Ask HN: How did you get your first programming job? - shubhamjain
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csixty4
I started looking for work as a programmer in 1999, in the shadow of the dot-
com crash. There weren’t many programming jobs to go around in the Chicago
suburbs. And if you wanted to know what work was out there, you looked in the
newspaper, not online. I faxed…yes, faxed…my resume to a bunch of companies
with ads, but there was a huge pool of experienced developers forced out of
work recently, and little incentive to hire a youngster without any “real-
world” experience.

One of the few companies to bring me in for an interview was a bit of a
mystery. They were looking for entry-level programmers, but the ad didn’t say
much more. I don’t remember their website, if they even had one, giving up any
details of their technology stack. So, I walked into the interview with ten
pages of sample code from school, object-oriented C++ code calling out to
OpenGL through GLUT. The technical interviewer rolled his eyes at it. “I’ll be
honest. Someone like you is probably going to be pretty bored working here.
Are you sure you really want the job?” Of course I did. How bad could it be?

From "Pick is a living fossil of computer history:
[https://medium.com/@csixty4/pick-is-a-living-fossil-of-
compu...](https://medium.com/@csixty4/pick-is-a-living-fossil-of-computer-
history-36d74408d557)

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mindcrime
It was early 2000. I was living in rural Bumfuck, NC, and had dropped out of
school back in '96 (I was working on a C.S. degree at UNC-W). After that, I
had spent a year doing construction work, then went back to the local
community college to get an A.S. in Computer Programming (money was the main
reason I dropped out of the B.S. program). So anyway, I did not yet have even
that A.S. finished, and I had no professional programming experience. But...
I'd been programming as a hobby and teaching myself stuff for about 6 years,
so I knew a modest amount about coding.

Anyway, at the urging of a friend who was about to move to the RTP area, I put
my resume on Monster.com, Dice.com, etc. and agreed to split an apartment with
him if I could find a job in that area. I didn't expect much, since I didn't
have a degree in the field or any professional coding experience.

What I didn't realize was just how in demand programmers really were then.
Keep in mind, this just before the "dot com bubble" popped. As it turns out,
you could probably have gotten a job as a programmer then if you could turn a
computer on by yourself.

Anyway, my phone started ringing about a day after I put the resume up, and I
drove up to Raleigh for a couple of interviews, and within about 2 weeks I had
an offer.

And that's how this all started...

To Be Continued...

~~~
csixty4
> As it turns out, you could probably have gotten a job as a programmer then
> if you could turn a computer on by yourself.

My first programming job was with an obscure, outdated platform & language.
They pretty much did hire anyone who could turn a computer on and sent them to
a two-week training course before they started client work. One of the guys on
my team owned a small limo company and wanted something to supplement his
income during the day, so there he was.

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JamesBarney
Pretty boring.

Finished college. Applied to a bunch of places. Had a lot of conversations
along the lines of

"We're super interested in you, btw you forgot to put your GPA on your
resume."

"Oh.... well don't worry I'm sure you'll find something. You seems like a
smart guy, your resume and experience look great, and you're really enjoyable
to talk to, so I'm sure you'll find something."

As soon as the recruiter started apologizing to me that's when I knew I was
fucked. Eventually found a job that gave IQ tests instead of checked GPA's. I
said I had C# experience(an large exaggeration), read a book on the bus ride
to the interview... and they hired me. Been a .Net dev ever since.

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XtalJ
I did program alot in my spare time and I still do. Without all that
experience it comes with and the actual code to have as reference, I wouldn't
get any job.

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coygui
Shame on me. I asked my family referencing me

