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I graduated with a BS in Finance a year ago and have been working as a financial analyst with a Fortune 500 company this past year. The pay is certainly good bu

by ryanb 18y ago

I graduated with a BS in Finance a year ago and have been working as a financial analyst with a Fortune 500 company this past year. The pay is certainly good but the work is totally unfulfilling for me. The one positive takeaway is that I've learned a bit about the inner workings of Corporate America. Can anyone offer any advice on making the leap to becoming a web developer (with a background in a different field)? I've coded as a hobby since before I was a teenager (I'm 22), and I've worked on a number of freelance web projects as of late. I figure the best way to go is to build up a strong portfolio of my own projects before applying for a gig that I want at a web company. I would also consider searching out a junior position in order to gain experience.

izaidi 18y ago
Quickly building up a portfolio and applying for gigs worked well for me. One thing I noticed was that small companies and startups are impressed if you've built one or two cool apps whereas larger companies are more interested in the size and breadth of your portfolio; after creating one fairly complex site I was able to get offers as the lead designer or developer at tons of startups, but I couldn't get hired as even a junior developer at more established firms -- the usual response was "Can you show us what else you've done?" and I had nothing to show them.
bprater 18y ago
Create a righteously awesome blog that really shows your spirit. All serious employers are going to hit it up and that's what they want to see: is this dude going to be a blast to work with or a freaking nutjob? Definately get to work on the portfolio, but you don't need two dozen pieces. Two great pieces are plenty.