Welcome to the Treehouse Community
Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.
Looking to learn something new?
Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.
Start your free trial
Rebecca Townsend
4,170 PointsEntry level career aspects for front vs back end development?
I'm relatively new to the world of programming, but since joining Treehouse, I've played around in courses for both back end (Python) and front end (HTML, CSS, and JS). I really enjoyed programming in Python, and I initially thought that I'd like to pursue a career in back end development, but it seems like there aren't many entry level jobs out there for a back end developer. Does anyone with more knowledge of the industry know whether I can break into the field as an entry level back end developer, or will I probably have more luck going the front end route.
I appreciate any insight!
3 Answers
Jacob Mishkin
23,118 PointsIt's mostly about what you can build, and getting to know people(meet ups). I think the easiest entry level to break into is Wordpress. there is a ton of work, and some ad agencies don't mind taking a Jr. dev, because they can pay them less then the standard market for a Dev. In the end, I would say, do what you like/feel comfortable doing. If its Python, then go for it. It doesn't hurt to know CSS/Sass. Go to meet ups in your area and try to meet people and apply to positions you feel comfortable applying for. the one thing I will recommend is have a portfolio of content. Content is king, write a blog, showcase sites you've built, try to freelance. Most employers want to see that you can learn and understand concepts, so writing about them helps a lot. Go with what you like doing, and do it well. Luck is 80% hard work. I hope this helps.
stjarnan
Front End Web Development Techdegree Graduate 56,488 PointsHi Rebecca! I have not yet landed my first job, and when I do it will be front-end as my back end knowledge is not too good yet. So what I can share is only my experience looking at job-boards in my country (Sweden), and here atleast, plenty of junior back-end jobs tend to come up every now and then in periods. So if that is what you want to do, I recommend you to do it, when you manage to land your first back end job a year from now (or something like that), you're gonna thank yourself for following your heart. You will be able to do something you enjoy, seriously, think about it! Wouldn't that be awesome?
Ricky Catron
13,023 PointsI think the reason you are not seeing a ton of jobs is because they have a different name. Instead of looking for web developer jobs or back end developer jobs look for software engineering jobs. It is a broad term which pretty much means developer. I have seen most backend development jobs under this label. Just make sure to check the job description because software engineer can mean anything from web dev to machine learning.
There are lots of software engineering internships out there to break into the field. Check out http://www.intern.supply/ https://angel.co/ https://www.glassdoor.com/Job/index.htm https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/
I am in the middle of looking for a internship right now and while they are competitive it might give you the hand up you need if you can find the right company.