Finding a Job

"Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself. Be a hard master to yourself-and be lenient to everybody else." ~Henry Ward Beecher

How I landed my job

Thinkful's Software Engineering Bootcamp was a whirlwind introduction to web development and I learned so much. I loved the program and the advice from the Career Coaches was excellent. In fact, within 2 months of finishing, I was interviewing with at least 2-5 companies a week. I felt on top of the world and in no time would I land my dream job. Some of the interviews went further than others and I was beginning to move towards the finalist stages for two companies. Here I come development world! Then the 2020 pandemic hit. Both positions were put on temporary then permanent hold. The job market dried up almost over night for new developers. Sure, senior devs were getting plucked to high paying positions, but most companies were reluctant to hire new developers.

The subsequent eight months were the toughest part of my journey. I continued to write cover letters and apply for jobs on a daily basis, but with very little feedback and hardly any interviews. The rare interviews I would get seemed to be for jobs that no one wanted at companies that had bad track records for retaining employees. It was a daily struggle while I balanced family life (wife and three children, one of which was a newborn), practicing coding problems, interview questions, trying to build portfolio projects, and continuously applying to new jobs. I stopped tracking job applications after I hit 1000. Seriously, my notion database still stands at 1000 jobs applied. However, I never stopped. That pesky voice in my head kept telling me: You will never get a job, you are not good enough, why continue? But again, I never stopped. Call it stubborn persistence, but I was not going to give up. I knew I could do the job and do it well. My family was also depending on me.

I remember applied to Wiland as somewhat of a 'throw-away application.' From my research they seemed like a great company with a great job. However, they were 55 miles from my house with no remote options. Now I have done 45-minute to hour commutes my entire working career, but no way could I do a 75-minute commute without traffic when I had a young family at home. I figured if Wiland called, I'll take the interview for more practice. They eventually did call and I approached the interview with a very relaxed demeanor. No pressure what-so-ever. Three weeks later I was offered the job and I accepted. They have since changed their work from home policy and I am now a remote software developer on a great team at a great company. Persistence. Perseverance. Never giving up. Relentless pursuit. Whatever you want to call it, I didn't let anyone or any thing keep me from accomplishing my goal.

So where are you in your career? Just starting out? Progessing up the ladder while putting in your time/gaining experience? Stuck in a position you no longer enjoy? Or are you crushing it and loving your position? Wherever you are, just remember that nothing is forever and if you want change, you can make it happen. You just have to do something about it.