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Ask HN: Approaching 40 and trying to get a foothold into Software Engineering

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Re: Ask HN: Approaching 40 and trying to get a foothold into Software Engineering

#31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Ansible, terraform, linux automation, those kind of jobs are more widespread than straight software development jobs. There's literally 10 or more frontend jobs for each DevOps position you find advertised. Unless you think frontend dev is not "real software development", which wouldn't make any sense. Additionally, DevOps requires much more knowledge about infrastructure than just learning some automation tools.

With a straight development role, you're going up against people with 4 year degrees. For the 'devops' side, these are skills that aren't typically achieved by university students. While there might be 1000 front end jobs, you're competing with 10k applicants. For 100 devops jobs, you're competing with 10 applicants.

> Ansible, terraform, linux automation, those kind of jobs are more widespread than straight software development jobs.

Re: Ask HN: Approaching 40 and trying to get a foothold into Software Engineering

#32
post #28
post #26

You seem like a cool person, and are working hard towards a transition - congrats on getting this far. I think with a bit of effort you can follow through. A few thoughts: - Website makes you look like a front end developer, but you are applying to full stack. Stepping back a bit, an employer is asking the question: is this person the best person for the job that I'm hiring for? As the job seeker, you need to think a…

I suppose I'm also curious, are you applying to jobs that do algorithms and data structures interviews? If so, you really need to nail those. A lot of people complain about those interviews, but they do serve a real purpose. There is a significant gap between building a small website and building a system that scales. If you are going after high impact software engineering jobs in the bay area, then you'll need to de…

While i've yet to be put through one of those interviews, I would imagine that I'm applying to some of these places. I've been applying to mostly smaller companies, so it's hard to know what kind of interviews they do in a lot of cases. This being said, I do brush up on time complexity/data structures/algorithms/bitshifting etc. before I go to an interview.

Re: Ask HN: Approaching 40 and trying to get a foothold into Software Engineering

#33
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been working on my portfolio/resume for a long time, so all there really is left to do is nitpick, so I don't mind at all. I agree that maybe I can do more with the bullet points. I can think of some higher level things that "JSON configuration file" I also agree with the "Professional Summary". I hate it. I workshopped it with some people and this is what we came up with. It sounds so stupid and now I'm thinkin…

I just mean that the design of the website is very nice (fancy?) so at a glance, that is the main thing that I noticed. Granted, I didn't end up reading things too carefully because I was thinking about the design. I think that the website good as long as you put your resume front and center and improve your resume.

Thanks, i think. My resume is what needs the most work.

Re: Ask HN: Approaching 40 and trying to get a foothold into Software Engineering

#34

Look into less "cool" industries and companies for getting that first job. The pay will be lower and your company won't be featured in TechCrunch or wherever, but the entry bar will be lower and the people generally less competitive and difficult to deal with. Personally, I recommend the WordPress industry. There are a lot of themes, plugins, hosts, etc. that need developers.

I have been mostly applying to companies that I haven't even heard of. I honestly don't care if the company is "cool" either. I'm not even looking for super high pay. I know that will come later, plus it will almost certainly be more than I'm used to making, and will definitely be more than I'm making now, which is nothing.

Maybe I should go for wordpress/shopify liquid jobs if you think there are more opportunities with this sort of stuff.

Re: Ask HN: Approaching 40 and trying to get a foothold into Software Engineering

#35
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just mean that the design of the website is very nice (fancy?) so at a glance, that is the main thing that I noticed. Granted, I didn't end up reading things too carefully because I was thinking about the design. I think that the website good as long as you put your resume front and center and improve your resume.

Thanks, i think. My resume is what needs the most work.

Just to be a bit more specific, the most important thing is that you make a compelling argument that you are the best person to hire for a given job among the candidates applying.

I think you need to put in some work to (1) have some more clarity on what you want to do (2) doing more projects along that direction and (3) updating your resume accordingly

As an example, one of my friends was doing public health, and she wanted to get into tech. She learned a fair amount about user experience design, built some projects, and then applied to jobs where her background in public health was an asset. In particular, she got a job doing user experience for a healthcare startup in order to improve the experience for people who are typically underserved by healthcare. She had experience in that area because her public health work looked into how underserved populations used and accessed healthcare.

It felt daunting to her to get into tech, but she did it by making a compelling argument that she was had a combination of skills that would make her effective at her job. She did end up applying to many jobs, but only the ones where there was a good fit gave her an interview.

Now you have to figure out how to make that type of argument for yourself. Of course that template may not work for you, but that level of preciseness and clarity of thought is what you should be aiming for.

Re: Ask HN: Approaching 40 and trying to get a foothold into Software Engineering

#36

Honestly, I would make the link to your well formatted, easy to read, resume much more prominent - https://jgarrettcorbin.com/pdf/resume.pdf

Something that jumps out to me from the resume is the gap from 2011-2016 and then 2019-2021. This will be seen as a red flag by many recruiters and for anyone reviewing your CV - which may explain why you are doing well in interviews, but then not getting any further.

