Finding a Software Engineering Job
Ok, so this is one of the most frustrating things to do. Especially while you're working another job. In my case, it’s a 14hr a day job. There are so many things to do: prep your “brand” that everyone will look at, keep your skills up, and add new technologies to your skillset.
For my case, I have many projects that I created over the course of my Bootcamp career. Pretty much all of these need some more work with exception of my capstone project. Each project utilized a certain technology (i.e. Ruby Sinatra) that most companies aren’t looking for. Each of these projects was done to prove my understanding and used to build upon in order to progress to the next technology. So there was a method to the madness but that means I have to redo/update them. So let's say I have 4 projects to update. Remember that.
Next, I have to learn new technologies. Let's pick one and say Sass. So I have to look up resources and more than likely follow along with something like a Udemy course. Mind you, these range from 24hrs to over 100hrs. The one I selected was 28hrs in total. So now add on the time required for this course, and you know it won't take 28hrs. It will take more like double that when you include all the pausing for committing to Github to prove to potential employers that I'm passionate and an active coder, and replaying of sections to ensure that I understand the concept.
I also have to create my own projects to prove passion again. This time commitment all depends on the size of the project. Of course, being me, what I have in mind is a massive site. Most of this at this time is all pre-work. By that I mean creating user stories, figuring out the Database structure, creating wire-frames, and researching data sources. None of this, by the way, is visible to potential employers.
But wait, there’s still more. I have to reach out to others in the field (Network) and apply to open jobs. Networking, I feel, is a very important part of the process. I personally have found a few jobs through nothing but networking in the Water Treatment field. Not only will you meet some awesome people, but they could know of some job that isn’t posted publicly that could help place you in, and they could become a great resource when you find yourself stuck with some impossible piece of code. The applying to jobs part I think is self-explanatory.
Now let's try and sum up all of the time requirements. So as a baseline let's block-out 14hrs for the current job. That leaves us with 10hrs left in a day; 8 of which should be for sleep. We play around with this to fit more in but for the sake of argument, we’ll start with what is recommended. That leaves us with only 2 hours. So one day, let's start with Monday, I can spend those 2 hours updating one of my old projects. The next day for learning new tech. Wednesday for Networking. Thursday for applying to jobs. Friday we can use to shore up whatever was lacking through the week. I would say we leave the weekend open for rest and chores and, you know, normal life stuff.
Looking over this, how long do you think it would take to complete my old projects? Mind you, my portfolio page cannot be called “complete” until all of these projects are finished because it depends on showcasing all of my projects. Therefore my “branding” will suffer until it is all complete.
If you’ve hung out with me until this point, first off, thank you, and I hope you can see my dilemma. I will continue pushing through as that is all I know to do. And, I hope that if you are in the job search as well, you have a better go of it than I am having.
Selfish request; if you're reading this please send out a connection to me on LinkedIn. Happy Coding Everyone!!!
