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Ask HN: Web developers who didn't go to college, how did you get your first job?

11 points by krogers ↗ HN
I'm writing a book teaching developers how to take their skills to a professional level and learn the soft skills required to be a great developer (communication, personal branding, collaboration, etc.).

I'm trying to do a bit of research. I learned web development using online resources, built a few sample apps, and used that to get my first job as a developer. I'm just wondering what everyone else's path was here who didn't go to school for development or computer science.

6 comments

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dylanhassinger
first i built a website for my band

then i got some freelance gigs thru word of mouth

then a recruiter contacted me and got me in as a contractor at a local design agency. while there i became a badass at css

then i started getting bigger freelance clients. jumped from agency to agency. finally matured enough to get senior-ish corporate 9-5 jobs on payroll

hkai
I simply applied for the job. I was changing my career from something completely unrelated to coding. The company was OK with hiring fresh folks because honestly it takes just a few months to learn up to a decent level. They gave me a basic coding test just to check that I understand the basics of manipulating the DOM.

My company continues hiring people fresh from college or those who didn't have a related experience/education, and it always turns out great for us, because smart people learn fast.

potta_coffee
I did lots of side projects, hit the pavement to find little local businesses that needed websites, and eventually landed a couple of clients. While building sites for people, I kept learning and applied for jobs constantly. Eventually someone gave me a shot at real work.
cimmanom
I got a job in a non-technical company that needed someone in a somewhat-technical role. Then took initiative to make my own role more technical and drive the company forward technically (which they liked because it opened up opportunities for them).

Got a title change that reflected where I wanted to be going with my career. Then I was able to apply to fully technical jobs and point to a few years of experience.

carlmungz
1. Spent 14-months learning to code by building side projects and using websites such as teamtreehouse.com

2. Attended meet-ups regularly

3. Listened to developer podcasts