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Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. - Programming (9) - Nairaland

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Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by ClintonNzedimma(m): 5:31pm On Feb 25, 2021
cixak95211:


Yes, sire, I sure do have one and proud of it . . If you've got it to flaunt it . . If it annoys you, I am just one zoom live video call away.
If you deem it fit, challenge me to a coding contest, let me show you why I am Team Lead.
Omo. You dey make mouth sha
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by cixak95211: 10:26pm On Feb 25, 2021
ClintonNzedimma:

Omo. You dey make mouth sha

Everybody has left the room.
Do you still want to have the last say? Huh?
In a lighter mood, pls accept the challenge grin grin grin
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by ClintonNzedimma(m): 10:41pm On Feb 25, 2021
cixak95211:


Everybody has left the room.
Do you still want to have the last say? Huh?
In a lighter mood, pls accept the challenge grin grin grin
Nah. I nor get time for stress
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by cixak95211: 11:03pm On Feb 25, 2021
ClintonNzedimma:

Nah. I nor get time for stress

Me too, cheers mate..
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by 1simbo: 6:18pm On Feb 26, 2021
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Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by Xeeex: 9:28am On Mar 02, 2021
I think I can help you with information about visa sponsored jobs. I'll message you
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by Estrada(m): 9:07am On Mar 04, 2021
tensazangetsu20:

Your portfolio is amazing immediately you have known a JavaScript Framework you can start applying to frontend jobs.

Hello, can we communicate on WhatsApp?
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by Nobody: 9:10am On Mar 04, 2021
vioment:


Thank you.

C for electronics is ideal but too long and redundant in my opinion.

I was integrating machine language, just for short cuts and understanding. But I will look into C more.
That's a major problem with C, to achieve something you've got to work for it.
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by Nobody: 9:12am On Mar 04, 2021
ClintonNzedimma:

Omo. You dey make mouth sha
Honestly, I just remebered the guy, anyone with a different opinion from him gets insulted, he behaves like a know it all.
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by tensazangetsu20(m): 9:17am On Mar 04, 2021
Estrada:


Hello, can we communicate on WhatsApp?
Sent a DM.
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by ClintonNzedimma(m): 10:40am On Mar 04, 2021
SegFault:

Honestly, I just remebered the guy, anyone with a different opinion from him gets insulted, he behaves like a know it all.
I swear. The funny thing is that on this same NL. I have seen way better engineers than him.
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by Saverin: 3:34am On Mar 12, 2021
Semaphore:
hey bro if you don't understand anything about something, then be quiet about it. Talking about data structures and algorithm, they are very important and if you likely get an interview in any top companies abroad you will likely flop as most questions are on DSA, that's why Nigerians with this mentality are the ones who write buggy code, have zero knowledge of memory management. When you do things that anyone with proper programming knowledge can go on YouTube and watch and implement in his project, then you come up here and write trash. from your description, your core skills are frontend based, go and so focus on it, infact 80% of people that call themselves developers in this country are frontend and they feel so high. I have met programmers who write code and not markup language, who program hardware and build crazy hardware, those who perform advance research on Ai and they don't talk ignorantly. So learn to know that you have lots of stuff to learn
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by Nobody: 12:53pm On Mar 12, 2021
Semaphore:
hey bro if you don't understand anything about something, then be quiet about it. Talking about data structures and algorithm, they are very important and if you likely get an interview in any top companies abroad you will likely flop as most questions are on DSA, that's why Nigerians with this mentality are the ones who write buggy code, have zero knowledge of memory management. When you do things that anyone with proper programming knowledge can go on YouTube and watch and implement in his project, then you come up here and write trash. from your description, your core skills are frontend based, go and so focus on it, infact 80% of people that call themselves developers in this country are frontend and they feel so high. I have met programmers who write code and not markup language, who program hardware and build crazy hardware, those who perform advance research on Ai and they don't talk ignorantly. So learn to know that you have lots of stuff to learn
Honestly true, reason why I don't use Nigerian apps, how can someone say DSA is trash. I just dey laugh, there's nothing wrong in finding solutions to some problems but man some people just copy whatever the hell they see.

1 Like

Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by qtguru(m): 1:03pm On Mar 12, 2021
Algorithms and DS are important o, even knowing runtime is key, though no one is an expert in it, but still it is required not just for interview it will make one a better dev.
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by von02: 12:54am On Mar 13, 2021
cixak95211:


Lets see your LinkedIn sir . . I promise not to taunt you. grin grin grin grin grin

Enough is enough!!!
clear the ground...
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by von02: 1:01am On Mar 13, 2021
DaveDave001:
Please boss what are your thoughts on blockchain programming? Is it a worthwhile field one can venture into?? I’m good with react js & as a crypto enthusiast I’m thinking of learning solidity to move fully into blockchain.

what about the cryto APIs,how is it implemented?
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by blackorange: 6:40pm On Mar 13, 2021
tensazangetsu20:
Tech is honestly the best industry to get into right now. The opportunities are numerous. Almost every job vacancy out there is tech this tech that, developer this and developer that. I stayed in school for 4 years studying for a useless engineering degree and I have never in my life seen a vacancy for the rubbish I studied but there are tech roles every day. But in spite of so many jobs in tech, a lot of new developers struggle to get opportunities. I started being active in the tech community recently and I am meeting developers who have been coding for 5 to 7 years but have never had an opportunity. Talking with them has led me to discover that it's actually not the tech industry but a few of the reasons I am listing below.

