Job Search Update:

Context

Last year I wrote a Dev.to post entitled How long did you have to wait?.

I detailed my job application experience at the time, having applied to quite a few roles and receiving literally zero calls. It was a rough time, and I received a lot of great feedback from that article.

Update

Fast-forward to now, 15 months after graduating bootcamp, and still unemployed:

Yesterday I received a rejection email from a company I had been interviewing with for several weeks. This one really stung.

I even tweeted about it and was blessed with an incredible amount of support, feedback, and advice.

This company had reached out to me. They wanted to hire several juniors and thought I would be a great fit. I was very transparent with my experience and they were transparent with their hiring process. I loved the company culture and thought this would be an ideal fit for both them and myself.

I had to create a todo app for a code challenge, and I went above and beyond their criteria. I had so much for with it, I even put it in my portfolio. Check out The Matrix Todo app here:

Yesterday they informed me they wanted more senior developers and that they appreciate my time and effort, but I was no longer in consideration.

Conclusion

Looking for your first developer role can be incredibly stressful. It is a full-time job itself, and in many cases a mentally-draining grind that can often feel like there is no hope.

I want you to know that if you are in a similar situation, I see you. And I am here for you if you need to talk about your experiences or just rant about anything.

This post is meant to both offer insight and support for anyone else struggling to find their first role.

I believe that a big factor in finding your first role is about being in the right place at the right time.

I want to thank everyone who has been so kind and supportive this entire process. Thank you to my community for always being there for me.

If you feel alone, please know you are NOT alone. Reach out to me or someone you trust and I will help you connect with some great people who will embrace your journey and support you however they can.

Let me know in the comments if you have any specific stories or experiences you would like to share. We need to lift each other up in these moments and realize that we are all in this together.

Thank you for reading. Much love and respect