Tips on landing a Entry Level Web Development Job

Yeah, it is pretty discouraging. I love Treehouse, but I'm wondering if maybe I should have gone with Udacity (I still might). They guarantee you a job or you get a full refund. I guess I'll just keep making my portfolio bigger/better.

There is no set steps to getting hired in web. You cannot follow what I've done and get the same outcome as I have, nor can you simply attain a "degree" and think you can immediately get hired by an agency.

Many factors come into play and those are different with every company you apply too. What you learn in a tech degree course might not be what a company is looking for, you're portfolio might not show skills a company requires, or you might not present yourself in a way that makes you stand out.

The goal is to invest in your craft, keep coding and eventually you will land a job. It took me a year to get hired at a great company, but during that year I applied to numerous companies, completed a couple internships and freelanced on the side.

I could take less or more time, but there is not set time frame. Don't feel discouraged, if you believe you'll be much more hirable having a degree in your field then invest in yourself always.

I've known of people who have gotten job by just doing the tracks. I think the techdegree isn't worth the price without the guarantee of a job or reimbursement. The only advantage the tech degree has are the projects, but one can simply create their own thus making it not worth it.

To me treehouse will have to change some things about the tech degree if they ever expect more people to fork over the 199 a month.

I think Justin has hit on why people are discouraged (at least me). Chyno has really good points. I agree with them. But when Treehouse markets their Techdegree with phrases like "Anyone can be a Developer. Earn a techdegree and get the skill you need to launch a new career" it can be disheartening. That quote is taken from their landing page, btw.

Well I'm not sure what else to do to my resume, but I am starting to learn back-end/full stack languages. Hopefully that helps. I haven't had any interviews in a long while either.

Not at all. I currently live in Northwestern Louisiana. There are not a whole lot of developer jobs of any sort around here. I've mainly applied in Austin TX, but also in Portland Oregon, New York City, Jackson Mississippi, Dallas TX, and a few in Florida. Those are just the ones I remember.

Hey Jonathan, I live down here in Portland and I am just getting started with the C# track. Do you think you will have luck finding work with just doing your tracks? How do you market yourself ?

I agree with you 100% on the availability of jobs around this part of the country. I see listings daily for various openings.

Hey Jonathan, I live down here in Portland and I am just getting started with the C# track. Do you think you will have luck finding work with just doing your tracks? How do you market yourself ?

I agree with you 100% on the availability of jobs around this part of the country. I see listings daily for various openings.

Hey Andy,

I think I can find jobs just doing the tracks if I've learned the material well enough and find the right company. Therefore, it will likely take longer to find a company willing to accept me without a certificate and/or degree, since I'll be relying almost entirely on a resume and portfolio. Those companies do exist though. The company I work for now, for example, is a software development company(I'm not a dev here even though I wish I was), and the people who do the hiring don't care whether you have a certificate/degree, they just care about how you think and whether you know the material.

Anyway, all that to say, I think a certificate/degree makes you more marketable if you don't have experience. Best of luck to you!

Seattle IS a really nice area! Just a heads-up, housing is expensive here and the constant rain/overcast in the winter can be difficult to live with, but if you're good with those things, then you'll love it here. I like a lot of things about it! You can't beat the greenery and the overall beauty of this place in the summer. And, more relevant to you, tech jobs are plentiful. There is definitely a major air/culture of tech throughout the greater Seattle area so it's a good place to surround yourself with smart, tech-geeks with similar goals to your own.

Anyway, keep us updated on your situation. I'm curious how things turn out. Best of luck!