How I Would Get My First Job If I Started Over 

Hey babe, what you got there?

I got a degree in IT instead of Computer Science. When I interviewed for programming positions, I got turned down quite a bit. I failed quite a few programming interviews due to gaps in knowledge. It didn't discourage me but inspired me to learn why I was failing interviews. I started studying data structures and algorithms. I'd take an interview after studying 1-2 months. Then, I'd fail again. Sometimes the interviewers gave me great feedback and I was able to use the feedback to address gaps in my knowledge. After a year of this, I landed the best job I've ever had. Failure isn't a bad thing. Use it as a catalyst to propel yourself forward. Never be afraid to fail. Failure is the greatest teacher.

Yes! One-hundred percent! Building something yourself has and continues to be the ABSOLUTE best way to learn! Especially if the project *means something to you* . Something that you personally find would be useful, interesting, or fun is a good way to stay engaged. Not only that, but the more interested you are in *your project,* the more that rubs off on the recruiters during interviews when you talk about it! They will be able to sense that passion and excitement versus if you were to say... talk about the calendar, to-do list, or calendar you built.

You missed a trick, "you'll get jobs faster, Blazingly Faster!"

"The harder you work the luckier you're gonna get!" YES!!

I’m a senior MLE and your advice on interviewing being a skill is spot on. I hate it but you’re very right

I actually really enjoy videos like these because it kinda helps me realize im on a good path and gives me pointers on what i could do better in terms of road-mapping my future career

This is the way. I did this without a CS degree and I've seen multiple others do the same. Best part about the industry hands down.

Thank you. Just got rejected on a SWE junior level job interview yesterday even though my technical skills are enough, the HR interview didn't go well. You are right, interview skills are a separate thing. It stings to be rejected ngl but what I can do rn is to improve. Thank you again, Primeagen!

This video came at the right time. can't thank you enough Mr. Primeagen

Fully agree with this. At the end of 2020 I was in my 4th year of college about to finish my degree in Political Science and I kept seeing all these articles and videos about programming which made me curious. I picked up the book Python Crash Course which is project focused and worked through it. By then end I felt like "I can do this". Within one week I withdrew from my college and enrolled into WGU starting the software dev degree in January of 2021. I immediately started applying constantly for the next 12 months, interviewing plenty and failing plenty. I spent a lot of time with school work but more doing projects. One year later at the end of 2021 I landed 2 offers, one a startup, and the other a pretty big company. I did a pretty crazy thing by being so close to finishing and switching up. Probably not smart. I had an insane amount of anxiety at all times, and failing so many interviews one after the other sucked. But, I got REALLY good at interviews. by my 5th I new exactly what they would ask me. I had and still have really big confidence in my interviews now, and I think that only comes from experience, trying and failing. I had a lot of regrets last year, thinking it was impossible, that I could never land a job without being done with the degree and I screwed myself but here I am. My 2 cents, Apply as soon as possible to any and everywhere. It helps you build and change your resume, as if you arent getting calls there is something you need to change. When your resume is good you will get interviews. You will fail a lot, but eventually you will gain a confidence and you will land an offer. I probably am lucky, but it wasn't without persistence, anxiety, fear. Just stick with it and don't be afraid to fail. Listen to Prime

+1 on learning in-demand skills, getting your first job fast and saving that niche dream job for later. I learned a lot about myself at my first jobs. Found that to me the team size, decision making and a stable company was more important than the specific language. And I realised the dream I had while studying, about working at a bleeding edge startup, was not really based on anything except it sounded cool.

This is either a 100% awesome message and video, or it just has what I want and need at this moment. Really cool and encouraging and just practical advice.

Dude, your Golden. Im studying social work and im here just because coding is a hobby for me and i like how you mix entertainment with infos. But from my point of view... Your Tips are damn good for everyone, not even just if you want to get a job in Tech industry :)! I have seen this struggle your addressing by people in any branches.... A lot of friends, family members or just colleagues and mostly "clients" are struggling exactly with this mentality. Long Story Short: PLLZ LISTEN TO THIS GUY :DDD.

