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You list the trifecta of red flags for employers: * No academic or employment history that communicates significant expertise in software development. * Scatt

You list the trifecta of red flags for employers: * No academic or employment history that communicates significant expertise in software development. * Scattershot and stale work experience that looks bad. At best it looks like you’re not serious about your career. At worst it looks like you have a problem keeping a job. * Little or no professional network, probably the most important resource when looking for work. On top of that applying to hundreds of jobs online is the least efficient way to find a job. To fix these problems you need to reset. 1. Study modern web development (or whatever you want to do) so you can get through interviews and actually do the work when an opportunity comes your way. You can find plenty of free resources online, you just have to put the effort in. For web development that means, at minimum, knowing HTML, CSS, Javascript, a back-end language like PHP or C#, relational databases such as MySQL or PostgreSQL. You should understand HTTP, SSL, DNS, and cloud services reasonably well. I have done WordPress work for $150/hr, and there’s plenty of that work available. 2. Find a small or medium size company that doesn’t have its own IT/development staff. That includes many companies, you will have to ask around. If I were in your situation I would look for companies in my area that are advertising for developers and contact the hiring manager directly, even going to the office in person. Show some initiative. When someone does take a chance on you bust your ass to solve business problems and deliver value. The best way to learn programming is on the job, but you need to add value, not just treat the job as a training opportunity or stepping stone. 3. Socialize with colleagues and people you know and meet who have jobs and run businesses. Not just other programmers — you can get job leads from people who work in management, marketing, sales, finance, etc. Marketing departments often have good budgets and outsource web work because the IT staff doesn’t have the skill or bandwidth, so cast a wider net for professional contacts. I have some articles on my site typicalprogrammer.com you might find useful (free, no ads). Good luck.

djellybeans 4y ago
>You list the trifecta of red flags for employers: Incredibly I never went out of my way to do everything as wrong as possible. It just kind of happened without thinking about what is really bad, for the first couple years of my career. I would have assumed that to have so many red flags you'd have to actively work to get them, but here we are. I've been following point 1 by making side projects that make more use of modern web development. Have some on Github and one on Heroku as well. What is unclear to me is which kinds of topics are usually taught in on-boarding and which are left to the candidate to learn for themselves. I don't have experience with mentoring or on-boarding situations which is why I ask. As for the next point, I am trying to avoid companies with no IT staff as I've heard many times that they are not well suited to grow your career in tech. I also know from experience, been there, done that, hasn't worked for me, so it's time to move away from them. They are more "cost center" than "profit center" jobs and am following different advice to choose companies where software is at the core of their business. I'll see what I can do with socializing with others for professional talk. The only people I speak with face to face are the places I grab a bite or coffee, etc. and typically otherwise just converse and chat with people in tech focused communities like this one.
- gregjor 4y ago
  I didn't mean to imply you tried to raise these red flags, but as you say, here you are. I wouldn't expect to get taught anything during onboarding. The days of companies hiring juniors and trainees and mentoring them and building their skills seem long-gone. Now companies only want to hire people who exactly match their specs and can start contributing (or appearing to contribute) from the first day. The vast majority of programming jobs are with companies that don't produce software as their main product, so focusing only on software companies severely limits your options. Those jobs are the most likely to demand solid experience and demonstrated expertise. I prefer companies that make a profit and depend on technology but aren't in the technology business: logistics, law, finance, retail, education, etc. You will get a wider exposure to different languages and tools in that world, and more focus on business problems as opposed to technical problems. Software companies are often not profitable and volatile, and very focused around a small number of languages and tools. I've been there and done that too and got tired of the "pivots" and "runways" and layoffs. The companies that do make money in the software business have their choice of top experienced people so they're harder to get into. Try talking to a stranger every day, just something casual to start a conversation. I have done that for years and have met some great people that way, and got leads on freelance opportunities. People you know are always the best source of job leads.

djellybeans 4y ago

>You list the trifecta of red flags for employers: Incredibly I never went out of my way to do everything as wrong as possible. It just kind of happened without thinking about what is really bad, for the first couple years of my career. I would have assumed that to have so many red flags you'd have to actively work to get them, but here we are. I've been following point 1 by making side projects that make more use of modern web development. Have some on Github and one on Heroku as well. What is unclear to me is which kinds of topics are usually taught in on-boarding and which are left to the candidate to learn for themselves. I don't have experience with mentoring or on-boarding situations which is why I ask. As for the next point, I am trying to avoid companies with no IT staff as I've heard many times that they are not well suited to grow your career in tech. I also know from experience, been there, done that, hasn't worked for me, so it's time to move away from them. They are more "cost center" than "profit center" jobs and am following different advice to choose companies where software is at the core of their business. I'll see what I can do with socializing with others for professional talk. The only people I speak with face to face are the places I grab a bite or coffee, etc. and typically otherwise just converse and chat with people in tech focused communities like this one.

gregjor 4y ago
I didn't mean to imply you tried to raise these red flags, but as you say, here you are. I wouldn't expect to get taught anything during onboarding. The days of companies hiring juniors and trainees and mentoring them and building their skills seem long-gone. Now companies only want to hire people who exactly match their specs and can start contributing (or appearing to contribute) from the first day. The vast majority of programming jobs are with companies that don't produce software as their main product, so focusing only on software companies severely limits your options. Those jobs are the most likely to demand solid experience and demonstrated expertise. I prefer companies that make a profit and depend on technology but aren't in the technology business: logistics, law, finance, retail, education, etc. You will get a wider exposure to different languages and tools in that world, and more focus on business problems as opposed to technical problems. Software companies are often not profitable and volatile, and very focused around a small number of languages and tools. I've been there and done that too and got tired of the "pivots" and "runways" and layoffs. The companies that do make money in the software business have their choice of top experienced people so they're harder to get into. Try talking to a stranger every day, just something casual to start a conversation. I have done that for years and have met some great people that way, and got leads on freelance opportunities. People you know are always the best source of job leads.