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Tell HN: I used to be homeless and want to work as a software developer

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Re: Tell HN: I used to be homeless and want to work as a software developer

#41

Post by sm4rk0 »

aerovistae wrote: post #35
sm4rk0 wrote: post #28

Don't get me wrong (I hope you'll find a job in a blink), but I see you created an account an hour ago, so this could be useful (from HN FAQ): Can I post a job ad? Please don't post job ads as submissions to HN. A regular "Who Is Hiring?" thread appears on the first weekday of each month. Most job ads are welcome there. But only an account called whoishiring[1] is allowed to submit the thread itself. This prevents a…

The way you wrote this comment makes it seem like you're implying OP has posted a job ad, when obviously he's posting looking for jobs....the opposite of a job ad. If you were just trying to let him know about the Who's Hiring thread, it was a weird way to start your comment.

Yes, I thought my tone could be misunderstood. That's why I started with "don't get me wrong." In first place I wanted to help by pointing to the whoishiring, but I also thought it was a "job ad" (don't kill me, English is not my first language) and that's why I included the full FAQ section about job ads. I'm not judging - just pointing to the rules.

Re: Tell HN: I used to be homeless and want to work as a software developer

#42

Post by acollins1331 »

If your degree is in the physical sciences you might want to consider an entry level research position in that science. For example, if your degree is in earth science and you know how to code, you're literally a hot commodity RIGHT NOW for a graduate degree program or even an internship in your field. It would be much much harder to get a job in tech compared to one of those. I know it's not what you ask but you could probably get into a graduate program and do a TA or RA and make ends meet and then have a masters/PhD in earth science(physics or whatever you have your undergraduate in) and then a thesis and great resume for continuing to do numerical modeling or machine learning within that field. Cheers.

Re: Tell HN: I used to be homeless and want to work as a software developer

#43

Post by Reedx »

indigochill wrote: post #20
allovernow wrote: post #5

In my experience, in the absence of a CS degree you need a portfolio, though posting on HN may be a good shortcut. While you're job hunting, if you haven't already, start building something moderately technical. You don't have to build anything that cures cancer, but if you can build a reasonably complex project consisting of at least two independent modules (say, a frontend and a backend) with a modern stack, you sh…

With a bit of luck, you might also be able to angle in from some other position. I originally worked in customer support, found opportunities for automation, built a couple small tools on my own time, convinced management I was more efficient automating than doing support directly, and that snowballed. No engineering degree or prior portfolio to speak of. But I was also quite lucky and the company (and support depart…

This works well at game companies. They're almost always starving for tools. Schedules/management tend not to make time for them, but devs love tools and they make a huge difference.

Get in via QA or support, make some tools. You'll probably be able to transition to engineering.

Re: Tell HN: I used to be homeless and want to work as a software developer

#44

Post by AlexCoventry »

I'm in the US, but I'm sympathetic.

You'll probably have more luck if you're more specific about your capabilities. The first questions prospective employers are likely to have, on reading your post, are "How have you been teaching yourself to program?" and "What technologies have you been using, and what have you done with them?" If you're able to edit your post, you may want to include some information along those lines.

Re: Tell HN: I used to be homeless and want to work as a software developer

#45

Post by dang »

sm4rk0 wrote: post #28

Don't get me wrong (I hope you'll find a job in a blink), but I see you created an account an hour ago, so this could be useful (from HN FAQ): Can I post a job ad? Please don't post job ads as submissions to HN. A regular "Who Is Hiring?" thread appears on the first weekday of each month. Most job ads are welcome there. But only an account called whoishiring[1] is allowed to submit the thread itself. This prevents a…

I appreciate your concern for the quality of HN, but I don't think we need to consider this a job ad—the discussion is more interesting than that.

It's true that the "Who Wants to Be Hired" monthly submissions would also be a great resource for the OP.

Re: Tell HN: I used to be homeless and want to work as a software developer

#46

Post by marcus_holmes »

buro9 wrote: post #10

I was homeless too, a rough sleeper throughout the UK for 3 winters. This was a long time ago, and I've been an engineer and now am a manager. I may not have a role (in London) that is shaped for you but I'm happy to look at your CV, see what roles we have that may fit you, and advise on what people look for in a CV. My email is in my profile.

Also previously homeless, and got a job in software development through luck and good networks. I don't have anything at the moment, but wish you luck. It is possible, keep trying, don't give up.

Re: Tell HN: I used to be homeless and want to work as a software developer

#48

Post by kortilla »

cheschire wrote: post #37
IshKebab wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> in the absence of a CS degree you need a portfolio If you can demonstrate good programming skills I think most companies would still hire you even without past job experience (I assume that's what you mean by portfolio - if you mean Github projects then in my experience nobody really looks at those). A CS degree is also irrelevant - pretty much all programming jobs in the UK just want any technical degree. In all t…

> if you mean Github projects then in my experience nobody really looks at those This makes me so sad. As a hiring official I love reading through an applicants commits. It says so much about their personality, what they choose to say, when they choose to commit, their attention to detail when they think nobody is “really” looking.

If they link their github profile to show, the commits you see are what they allowed you to see. So you’re not really seeing what they do when “nobody is looking”.

Re: Tell HN: I used to be homeless and want to work as a software developer

#49

Post by Beltiras »

Reedx wrote: post #43
indigochill wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With a bit of luck, you might also be able to angle in from some other position. I originally worked in customer support, found opportunities for automation, built a couple small tools on my own time, convinced management I was more efficient automating than doing support directly, and that snowballed. No engineering degree or prior portfolio to speak of. But I was also quite lucky and the company (and support depart…

This works well at game companies. They're almost always starving for tools. Schedules/management tend not to make time for them, but devs love tools and they make a huge difference. Get in via QA or support, make some tools. You'll probably be able to transition to engineering.

I'd advise against seeking gaming positions instead of going for more 'boring' sectors. There's cut-throat competition for any position in gaming while you have to scour the earth for boring things like Axapta specialists (meaning someone with sysadmin background + a little practical experience), Sharepoint site admins and other gruntwork. Opposite of sexy but a (usually) well paying job with options for consulting work.

I'm lucky enough not to have had to go that route but if I ever find myself long-term unemployed, that's my plan-B.

Re: Tell HN: I used to be homeless and want to work as a software developer

#50

Post by z3ugma »

allovernow wrote: post #5

In my experience, in the absence of a CS degree you need a portfolio, though posting on HN may be a good shortcut. While you're job hunting, if you haven't already, start building something moderately technical. You don't have to build anything that cures cancer, but if you can build a reasonably complex project consisting of at least two independent modules (say, a frontend and a backend) with a modern stack, you sh…

One specific place you can demonstrate your abilities and help the world out a bit is at Ruby for Good - you can jump in and build frontends and backends of web applications. The code is public and open on GitHub so you can show specific commits to prospective employers, and speak intelligently to having solved real-world business problems with code.

Come contribute to https://github.com/rubyforgood/voices-of-consent if you'd like!

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