5 answers
Josh
Student
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
1
Question
Asked
329 views
What is the best way to get meaningful coding experience to help land my first job?
I’m currently pursuing an Associate’s degree in Computer Science- Emphasis on Computer Programming.
Login to comment
5 answers
Jo Ann Hill
Technology Advocate
21
Answers
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Jo Ann’s Answer
Hello Josh, I have a few suggestions for you to leverage your coding skills and gain more practical experience:
1.) Engage in coding competitions: This is an excellent platform where you can collaborate with a team to devise a solution. Numerous events are sponsored by corporations and organizations. You can easily locate them (both in-person and virtual) with a simple internet search. As a university student, you're qualified to join the one currently being organized by IBM, running through October this year:
==> https://developer.ibm.com/callforcode/
2.) Contribute to open source projects: This is a great way to display your coding skills:
==> https://developer.ibm.com/devpractices/open-source-development/
==> https://www.linuxfoundation.org/projects/call-for-code
==> https://github.com/Call-for-Code
3.) Acquire digital badges: These are a fantastic way to demonstrate your skills to prospective employers:
==> https://skillsbuild.org/students
I hope you find these suggestions beneficial!
1.) Engage in coding competitions: This is an excellent platform where you can collaborate with a team to devise a solution. Numerous events are sponsored by corporations and organizations. You can easily locate them (both in-person and virtual) with a simple internet search. As a university student, you're qualified to join the one currently being organized by IBM, running through October this year:
==> https://developer.ibm.com/callforcode/
2.) Contribute to open source projects: This is a great way to display your coding skills:
==> https://developer.ibm.com/devpractices/open-source-development/
==> https://www.linuxfoundation.org/projects/call-for-code
==> https://github.com/Call-for-Code
3.) Acquire digital badges: These are a fantastic way to demonstrate your skills to prospective employers:
==> https://skillsbuild.org/students
I hope you find these suggestions beneficial!
Thank you, Jo Ann!
Josh
Esther Carter
Software Engineering
22
Answers
Springville, Utah
Updated
Esther’s Answer
That’s a good question, Josh. I recommend that you focus on doing coding projects that you can showcase. This could be a a class project, a project for a competition, or a side project that you do for fun. These projects help you practice and get better at coding, of course, but they also become “portfolio” pieces to show off at an interview.
On that same note, computer science is a bit like a chicken-or-the-egg scenario. The best way to get meaningful experience for a job is on-the-job experience. Look for internships opportunities where you can dive right in to the professional world of software engineering. It’s okay if you don’t have much experience outside of school. That’s expected with internships. You learn so much when surrounded by senior engineers that you just can’t pick up in school.
Computer Science is a great field to be in. Good luck! Feel free to ask any other questions you might have.
On that same note, computer science is a bit like a chicken-or-the-egg scenario. The best way to get meaningful experience for a job is on-the-job experience. Look for internships opportunities where you can dive right in to the professional world of software engineering. It’s okay if you don’t have much experience outside of school. That’s expected with internships. You learn so much when surrounded by senior engineers that you just can’t pick up in school.
Computer Science is a great field to be in. Good luck! Feel free to ask any other questions you might have.
Thanks a lot!
Josh
Ashutosh Deshpande
Product Development Architect
10
Answers
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Updated
Ashutosh’s Answer
As Atul mentioned, go for those techniques. I also suggest to look for UI technologies like reactjs, angular, if you are looking for UI development, which is a different kind of experience and needs different skill set.
Irrespective of the technology track you choose, you have to keep practicing programming regularly. It's important to understand how to develop logic for solving a problem. Start with simple ones and then continue to increase complexity levels. What I found helpful was also to develop small simple games via programming, which is fun and learn experience.
Irrespective of the technology track you choose, you have to keep practicing programming regularly. It's important to understand how to develop logic for solving a problem. Start with simple ones and then continue to increase complexity levels. What I found helpful was also to develop small simple games via programming, which is fun and learn experience.
Thank you for taking the time to help.
Josh
Atul Bhankharia
Sales
461
Answers
Mount Laurel, New Jersey
Updated
Atul’s Answer
Start by thoroughly investigating companies within the cybersecurity field to discover the job opportunities they offer. Pay special attention to the descriptions of these roles to identify the specific computer languages they're looking for.
Python, GO, and Java are commonly used languages in this field.
Make it your mission to become proficient in these languages. This is crucial because it's a standard procedure for most companies to administer a test where you'll be asked to write code snippets or debug existing code. This test can last up to three hours.
If you successfully pass the test, you'll be granted an interview.
Remember, the key to mastering these languages is consistent practice. So, practice, practice, practice...
Python, GO, and Java are commonly used languages in this field.
Make it your mission to become proficient in these languages. This is crucial because it's a standard procedure for most companies to administer a test where you'll be asked to write code snippets or debug existing code. This test can last up to three hours.
If you successfully pass the test, you'll be granted an interview.
Remember, the key to mastering these languages is consistent practice. So, practice, practice, practice...
Thank you!
Josh
Dexter Arver
Senior Manager, Web Applications
234
Answers
San Jose, California
Updated
Dexter’s Answer
Hi Josh,
I second Jo Ann's answer, especially about giving back to open source projects.
Another way to gain coding experience is to give back to nonprofits in a skill-based way, such as looking for gigs on catchafire.org. I'm sure there are other nonprofits in your area that may need help with websites, internal tools, or help that involves technical skills. Experiences like this will reflect well on you and I think that you'd learn a lot working with nonprofits, where resources are slim, so one needs to come up with nonobvious solutions to tough problems.
I hope this helps! Wishing you the best!
--
Dexter
I second Jo Ann's answer, especially about giving back to open source projects.
Another way to gain coding experience is to give back to nonprofits in a skill-based way, such as looking for gigs on catchafire.org. I'm sure there are other nonprofits in your area that may need help with websites, internal tools, or help that involves technical skills. Experiences like this will reflect well on you and I think that you'd learn a lot working with nonprofits, where resources are slim, so one needs to come up with nonobvious solutions to tough problems.
I hope this helps! Wishing you the best!
--
Dexter