How you can land a full-time programming job without much working experience and a Computer Science degree?

Luckily, this is not uncommon in programming industry. Let's get a closer look in this 5-minutes article on how to get a way out.

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Whenever you are looking at full-time programming job posting, it usually requires 3-4 years working experience and a Computer Science or related degree.

Most of the Employers prefer hiring experienced programmers or at least someone with a Computer Science degree, which is a bad news for candidates who are looking for job after completing the programming bootcamp without much related working experience, or even a Computer Science degree.

Unfortunately you need a job to get experience, you paid a programming bootcamp because you do not have Computer Science degree.

Does it mean that you will never be able to land a programming job?

Luckily, there is a solution to this paradox.

Become a Gig-programmer

Gig-programmers are not formal workers. They were hired to take on temporary small or specialized jobs which does not warrant a full-time programmer. Some examples of gig work includes:

• Write a e-commerce website
• Build a proof of concept for an innovative IT idea
• Data Scraping and crawling
• Help on programming homework

The income of gigs are unstable, the sales cycle is long, also they are usually not paid as much money as full-time programmers.

Then why should we become a Gig-programmer?

Gigs is the quickest way to build skills and connections

When you first start, you usually do not have the skills to handle the complicated big programming project. Gigs give you the chance to work on different small projects and different people. There is no better alternative to master a programming task than you have worked on the similar requirements for four or five different clients with different needs.

Every small project you have created can be added to your showcase portfolio. Every small project also expanded your connections and directed you to the next potential projects. People will refer their friends or colleagues to you, eventually you don’t even have to look for new work, new work will come to you.

How to apply for the gig

The key is, keep on applying to gig job posting!

Although the lack of experience seems to be your weakness to be chosen for the gig work, you can actually turn it into your strength, for examples:

• Tell the employer you are new to gig so you need showcase portfolio, which means you are happy to revise and polish as much as necessary to meet their requirements
• Tell the employer you are new to gig so you are quoting much lower than other gigs, which means the employer is getting a good deal at a lower price
• Tell the employer you are new to gig so you have done massive research in his/her industry, which means you can provide better recommendation for their programming task

Summary

If you can write basic programs, start your programming career today and apply for the gig. The skills and connections you have build over time will help you land a full-time programming job even you do not have much working experience and a Computer Science degree. Do it before, not after completing your programming bootcamp.