Not only do people not know exactly what they like, but they also think they would like something a lot when they don’t. Great video advice!

Wow, 36, probably 37 now, but damn, I am 35 and I only know javascript, some frontend frameworks and some node and anyway… your channel on twitch has reinvigorated my thirst for learnig more and I bought the books on making an interpreter and a compiler in go and I started a pet project as well to learn and build an api, but in node - like you said once: new thing with known tech, not new thing with new tech or something like that. But seriously, really impressive that you are 36, with 4 kids and doing so much, I definitely have some carching up! You have my sub on twitch, great content, thank you.

RU-vid needs a feature that detects "hit that subscribe button" and will cut that bit out if the viewers is already subscribed.

The problem with "what I didn't do well" and "where the mismatch happened with the employer" is that employers almost never indulge this information. I always ask (I've failed all 7 of my final rounds) and only one company has given feedback. Only thing I can think of is it's an attempt to discourage practice-by-interview.

I really like your point about getting a job with JavaScript to get some income and support yourself while you train yourself and work towards what your actual goal is. I decided to not purse a PhD in cognitive science last summer and taught myself full stack dev with a focus on react frontend in 8 months and have been working at my first dev gig since June. Not sure exactly what my goal is (I know it's not data science, I've ran far too many logistic regressions and power analyses with R in my lab to look at another glmm output), but it feels nice to be able to pay my bills, build up my resume, and learn new things at my job that I wasn't necessarily expecting to learn, all while working at night on fun things like making a PDF manipulation library in Rust. There's a certain kind of self-worth, confidence, and autonomy the this field gives me that I didn't have in academia. Stuff is so rigid (and I'd say archaic) in academia, that it feels nice to get flexibility in software engineering. Love your content, keep up the great work. Also, do you have a coconut oil cheat sheet with all of your most commonly used vim shortcuts? I've found the most precious vim gems to be mentioned in passing in your videos, but would love to skim them all to see what I'm missing out on.

Sending this as my response to this question from now on. Incredible advice.

"What Color is Your Parachute?" (book) really helped me with the entire job process, especially the interview. Highly recommend.

As long as I am blazingly fast to a new Primeagen video, I will get hired.

Funnily enough the do your own project thing is what I came up with to understand HTMX after using it once a year ago and seeing the hype. IMO doing projects is such a better way to learn. Another way that has helped me is to find someone elses project and try and add a new feature to it or improve one. Helps to get into the mindset of other coders too. I am trying to get into professional programming slowly but getting the knowledge up and the confidence to apply!

This man has been converted to rust :). That's awesome. I'm fortunate enough that I have a job (non software) so I can do whatever I want for hobby programming. I've felt my way around and I've been doing native Android with jetpack compose lately. Kotlin is such a nice language to write in! I really felt accomplished writing anything successful in Rust..with Go definitely being my backend choice currently. It really was easy to pick up. I started coding with Java in 08. And C in 2010. So I'm partial towards those ecosystems. JS is nice and easy, but it got messy REAL quick the moment I coded with 8 ppl. Which was earlier this year.

This is awesome Prime. I really appreciate it. I just started working on my resume and getting ready to job hunt.

You get a job once you feel over qualified is my impression. I just got mine a couple months back after a very rough 18 months. JS, React, Java Spring Boot is my forte. But the job I got was straight front end. A lot of vanilla css html markup, JS and Jquery. Its a weird job. But now I'm programming what I want. And making a salary while doing so.

Absolutely agree with Prime. Been there done that. You don't have to be the best software engineer or come up with smart algorithms from leet code to get a good job. You need confidence and soft skills like communication. You're likely going to work with other smart people who you can learn from more in-depth than you ever could through a tutorial or course.

