Pleasure to meet you all; I’m ecstatic to be here. I’m a 33-year-old maritime aficionado turned aspiring code wizard. I have a Master’s Degree in Maritime Transportation, which is basically an Engineering Degree with sea legs.
Now, don’t go thinking I’ve got a fancy tech degree hidden up my sleeve. Nope, just a Coursera badge on Python from Dr Chuck’s specialization that I wear like a badge of honor. Get it? “Badge” of honor?
Alright, let’s cut to the cheese. I’ve got a home, a stash of savings that could last 4-6 years, and a serious case of “I wanna change careers.” No income? No problem! I’ve got savings and ramen noodles.
I’m knee-deep in the FCC curriculum, spending ~6 glorious hours a day coding, and building a portfolio that’s starting to look like a work of art. Now’s the time, folks! The stars are aligning for a career switch-a-roo!
Here’s where you come in. The job market is as tough as grandma’s meatloaf. Seriously, it’s been a hard-knock life for the past year. So, any tips, tricks, or life hacks to land my first gig would be much appreciated.
Here’s what I’ve been hearing on the coder grapevine:
Portfolio: Yep, I’m on it like white on rice. Crafting it to match my ever-growing skillset.
Networking: Quincy Larson says to network, not just net-sit. My location’s a bit of a tech desert, but I’m not giving up. Considering things like PyCons, even if they cost a bit.
Niche Hunting: Web dev is jam-packed, so where’s the next gold rush? AI? Cybersecurity? Interpretive dance coding?
you have nice picture on your resume. it would be best if that was also your picture on github, instead of nothing. [if that’s you of course]. at least any real picture of you would be on point if job hunting.
also, that resume is strange. is that your real life resume? if so, how can one see your codepen/linkedin if it just says that.
Ah, so the picture’s just a stand-in. It’s like the understudy waiting for its big break on Broadway! I try to avoid sending my real life information online, except to employers. But i guess i’ll have to include some real life information in the future.
About those LinkedIn and CodePen links—no worries! They might be playing coy in the image, but in the PDF resume, they’re like social butterflies, leading folks straight to my profiles i.e. they are hyperlinks that work in the PDF version but not the image.
Also as as sidenote, i’ve changed from using CodePen to Github to showcase my projects. Yep i’ll definitely add a profile picture.
And yes, that’s the real-deal resume i sent for the internship. Tailor-made and targeted—like a guided missile of employability.
It’s a bit odd that you’ve given more weight to “crypto investor” than your 11 years of maritime work experience,
Employers are going to be looking for serious candidates, so if you have some serious work experience and achievements then they’re worth emphasising on your cv. You’ve mentioned Coursera courses but omitted your masters degree in engineering?
You’re spot on—I totally spaced on including my Master’s Degree! The reason I emphasized the crypto part is that it’s one of their must-haves.
As for Coursera, I mentioned it because they’re specifically looking for someone with at least an IT Certification or a Computer Science student background.
But you make a fantastic point! My Master’s Degree definitely deserves a spot in the limelight and so does my 11 years of experience as an industry professional
I was also wary of making my resume too long, but now I’m thinking a two-pager could work if it’s packed with solid info.
I’m FIGO here and I have a very similar story, but coming from economics instead of Engineering.
I’ve started my self-thought journey as a dev a couple of months ago. Not long ago I’ve realised that the competition for juniors is insane. After 2022 (tech bubble burst) I started applying for thousands of jobs in London I wasn’t able to even land a screening interview.
That really affected my mental health as I was getting extremely frustrated with the whole situation, even considering to go back to my previous job as I was running out of money.
At that point I started building a tool to stand out among the crowd and I’ve just finished the first beta. Mod redacted
@figo-rabo We do not allow this site to be used for promotion.
Also, unless it is very poorly explained your service sounds like a tool to fake your commit history which we definitely can not be associated with nor will anyone here suggest using such a tool.
No dibbs, go for it 
Infrastructure Intern at theblock | Rethinkable
All your wisdom nuggets are welcome.
I try to avoid sending my real life information online, except to employers. But i guess i’ll have to include some real life information in the future.
i.e. they are hyperlinks that work in the PDF version but not the image.
