5 ms·

Not a novel thought but regular attendance of a local meetup or joining an online community like some projects discord will be useful for getting your name out

by leesec 4y ago

Not a novel thought but regular attendance of a local meetup or joining an online community like some projects discord will be useful for getting your name out there. Also generally I think easier to smart smaller. Companies that aren't as tech focused will probably be more lenient. You can always try to build some websites for local companies or friends gratis as well to get some work experience.

bsder 4y ago
> Not a novel thought but regular attendance of a local meetup or joining an online community like some projects discord will be useful for getting your name out there. Absolutely. But also do something for yourself with your programming so you can talk about it. If it's important to you, you will be able to convey that to people in your group. Track your pokemon cards. Record your bikes. Make some decorations that blink. Something. Anything. As long as it's actually relevant to something you want to do, you'll be fine.
- leesec 4y ago
  Yep. I got a job because I followed comma.ai's self driving car project and then did a port to a new car. I got a lot of help from community and explained this to my employer but they didn't really care, only cared that I was passionate enough to do my own project.
  - bsder 4y ago
    Well, it wasn't just that you were passionate enough ... Doing a port shows that you can work with an existing codebase and work with others. This is vastly more important to a business than pure programming chops.
legerdemain 4y ago
Does it really help to be the guy at the meetup who everyone knows because he can't get a job? Not sure anyone's ever told me that an employer reached out to them after they did a 5-minute talk at a meetup or became a regular on Discord.
- leesec 4y ago
  I already had a job but I literally got an offer without an interview after giving a talk at a meetup. And I just think generally if you keep attending one and get to know some people they'll eventually have referrals for you, a lot of people need talent.

by leesec 4y ago

bsder 4y ago

> Not a novel thought but regular attendance of a local meetup or joining an online community like some projects discord will be useful for getting your name out there. Absolutely. But also do something for yourself with your programming so you can talk about it. If it's important to you, you will be able to convey that to people in your group. Track your pokemon cards. Record your bikes. Make some decorations that blink. Something. Anything. As long as it's actually relevant to something you want to do, you'll be fine.

leesec 4y ago
Yep. I got a job because I followed comma.ai's self driving car project and then did a port to a new car. I got a lot of help from community and explained this to my employer but they didn't really care, only cared that I was passionate enough to do my own project.
- bsder 4y ago
  Well, it wasn't just that you were passionate enough ... Doing a port shows that you can work with an existing codebase and work with others. This is vastly more important to a business than pure programming chops.

legerdemain 4y ago

Does it really help to be the guy at the meetup who everyone knows because he can't get a job? Not sure anyone's ever told me that an employer reached out to them after they did a 5-minute talk at a meetup or became a regular on Discord.

leesec 4y ago
I already had a job but I literally got an offer without an interview after giving a talk at a meetup. And I just think generally if you keep attending one and get to know some people they'll eventually have referrals for you, a lot of people need talent.