You’re amazing dude, you read my mind. Right now I’m in the coconut oily stage, practicing interviewing to get a second job

I was studying CS in kind of a work/study way (dual studies). I quit after 1.5 years but I got a job at the company that was my partner company for the dual studies. I was actually doing pretty good so I thought one day: "Why not just apply and see how it goes?". Although I had confidence I felt like an imposter in most interviews (though I could answer almost all questions that I was aksed). Feeling "not enough" is basically the state that most developer (even senior developers) are in. Just go out there and see if that's true, it will be worth the effort. So I put myself on several platforms and I got contacted by 13 recruiters in 1.5 months and I had 6 job interviews. My final interview (which was also a code interview) was at a dutch bank which offered me a position in their Amsterdam office (I'm from "rural" east Germany so this sounded exciting) as a software developer. I thought that I f*ed up the coding part - I got a coding homework which I had to explain later on in the interview. But I was telling them that there are some things that I am unhappy with in my coding homework and explained the in and outs of what I choose to do and why. They seemed not really interested and I was kind of sad because I really wanted that job. Fast forward a week and I get the feedback that they wanted to work with me and I started the Pre Employment Screening, got all the contracts, etc. I will leave my current company at the end of this week after working there first as a student and later as a developer for 2 years in total. I am really grateful that I got this opportunity from my current company and I it's kind of sad that I will be gone in a week and that this chapter of my life is over. On the other hand, I will have a new exciting job that pays 4k net at age 21. If I could give you any advice: just go for it! See if your knowledge is sufficient. Gather some job interview experience. Just go to any job interview that is offered to you. Most are online anyways so you don't have to commute which means most interviews will only take about 1-2h at most. Even if you don't plan to work for that company, you will get an overview how much companies are willing to pay for your specific set of skills and if you lack any crucial skills that you need to learn.

3:43 > "I'm 36 years old and I'm still discovering things I didn't realize I like to do". there is always more, there is no age to stop learning and having fun. You only find out after trying out new things

I got way too comfortable at my first (current) job and now it's 5 years later and I'm having to play catch up with the industry so I can get a better job. Instead of spending 5 hours playing video games after work I should have been spending at least some amount of time learning new tech and building projects in my free time.

Right click -> Inspect -> Start with just playing around in chrome dev tools. Modify existing sites to get comfortable with DOM manipulation, fetch, async/await, cookies/indexedDB/localStorage, window, etc. Chrome snippets (sources tab) & the console are your new best friends.

I absolutely hated SQL at University. It was a just another complex thing I didn't want to learn because it wasn't programming. For whatever reason all these tables and joins just didn't click in my head. It was just something I had to get done so I could work what I actually wanted. Once I graduated and got my first job I had to use SQL for work and absolutely fell in love with it and eventually went on to became a Database Administrator. Primeagen is completely right. Your first job doesn't have to be exactly what you want. As long as its a step in the right direction there is a good chance you will enjoy aspects you didn't think you would.

Prime is so clear with words & presents thoughts which I also feel but never said.

Half month into job hunting, this hits HARD!

“or they feel they are too inexperienced” yep just described my daily feeling 😅

Im 47 and I still learn all the time. You have too. I'm not saying what I learn I know it in and out, but I at least get the overview of it and then I try to decide if I wanna continue learning said thing.

For me, a lot of the positions that I'm interested in require a degree so I'm working to finish mine. Plus it's a great way to push myself to learn things that I'd never otherwise try. Otherwise I'd just stick to like one of two languages I already know.

Rember, "experience" is just googling error message for hours and learning new terms you can google... for hours. You'll see these again and after years remember almost half, saving you days you Senior Developer!

@ 0:50 A little bit coconut Oily 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I can even link-proof the video topic. When you first did smth fully yourself afterwards it feels so confident to do smth similar again

This is exactly the type of journey I have been on. Academia has been a completely separate effort for me and when I first started working I had to change my mentality and habits to a more applicative approach to solve real problems.

Thanks for the video, and the whole channel is super useful. You mentioned 'Compilers', I'm a senior software engineer interested in studying compilers, But I don't know where to start. I'm good at RUST, & System programming.

The most valuable video on this channel to me, thank you

This is gold, I've been studying for a few months on software development and I've been stuck for the latest months cause I thought I needed always to be perfect on every bullet point of a job on LinkedIn and this made me anxious and stuck, this really gives me the boost and clarify to me so I put in more work, thanks a lot Daddy primeagen.

