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Ask HN: Would you hire me as a junior programmer?

6 points by feybay ↗ HN
Hello everybody, this is a rephrased version of an earlier posting I ended up editing I hope this doesn't constitute spamming. I'm finishing up my A.S. degree at a CC in the US. I have all A's in my computer related classes (Basic Java, Advanced Java, Basic C++, Database Administration, Systems Analysis and Design) and a few B's in other non-computer classes. I have also learned AS3 and Haxe. I am creating a social media site in Ruby that will demonstrate knowledge of Rails[0], and have created a few games (some used XML and JSON) using said Haxe and AS3.

The above examples show that I am a capable learner. However, I'm not quite sure how to best approach putting together a portfolio and contact potential employers. I'm in NY right now but will most likely be moving to SC for a year at least.

I understand that this is a bit of an open ended question, but I would love advice what to do at this point (I graduate in the spring and will be moving out to SC in late July).

[0]I'm currently using a private repo on bitbucket and developing on Arch Linux.

14 comments

[ 282 ms ] story [ 1457 ms ] thread
monroepe
Unless you really have intentions of selling your site, you should just open all your code. There isn't much of a reason to keep it private, because potential employers can't view it.

But more to the point, you would have a better chance of getting a job in NYC than in SC. Just keep coding. Finish your projects too. Finish that site you are making. I would be more likely to hire you if you showed passion and interest in coding. And a big part of that for me is finishing the projects you start.

feybay
Thanks for the great response! I'll most likely make the code for my site open once I'm finished with it, as I think it will make more sense once I have it all documented and tied together.

As far as finishing my projects goes, I have finished multiple small games. That said, the code is very sloppy since I worked on most of them before any formal training. Here are three games I've made for android using Haxe (for "Turnt" as a proof of concept) and Adobe Air (the other two games) https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Zenkman

Here is also another game I created using Haxe: http://indiegames.com/2013/05/browser_pick_stockholm_adds_to...

Once again, thanks for taking time out of your day to reply.

brudgers
I have some invites to StackOverflow Careers [1] that are just sitting. If you shoot me an email...you'll have to figure it out from my profile...I will send you one. It's a good place to post a CV.

[1]: http://careers.stackoverflow.com

feybay
I sent you an email, thanks.
rajacombinator
The HN community is a bit unusual in that they're willing to consider programmers with no degree. But you should really just put in the extra 2 years, transfer to a state school and get a BS. It will pay off in the long run for your career. For most employers you would be at a big disadvantage having only an AS. Also keeps your options open for returning to grad school.
feybay
Thanks for the comment. I'm under the impression that once you have your foot in the door so to speak, (a job that you perform well in) that a degree is for the most part a formality. Am I incorrect?
geoelectric
Speaking as part of the Bay Area/Silicon Valley software industry, -if- you can show a good Github portfolio and have a reasonable amount of prior experience, and both display obvious talent, you should be able to get in somewhere. Demonstrable experience > theoretical education.

Networking is important there, since recruiting tends to be much more about buzzwords and degrees than hiring managers are. Being able to get your resume straight to a hiring manager can be make or break.

That changes if you're talking software jobs incidental to other industries (financial, corporate IT, etc.) which is honestly most of them, statistically speaking. It definitely changes if you're talking consulting or field work, since clients want to be impressed by your credentials and your parent company will select on that. It also probably changes if you're talking outside an area that's already heavy in software industry.

Rule of thumb: jeans ok? You can probably manage without the degree if you're good. Khakis required? Not so much.

What the degree buys you, aside from access to the more conservative jobs, is some degree of assumption that you have some degree of training, as well as that you have enough follow-through to finish a degree. But even then, speaking for myself as a frequent hiring team participant, I'd be looking towards your internships, side projects, that Github portfolio, so forth.

Still, if you have the luxury of doing so, get the degree. It does make things easier.

feybay
Thank you very much for the nuanced reply. My current plan is to go for my BS in CS at RPI or RIT next year if I don't find solid employment with a tech company before then.

Until either of those two things happen, I will be contributing to open source projects and creating my own projects while working other jobs in order to boost both my resume and skill level.

Great reply, thank you for your perspective.

xyclos
What area of SC? If it is the Charleston area there are quite a few good opportunities for junior programmer. If you are planning on looking in or around Charleston be sure to take a look at the Charleston Digital Corridor[1] for some good leads. Also, I would be happy to speak with you as I have worked as a programmer in Charleston for the last 2 years and I love it. Feel free to get in touch: hello [at] jakejohnson [dot] me

[1]http://www.charlestondigitalcorridor.com/

feybay
It's going to be very close to Charleston. Thanks for commenting. I'll be emailing you soon!