

Ask HN: Inexperienced developer trying to get into serious development - ICanDoMore

I'm a recent graduate with an ok CS degree and some experience with crappy PHP jobs, which is all I can get so far. I'm pretty good with Java, alright with C, and I'm learning Python, and I know my theory too. Every day at work I feel like I'm not using my skillset, and my paycheck reflects that feeling.<p>I'd love to get some opinions and ideas on where I could go from here. I've tried (and failed) to get Java jobs through job websites, I suspect because I have zero commercial or EE experience.
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rst
If you know of an open source project that seems like fun to hack on, working
on that might be helpful in a couple of ways: It builds your skills in
whatever toolset the project uses, and also (if you're good) can help get you
potentially useful contacts. (The best matches here for your skill set might
be Java open source projects. There are plenty of them, but this,
unfortunately, isn't the best place to find out them.)

Alternatively, if there's some small utility you could write (something the
scale of, say, a jQuery plugin), or a small Django or Rails website, it might
be useful to write that, package it, and write it up. There are far worse
things to show an employer these days than an interesting portfolio of stuff
on github.

EDIT: this essay on finding interesting stuff to work on just showed up in the
'new' feed, and might be useful:
[http://svpow.wordpress.com/2011/02/03/tutorial-12-how-to-
fin...](http://svpow.wordpress.com/2011/02/03/tutorial-12-how-to-find-
problems-to-work-on/)

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Shakakai
I agree with jasonkester, come up with a unique project that uses the
technology you want to be hired for. Cut out TV/distractions on week nights
and build it out. Use that as a show piece for getting the job you deserve.

Also, try to avoid big job sites like Monster or Dice. If you really want a
Java (insert any other technology here) job, find Java bloggers you admire and
track down where they work. You should be able to find a number of smaller
companies with people you know can teach you a trick or two. With the field
narrowed down, try to run into those people at tech meetups and let them know
you're in the market. Follow up with comments on their blog posts or joining
their conversations on twitter. If you don't come off as a stalker, you should
be able to parlay a decent job offer out of it :P

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jasonkester
Domain names cost $7/year. VPS hosting will cost you $20/month (or a bit more
depending on tech). That's the only barrier between you and running your own
software business.

If you want to learn to build something, build something. Register a domain,
build a site and put it live. Iterate until it's something you're actually
proud of, then use it as something you can point to and say "I can build sites
like this".

That'll get you more credibility in front of a future employer than any number
of years experience sitting in a cube doing Enterprise Java stuff.

Pick a tech you want to work in, work in it, then find a way to get paid
working in it.

~~~
ICanDoMore
I already have a domain and a couple of minor projects with no commercial
potential. Thank you for the encouraging words though, I've accepted that I
will be spending most of my time outside of work working even harder on my own
projects, which will form my CV.

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jtchang
The short of it is "build something". As programmers we are creators.

The harder question is what to build. To answer this you can go to startup
events, look at craigslist, or browse open source.

Do you want a Java job?

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ammmir
programming is all about learning. when i was in high school, i started my
first open-source project, an smtp server, and put it up on sourceforge. it
was the crappiest C i've ever written, and even djb (of qmail fame) sent me a
mail about security bugs in it. it's been a talking point ever since.

if i was hiring, i'd want to see proof that the candidate built something. it
doesn't need to be a huge open-source project. even some code that only you
find a use for, is better than not having any code out there.

~~~
ICanDoMore
I put something on Sourceforge while at uni and it pulled in thousands of
downloads. It works but it looks a bit naff now, should I have a really
polished product in my portfolio?

~~~
ammmir
good. don't worry about polish, just make it easy to find. i use github for
this since it's very code-centric. doing stuff like this (it might not even
need to be OSS) can be a bullet point or URL on a resume. you'll be ahead of
many candidates.

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kylewest
commit to open source or start a project of your own. The only way I learn is
by doing and I suspect that is shared among a lot of us. Do, and do more. The
skills will follow.

