6 ms·

Ask HN: Better approaches to finding dev jobs that don't require a degree?

At the moment I'm just opening each ad in turn and scrolling to the point where they list requirements to look, but it's quite tedious and I feel like someone must have solved this problem already - either with a dedicated tool/site or with a magic search term that makes it easier to filter them out. Edit: Extra detail I wasn't sure would be relevant - I am looking in the general London area. Have ~1 year professional experience as a frontend developer but would ideally like to transition to backend development if I can (have some hobby/side-project experience in other things and have programmed small projects for eightish years on and off).

potta_coffee 7y ago
I don't have a degree, most of the jobs I've had have required one. Usually if I'm strong in one or two of the requirements, I'll apply and hope for the best. It's really a numbers game anyway.
jamesmus 7y ago
How much experience do you have? I have always assumed that when a job ad lists a CS degree as a requirement that there's an implicit 'or equivalent experience' clause that applies. I don't have a degree of any kind and I don't think I have ever been asked. Maybe it's different over here (in the UK), though.
- 666lumberjack 7y ago
  ~1 year of experience. I am also in the UK fwiw, probably should have put that in the OP.
  - onion2k 7y ago
    If you're in the north east of the UK and you know PHP drop me an email (address in my profile). I know a company that's recruiting.
    - 666lumberjack 7y ago
      Midlands looking to relocate to London, unfortunately, but I appreciate the offer.
  - jamesmus 7y ago
    I started out about 25 years ago and I suppose all I can do is to reiterate that nobody has ever asked if I have a degree. I don't really have a good handle on what the IT job market is like for people who are less experienced, TBH, so whether that information is actually useful or not I don't know. I still think it's worth applying anyway. I have worked in places where job ads have gone out for the same role I was already doing and after reading those ads I would have come to the conclusion that I was not qualified to apply. Basically my take is that people love to load those ads up so that they look impressive. When I interview what I want to know about a candidate is: are they smart and can they get stuff done? Anything else is secondary, really. Location is probably a factor too. I am based near London and there are a lot of dev jobs around here. If you are regional then that may not be the case.
    - gshdg 7y ago
      Fwiw, degrees were rarer in the software candidate pool 25 years ago, and become increasingly irrelevant as your career progresses. Once you hit about 5 years of experience, the amount of attention anyone pays to it nosedives. These days, getting those first five years is harder, though. Because of a combination of a glut of juniors on the market plus a culture where it’s increasingly common for employees to stay only a year or so, which makes it less worthwhile for a company to invest in training juniors.
  - AnimalMuppet 7y ago
    If you have ~1 year experience, and are currently working, I would recommend staying there another year, or even two. Hiring someone with no degree but 3 years of experience is a much less scary proposition for a company than hiring someone with no degree and 1 year. (Or so I think, but I am not a hiring manager.)
    - gshdg 7y ago
      I am a hiring manager and I agree wholeheartedly.
onion2k 7y ago
Ignore the requirements and apply anyway, especially if you're applying to smaller companies. If you're a good candidate they will break their own rules.
- jamesmus 7y ago
  Agreed - I guess that was what I was kind of trying to say in my comment.
- Pete-Codes 7y ago
  I've found this as well. I used to never apply to jobs if I didn't meet every criteria and then I just realised, well what do I have to lose by applying?
Pete-Codes 7y ago
Hey man, I'm working on a solution to this! It is annoying to go through a job description and the very last mine is 'Must Have CS Degree.' You definitely don't need a degree these days. You can check out some folk that are doing great without one: https//www.nocsdegree.com
drakonka 7y ago
Most tech jobs don't require a degree, even if they say they want one. I'd apply anyway if you think you can do the job.

potta_coffee 7y ago

I don't have a degree, most of the jobs I've had have required one. Usually if I'm strong in one or two of the requirements, I'll apply and hope for the best. It's really a numbers game anyway.

jamesmus 7y ago

How much experience do you have? I have always assumed that when a job ad lists a CS degree as a requirement that there's an implicit 'or equivalent experience' clause that applies. I don't have a degree of any kind and I don't think I have ever been asked. Maybe it's different over here (in the UK), though.

666lumberjack 7y ago
~1 year of experience. I am also in the UK fwiw, probably should have put that in the OP.
- onion2k 7y ago
  If you're in the north east of the UK and you know PHP drop me an email (address in my profile). I know a company that's recruiting.
  - 666lumberjack 7y ago
    Midlands looking to relocate to London, unfortunately, but I appreciate the offer.
- jamesmus 7y ago
  I started out about 25 years ago and I suppose all I can do is to reiterate that nobody has ever asked if I have a degree. I don't really have a good handle on what the IT job market is like for people who are less experienced, TBH, so whether that information is actually useful or not I don't know. I still think it's worth applying anyway. I have worked in places where job ads have gone out for the same role I was already doing and after reading those ads I would have come to the conclusion that I was not qualified to apply. Basically my take is that people love to load those ads up so that they look impressive. When I interview what I want to know about a candidate is: are they smart and can they get stuff done? Anything else is secondary, really. Location is probably a factor too. I am based near London and there are a lot of dev jobs around here. If you are regional then that may not be the case.
  - gshdg 7y ago
    Fwiw, degrees were rarer in the software candidate pool 25 years ago, and become increasingly irrelevant as your career progresses. Once you hit about 5 years of experience, the amount of attention anyone pays to it nosedives. These days, getting those first five years is harder, though. Because of a combination of a glut of juniors on the market plus a culture where it’s increasingly common for employees to stay only a year or so, which makes it less worthwhile for a company to invest in training juniors.
- AnimalMuppet 7y ago
  If you have ~1 year experience, and are currently working, I would recommend staying there another year, or even two. Hiring someone with no degree but 3 years of experience is a much less scary proposition for a company than hiring someone with no degree and 1 year. (Or so I think, but I am not a hiring manager.)
  - gshdg 7y ago
    I am a hiring manager and I agree wholeheartedly.

onion2k 7y ago

Ignore the requirements and apply anyway, especially if you're applying to smaller companies. If you're a good candidate they will break their own rules.

jamesmus 7y ago
Agreed - I guess that was what I was kind of trying to say in my comment.
Pete-Codes 7y ago
I've found this as well. I used to never apply to jobs if I didn't meet every criteria and then I just realised, well what do I have to lose by applying?

Pete-Codes 7y ago

Hey man, I'm working on a solution to this! It is annoying to go through a job description and the very last mine is 'Must Have CS Degree.' You definitely don't need a degree these days. You can check out some folk that are doing great without one: https//www.nocsdegree.com

drakonka 7y ago

Most tech jobs don't require a degree, even if they say they want one. I'd apply anyway if you think you can do the job.