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I am a 24 year old in the United States. In 2020, I graduated with an Associate’s degree in Software & Web Development from a small technical community college.

I am a 24 year old in the United States. In 2020, I graduated with an Associate’s degree in Software & Web Development from a small technical community college. Since then, I have applied to hundreds of dev jobs and other tech related jobs. Out of the hundreds of applications I’ve put in, I’ve had a total of two interviews. My first interview was with a very small web development company with connections to some of the professors at the community college I attended. They offered me an unpaid internship which I wasn’t interested in because I am not willing to work for free. I got my second interview thanks entirely to nepotism; my mother sells software made by the company. I was applying for a software engineer position which I quickly realized I was woefully unprepared for and, if I’m being completely honest, had no business applying for in the first place. After failing to answer a couple LeetCode questions on obscure topics I had never seen before, I withdrew my application in embarrassment and haven’t applied to a job since. My self esteem is non-existent and I feel like I’ve wasted most of my life at this point striving to be someone I’m not meant to be. I want to solve interesting problems and do great things and have a place in this world but it feels like there’s just no space for someone like me. What’s wrong with me?

PaulHoule 5y ago
I have worked in software dev since I did a data processing job for my uncle when I was 16. I have had all sorts of misadventures such as partnering with a salesperson who couldn't sell, working at a place where I had a dark triad supervisor (who claimed to have supervised both Linus Torvalds and Dave Cutler at some point), running up $80k of debt on my home equity loan (now paid) and really pissing off my wife, etc. I also got a PhD in theoretical physics and people would say "that's great, it proves you are smart" but it can be a scarlet letter if people think you are overqualified or aren't going to take the job seriously. I've had some times when I was really depressed and in despair about getting my next job. I've also had time when recruiters were fighting each other to talk to me. When I was about 40 I told somebody at the gym that I might as well be retired, but I've also had great pleasure working for big companies, small companies, startups and established companies not to mention myself. There was a time when I was despair about job interviews, I came across this guy https://job-interview-answers.com/job-interview-tips/about-bob-firestone/ https://job-interview-answers.com/job-interview-tips/about-b... I can recommend what he is selling because it turned around my attitude.
TbobbyZ 5y ago
Learn Salesforce
thereare5lights 5y ago
Leetcode interviews require their own preparation. Your degree would not have prepared you for it and I dare say most computer science majors wouldn’t be able to go into one without prior preparation and pass. Don’t let that discourage you. Instead, you should just do what everyone else does and practice those problems. ——————- It sounds like you didn’t do Computer Science. This is typically the baseline requirement for most software engineering positions. However, many people do get in without CS degrees. What did your degree cover? Is it similar to what’s covered in the typical coding boot camp? I have assume it’s much more than that, since you went to community college for it. My point is, if lots of people can get in with these types of programs, you should be able to too. You claim nepotism, but a lot of people get in via referrals so don’t feel bad about that.
reader99 5y ago
I have worked with so many "software engineers" who legitimately cannot code at all. You would be surprised. They show up in the morning, accomplish nothing, and leave. This goes on for months or years. It is both hilarious and sad. The point here is to please realize that you are likely already way above many professional "software engineers". If they can do it, you absolutely can! My advice is pick some minimal project such as a "TODO list", create it in java/springboot (only because this is quite popular, you can do more interesting/fun things later). Polish your resume, practice leetcode. Then upload your resume to a website like dice.com. You may have to move to find work, but I am confident that you can. Do not be picky, just take a job then evaluate where you're at one year later. This is a passing phase, years from now, you will look back at this as a period of both struggle and personal growth.
bitwize 5y ago
Well, here's your problem. You didn't graduate from MIT or Stanford, and you're obviously not grinding leetcode, studying for and taking certification exams, boning up on your brain teasers, or doing mock interviews so you know what to expect, nor are you willing to work for free this early in your career. All of this means you're not really serious about working in the field. Unless you can prove your intelligence and passion, you present a risk to employers. Bad hires are costly. I'm being heavily sarcastic, but that's just how the game is played now. You have to commit to the full-time job of getting a job, otherwise you will be gatekept out.
atian 5y ago
ADD
muzani 5y ago
I got my first job from a family friend but was qualified for it. I think junior jobs are incredibly difficult to get, probably the hardest point of your career. About 5-10% of the people who did an associate degree with me work in the tech industry. And nearly all of those who do end up in basically a shitty call center job or doing maintenance work in some factory. I think the odds of landing a tech job are seriously low. A degree from an elite university may double or triple your odds, but I still get rejections from people who say my resume was impressive. Most of the people who make it work incredibly hard and often don't realize how hard they work. HN is full of people who say tech jobs are easy, but also full of people who regret how hard they have to work to keep one. I think it's fine to give up, but if you really want it, then maybe pick up Cracking The Coding Interview and play the game. It recommends about a year of preparation, which is actually less than doing a degree. Though in my exp it takes half a year to even land a job even if qualified.
yuppie_scum 5y ago
Have you had someone look over your resume?
adeeshaek 5y ago
I serve as a hiring manager at a startup in nyc - we aren’t actively searching for recent grads, but I could chat and offer you a sanity check about your qualifications! For what it’s worth, I got my first internship through a family friend :)
walterlb 5y ago
Failing to answer Leetcode questions doesn't mean anything is wrong with you. Many will be difficult without spending a lot of time practicing similar problems. If they were "easy"-ish Leetcode questions, it might not be a bad idea to practice some basics. Many interviewers are looking at your thought process and ability to transfer your ideas into, not just whether or not you solved the problem.

