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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

#101

Post by nixgeek »

jackm2019 wrote: post #78
rand-name-here wrote: post #25

Check out 8th Light in London. They hire through a paid apprenticeship program and hire from very diverse backgrounds, already have some from similar circumstances.

I checked them out. Great recommendation. Do you know how much they pay in London? I also noticed they have offices in los angeles. Do you know if someone from the UK can work in their US offices?

You’d need to legally be able to work in the US, which can be a little tricky.

Assuming you’re not already a citizen or a lawful permanent resident, your best routes to investigate would be an H-1B petition (now is a good time to talk to US employers about this) or working for a multinational company like this one for a minimum of 12 months, then petitioning for an L-1B visa.

You’d be able to visit the US office whilst working for the U.K. entity by getting a B-1 visa and that’ll let you evaluate if you want to spend several years living in the US.

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

#102

Post by iudqnolq »

iamsb wrote: post #19

Many good suggestions here, I will add a couple of slightly different suggestions. While you look for work, may be you can find some casual freelance gigs from upwork.com . It takes a while to get good reputation on upwork, but once you do, finding gigs gets much easier and protects you if you ever lose your job. So worth doing this in my opinion. Tip on finding work at upwork - look for work that is physically close…

Any advice for the getting started part? Currently working on my first Upwork contract, but I got it through a conversation on HN (I requested they pay me through Upwork to start building a reputation). I'm 0/6 for replies to my proposals I sent, each one directly addressing what they were asking for getting (moderately) specific about how I'd solve their problems. In one case what they wanted was so simple and interesting enough I just did the work up front and sent them a screenshot.

Edit: Here's an example of how I'm writing bids. Am I doing it wrong?

Proposal:

> About us:

> I manage social media accounts, specifically on Instagram, and I am a seeking a more efficient solution.

> What we're looking for:

> An experienced web developer to create a simple web application that displays whether or not a particular Instagram account is following you (the account) back without clicking on their profile. (See attachment) [this is an image that shows how they want the UI to display this to look]

They proposed $300, I responded to their posting by bidding only $100 with the following cover letter:

> I currently study Computer Science at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. I have built a variety of applications, including browser extensions that modify web-pages to add functionality, for my personal usage and for my friends.

> I am currently attempting to start working as a freelance web developer. Were you to hire me for this project you would be my first client. I understand that as a result you will naturally be hesitant to work with me, and I am therefore bidding below the market rate to account for the risk you are taking.

> Do you have any questions about the job description?

> My understanding is that you visit instagram.com using Google Chrome, and that you want a Chrome extension you can install on your computer that will add the text “follows you” next to the username of anyone that follows you. Is this correct?

> Unfortunately, Instagram has restricted its publicly-available API so that the list of people following you can no longer be queried. As a result, I will have to write a program that queries the undocumented internal API the Instagram applications use. Because it is only intended for internal usage Instagram developers may make changes to the API unexpectedly. Historically it has been relatively stable, but neither I nor anyone else can guarantee to you how long an application that uses Instagram’s internal API will work without needing updates. Is that acceptable to you?

> I have the experience necessary to solve every aspect of your task, if I have understood it correctly. I have made applications that query private, internal APIs, and I have made browser extensions that add to existing user interfaces.

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

#103

Post by gszr »

First of all, thank you for sharing your story. As others have mentioned, having a portfolio goes a long way. Contributing to open-source projects is a great place to start; it gives you exposure to software being used in the real world and sometimes inspiration for your own projects too. Also check out AngelList (angel.co); there are lots of positions worldwide that are open to remote employment. Wishing you the best!

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

#104

Post by rhoyerboat »

smabie wrote: post #89
simplesleeper wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not true at all. If you have tech skills, you will never run out of job opportunities in the UK

Are you saying that there are more tech jobs in the UK vs US?

Based on all the positivity in these comments, it does seem like the UK has at least a more laid back, sort of entry-level culture making hiring decisions than the US does at the moment... awesome ;)

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

#105

Post by nixgeek »

jackm2019 wrote: post #64
kp98 wrote: post #63

I was recently transitionally homeless for about 3-4 months. Over that period I slept on over 20 couches, floors, and beds. The closest I got to sleeping on the street were 2 times when I had no where to sleep after 4 pm and no one to reach out to. There was one other time when I got locked out of a sort of half way house. Anyways I went to an elite college and couldn’t afford to continue after both my parents went b…

Thank you, that's inspirational. I am currently learning Java and considering work in mobile development, ideally once I finish learning Java or do I need to spend additional time learning Kotlin as well? In other words is Java enough to work as a mobile developer? Also what's the best book or written MOOC to use and learn mobile development from start to finish?

One thing I’d give guidance on is there’s no real “finish line” to learning something like Java. You’re on a journey from an apprentice to a master.

I somewhat routinely hire people to work on Java codebases that have 10+ years working in Python or C, or other alternative languages, and only a very small amount of professional experience in Java. Decent developers tend to be fairly adaptable and can ramp into a new language or new technologies. I’m looking for people who are passionate and skilled at their craft.

Some questions which might come up in entry-level interview:

What kind of things do you like to build? What are one or two things you’ve built and are proud about, how did you build them, why did those get you excited, what were the key challenges you had to solve? Given your educational background isn’t CS, what got you into writing software, why do you want to make a career of it? What do you see yourself doing in 5 years time, are you excited about backend / distributed systems, mobile, frontend development?

You likely want a LinkedIn profile and a GitHub account. Contributions to open source projects would be viewed incredibly positively.

Interviewing at some companies may involve writing code to solve a problem on a whiteboard or a provided laptop under time constraints, you can practice for that on sites like Leetcode.

I don’t have any U.K. roles which would suit you but I’m happy to spend an hour talking to you, doing a mock interview, whatever would help you. Email address is in my profile.

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

#106

Post by iudqnolq »

EGreg wrote: post #47

What are your skills? Do you have a CV? Please post a link to it. I can hire you for remote work if the skills fit (Web and Javascript experience).

What would you be looking for in a CV by someone looking for their first job without a relevant degree?

Are you looking for OS contributions? Work in other domains?

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

#109

Post by Beltiras »

philipps wrote: post #70
Beltiras wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 w…

I work in the area of online learning and am curious to learn more about these “plan-B” jobs. Is there a whole range of software development jobs that the education sector isn’t preparing graduates for? And which might be easier to apply to, for developers with more unusual backgrounds or trajectories? Where do you think are the biggest gaps / the biggest unmet demand?

There's no unmet demand. Nobody wants to work with boring tech unless given incentive. Sharepoint is kludgy once the site grows a bit. Almost anything else will be more elegant at it's job but the suits drank the koolaid so it has to suffer.

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

#110

Post by Beltiras »

Beltiras wrote: post #109
philipps wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I work in the area of online learning and am curious to learn more about these “plan-B” jobs. Is there a whole range of software development jobs that the education sector isn’t preparing graduates for? And which might be easier to apply to, for developers with more unusual backgrounds or trajectories? Where do you think are the biggest gaps / the biggest unmet demand?

There's no unmet demand. Nobody wants to work with boring tech unless given incentive. Sharepoint is kludgy once the site grows a bit. Almost anything else will be more elegant at it's job but the suits drank the koolaid so it has to suffer.

I should clarify what I mean. There is no unmet educational demand. Some tech things are decided not on merit but by PHBs. Still needs to be serviced.
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