The journey from finding your first programming job and subsisting in the industry can be brutal in the ever-changing IT world. Doesn't matter if you are a college graduate or a self-taught software engineer, when it comes to working in the industry - the struggle is the same for the most part. I am hoping that sharing my journey so far could help someone looking to strive in this field.

Looking back on when I started searching for my first software engineering job it would be much easier knowing the things I know now. Every job application and every project I worked on was a plus to my experience (whether it was successful or not).

Experience and important lessons:

Don't limit yourself

My first programming job was not ideal. But the lessons I learned from it are huge! Knowing what you don't want to do can be just as valuable as knowing what you do want. In fact, identifying your dislikes and deal-breakers can help you focus on finding career paths that align better with your preferences, values, and aspirations. That's exactly what I got from it.

I was still in my final year of college when I started applying for jobs. I've already had some experience with JavaScript and PHP. I had some knowledge from my college classes, but what really sharpen my skills was freelancing work, websites I did for local businesses, and applications I did for myself as a learning exercise. Looking at it, I realize that nearly all of the skills I have today - about 95% - were actually self-taught, and not something I picked up in college.

To get back on the subject - I made a CV and put all of my skills, freelance and personal projects from GitHub inside and started to apply for jobs. The important thing here is to not get discouraged. I think I sent out at least 50 applications before I got my first interview - 30 of them I haven't even got a reply, and 10 said they were looking for someone more experienced, 5–7 of them found a better match, with 3 I've got the chance to present myself.

One of the companies was the market leader in making ATM software in Europe. I managed to pass the interview there and got the job as a JavaScript developer. I was so excited to start my first job and everything about the big tech company that I missed some of the red flags (some I could not know before I started working there). First of all- They used 100-year-old tech. Everything they built was using an outdated version of poorly written JQuery code. The main thing bugging me was that I didn't feel like I was making any progress. The industry was already ahead with using tech like React.js, Angular, and other cutting-edge stuff at the time. Another thing I noticed is a lot of big fintech companies use old boring tech. They are afraid of change and are not willing to try new things. Every suggestion I made was shot down - and with it my chance to grow and learn within the job - of course I had plenty motivation and was learning apart of the job, but it's important to have a job that pushes you to learn and grow. Especially in the tech industry, where everything changes so fast and especially when you're just starting out.

People were also toxic there. As the job wasn't remote I had the chance to witness and hear about different "office clans" and how people were talking behind each other's backs while bothering themselves with nonsense. I didn't want to be a part of it, but it was still hard to work in that kind of environment.

Even though I was only at that job for four months, I quickly realized that something needed to change. In order to progress in my career and avoid feeling unhappy, I knew I had to leave that toxic workplace and start learning new technologies. It taught me an important lesson: don't stay at a job just because it was hard to find or pays well, there is always a more suitable one out there. Your happiness and ability to learn and grow on the job are more important than a good salary. Staying up-to-date with industry changes and being able to make progress in your work are key to enjoying your job as an engineer. If your current job doesn't offer these things, it may be time to look for a new one. This experience also taught me to look for warning signs in other companies I consider working for, and to be clear about what I don't want in my next job.

And remember  -  when you apply for a new job, having previous work experience gives you an additional accomplishment to showcase to potential employers.

The next chapter is coming soon…