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Got a CS degree a decade ago, haven't been able to find a programming jobs since (I don't know Java or C#, learned some esoteric languages called C and C++ nobo

Got a CS degree a decade ago, haven't been able to find a programming jobs since (I don't know Java or C#, learned some esoteric languages called C and C++ nobody is hiring for.) Boot camps promise jobs, after a decade of looking at jobs that require 5+ years of experience, I hope something like that can finally be my ticket into the industry. As opposed to all those projects I worked on over those four years. The webserver, the proxy, the file system, the kernel, the terminal, the shell, the ML parser written in ML, the raytracer, the networking stack, the video games. All my personal project. So what do they have to you at bootcamps that is so special?

alaskamiller 11y ago
You learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript, a MVC framework, Git, debugging, testing, some basics of product management, some basics of product marketing, in 3 months and they call you ready for a $85k+ job in Silicon Valley with a mid-sized business that lacks the resources to recruit like a big corporation and aren't as picky as a real startup that needs experience and skills.
- baby 11y ago
  You definitely can learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, MVC, git,... in 3 months if you only do that.
  - alaskamiller 11y ago
    Ya, just pay $17k
eru 11y ago
> Got a CS degree a decade ago, haven't been able to find a programming jobs since (I don't know Java or C#, learned some esoteric languages called C and C++ nobody is hiring for.) If you think that's important, why didn't you fix that in the mean time? Knowing nothing else about you, I'd be immediately put off by you not learning on your own..
- sown 11y ago
  > If you think that's important, why didn't you fix that in the mean time? Knowing nothing else about you, I'd be immediately put off by you not learning on your own.. Speaking as someone in a similar situation, even after I learn what I can, it's still difficult to get a job using the newer languages I've learned. I know that I don't know what I don't know; perhaps I'm missing something, but it's still difficult to convince employers to hire when you've got no experience.
  - brador 11y ago
    No experience? Make a portfolio of your work. Look, you're selling yourself to the employer/HR. They want the lowest risk with highest upside they can get so they don't get fired for hiring you. If you throw a portfolio at them of good work, they can say, hey, this dude/dudette is a low risk bet. They've covered their ass and you're hired.
    - sown 11y ago
      > No experience? Make a portfolio of your work. Yes, I've been doing that. I get close to getting hired often this year but they usually find some reason to not hire me. "We think you're a great hire, a really smart person, but ..." Anyways, having a portfolio is no guarantee, or even a help. The only time people really look at it is if they are already close to hiring you. As in, they really, really want to but there's something else stopping them. Other than that, no one looks at a portfolio. A good github will not save me, maybe not help me, but can definitely hurt me if they don't like what they see. I was already told by one potential employer that some code I had written in a pinch for a project looked wrong so no hire.
      - brador 11y ago
        Curate your portfolio, show only your best work. The best case would be to have experience, without that you need a portfolio. But as you have seen, the portfolio is only to get you through the filter to an interview seat. Then it's up to you to sell yourself and your skills.
venomsnake 11y ago
> esoteric languages called C and C++ nobody is hiring for I find it hard to believe that.
M8 11y ago
I am sorry, but you will have to learn JavaScript and some other legacy languages (CSS, HTML) to succeed.
- WalterGR 11y ago
  None of those are required or even recommended to succeed. If you want to develop websites - sure. But there are many other kinds of development work.
lordnacho 11y ago
Where do you live? I've seen quite a few c++ jobs. If you've written a networking stack and a raytracer, it's the kind of high-performance code HFT firms are looking for. And they're all after c++. And then there's a lot of embedded jobs that might also be after that. Also Java and c# would be pretty easy to pick up if you already have c++. What have you been doing in the meantime?
- dagw 11y ago
  There are very few entry level jobs for C and C++ programmers from what I see. The people looking for C++ programmers tend to have hard problems and are looking for really good programmers. It's much easier finding entry level jobs if you know Javascript/Java/Ruby etc.
yitchelle 11y ago
> Got a CS degree a decade ago, haven't been able to find a programming jobs since (I don't know Java or C#, learned some esoteric languages called C and C++ nobody is hiring for.) I am really sorry to have to say this but if after a decade and not able to land a programming job, it is probably not your technical skills holding you back. Getting through bootcamp may not help at all. Again, really sorry to have to say it
- strathmeyer 11y ago
  What are programmers supposed to do, then?? I can't get a job in food service. Are we just supposed to... fade away. Why did I take two years of Calculus in high school and then take college CS courses before I graduated? This is a serious question.
  - yitchelle 11y ago
    Why don't you publicised your work to get it better known, even sharing a link here might help? I would say to request some frank and honest questions from your family and close friends about your job situation, and act upon them. Not that I am saying you are not doing them, but you have to act upon them, that is the real key. email in my profile if you want to connect more. edit: clarity and grammar.

