As the title says, I’ve just finished college (after many ups and downs), and honestly, I’m not sure how to move forward. I got into programming early as a kid but stopped due to personal circumstances I’d rather not discuss. Now, at the age of 31 (started late), I’ve finally completed college 2 weeks ago.
That background aside, I’m struggling with doubts about how marketable I am to employers. I worry that if I’m not able to build super-stable, complex applications, my resume will end up in the trash. Most of the projects on my GitHub are school assignments, and my personal projects are relatively simple.
Lately, I’ve been reinforcing my basics and improving my skill set by practicing on LeetCode and Codewars (6kyu), but I still feel like I’m not good enough. That’s why I decided to post here for sny advice on how to move forward.
P.S. Sorry for the long post; I’m not used to writing in forums and feel a bit nervous.
Here’s my GitHub link if anyone’s interested: LinkFan100 (Lafyette Russell) · GitHub.
First off , good on you for finally going back to school and getting on track. Your concerns are completely valid and ones I’ve heard from almost everyone.
Your skills won’t likely be tested to the extent that you think they will, and your credentials will hardly be looked at. Age isn’t a factor at all—so you can set that concern aside.
Depending what you’re interest in, you’ll likely be put through answering some trivial code questions, and doing a take home assignment.
At a junior level they are going to, hopefully, put more emphasis on your soft skills. They’re looking for someone eager to learn, with a good attitude, who asks questions, admits when they don’t know something, and can work well with others.
This was how it went for me, and how most people I’ve talked to described the experience. The hard part is going to be getting the interviews among the massive amounts of applicants. Reach out to recruiters and senior devs on LinkedIn to ask questions about the companies, industry, career paths, etc. But avoid spamming people for interviews – it’s better to build meaningful conversations/connections. Sometimes, that can lead to being invited to apply organically.
Don’t at all worry about nature of projects you’ve built ?
What matters most is; do you love technologies and have got in depth knowledge of it or willingness to learn ?
Are you a good team players and can go extra mile to get problem solved ?
If answers is “YES”, then just start applying with “startups”, as founders has got less money and wants to keep their startup alive for as long as possible, they will hire jr developers
My favourite is Y Combinator, do check their jobs page; start connecting with the founds on linkedin and just start applying.
Also read some of my most favourite books which will surely help you; “The Power of Positive Thinking”, “how to stop worrying and start living” and “atomic habits”
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