Thanks everyone for your replies in thread Better way to learn programming! Now I think I understand a lot of language technologies and face to another problem: I can find necessary information, I wrote own application on Java+Spring+Hibernate etc., BUT when I tried to find a job (even junior or trainee position), all they need min 1-2 years of experience. It's vicious circle: for getting a job you need experience of similar job. How did you find yourself in programming and found the job?
How did you get your first job in programming?
- Thread starter zeus192
- Start date
smalpierre
New member
This applies to where I'm at in the USA - not sure about some other places.
Resume: Put the strongest areas first, in descending order. Education, experience, work history, skill set.
Apply for those jobs anyway, even if you don't meet all the criterea.
Apply for other jobs that are CLOSE, and have opportunities to advance to where you want to be.
Follow up! Don't pester them, but when they say they'll call you by Thursday - call them Friday morning if you haven't heard from them.
I went to college, but I never finished. I had zero "professional" programming experience - I had built some websites, and done some tech work for some small businesses, but essentially zero. I wasn't even looking for a programming job at the time, but I helped out a friend of a friend, we were talking ... and he was a manager in an IT department. He told me he could get me on - so I got him my resume as he said to do. I followed up - and it took months of it - and ended up getting a job as a Systems Analyst in the mortgage division of Regions.
He put me on some of the programmers "light work" so to speak. Other systems analytsts couldn't do it, and it let the experienced programmers focus on bigger things. I did systems integration programming, a lot of application / network / other troubleshooting for higher level people that couldn't wait on desktop support for - I was their "go to guy" for things like that. It was a thick client mortgage application that ran an entire copy with database on the laptops (there was no mobile internet back then, and they had to process applications in the field, at home, etc.) About a year later, I was moved into mortgage web systems as a programmer.
15 years later, I'm the lead programmer.
Take a leap. Be enthusiastic that "yes you can!" - but don't go so far that you're overpromising, or under delivering. I had used VB and .NET a little bit in college, but I wasn't really GOOD at it ... but I knew I could, so it went in my skill set (they used VB a lot there). Buddy up with an experienced programmer at work and you'll learn much more, much faster, and how things are done in the "real world" instead of contrived academic examples.
Resume: Put the strongest areas first, in descending order. Education, experience, work history, skill set.
Apply for those jobs anyway, even if you don't meet all the criterea.
Apply for other jobs that are CLOSE, and have opportunities to advance to where you want to be.
Follow up! Don't pester them, but when they say they'll call you by Thursday - call them Friday morning if you haven't heard from them.
I went to college, but I never finished. I had zero "professional" programming experience - I had built some websites, and done some tech work for some small businesses, but essentially zero. I wasn't even looking for a programming job at the time, but I helped out a friend of a friend, we were talking ... and he was a manager in an IT department. He told me he could get me on - so I got him my resume as he said to do. I followed up - and it took months of it - and ended up getting a job as a Systems Analyst in the mortgage division of Regions.
He put me on some of the programmers "light work" so to speak. Other systems analytsts couldn't do it, and it let the experienced programmers focus on bigger things. I did systems integration programming, a lot of application / network / other troubleshooting for higher level people that couldn't wait on desktop support for - I was their "go to guy" for things like that. It was a thick client mortgage application that ran an entire copy with database on the laptops (there was no mobile internet back then, and they had to process applications in the field, at home, etc.) About a year later, I was moved into mortgage web systems as a programmer.
15 years later, I'm the lead programmer.
Take a leap. Be enthusiastic that "yes you can!" - but don't go so far that you're overpromising, or under delivering. I had used VB and .NET a little bit in college, but I wasn't really GOOD at it ... but I knew I could, so it went in my skill set (they used VB a lot there). Buddy up with an experienced programmer at work and you'll learn much more, much faster, and how things are done in the "real world" instead of contrived academic examples.
smalpierre said:
Hi, smalpierre! Thank you a lot fot your motivating answer. I'm trying to do the best thing I can, I write my own applications and I really hope I'll find an interesting job where I can work with joy. I also try to find remote job with clients from USA. Maybe in the future I'll live there too)
SimonRi said:
It was an render group for the company Black Plasma Studios, you can find them on Youtube (750 000 subscribers). I contacted the owner David, known as Arbiter 617 to ask a little bit about the compossition in their animations. We talked a bit and I offered me to render to him. I did some test renders to him to prove my GPU and then he added me to the group. I'm from Sweden and he is from Florida, USA.
RFlintstone
New member
Asking around who wanted a website and jup, my friend needed one 
I started by learning, and did it for too long and I was side-kicking some other devs who were already in business
Then when I needed my own real job, I just used my "relationships" and "contacts", found some client, and here I am, Working
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Do not underestimate yourself, even if someone requires you to have some experience to work and you are confident you can do, just knock them doors you can be rejected, but neve think of this, not before you apply neither after you get rejected, just focus on the goal, you'll one day get Hired
In you resume, include non professional experiences too, include links for what you have already done and you're proud of
Then when I needed my own real job, I just used my "relationships" and "contacts", found some client, and here I am, Working
--------------------------------------------
Do not underestimate yourself, even if someone requires you to have some experience to work and you are confident you can do, just knock them doors you can be rejected, but neve think of this, not before you apply neither after you get rejected, just focus on the goal, you'll one day get Hired
In you resume, include non professional experiences too, include links for what you have already done and you're proud of
i am programming at work sometimes but that is not my main field. I got the luck that a friend of me asked the manager if they are searching for more people and i was just driving him to his trial work so the manager said tell him to come in and i talk with him and ya after that smalltalk i got the job. It was big luck that i get the Job in this way but in Germany we say: vitamin relationship because in german it is called beziehung so we just say vitamin b.
Most of the time i just wrote some Scripts for our EDI Software to map stuff or edit some Perl Scripts nothing spectacular but it makes fun and the time always fly away fast
Most of the time i just wrote some Scripts for our EDI Software to map stuff or edit some Perl Scripts nothing spectacular but it makes fun and the time always fly away fast
