Getting into Coding jobs: The Problem

[LunaValentine]

So I graduated in December of 2014 with a degree in Computer Information Systems. I have 3 years of experience as a help desk technician and know a few coding languages. I want to get into a coding job. the problem? All entry level jobs want 2 or more years of experience in at least 2 or 3 languages. I only got 1 year of experience in 1 language and only a few weeks worth in others. So, to get a job I need programming experience, to get programming experience I NEED A FUCKING JOB. No one wants to take a risk with a female who has no experience but has completed a degree recently. THIS is why I hate looking for jobs in my field. The ONLY JOBS I'M QUALIFIED FOR are help desk positions. and even then I'm lacking a certification that isn't even useful or necessary. *sighs* sometimes I regret taking the help desk jobs instead of finding an internship at a place....but I didn't have a car and needed a close by place to campus. Stupid people and their stupid requirements.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Oh yea, there whole experience -> job -> experience dilemma, it's a bitch.

Have you tried reaching out to the college you went to for help?
They generally have programs to help/aid you in finding a job/employment.
It's generally in their best interest to help you too even if alumni because you then count among one of their students to find employment, which they as a school can then brag about.

 

[LunaValentine]

Oh yea, there whole experience -> job -> experience dilemma, it's a bitch.

Have you tried reaching out to the college you went to for help?
They generally have programs to help/aid you in finding a job/employment.
It's generally in their best interest to help you too even if alumni because you then count among one of their students to find employment, which they as a school can then brag about.

Ha! My college wouldn't even help me find an APARTMENT! Their idea of help is links to apply to jobs! I also no longer live in the same city as my college. I hate the big city so getting their help is out of the question unless I want references.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Ah. Find a job help center then?
Or if need be, find some courses on programming languages, that might help you gain extra experience when applying for jobs.

 

[LunaValentine]

Ah. Find a job help center then?
Or if need be, find some courses on programming languages, that might help you gain extra experience when applying for jobs.

Already went to two.
I know 5 different language minimum. courses aren't the same as experience trust me. Once you learn one language pretty well it's all about the syntax.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Ah.
There's always indie work if all else fails.

 

[LunaValentine]

Ah.
There's always indie work if all else fails.

Indie work? I can't even get companies to hire me so I can figure new shit out. If I knew enough to code things like games or useful apps I'd do it but that's more unstable. I need stable work to pay back my 50k+ in loans.

 

[Windsong]

Every single time they ask for experience I just make some shit up with a friend or two as references to some 'under-the-table <insert work you need experience for>'.

Yes, it's lying, it's under-handed, it may screw someone far more qualified, it can backfire horribly.

Few people ever make it far in the world by being completely honest. If you can BS your way into a position and have your foot in the door it's far more likely they'll just keep you and train you rather than fire you and bother with the hiring process again.

This is just speaking from experience where they ask for all these years of experience but once I've gotten in you don't need to know half the work they talk about.

 

[LunaValentine]

Every single time they ask for experience I just make some shit up with a friend or two as references to some 'under-the-table <insert work you need experience for>'.

Yes, it's lying, it's under-handed, it may screw someone far more qualified, it can backfire horribly.

Few people ever make it far in the world by being completely honest. If you can BS your way into a position and have your foot in the door it's far more likely they'll just keep you and train you rather than fire you and bother with the hiring process again.

This is just speaking from experience where they ask for all these years of experience but once I've gotten in you don't need to know half the work they talk about.

You know it can get you arrested in some cases right? I've actually had to sign papers saying everything I put down it accurate. You can't fake experience in my field. Don't EVER suggest you can't get a job honestly. I'd rather live with my parents and work a shot job than risk my other employment opportunities. Lying like that WILL backfire.

 

[Jorick]

Windsong isn't wrong about bullshitting experience to land a job. It's actually a thing a lot of people do, just like how they'll lie about their skills and such on their resume. It's shady, but it's not uncommon. I'm not suggesting you do it, just pointing out that it's a tactic some people resort to.

I suggest that you apply for those jobs that demand 2 years of experience. Be up front about things, if there's anywhere in the application that asks for any various additional info make sure you point out that you know you lack the requested number of experience but that you're 100% confident you can do the job anyway because you're <insert list of positive traits here>. Filling out an application doesn't take a lot of time, and even if they're all most likely to be failures it's better to try than to just get pissed off at the barriers in your way, because there's a chance that one of them might actually work out for you.

Also, maybe try out some of the places online that teach people how to code? I can't say how good they are or if they'd actually give you workable experience to learn from, but it's probably worth a shot. Here's a list of some of these sites, if you're interested.

 

[LunaValentine]

@Jorick thanks for the websites. Most of what I need are languages that should have been taught in college anyways. I don't even hear from jobs in qualified for but I'll try. The sites are.... ok. I've completed most of codecademy already and none of it is that useful for what people want. II can do PHP HTML and CSS already. But thanks for the help even though I labeled this as a rant. Thanks to @Gen. Gwazi Magnum too.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Every single time they ask for experience I just make some shit up with a friend or two as references to some 'under-the-table <insert work you need experience for>'.

