

Ask HN: Finding a startup or tech job after college? - snow_mac

I am graduating next May (2013) with a Bachelors of Science in Applied Computing Technology (CS/Biz hybrid) from Colorado State University. I have 3 years IT &#38; Network Support experience and just about 2.5 years web development experience through Student positions. I've done the whole freelance thing for the last 5 years as a Wordpress theme guy. How do I approach getting a full time job after college?<p>I've got some experience with startups, I spent almost a full year in startup mode trying to start a social networking company with some friends &#38; we even got some money. Before that tried to start two other companies and I have done a ton of freelancing.<p>My main interests are:<p>1. Web Development (lots of jQuery, PHP &#38; Coldfusion)
2. Mobile Development (No experience) 
3. Security (No experience)
4. Parellel Programming (No experience)<p>Beyond course work my internships entirely consisted of web development and IT support, I've done lots with OOP and MVC (building a CMS for the USDA), YII, Coldfusion etc... but I am not sure how I can tailor that to applying for jobs.<p>My main questions are:<p>1. How do I find a job before I graduate that will start after I graduate?<p>2. I'm going on a fantastic honeymoon, and won't be able to start for 1 month after graduation. Will this be a problem? Graduation is around May 10, I won't be able to start until after June 10. Will most employer's care?<p>3. When do I start applying for jobs?<p>4. I have lots of experience, lots of people have told me to come talk to them at the career fair when I'm ready to graduate--How do I sell myself to them?<p>5. I'm looking at Continental United States, but will prioritize companies in Arizona (Phoenix area), Colorado (anywhere), Dallas or Austin or somewhere without beaches or snow. What's the job market like for Web Developers across the country?<p>6. How hard will it be for me to get a job given 6 years IT/Web experience + a 4 year degree @ 24?<p>Any tips or advice is greatly welcomed (other then, don't married so soon).
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vellum
1,3,4 & 6: Just fill out a Linkedin profile right now. The recruiters will
start calling.

2\. No, it's a seller's market now.

Go to some meetups and meet with local developers. If you're any good, you'll
get lots offers for freelance work or jobs.

Since you're still a student, you should take the time to learn mobile
programming. Pick ios or android. If you're going the ios route, look at the
Stanford Fall 2011 video lectures on Itunes university by Paul Hegarty. That
will give you the basics. The rest you can look up on stackoverflow or the Big
Nerd Ranch book. If you can make a non-ugly app or two, there will definitely
be more recruiters calling.

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snow_mac
What are the routes for learning Android?

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Tangaroa
Download Eclipse and the Android Development Kit. The emulator and development
environment are free.

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bartonfink
Shoot me an e-mail. I work at Mapquest and we are hiring right now in Denver.
I'd be happy to give you some of my time.

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snow_mac
Email sent! Thank you so much!