1. You follow the trends: A lot of us developers love to focus on the sexy trendy stuff. Newsflash, what is sexy and trendy isn't used and even when used is used by very few companies. So millions of people who have struggled to learn the sexy stuff are all going to fight for those few roles out there. Take for example the latest coolest CSS framework tailwind. It's really cool and hyped up and it's like the go-to framework right now but the thing is in the industry people are still using bootstrap. People are learning tailwind but they don't know the number one CSS framework out there. Just because something is cool and sexy doesn't mean that everyone is going to switch to it overnight.

If you give junior developers a chance between Angular, React, and Vue. A lot of people are going to pick Vue. They will say it's sexy and cool and has a ton of GitHub stars. There are jobs using Vue but they are so few compared to React and Angular that you would be pigeonholing yourself by learning that. Theres a whole of difference between coding for fun and coding to get a job.

2. You have unrealistic expectations: This is something I usually see on Reddit cscareerquestions but it seems to becoming a norm amongst everybody. People believe that if your salary isnt starting at 100k USD a year or you dont work for a tech company, you arent a developer. Its so elitist and unfortunately a lot of developers in Nigeria are beginning to have this mindset. They learn HTML, CSS, JS. They have built absolutely no projects but because someone said you need the knowledge of DSA to get a job they immediately start grinding leetcode day and night with the hope of getting into Google. You learnt to code from a Udemy course and you really want to compete at DSAs with people who went to MIT. People who have been doing competitive programming since 5 years old. People who get gold medals at the international olympaids of informatics like its nothing. grin grin grin. Funny enough, I also had this mindset when I was learning to code but corrected myself later on. The truth is that not every tech job out there tests with DSA or needs knowledge of DSA and not everybody must work for a big tech company. This reasoning is so flawed. It is like saying every lawyer must work for law firms like wale olanipekun and co or every engineer must work for exxonmobil. There are a ton of jobs that will pay you well as a junior developer like really well and you need not struggle to get them. They wont test you with DSA. They would only look at the complexities of your projects and go through them with you. By well paid I am talking of 500k and above. Ask yourself how many people asking you to do DSA in Nigeria have not yet worked at Google. There are even whatsapp groups dedicated to DSA and if you cant solve one you are kicked out. The person giving you DSA is not working at Google or Facebook hmm give yourself a brain o.


3. You do not know how to cut off the bullshit from social media: There's so much information out there today but if you don't know how to cut off the bullshit from what you need, you would waste your time. A lot of influencers and creators are putting information out there for themselves. They follow the algorithms and put out what is going to give them the most value in terms of money for their time. If I put out WordPress content, nobody will watch it but if I go out there and make MERN stack tutorials I would be getting millions of views but to be truthful you do not need the MERN stack as a junior. No one is using MongoDB in prod. Very few websites use Nodejs. You are just limiting yourself with that. If you want to be a full stack developer look at things like C# and Java springboot. Those pay really really well and there are even certifications you can acquire in those frameworks that can help get you opportunities at enterprise companies that use them especially if you don't have a computer science degree.

4 Your projects are not worth paying for: People put out calculators, todo lists, tictactoe games and a lot of bullshit on their portfolio and wonder why they aren't getting interviews. You have applied for 100 jobs and haven't been called back and you absolutely do not know the reason why. Nobody is going to hire you with a to-do list and a calculator on your portfolio. Even if you get an interview, is a calculator something you are going to show your interviewer. What happened to making a social media application, a chat application, a blog, an analytic tool, a dashboard. Something that people actually use in the real world every day. I remember one of the first interviews I have, one of my projects was a payment application I used paystacks API for. Everything was done with HTML, CSS and Javascript and once my interviewer saw the project and the button I used to connect the API, he made an offer to me immediately. Your projects matter especially as a beginner. One solid project is better than 100 garbage projects.

