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What I learned from spending 3 months applying to jobs after a coding bootcamp

medium.freecodecamp.com

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Re: What I learned from spending 3 months applying to jobs after a coding bootcamp

#261

Post by scaryclam »

st3v3r wrote: post #73
steve-howard wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not shocked that nobody looks at your GitHub. Reading other people's code takes time and energy that a lot of people aren't going to spend if they have a ton of candidates to sift through.

Yeah, but everyone says, "you need to have a GitHub. You're not serious about coding unless you have a GitHub. That's how you get jobs now."

As a hiring manager, I wouldn't say people are serious if they have a github account, but having one, which actually has original work in it, can show that the applicant has some interest in the industry beyond the money. If you don't have a github account, that's fine but you've got to show something else that can fill in the gap. Perhaps you're on bitbucket or even source forge. Or maybe you did summer of code. Worst case, tell me you can bring in some samples to an interview.

Re: What I learned from spending 3 months applying to jobs after a coding bootcamp

#262

Post by gxespino »

hash-set wrote: post #155
dood wrote: post #6

Are people in America seriously getting offers of $120k with no degree, no experience, and not even a side-project? That is mind-blowing. In London, probably the biggest/richest market outside of USA, that sort of salary is beyond what most experienced developers get, even some very good ones. I must be missing something here (some sort of bubble?) because I can't see how businesses can be profitable paying those sor…

Well, if you read Quora, everyone makes millions of dollars writing code. In the real world (e.g. not Silicon Valley), yeah, it's hard to crack six figures--took me about 10 years to do that with a BS in CS, MS in Computer Engineering, and an unused doctorate (Info. Sci. with specialization in human factors). I became successful when I left the PhD the hell off my resume.

I'd question how you're presenting and selling yourself to potential employees. You have ALL of the leverage. Cracking $100k should have been easy, IMO.

Re: What I learned from spending 3 months applying to jobs after a coding bootcamp

#263

Post by TXV »

UweSchmidt wrote: post #258
TXV wrote: post #256

I live in what should be considered a developed country in Europe with 5 years work exp also abroad, of which almost 2 of software development in a highly specialized field, and I make one third (1/3) of what the average CS grad makes in SF. It feels very bad...

How much you pay for rent, and how long is your commute? Maybe you feel a little better now :)

I live in my own house and my commute is 20 mins by car, but I still feel bad... thanks for the different point of view though

Re: What I learned from spending 3 months applying to jobs after a coding bootcamp

#264

Post by brokenmachine »

danieltillett wrote: post #184
Rainymood wrote: post #115

On a related tangent, this is why it is so important to have a so called "Emergency fund"! An emergency fund is a little bit of money (often 1-6x average monthly expenses) such that if you get canned you can survive for 1-6 months without having to work so you can focus on applying for jobs and getting a new job without having to stress when your next bill is due. I agree that 6 months living expenses is on the high…

I don't know how people can sleep at night not having an emergency fund. I have a couple of time got close to running this out when I was a poor student and I found it incredibly stressful.

Luckily for me, I have never needed my emergency fund. But I'm the same as you, I don't know how people can sleep at night without one. I've been close to the edge at times and it is incredibly stressful.

People seem so comfortable carrying a massive amount of debt.

I'm currently on the best paying job I've ever had, and although the financial planners around would say that I'm holding too much liquid assets (I'm not sure what to invest in), it certainly makes me sleep well at night knowing that I could survive frugally but comfortably for probably 2 or more years without a job.

Re: What I learned from spending 3 months applying to jobs after a coding bootcamp

#265

Post by mahyarm »

ericmcer wrote: post #28

Is it still a huge deal to have an encyclopedic knowledge of data structures and algorithms? This guy was applying for jobs doing React/Node, which is what I do, and two years after school I cant remember all the details of the sorting algorithms. Would it be so bad to tell the interviewer that if I do anything other than call browser APIs to sort data I am failing at my job and wasting time?

It's not very encyclopedic. There are about a dozen questions and data structures that everyone likes to ask. Some places ask harder ones and you have to deep dive into cracking coding the interview. Google is one of them, they have a bigger algorithmic focus.

I'd rather have this vs. the 'where did you go school' bias that finance strongly has.

Re: What I learned from spending 3 months applying to jobs after a coding bootcamp

#266

Post by TXV »

TorKlingberg wrote: post #53

First: Good job on the author! I don't think I could make 300 application in a three months, and I am fortunate that I have never needed to. This is impressive determination and focus, and it paid off. Second: Wow, programming is becoming a commodity. This is literally 1) Learn the latest trendy framework and nothing else, 2) Study to the test, 3) Interview well. Either the market will be flooded and salaries for gen…

> strong programmers need to find a way to differentiate themselves that cannot be copied by anyone in 2 months

they are already doing that with machine learning.

Re: What I learned from spending 3 months applying to jobs after a coding bootcamp

#267

Post by caylus »

enraged_camel wrote: post #191
willhslade wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Confidence is a proxy for competence, which, through the interview process, we are imperfectly testing.

>>Confidence is a proxy for competence I take it you've never heard of Dunning-Kruger effect. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect Or its opposite, Imposter Syndrome: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome

Just because there are exceptions, and we have names for both the positive and negative forms of the exceptions, doesn't mean there's not a strong correlation overall.

Re: What I learned from spending 3 months applying to jobs after a coding bootcamp

#268

Post by scarface74 »

cableshaft wrote: post #226
scarface74 wrote: post #58

For some strange reason people hate recruiters, but during my most recent job search - a month ago - I worked with seven recruiting companies. I was submitted to 15 jobs after filtering for commuting distance, technology, salary requirements. First noticed that I filtered based on salary. Most companies don't divulge salary ranges but recruiters know that up front. Out of the 17: 2 - positions already filled before I…

How did you get one recruiter to submit you to 17 different positions? Any time I deal with a recruiter they seem to stop (or at least really slow down) trying to find you something until they hear a firm 'no' from whoever they submitted you to. I think the most phone screens a single recruiter ever got me is two in a single week....maaaaybe three. And only one in-person interview at a time. It took a lot longer than…

I dealt with 5 recruiters at once. I live in a major metropolitan area on the east coast. Companies know that experienced software devastating don't stay on the market long. They move fast.

Re: What I learned from spending 3 months applying to jobs after a coding bootcamp

#269

Post by UweSchmidt »

AlexC04 wrote: post #218
sushid wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Looks like your refactor could use a test or two :p

OMG - you're 100% right and I've already passed the "you're still allowed to edit or delete this post" time limit imposed by HN. This is going to be a black mark on my OCD coder's soul for the rest of time. A code typo immortalised next to my name. /sigh. There's a lesson for me... Never. Ever. Attempt to be clever on hackernews. Thanks for pointing it out. ... I wonder if HN mods would be willing to spare me this su…

Judge and you will be judged :)

Seriously, the original code is not too bad and probably what most people would write if the inputs and functionality of that function are only complex enough. "Hm, what else goes into isPrepared? Do I have to consider anything else before returning true or false?"

Re: What I learned from spending 3 months applying to jobs after a coding bootcamp

#270

Post by gigatexal »

Rainymood wrote: post #115

On a related tangent, this is why it is so important to have a so called "Emergency fund"! An emergency fund is a little bit of money (often 1-6x average monthly expenses) such that if you get canned you can survive for 1-6 months without having to work so you can focus on applying for jobs and getting a new job without having to stress when your next bill is due. I agree that 6 months living expenses is on the high…

Easy to do when you make six figures and don't have a mortgage and a wife. That said I'm trying to do just this on 70k with a mortgage and a wife.

Edit: easier to do

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