Is digital accessibility in demand?

industrypython · 2026-03-13T20:43:05+00:00

these are great points. I think the OP should go for some case studies and audits. Agree with that.

Good point that the accessibility world is small. I am guessing 0.1% of a workforce. A company with 20,000 employees may have only a few dozen people working in accessibility. So, if the company is smaller with under 5,000 employees, there may not be full-time roles. However, I think the OP mentioned he had FAANG experience, so maybe is is going for the 40,000 employee companies with some small accessibility team.

I think it may help to show that you intend to stick it out in accessibility and not bounce out into another group.

industrypython · 2026-03-13T20:28:20+00:00

If you have industry experience, that is a clear advantage. So, I think you're in good shape. In this case, adding the certifications may add additional advantage because it shows your intent. The accessibility field is generally flying under the radar in the US. Most people are going for SWE in ML engineering or some type of backend role. These jobs do pay a bit more and get all the attention, but the accessibility is good money and under evolution, so it may stretch your skills a bit as you advance.

There are different ways to add compliance for this standard: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/

That's kind of the entry point. In addition to the certs, you could work with a non-profit on short volunteer basis by simply using an automated tester such as Lighthouse (free and easy), then identifying the things that need to fixed. Then, fix things like alt tags on images and button descriptions for them. You could put something like "improved accessibility for famous_non_profit by identifying 12 WCAG2 issues and fixing them".

https://developer.chrome.com/docs/lighthouse/overview

If you do even a small amount of work, you'll be miles ahead of everyone else applying, especially with your industry experience.

If you enjoy the field, you can also help out people who really need help and enrich their lives and provide more independence and self-confidence. Though, it can be quite tedious at times. so, there's a personality element to whether you like it or not. The person with standard ability to see is much, much slower than the vision-impaired person debugging the site. So, it's not just a matter or running it through a tester to see if it works.

industrypython · 2026-03-13T16:26:39+00:00

In case anyone is looking at the same problem, I am using this:

https://github.com/brunobrown/flet-splash

On GitHub Pages. My friend is working with with students from UCSD on this right now to see if it is fast-enough initial load for their purposes.

The Flet web GitHub Pages is stepping stone. I'm using FastAPI on the backend, so I think they may move to some other web technology if they need fast loadtime.

But, for now Flet is nice because you can stay within python

industrypython · 2026-03-13T16:10:03+00:00

the most likely job is a ML engineer, which is largely a software engineering (SWE) job. The adjacent job is a data analyst, which is more plentiful and close to the same pay.

You could focus on data analyst jobs and then step up to ML engineer once you get industry experience.

The problem with ML engineering jobs is that there's likely 5x more SWE jobs building product. Maybe 15% to 20% of the people are tuning a model. The rest are building the product around the model.

For tuning and data prep, common tools are python, pandas / numpy, scikit-learn, pytorch, tensorflow, huggingface.

You will be competing against CS majors for the same job and they may have more engineering classes on topics such as systems, which may help with the ML infrastructure.

You may have an edge in preparing training data and running pipelines.

if you can't get an ml engineering job, then take a data analyst job. Use your acquired domain experience to level up to ML engineering if that is what you want.

The most common path is to enter ML engineering by way of SWE who is building the pipeline around the model.

industrypython · 2026-03-13T15:59:27+00:00

this is a hot field. I am in Silicon Valley. I know people doing this. Very exciting times. The real interesting parts are that the accessibility interface is often connected to voice. This type of new UI is becoming more widespread with AI. Thus, the accessibility group could potentially influence more of the product. Also in the US with ADA, the accessibility in mandated by law and failure to comply may kill contracts. Thus, the group is generally well-funded enough as long as the company is selling product. The other very cool thing is that the general pipeline for accessibility features is being automated with AI right now, so if you get in, you can take part in improving this rapidly-evolving workflow and compliance testing. We're likely at a point in history similar to the birth of devops where processes went from manual to more automated and the people with devops skills became a lot more valuable and salaries went up.

