What should I do before I get old

[griimnak]

Hey so I'm in need of some opinions.

I'm 20 years old now. Still unemployed, getting my license this April so maybe that'll help uncover some local driving jobs.
But untill then, I feel like I'm wasting time. For those of you that are still 15,16,17 years old, make sure you use your time effectively because damn does it go by fast.

So here's the main question,
I have a pretty good understanding of web development and object oriented programming.
I have a general interest in computers and anything related to networking, computers, etc.

Now, while I'm offered financial aid and benefits from Youth Connection (up untill 24) should I take this offer up and take a study at BCC?
These are the offered programs of study:

You must be registered for see links

I need two areas of study, I'm thinking Computer Science and the Webmaster Career Program.

Or should I continue to teach myself, and apply for junior developer/ software engineer positions when i feel confident enough?

The Youth Connection stated they cover 5k for my income, not sure if that's enough but this is a community college anyways.

 

[LeChris]

I think you should seriously invest some time in applying for smaller agencies and even start ups. Those sort of companies would be more appreciative of self taught developers and not require an education more often than not. The biggest hurdles you will face is making a proper resume and showing your experience. The best resource I had to get my current job was LinkedIn and especially the recruiters on there. If you list all the skills you have, recruiters will usually find you.

For your resume:
I would look at online blogs to ideas of what rules to follow, but generally its all the same:

• Proper grammar
• Good formatting
• No references to yourself (I, me, myself) and so on
• Do not rate your abilities as it makes you look rubbish. Simply list what you know and used before
• Job experience and or other experience

Job Experience
This one is kind of easy to build up, even if you haven't worked formally for a company. You can list any freelance gigs you did regardless of how big or small, basic information on said project and the time spent. It will beef up your resume and make you look better.

I would also list any other projects you spent a good chunk of time on, even if not for a profit. For references, you can build websites for non profits or local companies as well.

Interviews
Once you get an interview, things may seem a bit nerve wracking. Most of the time it would just be general technical questions with smaller companies to ensure you didn't lie about anything on your resume. Examples would be asking problems you encountered, how you fixed them, your experience with SCRUM (Fancy way to manage projects) and or other team experience. They may get a big more nitty gritty and ask about actual frameworks or libraries. Do not be afraid to admit you don't know because they will always immediately know if you're trying to make up experience and or knowledge.

Another really helpful tip to land an interview and help boost your resume is to add your Github portfolio! Some companies love to see actual examples of your work to see if you'd be a good fit.

 

[griimnak]

I think you should seriously invest some time in applying for smaller agencies and even start ups. Those sort of companies would be more appreciative of self taught developers and not require an education more often than not. The biggest hurdles you will face is making a proper resume and showing your experience. The best resource I had to get my current job was LinkedIn and especially the recruiters on there. If you list all the skills you have, recruiters will usually find you.

For your resume:
I would look at online blogs to ideas of what rules to follow, but generally its all the same:

• Proper grammar
• Good formatting
• No references to yourself (I, me, myself) and so on
• Do not rate your abilities as it makes you look rubbish. Simply list what you know and used before
• Job experience and or other experience

Job Experience
This one is kind of easy to build up, even if you haven't worked formally for a company. You can list any freelance gigs you did regardless of how big or small, basic information on said project and the time spent. It will beef up your resume and make you look better.

I would also list any other projects you spent a good chunk of time on, even if not for a profit. For references, you can build websites for non profits or local companies as well.

Interviews
Once you get an interview, things may seem a bit nerve wracking. Most of the time it would just be general technical questions with smaller companies to ensure you didn't lie about anything on your resume. Examples would be asking problems you encountered, how you fixed them, your experience with SCRUM (Fancy way to manage projects) and or other team experience. They may get a big more nitty gritty and ask about actual frameworks or libraries. Do not be afraid to admit you don't know because they will always immediately know if you're trying to make up experience and or knowledge.

Another really helpful tip to land an interview and help boost your resume is to add your Github portfolio! Some companies love to see actual examples of your work to see if you'd be a good fit.

Interesting, so you currently have a software job? No certification?
Thanks for the insight, the point about "not referencing yourself (I, me, myself)" caught me because I think I've been doing that alot. shit.

I take it your opinion is screw college, yeah?

 

[LeChris]

Interesting, so you currently have a software job? No certification?
Thanks for the insight, the point about "not referencing yourself (I, me, myself)" caught me because I think I've been doing that alot. shit.

I take it your opinion is screw college, yeah?

I'm a software dev without any certifications or degree, had to go through over 3 hours of interviews with various developers though because they were wary.

Yeah, the resume bit I learned after a lot of rejections when I was asking for feedback.

As for the last part, I think college is helpful for a lot of jobs but development is generally something you can be really good at if you invested the same time in teaching yourself.

 

[M8than]

I'm gonna keep this short because I cbf tbh.
I was in almost the same situation as you almost two years ago.

I managed to find a junior developer position that would keep me on working from home whenever I wanted to while at uni.

I thought to myself at the time "if I don't go to uni now I probably never will". And that was enough to make me go as I wanted the experience and also it would allow me to get my experience up while also working towards a degree which would allow me to get a better job after I graduate.

I'd recommend doing the same thing.

Post automatically merged: Mar 5, 2019

Don't forget its also a good experience meeting new people, making contacts and such ^^ go for it.

 

[romanXday]

Start a business, I know this sounds cliche & overrated but honestly 2019 so many markets are emerging & showing potential so find one that you personally have experience with think of something that people in that market could use, create it and profit

 

[Adil]

If you can go to community college for free, I would do that

With software development, your product speaks for itself. If you can develop a few projects, make them look nice and snazzy, employers will definitely take interest in you. LinkedIn can be a good place to advertise what you've been working, as can Instagram, Twitter, FB etc. See if there are any free to attend software/tech meetups in your area; get to know a few people, showcase what you've done and you really can't go wrong

Familiarise yourself with sysadmin, network admin, etc so you're not just talented in one area (my boss said you should think of yourself as a T - experience in a lot of things with one area of expertise, rather than just one area of expertise and minimal experience elsewhere)

If you need any help with your resume & applications, feel free to PM me, I'd be more than happy to help

Good luck! (P.S job hunting is a numbers game.. don't get too beat up with application rejections)

 

[M8than]

If you can go to community college for free, I would do that

With software development, your product speaks for itself. If you can develop a few projects, make them look nice and snazzy, employers will definitely take interest in you. LinkedIn can be a good place to advertise what you've been working, as can Instagram, Twitter, FB etc. See if there are any free to attend software/tech meetups in your area; get to know a few people, showcase what you've done and you really can't go wrong

Familiarise yourself with sysadmin, network admin, etc so you're not just talented in one area (my boss said you should think of yourself as a T - experience in a lot of things with one area of expertise, rather than just one area of expertise and minimal experience elsewhere)

If you need any help with your resume & applications, feel free to PM me, I'd be more than happy to help

Good luck! (P.S job hunting is a numbers game.. don't get too beat up with application rejections)

Adding onto the networking shit there's an app called Shapr which is basically a combination of tinder and linkedin

 

[griimnak]

Thank you everyone for the opinions and suggestions.
Definitely going to pursue college while it's almost free with my age and financial situation.
Until then, I'll be taking everyone's advise and start building a more professional portfolio and applying for entry positions