I've had a game in GitHub repo and in couple of job interview people have asked or commented about it. So having something to show people is important

I was in a crossroad this really helps thx

This applys to more than coding

my favorite thing is the memes and fun aside clips you do, reminds me of the office .

This is some of the best advice I've seen on yt for getting a programming job, keep up the good work. Love the content :)

Invest in your skill will really paid off, indeed it is a long game but at least you have a place to look forward, a goal to aim.

Have to agree. Especially if you’re not planning on getting a college degree to back up your resume, JS will be the easiest entry point into the field. Definitely not to say you need a degree, but I think it would be easier to get a Java/C#/{insert enterprise programming language} job with a degree, but there’s so much need for JS in the industry that self taught/boot camp people shouldn’t have too much trouble

I’m 50 and still discovering things I like to do

I'm 37, I've been an artist in the game industry for the last 13 or so years. I have fallen in love with coding, and want to transition into the tech indusutry. I am worried about agism in the industry. I am not afraid to take a bet on myself, I've done hard things before, but I was hoping to get a little perspcetive. I don't want to waste a bunch of time and money if this is really a bad idea.

Quality content 100%, very accurate advice, as always!

Diving into JS, learning a bunch of new thing, my next step is to put some of the knowledge i got from JS, and apply it into my old projects. PS (JUST LOVING LEARN JS. it's my first programming language)

JavaScript... mmm an oversaturated market, I would choose another thing if I had to started over.

This guy talks to my consciousness every time. I thought I was the only one going through this. Thanks!

you guys are getting feedback?

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 💼 *Job Preparation Strategy* - Focus on JavaScript, HTML, CSS for employability. - Gauge readiness by completing self-built projects. - Use job applications as practice for interviews. 02:02 📝 *Applying to Jobs and Interviewing* - Apply for junior positions to gain interview practice. - Analyze job requirements to speak intelligently about them. - Consider starting where you're easily hired to gain stability. 03:14 🛠️ *Long-Term Career Strategy* - Use initial job as stability to study what you're passionate about. - Embrace the long game, discovering unexpected interests. - Constantly improve and adapt based on experiences. Made with HARPA AI

You made me want to build a silly side project. Thanks 💖

great advice! wish I'd seen it when I started out..some of this is applicable even if you're already experienced

Been doing SE for 5 years now. Still find this video relevant.

I went to a few job interviews when I was still studying (around 5) but wasn't sure, if it's really a good idea to start working when I still have exams left. I guess the interviewers had the same opinion and I didn't get any of these jobs. When I finished my bachelor degrees, a friend of mine asked me, if I want to work at her company and they took me instantly... I didn't even apply anywhere else. I really learned a lot and I'm convinced at least for the first years, this company was the right decision.

💯 Build something first. I got my first tech gig by building websites in Javascript, HTML, CSS.

Watching all primey’s videos on 1.5x is an experience itself. I’d recommend 5/7 to do again - slap on meme word

always fun to watch your videos

2:06 to 2:38 Remember, to build things Interview is a skill Keep learning

just FYI, i watched about 10 videos before pressing subscribe. But I'm subscribed already

Thank you prime! About to start applying to get my second job ☺️

your polite way to ask for likes worked, I've liked the video twice :)

Thank you for this GEM! Blazingly nice!

Just find the small companies. They’re often only regional companies, the pay is usually subpar but you’ll gain experience and the competition of applicants is smaller. That’s what I did Or if you’re into frontend find small businesses that don’t have a website. Create a few static sites pitch it to them for a small fee maybe even a monthly fee for upkeep and list them on your resume

Here again, and watch to see if I'm do not lose anything!

Thank you for your advice. You've described my situation perfectly. I really want to learn Rust because it's fast, it's easy to read like a high level language, and has a package manager. But it's hard to find jobs with it.

Thank you, Mr. ThePrimeagen!

