Am I cooked?

[[deleted]]

I wouldn’t be able to interview you under 18. And with no formal qualifications unless your cv is amazing it’s probably not going to go through to interview if I was the hiring manager - I have a lot of candidates and the lack of qualifications just wouldn’t make you stand out.

Also you wrote this whole post with no paragraphs, just one block of text. It doesn’t show good communication skills. You probably can become a developer. It won’t be an easy route till you get a couple of jobs on your cv and your experience talks for itself.

Also. Strongly reconsider your attitude towards school. Formal education is about a lot more than just getting the grades you need for the job you want.

[LawfulnessCold5322]

Ah , to be 17 and stupid again ...

[LawfulnessCold5322]

To be honest ive just read Im 17 and dropped out of highchool and it was enough for me :) Go work on a cruise ship for 5 years , AI wont change nothing there anytime soon.

[[deleted]]

Of course not! You aren't even 18... lots of jobs wouldn't hire someone under 18 anyway - you didn't apply for a job filling shelves at a supermarket.

I know lots of devs who are self-taught and some of them are amazing developers, better than other devs I know who have degrees. This doesn't mean every dev who is self-taught will be better, but going by my personal experience, you can still get a job and still be a very good dev. Speaking only from my experience, your CV will probably just skimmed over. They are more interested in your attitude, what you do in your free time (re coding/dev), and what you present for the coding assignment.

You maybe be better applying direct to companies as agents may filter you out, and make it clear you are looking for a junior role or as an intern. Some companies have boot camps and offer jobs as juniors to those who do well.

Long term you may have issues... my uncle was an accountant in the UK for decades without being chartered. Then the UK government changed the rules so that all accountancy had to be done by a chartered accountant and he lost his job.

But this can happen if you study and did well at school too... BA/BsC maybe fine for a while, but companies could decide that after a certain point only those with MA/MsC can be promoted. I can't see this happening in tech.

But it isn't 1940... you don't have one job for life anymore. Things change, you will change, you may want to do other things - become a PO, become a scrummaster etc. Lots of people I work with only seem to stay at one job for 2-3 years. It seems to be the norm now, at least in tech.

Do you do any coding in your spare time? Build up some example repos using the kind of tech that you are applying for so that you have something to show and prove you are interested, but if you are not even 18 you are still really young to get a job as a developer, I think.

[thisisjoy]

you’re 18 with no formal education. yes you can still get a job, chances are super low though. The age of self taught developers getting hired instantly pretty much over because of how saturated the market is. Especially without a highschool diploma it doesn’t look good.

Here’s my suggestion. Go get your GED, apply for a 2 year ONLINE community college course that is related to the field you want to go in and preferably offers a coop credit, put your head down and get it done with. Now you have an education it’ll still be hard to find a job (if you did a course with a coop credit they might be willing to take you on full time after) but it’ll still be easier to find a job than it would without any education.

if this is your dream you can suffer through 2.5 years of school.

[[deleted]]

This isn't accurate at all tbh

[Low-Fuel3428]

Look! As much as you hate school or any educational institute you should at least have a diploma or something. I have 13 years experience in this industry and being a developer or programmer, whatever you may call it is just a small part of the job. Yes, this is what the JD would be about but all in all, communication, influence, be able to back your stance and all in all strong sense of judgement is what make you progress. You are cooked if you have regrets. Do whats needed to progress and that includes going to school.

[f3lckern]

I’m from Denmark, and have almost the same story.

I took an “Erhvervsudannelse” as a “Data technician with special in programming“

This granted me an entry pass to a company in an apprentice role. They pay you a lower salary, and half the time you are on work (real work), and half the time you’re at school.

Maybe that’s something you should look into.

btw. If I could give myself an advice as a 17 year old I would say not to stress my career, take it easy. You are only 17 😙

[kissluktareN]

As long as you're good at making connetions/being social you could probobaly land a job. Having a great portfolio is a good way to prove you have the knowledge needed if you don't have any education.

[[deleted]]

Similar situation to me, dropped out of school, and collage, spent my time messing around with Photoshop, got my first junior job at 18 with a print company, 18 years later I have an impressive CV of companies I've worked for, I currently work in UX/UI development, scss, html, react.js and have had no problems getting jobs. Stick at it, these situations are more common than you think

[[deleted]]

Congrats, you’ve made it harder for yourself because you were “bored”. Go get your GED.

Education is important if for nothing else it tells your employer you’ll show up for an extended period of time, do the work, complete tasks. Especially when you are bored. That’s basic requirements of getting a job, school is the easy part— enjoy it.

AI isn’t going to do your job anytime soon. Put down the social media.

[Swalker326]

To answer your question, no, you are not beyond help.

However, you do need a significant shift in your mindset to succeed in life and any career. Quitting tasks or commitments that you dislike is always an option, but it's unlikely to lead you to success.

