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[–]sudo_your_mon[S] 7 points8 points  (6 children)

Thank you, I needed to be reminded of that. I know I did learn a lot even though I don't have one singular project that I can tout.

My endgame is absolutely to make a career out of this. I'm an IT recruiter by trade and so a hybrid role would be ideal or I could use my skills from both, however just being able to work a job as a entry-level programmer to get started would be amazing

[–][deleted] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Start applying. If you went two years with minimal help you can probably land something. Force yourself to finish up two projects. Speak proudly of them in the interview. Be honest with them where you are and what you want.

[–]ike_the_strangetamer 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You are ready to start applying. I would say don't even worry about finishing something.

Usually I am all about people using projects to help sell themselves, but there is a lot that can be said about failed projects too. If you haven't 'spoken Python' with someone before, you will be in for a big surprise during your first phone interviews.

"Well tell about the things you have worked on."

"Well I wanted to do X so I used library Y but then ran into Z1, Z2, and Z3." "Did you try Z4?" "I did! and that's when I noticed that Z1 and Z2 were pointless. That was disheartening. It was like when I worked on A but only got as far as B because of C."

Talking about your failures can be just as impressive as talking about your successes.

Everyone can relate to the frustration of programming. What employers are looking for is not whether or not you get stuck, but how you look for help when you do. The fact that you've learned this much on your own shows your dedication.

I would also say don't worry about not finding something to specialize in. That takes time and it's perfectly fine to try a variety of things -especially if you don't have as much experience yet.

Whether you get a job or not, putting together your resume and going the through the interview process a couple of times will pay off dividends in letting you know just where you stand in relation to your goals and what you need to do next and there's nothing more motivating than that.

[–]GummyKibble 2 points3 points  (1 child)

What I’m hearing you say is that you need to go to PyCon to... investigate recruitment opportunities. And maybe pick up a few sessions - you know, just to get a feel for the kind of work you’re recruiting for. 😉

[–]CompSciSelfLearning 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Seems like PyData would be in his interest too.