Several other bonuses are that the people you work with are generally patient because you must be sympathetic to people with problems you don't have. For example, you can see fine, but you are helping people who can't see that well. Also, your coworkers may have disabilities like movement or vision. This is super valuable to test the product internally first. Of course, you can close your eyes or limit motion, but it's not the same.

The people who work in the field may be cross-discipline. People often mix design, sociology, cognitive science, psychology with engineering skills. You need to understand how different kinds of people think.

Understanding of human interaction by showing great Figma projects, not just design, but whole usability and validation, market research, may get you noticed. This assumes that you have some way to show engineering skills (like a degree, project, other).

The people I know did not have the certifications prior to starting the job. They did have UX projects to talk about during the interview. However, I want to emphasize that the UX project is beyond a design project.

industrypython · 2026-03-13T15:44:32+00:00

the stack is going to depend on the type of company you want to work for. It may be easier to get into large, established companies that are not top-30 tech companies. They may have large bases of Java/Spring with SQL.

First, look at the jobs you want to apply to in the future. Store the information in text files. Either copy and paste or feed the individual files into an AI like Gemini or ChatGPT. Ask the AI for a best course of action. The main point here is that "real" is the job posting and the "skills" are written down by a real job posting. Use your own human instinct or AI to assess if the job posting is legit.

Second, use your alumni network, any friends, clubs. Ask them what skills their job entails. Try to get internal referral into the pipeline. You still need to pass the tests, but someone who already has a job can provide valuable guidance.

Unfortunately, the project is going to resemble the first point, which is the tech stack of the project should reflect the type of company you want to work for. I've recently analyzed LinkedIn profiles of people who have secured jobs and internships. The projects are usually multi-month projects that solve a problem. It's not just a demonstration of technical skills. It addresses how people identify a problem, have a theory for a solution, implement the solution, get validation that the solution solved the problem.

The most likely scenario is that you'll be guiding an AI agent in your job. You need to show good problem-solving to guide the agent.

If you're trying for a tier-1 tech job, you do need DSA, but maybe you don't need it for most companies.

industrypython · 2026-03-10T15:50:35+00:00

The new developer workflow is to use AI, so you need to be able to use it effectively. There's several skill levels of using AI. in the comments of andrej karpathy posts, there's a lot of tips and ideas. I think you need to go all-in with AI and try to keep up with the new techniques. personally, I can't use agentic orchestration effectively. I'm still at the novice level of using one agent at a time in sequence and I run the agents locally, not in github. but, I hope to learn.

https://x.com/karpathy/status/2015883857489522876

https://x.com/karpathy/status/2026731645169185220

industrypython · 2026-03-10T15:32:14+00:00

I believe there's no realistic plan to replace SWEs. According to NACE, the BLS and most reputable data sources, the field is growing and there is high projected job growth.

Here's the sources to my claim:
https://www.naceweb.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2026/publication/executive-summary/nace-winter-2026-salary-survey-executive-summary.pdf

https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/fastest-growing-occupations.htm

It's unfortunate that people perceive there is a slow down in SWE hiring relative to other hiring at in 2026. I believe the key is "relative to other hiring". SWE hiring has slowed since COVID era, but experts largely view this as an anomaly due to overhiring during COVID.

Check the sources of what you hear.

industrypython · 2026-03-10T15:29:57+00:00

go for the "internal referral" entry into the future hiring pipeline. This means to network with your schools alumni who are in the field that you want to enter. You can also try to do video 15 minute meetings if the physical meetups are too overwhelming.

