You have learned all you can from YouTube, you have used and completed all your “Learn to code apps” and you are now looking for a job as a software developer. Do you need a degree? Do you need contacts in the industry? Can you get a good job with the knowledge you know? Yes, yes you can.
Developers are like footballers, the ones doing the hiring will only care about the quality and quantity of your work output. You could be a one-legged duck living on the iceberg that sank the Titanic. If you can code quickly and with a high degree of quality, then you will soon have a job.
Get Good At One Language (At Least)
Again, it is not about qualifications. Getting qualifications does help, but it is like being an artist, if you happen to be good and you don’t have an art degree, people will still hire you because you are good.
Really get to know your stuff and join the online community. Become one of those people who helps others. Make your mark on the Internet because you will be surprised how many of the people you converse with are headed for greatness themselves.
Use your real name, and maybe set up a free website promoting yourself. When you help people on forums and it asks for your website address, you will have something to give them.
Build Your Own Programs
Start with small projects and build your own programs. You learn a series of workable skills while you are building your own programs. You also get a rough idea of how a project progresses. Spend a fair amount of time smartening up your program and bug testing in order to get the full working experience.
Contribute to Open Source Programs
Once you become more skilled, consider contributing to open source programs. It is a good thing to add to your CV, and you can learn a lot from the work of others. If your additions are good, then the people running the program may make your additions a permanent feature.
Work For Free to Get Experience
Keep working for free, but perhaps for companies and small businesses. Again, you are looking to get better, to hone your skills, and to make connections. At the very least, you will become a better programmer.
Apply for Software Jobs at Lensa
Lensa is one of the top job boards to land a dream job in software development. The US job board uses AI and machine learning to instantly match software development, programming, and coding talent, whether freelancers or in-house professionals, with the best opportunities. What’s more, thanks to Lensa’s smarter job search and career advocacy, job seekers can make better decisions and find fulfilling career paths in software development.
Learn What They Want to Hear
As an extension of the last tip, learn what developers want to hear. They interviewer hundreds of developers per year, and there are certain things that annoy them. Learn what these annoyances are and learn how to talk your way around them. For example, retail managers really hate people taking sick days, so in those cases you brag about how you haven’t missed a day of work in 5 years. Do a similar thing for development companies.
Grab Experience Even if You Have to Work For Free
This tip is a simple reminder of the tip given earlier. Getting better at your job, getting better at coding, and getting more experience is all you need to do. As you gain more of each, you become more employable to the point where it won’t matter which qualifications you have.