5 You don't research: Honestly, in this tech thing, I take what everyone is saying as bullshit. The senior developer I work with an Australian guy was telling me to learn web assembly if I really want to get a job with visa sponsorship which I so desperately need. I am tired of remote especially doing it from this shithole zoo of a country. I went to Linkedin Jobs and various countries indeed websites and I couldn't even see up to 500 jobs total in web assembly. Why would I waste time learning something that has no jobs because it might be relevant in ten years. Nodejs came out in 2009 and it is still not relevant in 2021. What is the probability that web assembly will be relevant in 2031. Research. When people tell you to learn a technology. Go to linkedinjobs and indeed and check how many jobs exist for that technology worldwide. People always advise you from their own point of view but the point of view of a senior developer in America, Europe or Australia is not the same for you a junior developer in the world's poverty capital.

Tech pays provided you do it right men.

Pls I sent you DM, kindly check. I would like to reach you
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by plantist: 12:35pm On Mar 17, 2021
SegFault:

That's a major problem with C, to achieve something you've got to work for it.

Bros abeg suggest a learning path for C# and .net core
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by SpaceTime: 1:36am On Mar 18, 2021
tensazangetsu20:

You are right about knowing two backend languages. I recommend PHP and java to people. PHP for startups and medium sized companies and java for enterprise level companies. The same thing you say about Nodejs is what I got told about but there's so few node jobs out there. It's just hyped up. And PHP isn't relevant because of wordpress. There's other platforms built with PHP which are very complicated and aren't known by a lot of Devs but they are widely used. Theres Moodle, there's Magento. The list is endless. Those platforms are why PHP is the major backend for the web. Most of the top universities in the world have their websites powered up by Moodle. I haven't started learning PHP and working with wordpress and jamstack sites for up to three months and the difference in my life is clear. I am still a junior developer with less than one year experience but I am on my third remote job and recently just got another offer. So I work for two companies presently with less than one year experience. One of them is even a well funded startup in California. I am building out the whole website in wordpress and React. Their major product is not on their website so the backend is powered by WordPress.
So learning WordPress is still lucrative and advisable?
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by SpaceTime: 1:46am On Mar 18, 2021
africonn:
grin grin grin

This thread na cruise!!

I agree with the seniors in d house but what he is simply saying is that if you want to make money do what no one is willing to do. NPM being the largest code repo proofs being a junior in such environments with so many devs is a waste of time if you are in Africa and trying to make a living. I hate been compared to some in UK or USA, of course life is easier there but here u got to use your head. How do you even becomes a mid level dev when u have never gotten a job in your stack.

You guys have probably been in the game for a while and have built connections, gotten jobs, gigs in the past. it is easy to say learn Node.js. But remember that the lockdown produced millions of junior self taught devs, Youtube tech channels is the proof for this.

Summary:
If : you want to over train yourself before you get your first gig jumping from one projects, open source stuffs, tools etc. - choose Node.js or what not
else : Choose a small niche with plenty opportunities and lesser competitions not necessary wordpress, odoo et al

Small niche like what?
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by TheCongo2: 4:16pm On Mar 18, 2021
tensazangetsu20:
Juniors be weary of people like that idiot. It's how he advised someone on an older thread to go and learn C++. So many people are learning to code now and you have to be strategic to get returns from it. Don't go and learn what you will be unemployed for 4 years. Time is worst thing to waste in this world. They call themselves senior. Who made them senior?

Hunger and poverty no send anybody o and in Nigeria you are already disadvantaged from the get go. I am still a junior like many in this section and my goal from day one has been to help other juniors with what has worked for me.


Just out of curiosity. What is wrong with learning c++
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by tensazangetsu20(m): 4:23pm On Mar 18, 2021
TheCongo2:


Just out of curiosity. What is wrong with learning c++
Not much jobs for that in Africa. C++ has its places in embedded systems, high level industrial engineering and quantitative finance which we don't have here.
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by TheCongo2: 4:33pm On Mar 18, 2021
tensazangetsu20:

Not much jobs for that in Africa. C++ has its places in embedded systems, high level industrial engineering and quantitative finance which we don't have here.

Thank you
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by Capslock01: 11:08am On Mar 20, 2021
tensazangetsu20:

Not much jobs for that in Africa. C++ has its places in embedded systems, high level industrial engineering and quantitative finance which we don't have here.

Hello bro!
I'd like to just stay connected with you, maybe on WhatsApp.
How can I contact you?

I'm not really into programming! I'm into mechanical designs but I have knowledge of HTML, CSS, C# and Python.


Like you, I work remote with a Furniture startup in USA as a furniture designer.
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by tensazangetsu20(m): 11:14am On Mar 20, 2021
Capslock01:


Hello bro!
I'd like to just stay connected with you, maybe on WhatsApp.
How can I contact you?

I'm not really into programming! I'm into mechanical designs but I have knowledge of HTML, CSS, C# and Python.


Like you, I work remote with a Furniture startup in USA as a furniture designer.
Sent you a DM.
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by Capslock01: 11:21am On Mar 20, 2021
tensazangetsu20:

Sent you a DM.
Thanks for the swift response bro.

