Developers that are working in the industry.
How did YOU get your first job in tech?
What was the thing, or few things, that made a big difference?
How did YOU get your first job in tech?
What was the thing, or few things, that made a big difference?
Comments
Became tech support because I knew a bit about browsers and cookies and could write a JIRA ticket. Then an intermediary between customer support, the dev org, QA, abuse/security.
Was more knowledgeable than any 3 people about our product. Everyone else knee just their piece of the product.
-I could write a decent JIRA ticket, by describing customer issues/bugs in dev/PM friendly terms and technical-to-nontechnical.
-Dabbled in many areas, so I could both learn the basics to apply elsewhere.
-Built a reputation as a "knowledgeable problem-solver".
- telling literally everyone I was trying to get that job
- being an excellent employee in an unrelated job
- having projects I could show and explain my work on
- treating every interview like it was practice for the one that worked
Eventually got into a position to interview with a company that was willing to take a chance on me!
first legit salary after that i randomly applied at a marketing agency.
nothing fancy but that was a long time ago.
It wasn't until I looked at what the jobs around me wanted that I started having more luck. Learned MySQL, build a complex app. Learned PHP, built a personal blogging platform.
I don't really need a job rn but maybe I should give it a try?
What helped me was a passion project I was working on, a phone app I showed at the career fair and again but more in-depth during the interview.