alaskamiller 11y ago

You learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript, a MVC framework, Git, debugging, testing, some basics of product management, some basics of product marketing, in 3 months and they call you ready for a $85k+ job in Silicon Valley with a mid-sized business that lacks the resources to recruit like a big corporation and aren't as picky as a real startup that needs experience and skills.

baby 11y ago
You definitely can learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, MVC, git,... in 3 months if you only do that.
- alaskamiller 11y ago
  Ya, just pay $17k

eru 11y ago

> Got a CS degree a decade ago, haven't been able to find a programming jobs since (I don't know Java or C#, learned some esoteric languages called C and C++ nobody is hiring for.) If you think that's important, why didn't you fix that in the mean time? Knowing nothing else about you, I'd be immediately put off by you not learning on your own..

sown 11y ago
> If you think that's important, why didn't you fix that in the mean time? Knowing nothing else about you, I'd be immediately put off by you not learning on your own.. Speaking as someone in a similar situation, even after I learn what I can, it's still difficult to get a job using the newer languages I've learned. I know that I don't know what I don't know; perhaps I'm missing something, but it's still difficult to convince employers to hire when you've got no experience.
- brador 11y ago
  No experience? Make a portfolio of your work. Look, you're selling yourself to the employer/HR. They want the lowest risk with highest upside they can get so they don't get fired for hiring you. If you throw a portfolio at them of good work, they can say, hey, this dude/dudette is a low risk bet. They've covered their ass and you're hired.
  - sown 11y ago
    > No experience? Make a portfolio of your work. Yes, I've been doing that. I get close to getting hired often this year but they usually find some reason to not hire me. "We think you're a great hire, a really smart person, but ..." Anyways, having a portfolio is no guarantee, or even a help. The only time people really look at it is if they are already close to hiring you. As in, they really, really want to but there's something else stopping them. Other than that, no one looks at a portfolio. A good github will not save me, maybe not help me, but can definitely hurt me if they don't like what they see. I was already told by one potential employer that some code I had written in a pinch for a project looked wrong so no hire.
    - brador 11y ago
      Curate your portfolio, show only your best work. The best case would be to have experience, without that you need a portfolio. But as you have seen, the portfolio is only to get you through the filter to an interview seat. Then it's up to you to sell yourself and your skills.

venomsnake 11y ago

> esoteric languages called C and C++ nobody is hiring for I find it hard to believe that.

M8 11y ago

I am sorry, but you will have to learn JavaScript and some other legacy languages (CSS, HTML) to succeed.

WalterGR 11y ago
None of those are required or even recommended to succeed. If you want to develop websites - sure. But there are many other kinds of development work.

lordnacho 11y ago

Where do you live? I've seen quite a few c++ jobs. If you've written a networking stack and a raytracer, it's the kind of high-performance code HFT firms are looking for. And they're all after c++. And then there's a lot of embedded jobs that might also be after that. Also Java and c# would be pretty easy to pick up if you already have c++. What have you been doing in the meantime?

dagw 11y ago
There are very few entry level jobs for C and C++ programmers from what I see. The people looking for C++ programmers tend to have hard problems and are looking for really good programmers. It's much easier finding entry level jobs if you know Javascript/Java/Ruby etc.

yitchelle 11y ago

> Got a CS degree a decade ago, haven't been able to find a programming jobs since (I don't know Java or C#, learned some esoteric languages called C and C++ nobody is hiring for.) I am really sorry to have to say this but if after a decade and not able to land a programming job, it is probably not your technical skills holding you back. Getting through bootcamp may not help at all. Again, really sorry to have to say it

strathmeyer 11y ago
What are programmers supposed to do, then?? I can't get a job in food service. Are we just supposed to... fade away. Why did I take two years of Calculus in high school and then take college CS courses before I graduated? This is a serious question.
- yitchelle 11y ago
  Why don't you publicised your work to get it better known, even sharing a link here might help? I would say to request some frank and honest questions from your family and close friends about your job situation, and act upon them. Not that I am saying you are not doing them, but you have to act upon them, that is the real key. email in my profile if you want to connect more. edit: clarity and grammar.