Am I ready for my first job as a software developer? How do I know?

Before you submit your job application for your first job as a software developer, let me share something with you …

Yesterday someone asked me, how do I know I am ready for a junior software developer role if I have been learning how to code for a while? Which made me think about this question a lot because as a self-taught developer or a Computer Science in college you might be acquiring a lot of knowledge, but you don’t know when is it enough to apply and be successful as a junior developer working for a company or even as a freelancer.

So, today I will share some guidelines based on my experience you can use to know if you are ready to apply to a junior software developer role.

Make sure you understand the fundamentals

If you have been learning how to code for some time now, you may have taken online courses, read books or even go to college to complete your Computer Science degree. That’s great, but the first step to assess to see if you are ready to apply for your first job as a junior developer is to make sure you understand the fundamentals of the programming language you have been investing time to learn. For instance, let’s say you have been learning how to code in JavaScript. Make sure you understand the fundamentals of writing code in this programming language. Concepts such as declaring variables, scoping, hoisting, the DOM, writing loops and functions.

“Understand the fundamentals and how to apply them is key”

Moreover, make sure you understand how to apply these concepts to build real-world applications. I would advise diving deep on studying and understanding the purpose of these concepts and the value they add to the marketplace. Why is let preferred to const in some cases? Questions like this may be asked in your interview, so I would recommend taking the time to understand why were these ideas created and what problem do they try to solve.

No worries, you don’t have to be an expert in these concepts, just know what they are and how to apply them in certain situations. Through time you will master these concepts and you will mature as a developer by experience.

You have tangible products of your work

The second suggestion I think you can use to know if you are ready to apply for your first job as a developer is to make sure you have tangible products of your work. Have a portfolio of examples of projects you have worked on. These can be side projects, just make sure that they are applications made by you and these projects exposed you to the software development process. That is, the process of taking an idea to a real-world software application. The cycle of drawing a diagram with the idea of the application, then writing the code, testing it and deploying it. This way, when you attend interviews you can explain how the application works to the interviewer.

“You can talk the talk and walk the walk”

Furthermore, if it is a technical interview you can go over the code with the person who is interviewing you (if necessary). You can explain why you chose to use the technologies and frameworks to build a particular software application. By doing this, you can show your thought process to the interviewer and your technical ability as well. Another thing you can do with this code is to upload it to your GitHub account, so you can refer it to it when interviewing.

Also, you can make a website which can serve as your portfolio of all the projects you have worked on, this way, you can have a place where potential employers can take a look at examples of your work. The whole idea behind having tangible products of your work is to have something to show your potential employer. Remember, put yourself in their shoes, they are going to pay someone to deliver real applications that are going to be used by human beings (depending on the case, hahaha).

You know how to use version control

This tip is even more important when working in software development teams. I recommend you know what version control is, how it works and how to use it on a daily basis. Some recommendations you can start learning if you don’t know yet, are Git or Mercurial. In my experience, this is essential because you will need to have versions of your code as you add features, make the code even more efficient as time passes and the project matures.

“Make sure you know how to use a version control system”

Also, when working with other software developers this skill will come in even handier because you can track the work of other developers and your work as well. A way you can practice this skill is to use a version control system to work on your portfolio projects. Going back to the previous tip, upload your code to a platform such as GitHub, and you will practice the exercises of uploading the changes your code to an online platform, which is a handy skill you will probably use when starting at your first job as a software developer (in my opinion and experience).

So, before you apply to your first job as a software developer make sure you are really comfortable with working with a version control platform. I know you will thank me later. 🙂

There you have it, three guidelines you can follow if you are going to apply for your first job as a software developer to assess if you are ready to apply. These are tips based on my experience as a software developer and I hope they can help you in your journey.

However, the best way to know if you are ready is to start interviewing, the feedback you will receive will help you know if you are at the level you need to be to work as a software developer at a company or even as a freelancer. The advice I share with you guys are some things you can follow, they are not solid rules that have to be done in order to land your first job as a developer.

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Hope this helps!

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Disclaimer: Results may vary. These tips and advice are based on my experience and opinion as a former undergraduate Computer Science student, tutor, teacher, and professional software developer. Everyone is different, so, the advice shared in this article may or not work for you.

Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels

Originally published at yadielcabrera.com on February 17, 2019.