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fezziwig comments on Open Thread for February 11 - 17 - Less Wrong Discussion

3 Post author: Coscott 11 February 2014 06:08PM

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Comment author: pewpewlasergun 12 February 2014 02:10:36AM 5 points [-]

Does anyone have advice for getting an entry level software-development job? I'm finding a lot seem to want several years of experience, or a degree, while I'm self taught.

Comment author: fezziwig 12 February 2014 06:58:44PM 10 points [-]
  1. Live in a place with lots of demand. Silicon Valley and Boston are both good choices; there may be others but I'm less familiar with them.
  2. Have a github account. Fill it with stuff.
  3. Have a personal site. Fill it with stuff.
  4. Don't worry about the degree requirements; everybody means "Bachelor's of CS or equivalent".
  5. Don't worry about experience requirements. Unlike the degree requirement this does sometimes matter, but you won't be able to tell by reading the advert so just go ahead and apply.
  6. Prefer smaller companies. The bigger the company, the more likely it is that your resume will be screened out by some automated process before it can reach someone like me. I read peoples' githubs; HR necessarily does not.
Comment author: jkaufman 12 February 2014 10:29:01PM 3 points [-]

Live in a place with lots of demand.

Alternatively, be willing to move.