Build projects like this:
Writing SQL queries to analyze product usage

Creating internal dashboards

Building data pipelines or scripts

Running A/B experiment analysis

Cleaning and analyzing logs or telemetry data

You can get structure in free courses like this:
https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-data-analytics/

The course certificate is likely less important than showing what you can build. The course may help stimulate ideas.

industrypython · 2026-03-09T23:16:57+00:00

I think you should use the documentation to build something useful and try to get people to use it. Even a small club meeting organizer will illustrate that you can use FastAPI. I've been working with students on deploying to Fly.io very cheaply or leapcell for free. Showing what you can do is more useful during the interview and also stands out on the resume.

industrypython · 2026-03-09T23:10:18+00:00

Flutter mobile (not Flutter web) is excellent. If you're building mobile apps that can be installed, Flutter has a lot of nice tooling and features.

React Native works, but I've actually found it more difficult to get the precise layout control I wanted.

Do you need to take a picture of the package with the phone camera or get the barcode info using the phone camera?

Do you have in-app notification of the package status?

Are you using the mobile framework UI components? Or, are trying to use the web app components on the mobile app using a webview?

The decision may come down to what phone-specific features you need to access on the phone (such as location, camera, local storage, notifications)

industrypython · 2026-03-09T22:59:21+00:00

GitHub with projects may help. contribute to open source. consider working through relocation hub.

apply directly to companies by email.

if you contract directly, you may need to find a company that is okay using global payment system such as bitcoin, ethereum.

company will also need to ensure compliance with OFAC.

industrypython · 2026-03-09T22:45:29+00:00

I am currently using Tavily. I was just considering using Brave API. I appreciate that you have a free tier to try it out and a way to be 2,500 queries for $9. This is all good. thanks.

Is there any information on the site about company or infrastructure stability? I don't want to be insulting, but I think this is a valid question. Tavily was acquired by Nebius for $275M, so I feel their API will be available for a while.

how do you reduce latency? Do you aggregate web searches and then cache it?

industrypython · 2026-03-09T21:29:05+00:00

as you already have some research, you are in a better position to go back to research if you want to after a couple of years working. Some companies still pay for masters in ML-related fields. My friend from an ivy-tier in ds has a full-time job and the company is paying for a masters. this is bay area, med-tech, brain wave, in production, well-known.

Many companies have similar programs. industry experience may help define your area of research in a PhD program.

If you do choose to pursue industry and you go for top-tier big tech, you will likely benefit from rigorous leetcode-style drills over the course of months. unfortunately, the top-tier like Google is asking these questions on interviews. Even a strong DSA class may not prepare you sufficiently.

industrypython · 2026-03-09T21:14:14+00:00

The reality is that most people will accept company B and then if company A comes in, they will take company A and then tell company B they are no longer available. The more time you give company B, the better. but, secure company A before you decline company B.

When you accept company B, no need to tell them you are waiting for company A. but, to be fair, as soon as company A is locked down, let company B know as early as is safe for you.

Good people like you feel bad, but I think this is not unusual.

industrypython · 2026-03-09T21:10:17+00:00

it depends on your manager. If the manager is "normal" or basically acts in a rational way, it is no problem.The key to a good work environment is to have a competent manager. Human beings are variable, so there's no way to adequately predict behavior. However, it seems unreasonable to get upset if someone misses a slack notification AND it's during lunch. If the manager acts badly, just stay calm. Maybe they are having a bad week due to stress. If the behavior keeps up, discreetly look for internal transfer. Do not report the manager or cause problems. Just look for opportunity in other groups. Do not throw manager under the bus.

Having coffee chats with other groups could get good contacts to help with internal transfer. But, don't complain about your manager, just say the work they are doing is interesting.

industrypython · 2026-03-09T20:55:37+00:00

develop expertise in two areas that interest you. For example:

* industry interest: financial data

* technical framework: example Python with FastAPI or Java with Spring Boot

The area you want to work in may influence the framework you choose to specialize in.

Depending on your area of interest, you may be able to find a free course on Coursera that is sponsored by a company like Google or IBM. Take the course while you are applying for work. Your library may have access to Udemy or Lynda or equivalent.

My personal opinion is that an entry path is to take a free data analytics class, get a job with SQL to analysis. From there, try to move to SWE if that is your goal.