Got A's in my associates at night school while I was full time in operations management. (I'm a former master mechanic, so diag and unfucking things is enjoyable for me.) I joked about going to Meditech and then moving to Tokyo and using survival panic to get good. *Gets ghosted by Meditech and others, also have had several "entry level" listings that are clearly looking for mid level* I've had interviews where I feel like an idiot and others where I've been praised for my interviewing, but my technical side is clunky. So getting feedback from rejections is valuable information, but everyone I know with 10-15+ years was in the same boat at some point. Eventually I'll find a place and I'll have to take a huge pay cut, but professors don't explain this part of the dance lol. The tech industry is hilariously clunky despite the promise of almonds in the "snack space".

I like that, the harder you work the luckier you're going to get.

Love your content! Maybe as an Australian I can't tell the differences very well, but you sound a lot like Michael Scott.

I would like to add that you should totally showcase your project and share it with different people. This way you can actually get feedback from other people and meet some awesome people too... who knows? Don't think that your project is not awesome enough to be shared, there are a lot of people like you out there too yk!

I ve been learning for five years and still don't have a job. Last year I have applied to 300 positions and only had 10-15 interviews.

As the Principal Janitor of TheStartup, I know this very well. It was a really rough road and interview process to enter TheStartup but it was well worth the blood, swear, and tears (many, many tears).

Eddy Merckx, the greatest cyclist of all time, when asked how to become great said, "Ride your bike, Ride your bike, Ride your bike". Similarly, to become great at coding, write code, write code, write code.

this is very informative. thank you!

Wow, getting in 5 minutes more info than in all the infinite hours of content before on this topic

Just do it what he's saying, worked for me!

As a former Business Analyst who worked for several huge companies in europe and being a head project manager for big IT projects i would like to add two things. a) If you are working for a company that has a IT department, where they are hiring devs or software engineers, try to go that route, because if you are a good employee then they might prefer you over others, knowing your personality and soft skills. If you prove them that you did a good job AND learned how to code on the side, then that might be your chance. This is actually how i transitioned from health management to tech years ago. b) FORGET (!) that companies are looking for some super genius developer or software engineer, those guys are way too expensive for 99% of the companies out there. Especially small to mid size businesses are willing to hire junior level IT people, as long as you are skilled enough to solve issues - even if you are slower - you are good. As Primeagen said, up your interview skills and get to know the buzz words used in job profiles, so you can at least say a little bit to everything, but be HONEST (!) what you can deliver and can't, as long as you always say "I am open to new technologies and willing to learn!". Most job profiles are created by HR people anyways and the moment you get into the interview it often shows that what they seemed to be looking for isn't what they are actually looking for. Confidence and honesty is key, because most tech guys in the interview know what quality they can expect for the salary they are going to pay for that specific job. From my personal experience even big companies like insurance companies and banks are willing to hire devs and engineers with less experience and lower level of "competence" (which isn't me judging anybody, you just cant have competence if you are new, because that's the reason you are applying, to actually get competent), because those guys are cheaper AND in a lot of cases they are working with old sh*t anyways and therefore they don't need you to know a lot. Especially those industries - which core business isn't tech - are usually paying less than others, which might be your chance.

team tic-tac-toe where you choose the least chosen option could be really fun (how would one even optimize? what's the perfect defect rate? what happens if everyone chooses a bad option?) you could even make it switch from random decision functions (you could even knowlingly supply someone the wrong decision function :):))

As always, great.

Workin ‘ hard to get lucky! Thanks for the inspiration.

can confirm it worked for me getting internships in 2021 during 1st year of university

Don't forget, you are also interviewing them. You need to asses if you want to work there as well. You are on the same level as them

Nothing to add, perfectly said, that's it, that's the sauce

ITS REALLY WORKED LOL THANK YOU DUDE

Like it a lot but would replace JavaScript with Java. Very easy to get job if know that language and few its tools, frameworks.

Your first job! You will probably get all the way through it before you realize you are being robbed of the moments of your life.

Thank you for great suggestions and congrats on passing 100k. I still need to comment on your "Maintaining motivation as a software engineer" but that one might take a while, since I quite relate somewhat. lDo you reckon if I have a tad bit longer message regarding the content of this video, should I post it on discord instead?

This weekend is gonna transform my life

Do it, Crush it, Use it. I will write this on my wall.

The best part about your videos is when you use the "braaah" sound and you make your head big and focus on the mustache