Best bet for entry level Python coding job

Sh1tbag OToole

Long story short I finished college last year, done an internship for a few months that had some bit of python coding and been languishing ever since. The IT sector is supposed to be booming but as far as I can tell only for people with 5 years experience. The entry level jobs seem few and far between and nearly all advertised by agencies who I don't trust at all - the jobs they advertise might not even be there. I Just get a bad feeling from them...

I have been using python for years to throw together little scripts but no solid honest to God open source project I can point to and say "here lads, I wrote this." Though I started writing one about a month ago and have been tipping away at it so I'd mention that when I apply for job. Also I know my way around Linux fairly well but no solid industry experience I can point to.

Any ideas?

SalteeDog

Keep learning. Do something with Django. Get yourself some free server space on AWS and build something - anything. Contact voluntary groups/schools etc. - see if there are any projects you could do for them. Keep learning, keep busy.

draiochtanois

This post has been deleted.

Fussgangerzone

1. Forget about Don't rely entirely on recruiters, they don't give a fcuk about you, they're only interested in safe bets and don't give the new generation a chance.
2. Find companies you'd like to work for, whether they've listed a job or not, and send them a cv and cover letter, letting them know that you want to get into whatever it is you what to get into.
3. If you still don't get any work, look for internships in the startup scene. At the worst, you'll have something to do for as long as the company lasts and build your skills, and meet a ****load of like-minded people. At best, it could turn into a paying gig, if the company rises above the rest.
4. Get social. Participate in meetups, coding events, and so on.
5. As a follow-on to point 4, why not do a team project making some open source, or privately owned, doodad. The fact is, lots of people can code, but what really matters to employers is; can you code with others?

I suppose my main point is, whatever you do, keep busy. Collaboration is better than solo projects, because there's somebody else involved who needs you to deliver, so it can't become an idle plaything. Trust me, I've racked up a few idle playthings I thought would make me look deadly when I started.

And do the networking thing. I don't mean carpet-bombing LinkedIn with impersonal connection requests ( don't do that, it makes me hate people ). You can't build up a reputation if nobody knows what you're doing, and all the work I've ever gotten has been based on reputation, starting off with being the lad who wasn't that bad at html in college.

Oh, and if it suits you at all, write some javascript. Try making projects with stuff like Ember.js. People are doing ridiculous things with javascript these days, and I've seen technical tests that were entirely javascript based.

ChRoMe

Fussgangerzone wrote: »

1. Forget about recruiters, they don't give a fcuk about you, they're only interested in safe bets and don't give the new generation a chance.
   

That is really bad advice, as it means you immediately cut out a huge amount of possible positions. You just need to understand a) how the recruitment business process is structured and b) how to manage a recruiter (tbf they generally are **** at what they do)

Fussgangerzone

ChRoMe wrote: »

That is really bad advice, as it means you immediately cut out a huge amount of possible positions. You just need to understand a) how the recruitment business process is structured and b) how to manage a recruiter (tbf they generally are **** at what they do)

You're right. I've amended my answer. I suppose I have an emotional, rather than rational, reaction to the word "recruiter" these days. You spend the first few years being ignored by them, and the rest of your life having them ring you in work to offer you jobs you're not looking for. And christ, they don't seem to research the industry at all.

a fat guy

There's an entry level python position going in Waterford at the moment.

If you're interested, I could send you on the link?

Sh1tbag OToole

SalteeDog wrote: »

Keep learning. Do something with Django. Get yourself some free server space on AWS and build something - anything. Contact voluntary groups/schools etc. - see if there are any projects you could do for them. Keep learning, keep busy.

Django is something I have been meaning to install and give a try. I wouldn't be of much use to a school though, what would they want python written for?

Fussgangerzone wrote: »

You're right. I've amended my answer. I suppose I have an emotional, rather than rational, reaction to the word "recruiter" these days. You spend the first few years being ignored by them, and the rest of your life having them ring you in work to offer you jobs you're not looking for. And christ, they don't seem to research the industry at all.

I would be the same. Blue in the face from them calling me up and then going quiet on me once they realise I'm actually available. They seem to enjoy the chase or something

a fat guy wrote: »

There's an entry level python position going in Waterford at the moment.

If you're interested, I could send you on the link?

Do if you wouldnt mind, I'd be interested alright

stevenmu

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

and nearly all advertised by agencies who I don't trust at all - the jobs they advertise might not even be there. I Just get a bad feeling from them...

Some recruiters are excellent, some are dodgy as f*ck. Most of them are somewhere in between. But that doesn't mean they can't be useful.

It's definitely worth getting in touch with a few of them and giving them your CV and seeing what they come back with, and go to a few interviews that they set up for you.

You'll get an idea fairly quickly of which ones are good and which ones are not, which ones take an interest and spend a bit of time chatting with you to find you suitable roles, and which ones will send you to anything just to make up the numbers. (I previously had one recruiter try to send me for an accounting job because "sure the accounts are all done on computers these days")

If nothing else comes of it, you should at least get a few interviews and a bit of experience selling yourself.

SalteeDog

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

Django is something I have been meaning to install and give a try. I wouldn't be of much use to a school though, what would they want python written for?

You can pretty much write anything in Python (although it's not always the best tool for every job). Use your imagination.... how about a system to trawl students Facebook accounts to identify if any teachers have been mentioned?.... (p.s. I'm joking).