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General Discussion

Justin Roberts
Justin Roberts
14,583 Points
Posted by Justin Roberts
Justin Roberts
14,583 Points

Very frustrated, maybe someone can offer some advice?

So, in a nutshell, I feel like I have quite a bit of experience with coding, but I can't even get a basic IT job.

I started out going to school for my associates degree in web design. After getting into that a bit I decided to go for a full blown bachelors degree in software engineering. So I graduated with my degree in general studies from our local community college, started working at Starbucks and they had a tuition assistance program to go to ASU. Well, I've been going to ASU for about a year now, I feel like I have a really great foundation. I have experience with Python, Java, and C++, although I have most experience with Java. I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of OOP.

Then reality sets in. They hired a new manager at Starbucks, the job was absolutely miserable, so I quit. Lost my tuition assistance, so I can't really afford to keep going to ASU. My credits don't really transfer to a cheaper, local school. On top of that, Code Oregon is ending, so I will no longer have Treehouse and really can't afford it at the moment (I do really appreciate this site, some of the best tutorials for taking my skills a little further with your Android tutorials).

So I'm back to looking for a job. I feel like I have quite a bit of skills, but I can't even land general tech support jobs like at Geek Squad. Unfortunately, it looks like I'm going to be back to working as a barista making barely anything. It just sucks because I feel like I have quite a bit of skills but I've applied for an absurd amount of jobs, have had a ton of interviews, but can't seem to land even the most basic tech jobs. I know you can keep learning coding on your own, which I will do, but it seems like all of these jobs are looking for a degree with a crazy amount of experience. Extremely frustrated.

2 Answers

Hannah Wagenblast
Hannah Wagenblast
2,791 Points
Hannah Wagenblast
Hannah Wagenblast
2,791 Points

Hi Justin,

First off I'm sorry everything seemed to spiral down after a change in management. That really blows and it's frustrating to not be able to find a career in your field. I understand, I'm sort of in a similar situation.

Did you receive an email regarding signing up through Worksource? At least that way if you go through the Worksource site and finish the iMatch Skills portion you could potentially apply for a grant for six months of continuation with Code Oregon. I would contact codeoregon@worksystems.org if you need any official questions answered (and if anyone reads this and notes a correction to be made, please by all means respond).

If not that (and you probably don't want to hear this) but try to apply for another Starbucks and try the assistance program again? I'm not sure what the process is for that (I didn't qualify myself for the program) but I'm sure if you email a representative regarding your situation you should find someone to understand and maybe talk over the issue, even allowing you back into ASU.

Anyway I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck in your life.

Justin Roberts
Justin Roberts
14,583 Points
Justin Roberts
Justin Roberts
14,583 Points

Thanks for the reply, Hannah. I registered for Worksource and everything and have finished the iMatch portion and all of that. In the e-mail they sent me I think I met the criteria for the 6 month extension, but they said they were cancelling my membership anyways. Maybe I will send them an e-mail to see if there is anything they can do. I guess if I end up having to pay for it that's really not too bad.

Unfortunately, I can't get another job at Starbucks. I was honestly a great employee there. In my last review before I left the manager told me how easy I was to work with and how I helped calm things down during high stress times. But when I applied for another Starbucks position, I also wonder if it has something to do with me not getting other positions I've interviewed for, he told them that I screamed and yelled at managers. If you knew me you would realize how just wrong that is.

I'm still trying to figure out if there is any way for me to continue at ASU. Kind of just have to wait and see what happens at this point.

Main thing is it just seems incredibly hard to get a position in this industry. I keep hearing people saying that these jobs are in really high demand and there is a shortage of programmers, it really doesn't seem that way from my perspective. I think one thing I need to do is to work on a portfolio so I have something to show when I apply for these positions.

Thanks for the reply!