Any employer is basically looking to have as much confidence as possible that you'll be able to do the job that they want as well as or better than any other ca

Any employer is basically looking to have as much confidence as possible that you'll be able to do the job that they want as well as or better than any other candidate. Having a relevant degree from a prestigious or at least well-known university gives them confidence. Being able to come off as confident and knowledgeable in an interview gives them confidence. Having relevant work experience that shows you've done the job for other companies gives them confidence. Generally, the better the job is -- more pay, more interesting work, better-known firm -- the more applicants they get and the more confidence they can demand before taking a chance on hiring someone [and it's always taking a chance, no matter the candidate]. Conversely, you find a smaller place, boring work, bad pay, they can't demand a lot of confidence because they don't get a lot of applicants to be choosy about. So you can walk into those places with nothing but your coding skills and get a job, and if you can do it, you can parlay that into a better job now that they have a little more confidence given your resume.