Yeah. The gaps look bad. I have no idea what to do to fill them, which is one of the main reasons that I'm posting here. Is there a way to mention "during this period, I worked an automotive job or 2" or most recently "I was a bicycle courier" without it sticking out like a sore thumb and taking up precious page real-estate?

I'm not a college grad who entered their field right after graduation. I don't know how to explain that I am a competent worker in a list of previous jobs.

Re: Ask HN: Approaching 40 and trying to get a foothold into Software Engineering

#37

When I look at your site, I can't tell what your bread & butter is. I think that needs to stand out... what is it? Your site says to scroll down - how can you tweak it, so I don't have to read that to know what to do next? It took me a while to figure out you had a live demo of each of your project. Make that button stand out. Add some color to your site - it's black, and depressing. You want the person going to your…

I don't really know what my bread and butter is. I make whatever I want to make. If a tool is needed that isn't in my arsenal that I need to make the project work, I learn it.

I'll take your portfolio suggestions into consideration. I know for a fact that around 95% of my applications don't result in my portfolio being looked at, but maybe putting the boring headshot I used for LinkedIn on there is worth doing.

Re: Ask HN: Approaching 40 and trying to get a foothold into Software Engineering

#38
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks, i think. My resume is what needs the most work.

Just to be a bit more specific, the most important thing is that you make a compelling argument that you are the best person to hire for a given job among the candidates applying. I think you need to put in some work to (1) have some more clarity on what you want to do (2) doing more projects along that direction and (3) updating your resume accordingly As an example, one of my friends was doing public health, and sh…

One other thing that just came to mind is that if you have experience in the automotive industry, that could be relevant experience depending on where you apply to work. I'm not sure what it is, but you don't need to sell your self short on that.

Re: Ask HN: Approaching 40 and trying to get a foothold into Software Engineering

#39

Things that stand out in your resume: It doesn’t look like a developer resume because the skills are hidden at the bottom, job history doesn’t mention specific development skills. You say full stack but everything else indicates front end focus. Your education only shows 1 year (looks like you are trying to over represent you went to Berkeley). Your job history gaps stand out. If you applied for a full stack job, I w…

Fair points all around

Re: Ask HN: Approaching 40 and trying to get a foothold into Software Engineering

#40
First of all, I'm not currently a manager, but I think your website is great; it definitely demonstrates that you have real skills and could be productive as a junior-level developer. So I'll focus on the resume, where I see a few things that could be improved:

- You mentioned that you've worked automotive jobs with some technical aspects. I would strongly consider listing those jobs, even if they don't include any software experience. They still demonstrate a lot of things that managers are looking for: work ethic, conscientousness, general technical ability and intelligence, motivation, and so forth. And for HR screeners, they eliminate resume gap concerns.

- More broadly, I'd try to make sure that your resume tells a clear story of what you've been doing in recent years. A progression of technically oriented automotive work to a UC Berkeley extension program to a portfolio of working software projects is a great story, but someone skimming over your resume for five seconds might not see that story. They might just notice a smattering of disconnected dates and wonder if you've been in prison, or fired from a succession of short-term software jobs, or sitting at home watching TV. (And if any of that does apply to you, I don't mean to discourage you. But one way or another, I'd focus on structuring your resume to tell a clear story.)

- I'd add something below the UC Berkeley heading to make clear that you were enrolled in an extension program rather than a degree-seeking program. Otherwise, someone might think that you enrolled for a semester or dropped out, or that you're trying to make an extension course look like something more. And if you completed the program and got some sort of certificate, you might want to make that explicit, to demonstrate persistence and follow-through.

- I'd rewrite the summary statement to focus on your story without anything buzzwordy (like "on time and under budget" and "agile"). The key points I'd include are: 1) you've done professional, serious work as an adult; 2) you're making a transition into software; and 3) you've completed a UC Berkeley extension program and a number of projects and thus have demonstrable knowledge and skills. That tells your story upfront, and every point is something substantive and meaningful.

- This is minor, but the fact that the text runs all the way to the bottom of the page with no margin stood out to me. I'd reformat things so that the resume has nice, even margins all around, even if you have to trim some text to make it fit. You obviously a sense for design, judging from your website, and your resume should demonstrate that too.

- You might want to consider trimming your skills section a bit and tailoring it to each position you apply to, if you're not doing that already. The embedded C++ and IoT experience stood out to me; it's actually impressive if you're competent in both C++ and front-end JS, but if you're applying to a front-end dev position, the C++ probably isn't relevant, and I could imagine a hiring manager being slightly bemused by seeing that mix of skills.

The last thing I'll say is that I've had some ups and downs in my career and gone from being really discouraged to finding great opportunities through a combination of persistance and chance, so keep your chin up. It seems like you're approaching this with the right attitude. Good luck!

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