I'm about to finish my first track, but unsure where to proceed.

Hi Michael,

Much more important than the amount of time you've spent studying (despite what job descriptions might lead you to believe) is the content you've created. I see you've already got a personal site and a couple of example projects there - that's a great start. I would focus on trying to build out that portfolio, whether it be through tinkering with your own stuff, or finding people / organizations you could build simple sites for. Does your favorite pizza place have a crappy website? Ask the owner if she'd be interested in a redesign. Maybe you have a friend who writes a blog on a not-so-pretty WordPress theme? Ask if he'd be willing to let you tweak some of the CSS.

Anything you can do to get some more practical experience under your belt will help you learn and make you look more attractive to potential future employers.

When it comes to actually applying, don't be afraid to reach beyond your actual experience level. You don't want to go applying for a senior web developer position asking for 7 years of professional experience, but 2 years shouldn't scare you off. Some of the job descriptions you see out there are insane, and they'll never actually get any applicants that fit what they're ideally looking for. The worst that can happen is you don't hear back.

Good luck!

-Greg

Don't let job descriptions scare you away or make you feel like you don't know enough. A lot of them are filled with buzzwords and tons of 'requirements' to weed out the terrible candidates.

"We want someone with 10 years experience with html, css, javascript, sql, php, javascript again, jquery, 10 different frameworks, node, angular, meteor, android and iOS development, computer science and business and graphic design degrees (doctorates are a plus), customer service experience, extensive experience with git/gulp/bower/wordpress/joomla/magento, and you should be able to complete a Rubik's cube in under 75 seconds."

Be confident in your skills, show off your work, and apply and see what happens.

NOTE: some jobs do require a lot of knowledge and you need a big stack of knowledge/tools but you never really know

I worked at IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon on various development projects. Take my word for it. You would be surprised on what exactly people know. It baffles me everyday how little it actually is. Go for the job! If you pass the interview. Grab a few books and get to work! That's what I say. If you don't some other person who probably knows less will steal it from you.

Thanks for the replies guys, so just flesh out the portfolio, volunteer projects if I can, personal if I can't, and don't worry too much about the job requirements?

More than anything, job requirements are used as a guideline for what an applicant "should" know - but think about every job you've had and how much on-the-job training you get regardless of what you "knew" ahead of time. Knowing the fundamentals, having a portfolio, and above all, know your resources... Then just apply, apply, apply. Good luck!

A tip I got recently for building up resumes/portfolios was to check Craigslist for side gigs. You also might try looking into volunteer opportunities with nonprofit orgs in your area. Good luck!