Yes, it's lying, it's under-handed, it may screw someone far more qualified, it can backfire horribly.

Few people ever make it far in the world by being completely honest. If you can BS your way into a position and have your foot in the door it's far more likely they'll just keep you and train you rather than fire you and bother with the hiring process again.

This is just speaking from experience where they ask for all these years of experience but once I've gotten in you don't need to know half the work they talk about.

Windsong, weren't you the same guy complaining about a co-worker abusing her own position?
You do realize that outright lying about experience is outright abusing your position from a start, cause not only are more qualified people punished for it but you're being given a job that you aren't truly experienced for (and gain via dishonesty, not letting the Boss know upfront and choose to take the risk).

I'm not mad, hating on you or anything though.
I'm just pointing out the comparisons here, from what I've seen of you you're an intelligent and good person.

@Jorick thanks for the websites. Most of what I need are languages that should have been taught in college anyways. I don't even hear from jobs in qualified for but I'll try. The sites are.... ok. I've completed most of codecademy already and none of it is that useful for what people want. II can do PHP HTML and CSS already. But thanks for the help even though I labeled this as a rant. Thanks to @Gen. Gwazi Magnum too.

It's better than nothing at least.
Something you can do in between job searching.

Just also remember the aspect of mental sanity. If applying for job after job after job is making you build up stress (as it does with a lot of people) don't be afraid to take a few days off and relax. You'll perform better at a clear state of mind than you would in a stressed out mess.

 

[Windsong]

Windsong, weren't you the same guy complaining about a co-worker abusing her own position?
You do realize that outright lying about experience is outright abusing your position from a start, cause not only are more qualified people punished for it but you're being given a job that you aren't truly experienced for (and gain via dishonesty, not letting the Boss know upfront and choose to take the risk).

I'm not mad, hating on you or anything though.
I'm just pointing out the comparisons here, from what I've seen of you you're an intelligent and good person.

The irony wasn't lost on me. Nor the fact it was supremely hypocritical of me to say. It's just advice I've been given by some managers and leaders to help give me that edge when it came to the hiring process when the job market was so terrible, it did net me one or two decent jobs that kept the bills paid, but not a career.

"You never go in ready to fill a job position, no matter the training or skills. You'll always have to fill into it once you arrive. Why not pad yourself to make it look like you'll fill it better?" - Owner of the local bowling alley who hired me.

Sometimes you have to do what you need to do to keep the roof over your head.

Good luck in your search though, @LunaValentine . Try and find some text books on the subject matter online and work through them. It's how a high school friend taught himself coding.

 

[LunaValentine]

I don't think you guys are getting it.... I know how to code. I went to school to learn that shit.... I don't know the languages and it's fucking difficult to learn from books. I'm a hands on learner. Without guidance and projects I'd get nowhere and without any help I'd just end up tearing out my hair in frustration or my hair would turn gray faster than it already is. :/ Again.....I was never seeking advice on anything. Just ranting about how bullshit it is. And I sure as hell don't need advice about learning to code. I know I can go to websites that have SOME useful languages and some that are only used on a few websites that mean nothing to 90% of businesses. I know there's at least 2 that people want. C++ and experience with .NET. I've never used either but I have experience with C# so I can fairly easily learn any C flavor they want. Even jobs I know the languages for I do not have the experience. All I'm ranting about is the bullshit experience bar. Yes, I did rant about them wanting shit I never learned but it's mostly the fact that they won't take a risk to test me and teach me. You can't lie about programming languages because they WILL test you on that shit.

 

[Wolves]

Actually, definitely apply to the jobs requiring experience. The entry level-experience dilemma is actually a result of the recession. Many experienced, qualified employees are willing to take entry level salaries given the job market, which companies love because they can get experienced employee cheaper. That said, I know several people who received interviews for positions where they did not meet the listed requirements, as there are companies that are willing to train good candidates for the position regardless.

 

[Kaddoc]

This is the reason why I cannot get a job in my field either because companies want X amount of experience most millennials do not have. So I'm stuck with a job that pays alright yet it is still not what I spent 3 years in college for. Beggars can't be choosers when the companies can afford to be picky and choosy in this anemic economy.

 

[serge]

...Ok, here's the real questions.


Do you have a portfolio of anything you have done so far?

Do you have a github account to show your potential employer that you can code?

Do you have anything online currently?

The thing with programming is that you can easily show that you know your stuff by creating.
Create a personal site by buying hosting off Atabyte hosting (Plug for @jared555 ) and have experience on how to use back-end frameworks.
Make an iOS or an android app on whatever. Apply to start-ups and so you can gain more experience
on your resume.