harsh truth of breaking into tech (as a dev)
I've decided to break out of the MERN stack.
After some consideration, and a conversation with my mentor. I've realized that it's best to focus on the technologies in my local area. To not be married to a particular stack, especially if you are trying to get your first job. It's very competitive and to have less than 1 year of experience while others have more and even a CS degree makes it much harder.
Just being real here.
Much of the information provided to me makes sense. I have no traditional technology background, besides the 15-week program I did. I have 3 personal projects that don't solve a direct business problem.
Who would hire me?
I wouldn't even hire me.
My best bet is doing an internship or apprenticeship. Or getting a tech job outside of development while I continue to code and build projects.
This is just the reality of trying to get your first developer job.
Glad I didn't drink the "Become a Software Engineer in 3 months" Kool-Aid.
It's a marketing technique to trap those into thinking they can become anything in X months. I mean you could, but would you be proficient enough to be employable? That's not up for me to answer.
But I can say this.
It's a long game, and you have to be willing to put in the work and to network your ASS off.
Still prioritize your health, but realize that the glitz and glamor of tech start to fade at some point, and you're hit with the reality of this industry.
As for me, I'll be learning Java, SQL and Spring Boot. This is based on what's in demand in my local market.
With the help of my mentor and the people I've reached out to, I've got resources and suggestions on getting started with the technologies I've listed.
It's no lie when they say that your career path is non-linear.
I'm starting to see it already, and I'm just at the beginning.
But yeah, I'm venturing out from the MERN stack.
Not that I hate it. It's just not what companies in my local area are hiring junior developers in. And my chances of getting a job locally are much higher than a non-local one.
I want to get my foot in the door, and if it means learning a new programming language, stepping out of my comfort zone, or taking a non-dev role in the meantime, then so be it.
One thing is for sure. I won't give up.