PaulHoule 5y ago

I have worked in software dev since I did a data processing job for my uncle when I was 16. I have had all sorts of misadventures such as partnering with a salesperson who couldn't sell, working at a place where I had a dark triad supervisor (who claimed to have supervised both Linus Torvalds and Dave Cutler at some point), running up $80k of debt on my home equity loan (now paid) and really pissing off my wife, etc. I also got a PhD in theoretical physics and people would say "that's great, it proves you are smart" but it can be a scarlet letter if people think you are overqualified or aren't going to take the job seriously. I've had some times when I was really depressed and in despair about getting my next job. I've also had time when recruiters were fighting each other to talk to me. When I was about 40 I told somebody at the gym that I might as well be retired, but I've also had great pleasure working for big companies, small companies, startups and established companies not to mention myself. There was a time when I was despair about job interviews, I came across this guy https://job-interview-answers.com/job-interview-tips/about-bob-firestone/ https://job-interview-answers.com/job-interview-tips/about-b... I can recommend what he is selling because it turned around my attitude.

TbobbyZ 5y ago

Learn Salesforce

thereare5lights 5y ago

Leetcode interviews require their own preparation. Your degree would not have prepared you for it and I dare say most computer science majors wouldn’t be able to go into one without prior preparation and pass. Don’t let that discourage you. Instead, you should just do what everyone else does and practice those problems. ——————- It sounds like you didn’t do Computer Science. This is typically the baseline requirement for most software engineering positions. However, many people do get in without CS degrees. What did your degree cover? Is it similar to what’s covered in the typical coding boot camp? I have assume it’s much more than that, since you went to community college for it. My point is, if lots of people can get in with these types of programs, you should be able to too. You claim nepotism, but a lot of people get in via referrals so don’t feel bad about that.

reader99 5y ago

I have worked with so many "software engineers" who legitimately cannot code at all. You would be surprised. They show up in the morning, accomplish nothing, and leave. This goes on for months or years. It is both hilarious and sad. The point here is to please realize that you are likely already way above many professional "software engineers". If they can do it, you absolutely can! My advice is pick some minimal project such as a "TODO list", create it in java/springboot (only because this is quite popular, you can do more interesting/fun things later). Polish your resume, practice leetcode. Then upload your resume to a website like dice.com. You may have to move to find work, but I am confident that you can. Do not be picky, just take a job then evaluate where you're at one year later. This is a passing phase, years from now, you will look back at this as a period of both struggle and personal growth.

bitwize 5y ago

Well, here's your problem. You didn't graduate from MIT or Stanford, and you're obviously not grinding leetcode, studying for and taking certification exams, boning up on your brain teasers, or doing mock interviews so you know what to expect, nor are you willing to work for free this early in your career. All of this means you're not really serious about working in the field. Unless you can prove your intelligence and passion, you present a risk to employers. Bad hires are costly. I'm being heavily sarcastic, but that's just how the game is played now. You have to commit to the full-time job of getting a job, otherwise you will be gatekept out.

atian 5y ago

ADD

muzani 5y ago

I got my first job from a family friend but was qualified for it. I think junior jobs are incredibly difficult to get, probably the hardest point of your career. About 5-10% of the people who did an associate degree with me work in the tech industry. And nearly all of those who do end up in basically a shitty call center job or doing maintenance work in some factory. I think the odds of landing a tech job are seriously low. A degree from an elite university may double or triple your odds, but I still get rejections from people who say my resume was impressive. Most of the people who make it work incredibly hard and often don't realize how hard they work. HN is full of people who say tech jobs are easy, but also full of people who regret how hard they have to work to keep one. I think it's fine to give up, but if you really want it, then maybe pick up Cracking The Coding Interview and play the game. It recommends about a year of preparation, which is actually less than doing a degree. Though in my exp it takes half a year to even land a job even if qualified.

yuppie_scum 5y ago

Have you had someone look over your resume?

adeeshaek 5y ago

I serve as a hiring manager at a startup in nyc - we aren’t actively searching for recent grads, but I could chat and offer you a sanity check about your qualifications! For what it’s worth, I got my first internship through a family friend :)

walterlb 5y ago

Failing to answer Leetcode questions doesn't mean anything is wrong with you. Many will be difficult without spending a lot of time practicing similar problems. If they were "easy"-ish Leetcode questions, it might not be a bad idea to practice some basics. Many interviewers are looking at your thought process and ability to transfer your ideas into, not just whether or not you solved the problem.