[PLUG] Linux job hunting...

Michael C. Robinson michael at robinson-west.com
Mon Nov 14 14:10:45 UTC 2016


I have a major problem, I'm a college grad in computer science with 0
years of experience.  That PSU allows this when granting a degree is
sad, but that's another issue for another time.  Everything I can find
is for senior level people and a lot of the programming jobs require
.NET or some other Microsoft thing.  Short of an internship, no college
graduate can have experience programming in a Linux or any other
environment professionally.  How do you land a job in this market? With
Intel laying off so many senior level people, I cannot compete with the
talent out there.  The tech industry in Oregon doesn't need college
graduates and doesn't seem to want them either.

I'm thinking of volunteering somewhere, possibly at freegeek.  Thing
is, I need coding experience.  The only other thing I can think to do
is build a code repository and certify in Java.  Don't know if there
are Python, C++, PHP, and Perl certifications that companies care
about.  I'm looking at seasonal work in retail because I can't get a
computer job.  That doesn't cut it, I worked too hard for a degree in
computer science to be shut out of the field.  I need in, I'm too old
to wait: 1, 5, or 10 years longer for that first progamming job.  I've
been job hunting for 2 years as it is.

Interested in any good tips or advice people may have.  I admit I'm
discouraged, but I'm not giving up.  Giving up won't solve the problem
of being unable to land that first programming job.  This isn't a
situation I want to deal with much longer, an entry level programming
job would be very welcome.  Barring that, all I can think to do is
prove I have the experience necessary to function in a more senior
position.  That's a heck of a place to start though.



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