer to secure an interview is a solid portfolio — the projects that you may have been working on in an open source world, the blogs you are writing, the articles you may be commenting on, the knowledge you are sharing, the YouTube videos that you are watching and learning.. and so on!
Trust me when I say this — I’ve interviewed so many but most of them have no idea beyond the regular 9–5 job! They unfortunately had to be turn down — irrespective of their experience sometimes.
Build a personal website or portfolio showcasing your projects. Participate in open source community. GitHub is crucial platform for developers. Regular commits show you’re active and passionate about coding.
Write a paragraph or two on your blog about what you’ve learned that day — even if it’s not a big thing! Read and comment on other senior developers/advocates blogs/articles.
Peel your eyes, open your minds, code away as much as you can!
Networking
Nothing works in vacuum. IT industry has a vibrant and wide networking community. There are a ton of people who are pretty active in these communities.
Attending tech meetups, workshops, and conferences will not only help you understand the industry trends, subject details, topic deep dives — you will also find like minded people, star developers, others like you!
More over, these meetups are fun too — you’d get a free pizza and a beer (most likely :) ). Websites like Meetup.com or Eventbrite often list local tech events.
Subscribe to newsletters. Read and digest the articles popping up in your inbox. Join online communities like Dev.to, Stack Overflow, and LinkedIn and others.
I would always encourage everyone to engage in LinkedIn by following industry leaders, commenting, and sharing relevant content.
Beyond general job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor, look into tech-specific boards like Stack Overflow Jobs and other company sites.
The tech world evolves rapidly. Regularly check industry news, blogs, and forums to stay informed about the latest trends and technologies.
Student for life!
If there’s one take away I’d want you from this article — that’s just this:
Be a student for life. Learn anything everything allthings.
When I was growing up, there was no YouTube or any other visual medium to get an understanding of a topic — I still remember how I’d learned by heart the two-stroke engine from a text book without even understanding the mechanism behind it much. All 2D figures printed in between the clarifying text is pretty useless — they never let you understand the “why”!
Come to early 2000, the emergence of internet has given a boon to everyone who has a penchant to learn! I was blown away when I watched an excellent 3D animated inner workings of an internal combustion engine on YouTube! Wish this was available in late nineties!
A big thanks to all the educators our there on YouTube and Udemy and Coursera and other platforms — they produce excellent conent — you’d not have any more excuse not to learn!
Online platforms like Coursera, Udacity, and edX offer courses on advanced topics and new technologies, so always pick a course regularly.
I do recomment getting certified if possible — while I have my -reservations around certifications, I can say that preparing for a certification will only help you learn the subject inside out — it instills decipline in you!
Feedback
When you have sent out an email to your recruiter, company representative, networking person — do catch up with them on a regular basis. Don’t feel depressed or down if youd have not got an interview.
Just pick up that phone or send out an email requesting for feedback — explain to them that feedback would help you for betterment. Feedback can help you identify areas for improvement.
Remember, perseverance is key. Every rejection is a step closer to a job offer. Good luck!
