When I was choosing which university suited me best, IT was the field that everyone appreciated, and job opportunities were everywhere. Like a lot of people, I wanted to try the IT field and see if it suits me. At that time, every time someone asked me what I study, even mentioning something IT-related, led to the sentence “at least you don’t have to worry about finding a job”. Five years later, things changed. If you want to learn how to land your first IT job, read this blog post.
Finding myself at University
To answer the question of whether it’s hard to find a job in IT, I would say yes, but isn’t finding a job in every field stressful and time-consuming? The idea of this blog is to tell you the story of how I got my first full-time job as a junior software engineer. As I mentioned before, I was trying to see if the IT field would suit me throughout university. If you are wondering why it took so long for me to find myself, it was because I was enrolled in a program that didn’t offer as many programming courses as some other technical faculties, but that’s a whole other story.
First job concerns
When I started my master’s studies, some of my colleagues were already employed in IT companies, while others were looking for jobs. Sometimes I worried that all open positions would be filled by the time I finish university and that I would be left jobless. However, at that time, I just wanted to be a student who went out with friends, had fun, and of course studied, without thinking of a job. Of course, I was lucky to have a scholarship, so money wasn’t something that I desperately needed. After a year, when I was choosing a topic for my graduate thesis, I wanted it to be something related to programming to gain practical experience that would help me in finding my first job. Then, everyone started discussing how difficult it has become to find a job in the IT field because AI is replacing entry-level positions. I began exploring alternatives and concentrated on completing my master’s thesis to finish university, fearing that AI would take over the world and render my skills obsolete (just kidding, I wasn’t actually afraid of AI, my real concern was that the IT field might need fewer employees than before).
My DevCamp and IT Academy experience
I started searching the internet and discovered that there are academies for young people who want to gain practical experience in the IT field. I decided to try this path, so I applied to one of them. They accepted me and it turned out to be a fun experience. I met many other young people who were also concerned about the job market in IT, and they had all been looking for a job for quite some time. I think those shared experiences brought us closer, so even a year later we remain good friends.
I enjoyed the first academy, so I found an advertisement for another academy, this time with Pontis Technology, and decided to apply. They accepted me as well, but this program had a slightly different concept from the previous one. The group of students was smaller, and I learned more since many of the technologies at Pontis DevCamp were completely new to me. It was fun to meet new people, exchange experiences and knowledge, and learn new things. DevCamp was held during summer break, which was a big plus for me, since, as a student, I had a lot of free time in the summer. What I liked the most is that the academy was mainly held online so, yes, you could be at the beach and at the academy at the same time. Of course, it’s up to you how much effort you put in, but every effort results in experience, happiness upon completing tasks, and in my case, landing a first job. I was thrilled when the Pontis hiring team contacted me with a job offer. Whether it is through an academy or an internship, I would like to emphasize the value of using these opportunities to gain practical experience and as a testament of your learning curve. Sometimes, someone will find your approach and effort valuable.
Final words of encouragement
Usually, in conclusion there are always some tips and tricks, but I won’t provide any. Just do what suits you best. For example, some will say that you need to find a job in IT while you’re still studying, but I didn’t do that and yet I still found a job. Of course, this is just one example where luck can play a role in finding a job. When I finished writing my graduate thesis and I was awaiting the defense of the thesis, I was (desperately) looking for a job. After submitting numerous applications, some companies contacted me back (even months later) for interviews, and some extended job offers. In my experience, I would say that you should always try applying for a job, academies or internships that fit your needs. Someone will recognize your passion. So don’t be disheartened if everyone around you is getting job offers; perhaps you simply haven’t found a company that suits you yet.