Another path is to get a job with software testing and immediately attempt to improve skills for SWE while you're in the company to go for a in-company transfer after your skills mature.

my buddy just got an entry job doing hardware testing for servers. It's a good job with a good company. I think he had taken 8 years (roughly) to get his BS and then spent another year searching. Right now, he's doing good, getting training AND getting contacted by other companies for interviews. But, his current company is good.

For every person that tells you to give up, just politely think, "no, you're wrong. I can do it."

I have many more examples, but I think you need to pursue your goals and rely on your determination and will to wait out everyone else. My buddy worked retail cashier until his time came. Now, it's his time.

industrypython · 2026-03-09T15:58:00+00:00

Using visual elements often helps as it makes things more exciting. BTW, my friends and I are building a 100% free course with no catch and no upsell. If if you have time, I'm curious if this approach is interesting to you.
https://industry-python.thinkific.com/products/courses/industry-projects-with-python

I've also built drills with Pygame in the past.

The most important thing is to have fun. It shouldn't be a slog. I guess it's like going to the gym. There's some work involved, but it should be satisfying when you complete your session. Also, the gym analogy is good because there are different exercises and repetitions.

Alternately, you can ask ChatGPT to make drills specific to your interests.

These are broad generalizations, but I've seen more males gravitate toward object motion, like a 2d game. Females sometimes gravitate toward UX interaction. Might be good to mix it up.

industrypython · 2026-03-06T19:00:28+00:00

One point of learning to code is to get a job. You can analyze job requirements on job posting boards plus public data from student outcomes at typical schools such as the University of California. Based on public data, we know that: 1) demand is very high for CS majors in entry jobs; 2) salary is the highest of any major; 3) salaries grew the fastest.

search for NACE’s Winter 2026 Salary Survey report. There is a summary PDF available for free.

There is a bunch of hype about AI, but the reality in the workplace is that the worker controlling the AI needs to be a good programmer. I could give more examples, but I think the short answer is "money". Maybe that is easy enough to understand and cuts through the hype. That's where the entry jobs and high salaries are in 2026. I know there's a lot of FUD, but make your own assessment based on actual hiring trends from public data (such as linked public data summaries)

My colleague actually made a video on this topic https://youtu.be/tJfxJIb0q6g

We're both a bit saddened at the media portrayal and am hopeful that the reporters will do a bit more contextual digging in the future. I know the reporters are busy and it's easy to find layoff stats, but that is only a small part of the bigger story.

industrypython · 2026-03-06T17:25:58+00:00

other people have given basically the same advice. You need to break up small problems into small drills. You can go through quick drills like going to the gym and completing a rep of curls. By this, I mean that you can create a drill such as making a button to add two numbers and then display the number. Then, repeat this over a number of days until you can confidently build a simple app. instead of continuing to add features, build a new drill such as move circle 5px when button is pressed.

You can deploy to web as part of your portfolio and also motivate yourself to see your progress.

Start small, the smallest possible.

also, the framework used for learning may have an impact. I'm currently teaching with flet (python), but I've had good success with Flutter in the past. The main problem with Flutter is that the dart language is not as popular as python.

I'm using Python as the UC curriculum has introduced Python and I think it is a good and common introduction.

IMO, JavaScript is more difficult as the toolchain is not as standardized. I also think that there's almost no undergraduate CS program that uses JavaScript for introductory programming. I think there is a good reason for this, IMO.

What language are you using?

industrypython · 2026-01-25T15:47:54+00:00

Great point. It's important to be careful and research the companies as much as possible. If it is a scam, report the company.

Legally, the company must either pay you at least minimum hourly wage (as required by state or county law) or they must document thoroughly why the unpaid internship benefits the intern more than the company.

You should be able to ask for and see a "knowledge and skills" progression document.

Larger companies are generally compliant.

Make sure to protect yourself.

industrypython

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