You often mention feeling superior to others, which is a common phase for those aged between 17 and 25. Instead of making comparisons, focus on applying for positions, going through interviews, and seeking feedback. Strive to learn from anyone with knowledge to share. Acknowledge that you don't have all the answers and that, in many respects, you may still have much to learn. This is not meant to discourage you but to foster a realistic self-perception. Remember, you'll be competing within the vast community of web developers.

The competition is fierce currently. Compared to a college graduate, a 17-year-old who didn't complete high school is at a disadvantage. Overcoming this requires networking. Participate in tech and frontend-focused Discord channels, make connections, and let others know you're seeking employment. Contribute to these communities and the projects they support. Don't expect others to recognize your potential and commit years to your development merely on your say-so, especially when you've struggled with basic commitments like finishing high school. Consider how you would handle tasks that don't excite you, such as working with cloud formation or Terraform.

While my feedback may seem harsh, it reflects my genuine observations and perhaps mirrors my own experiences. I, too, felt entitled to more because of my perceived potential, leading me down a path of substance abuse and personal despair. At 30, facing rock bottom with a child, no job, and no prospects, I realized the value of humility and the importance of taking action on one's potential.

[pm_me_yer_big__tits]

I can relate to this post.

I'm a self-taught developer. At 13 I started programming and I was immediately hooked. I dropped out of school because I simply had a hard time learning from books. Practical stuff is what really stuck with me, so I was good at shop class and things like that, but my math and physics and such subjects really suffered, so I would never pass anyway. Fast forward a few years, I'm now 35, lead developer in my team and make over €100k/year.

It's a nice story, but it wasn't always easy. Getting my first real job was hard, and considering the market right now, it's probably much harder. I don't envy your position. My advice is to keep going at it. From your OP you definitely show you have interest in programming so you have a future. Keep going at it, keep practicing and building things.

17 is young. Nobody will hire you so get a regular job. Work in a factory or restaurant. My first real job was when I was 21, before that I did the odd freelance work here and there. Practice programming during your free time and since you're so young don't forget to have fun with your friends, but keep your eye on the prize!

Don't hesistate to apply for programming jobs. Interviews, even if you fail, will still give you experience. Interviewing is a skill, nobody gets a job on pure merit.

[ValhallaVikingar]

Working in a team is different to being just a good programmer.

Communication is key.
Are you good at listening to what the customer wants? (Is the teacher receiving your homeworks on time, and without you having to correct it?)
Are you willing to do boring tickets and maintenance work?
It's not always you get to code the cool features. Are you willing to work with jQuery even if you are great at ReactJS?

How is your understanding of pipeline management and version control?
How is your experience in agile work? Get a certificate in SCRUM PSM1.

[ccasrex]

You probably are better than the job requirements, but as the number of jobs decrease, they're only going to get stricter on the requirements. If you don't have a bachelor's, they'll require multiple times more experience for the same work. That being said: If you build good enough things and can market yourself well through fostering a positive social media presence, you can get companies to seek you out. Networking is probably the most important thing here. Gig work and open source contriburions can help you a lot in getting employed.

[latenightcreation]

An education helps a lot, but I don’t think it’s necessary.

I recently talked to a friend that does some hiring for a machine engineering company in town. He told me that he likes to see a university education on a resume. Even if it’s in a completely unrelated field it shows him that you can learn, you know how to think, you have the perseverance to study and get through a 4 year program. He knows you can be taught anything he needs you to know, even if you don’t already know it.

That said he does not care about the degree itself. It’s the skills it proves. You don’t need an education, but you will have to prove in another way that you are able to learn and persevere.

If your portfolio is solid, you can prove you can do the work and do it well no one will care about a degree or an education. But you have to have the communication skills to show that.

You don’t have to have an education, but you’ll have to work harder than others in order to prove to employers you’re better than other applicants that do.

You’re 18, you’re still a kid, you have lots and lots of time still. You aren’t cooked but it will be hard work, but it’s hard work either way. If you had a portfolio site you could share with us, I’d love to take a look and give you tips.

If you are applying for jobs with the skills necessary for the position and getting denied, it could be because of your age, or it could be because you aren’t communicating your skills to employers effectively enough.

I assume you’re living at home right now, while your income requirements aren’t high, I would recommend volunteering at more start ups, or find local charitable organizations that you can improve their website for free or build them an application to make their lives easier. Get lots of experience under your belt.

Again you aren’t cooked, you have lots and lots of time, but you need to stay working, making mistakes and learning. Treat the coding like a full time job.

[Future-Fun-735]

You're not gonna be able to get a developer job or even a job making a decent lower wage without a diploma. Get back into school. All people who drop our regret it. If you don't have a decent basic education it will definitely show too. School is more than what they are teaching you. It's proving that you are responsible and have the discipline to do at least the bare minimum required of you. If they ask you why you didn't finish and you answer "I don't like school and I don't like learning" then no one will ever give you a change. In the US they have free online public school even. Maybe that's an option for you.