I'd DM you with another account as I don't have access again to the mail I used to open this account.

The account is starting with "Mode..."
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by demanuel(m): 12:46pm On Mar 20, 2021
Well-done Bro. Please do you work remotely from Nigeria? How were you able to get the job?
Capslock01:


Hello bro!
I'd like to just stay connected with you, maybe on WhatsApp.
How can I contact you?

I'm not really into programming! I'm into mechanical designs but I have knowledge of HTML, CSS, C# and Python.


Like you, I work remote with a Furniture startup in USA as a furniture designer.
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by Capslock01: 2:58pm On Mar 20, 2021
demanuel:
Well-done Bro. Please do you work remotely from Nigeria? How were you able to get the job?

When I was also searching then! I used indeed, berlinstartupjobs, LinkedIn etc. But the competition was took much from Asia/Indian/ and others.

I mostly get rejection letter after applying.

But cutting to chase things as a beginner, for now, focus on rendering your skill service on Upwork, you're might be lucky to land a client that will hire you for his startup.

Take time to refine your CV to standard, upgrade your skills, outline your sellable skills on CV and also be applying for any remote jobs you see. Apply to as much as you can! It's always a game of number.


I got my present job through Upwork, though the pay is low for my skill set but the pay is better than working 8am - 6PM physically in Nigeria.


If you're a developer, you start commenting on company's bugs on github. I have seen someone that got hired by a well established tech company just because he's always coming/fixing their posted bugs.

3 Likes

Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by tensazangetsu20(m): 3:00pm On Mar 20, 2021
Capslock01:


When I was also searching then! I used indeed, berlinstartupjobs, LinkedIn etc. But the competition was took much from Asia/Indian/ and others.

I mostly get rejection letter after applying.

But cutting to chase things as a beginner, for now, focus on rendering your skill service on Upwork, you're might be lucky to land a client that will hire you for his startup.

Take time to refine your CV to standard, upgrade your skills, outline your sellable skills on CV and also be applying for any remote jobs you see. Apply to as much as you can! It's always a game of number.


I got my present job through Upwork, though the pay is low for my skill set but the pay is better than working 8am - 6PM physically in Nigeria.


If you're a developer, you start commenting on company's bugs on github. I have seen someone that got hired by a well established tech company just because he's always coming/fixing their posted bugs.
This works. If you are a developer, you might want to find specific platforms and learn them as they help in getting remote jobs much more easier than general web development.

2 Likes

Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by Capslock01: 3:07pm On Mar 20, 2021
tensazangetsu20:

This works. If you are a developer, you might want to find specific platforms and learn them as they help in getting remote jobs much more easier than general web development.

Yeah.. It really works!
Though I'm a mechanical engineer undergrad with few practical experience and practical certification. I still find time to check tech stuffs.

Tech, is the new oil!

Also, I forgot to include this link; demanuel, you can read through this thread

https://www.nairaland.com/5969974/share-remote-job-experience-developer

If a Senior secondary person can land remote job then you can too.


Maybe, I'd need to say this too.

I'm still an Undergrad!
Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by tensazangetsu20(m): 3:10pm On Mar 20, 2021
Capslock01:


Yeah.. It really works!
Though I'm a mechanical engineer undergrad with few practical experience and practical certification. I still find time to check tech stuffs.

Tech, is the new oil!

Also, I forgot to include this link; demanuel, you can read through this thread

https://www.nairaland.com/5969974/share-remote-job-experience-developer

If a Senior secondary person can land remote job then you can too.


Maybe, I'd need to say this too.

I'm still an Undergrad!
Tech is the new oil well but you need the skills. I met a graduate computer scienctist who had 2 remote jobs while still an undergraduate. That's crazy.

1 Like

Re: Why So Many Junior Developers Struggle To Get An Opportunity. by demanuel(m): 1:37am On Mar 22, 2021
Capslock01:


But cutting to chase things as a beginner, for now, focus on rendering your skill service on Upwork, you're might be lucky to land a client that will hire you for his startup.

Take time to refine your CV to standard, upgrade your skills, outline your sellable skills on CV and also be applying for any remote jobs you see. Apply to as much as you can! It's always a game of number.

If you're a developer, you start commenting on company's bugs on github. I have seen someone that got hired by a well established tech company just because he's always coming/fixing their posted bugs.
tensazangetsu20:

Tech is the new oil well but you need the skills. I met a graduate computer scienctist who had 2 remote jobs while still an undergraduate. That's crazy.

Many thanks for the response.
I have a background in Accounting, though with basic skills (Quickbooks, Microsoft Excel etc) at the moment.
I am working on acquiring more skills that can enable me land a remote job (GAAP, SQL, SAP, Tableau, Advance Financial modelling, Power bi etc), as those are the skills on demand in my field.
It isn't easy but I hope to get a breakthrough soon.

1 Like

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