So you have a BS in computer engineering and all these projects, yet u couldnt find a job for 10 months? Wow makes me lose hope for sure
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Yeah, it does make me feel a little sad and I’m graduating in 7 months. But I’ve seen people have simple designs for demo sties, not very pretty code and still get hired, so I just think he needs a bit more luck.
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Yeah, I’ve heard/seen people with less web development experience than I do (sometimes even without a portfolio site of their own) and they still get hired XD. If my luck was represented by a game character’s player stats, it must definitely be at a very low level right now haha.
Congrats on graduating soon!
Out of curiosity, what is your level of engagement with your network of people like developers, recruiters, former coworker, mentors and such? LinkedIn correspondence and emails ?
Because you clearly was keen on creating an online presence, and it’s hard to believe you don’t have at least a simple conversation more often if some real person of relevance had taken a look.
Luck plays a part, but networking is maybe more important. From my limited experience, the times I’ve gotten a reply from simple online application were few and far in-between. The ratio of getting a live human correspondence was far greater for me when it is through another person, be it a recruiter I met at job fairs, people I met at meet ups, or my brother in law who is a project manager. Even then I had to be recruited into a coding bootcamp/consulting company to actually get a job.
I will say this, if you are primarily focused on the web, especially learning a lot of it online, you have a big blindspot that’s Java/C#, which has a large share of available jobs on the backend of web development. Knowing a enough about those backend stacks and a lot of JavaScript on the front-end can make you a very valuable resources in enterprise teams.
Stop applying though job boards. Some companies have done tests to see how good job boards have been working by having their own employees apply for their opening through job boards. The HR rarely received any of their applications. Use job boards to find out who’s hiring and get a feel for what they’re looking for with their description. Don’t worry about the requirements. All companies put absurd requirements. Once you find out who’s hiring and what they want go to linked in and find the hiring manager, and write to him/her about your interest. Good luck.
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Just to reiterate what a few people have said here already - meetups and networking really are key.
They are not a silver-bullet and guarantee nothing, but actually being able to talk to a person that could potentially hire you or connect you with someone at their workplace who can is really crucial when you are starting out.
Just being able to look someone in the eye and hold a reasonable conversation conveys so much more than a resume will.
Just by way or example (and I’m an extremely small sample size), I basically managed to get a job through attending a meetup with very little reliance on a resume or portfolio at all. I had both of those things, but no one really looked at it until I was already pretty far along the recruitment pipeline.
Find JS / React meetups near you and go every time until you get hired! And talk to people. It doesn’t have to be a major thing, and if starting conversations with people at meetups is hard, use my tried and tested opening routine:
‘Hi, I’m [name]!’
{await pleasant response}
‘Nice to meet you, [their name]! So, what’s your interest in [thing…e.g. JavaScript / React]?’
And just go on from there 
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Thanks for the tip! I’ve been applying through job boards and directly on their site. I’ll give your LinkedIn method a shot.
I know this will sound weird, but maybe try to give less of a shit? Getting a job isn’t always about doing all the things and checking every possible box, it’s more about making a connection with companies and people who might trust that you can do the job and will give you a chance to prove it. I’d try to seek out companies and people that align with your values and interests. With all the cover letters and resumes that you’ve chucked into a black hole playing the “numbers game” I would hope that you’ve come across a few companies where you felt like going above and beyond on a cover letter was worthy of your time because you actually cared about the company you were applying to. Do more of that. And less hail mary-ing. Hail mary may make you feel like success is inevitable, but it can be a huge time sink and leave you feeling defeated.
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but how much collaborative work have you done? Businesses want people who are team players. Independence and entrepreneurial spirit are good traits, but hiring managers look for moldable, coachable, and adaptive team players. Do you have a long and proven history of playing nice with others and accomplishing things? Do you have a bunch of people standing behind you thanking you for your hard work and ready to give you a positive reference? If so, then emphasize that side of yourself. If not, then find some collaborative projects to work on.
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What is a Wordpress developer exactly? I do work making websites and 9 out of 10 clients ask for Wordpress to manage their website. We still design and code every line of the websites and every functionality.
You’re designing and coding everything for clients who want to use Wordpress? How come?
We’re all still trying to get to that level. Don’t tell us we need another 10 months once we get there 
Well the designers design the site. I build the site, then install Wordpress on top and turn the required html to php, to manage certain parts of the site easilly.
I’ve created some Wordpress sites in the past. Not for the clients, but I’d imagine you’d install it first and then design and code anything within that Wordpress instalation that needs changing.
Go for Internships and be flexible. You may have to take little or even no pay, but if it’s doable for you, your foot will be in the door and if you’re really into it and keep learning, it will pay off big time.
I’m not in a position where I can go unpaid otherwise I would give that route a shot.
Are you in an area that has job fairs, tech fairs, meet-ups or anything like that? If so, go.
Excellent suggestions.
A few things I spotted to add on.
-
Keep it positive and short.
I understand ReactJS is all the rage and wordpress has a reputation for harboring “spaghetti code”. Also people state that jQuery is becoming obsolete, but don’t talk about negatives. From your posts I see opinions stated like being a former noob using wordpress, or that you’re improving something messy.
These are best omitted. Let your work do the talking for you and stay positive. -
The SnapshotJS site doesn’t work,
Tried on chrome and on firefox using http://www.google.com
Consider adding a loading bar
Consider some user empathic design -
Collaboration and humble attitude
More collaborative projects on github.
In several of your posts I notice you stated that those with less “x” than you are getting jobs.
I’m not sure that is an accurate picture.
First they may have an excellent working, active and collaborative git hub.
Second, they may work well on teams and are far more hungry and let’s be frank, humble than the average CS grad.
Third and my sister agrees, they have experience and this and collaborative spirit matters less than genius. She was a financial bank Managing Director for enterprise software.
As always focus on what you can do better. If non cs grads are getting hired and you’re not learn from them. Humble yourself to what they are doing right, and be kind. Reach out to them and be open to suggestions.
Good luck!
Thank you for you response!
- Agrees.
- It takes some time to load since it’s hosted on a Free Plan on Heroku (no funds to get paid hosting). Yeah, I focused more on function rather than UX. I was going to add in a loading animation but it didn’t work out too well. There’s still the issue of sending a jpg to the frontend to make the download actually work (everything works in development mode though).
- Too much factors to consider, but thanks!
Yeah, running out of money. I’m most likely going to just settle for some minimum wage job nearby, pay off my student loans, and save up so I can relocate since most jr. jobs don’t offer relocation assistance as I live far from tech cities, and I’m basically surrounded mostly by residential areas which doesn’t help much haha…
Nothing wrong with a minimum wage job. It’s what I’m doing right now for a number of reasons but doesn’t mean I’ll stop looking for something back in the IT field as a developer or QA tester (Web Dev or Mainframe lol). Gotta start somewhere 
As my father says… "keep on truckin’ "
And my personal favorite-- if you can’t dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with BS.
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Freelance,Freelance,Freelance. Companies respect your value when you are capable of managing yourself. Stand tall and stay in motion, Even if you have to be a system administrator or Senior Desktop support. Once you’re started you can always move to other positions and titles.
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