As the job market becomes increasingly competitive, how can new learners find the best jobs for programmers?
As of 2021, there are roughly over 26.9 million software developers in the world and this number is expected to grow by over 20% in the coming years.
As software continues to take over the world, the job market for those learning to code is becoming drastically more competitive since industry leaders like Apple, Google, and Microsoft do not require a college degree to get hired.
Along with this, the barrier to entry for self-taught programmers is very small, as most people have access to all the information they need with just a click of a button on their computer.
Although the barrier to entry in this field is slim, many new learners often get stuck in their journey as they may overestimate their knowledge and come ill-equipped for a job interview, or they struggle to find the right path to follow and give up too soon in their learning experience as they aren’t confident that they have the skills to pursue their desired career.
As a self-taught programmer himself, Zach Gonzalez, a senior at Southwest Career And Technical Academy, wants to provide a one-stop-shop application that teaches new programmers how to code through a series of courses, projects, and learning materials and then help members find career opportunities upon graduation.
Read the rest of this article to learn more about his new app, Polaris.
The Competitive Job Market
“So Polaris came about during the pandemic since all of my classes moved from in-person to online sessions. Since I was at home way more than before, I basically had a year of asking myself, “cool, what do I want to do now?”
“It was almost as if I had graduated already since I found myself spending more time thinking about what I want to do with my life. So I started to think about my current interests, and naturally, computers came to my head,” Zach explains.
“Since I was around my computer more than ever before, I did what every new coder does and went to YouTube to learn how to begin my coding journey.”
“I learned the basis of the C language after I finished a few projects I thought I was qualified to get an internship, but I soon realized that finding a job was much harder than I anticipated,” Zach tells me.
This was the turning point for Zach to research and understand if other people were feeling as lost as he was when pursuing a career in programming.
As mentioned in the intro to this article, it turns out that this is a common issue that many new developers face as there are so many programming languages to explore, so many types of programming careers, and so many advanced people already applying for the same positions.
How New Programmers Can Stand Out Amongst Their Competitors
Zach’s goal with his new app, Polaris, is to provide a series of training modules, group projects, networking opportunities, and more resources that will help new learners gain confidence in their skills and attract employers upon their graduation.
Similar to courses like Aspireship, an online sales training course that connects graduates with employers, Polaris will provide a decorated resume upon completion that will help newbies stand out amongst the crowd.
Jobs For Programmers Without A Degree
As mentioned previously, the job market for aspiring programmers is quickly expanding to accept new hires without a formal college degree.
As more stories emerge like Ben Lesh’s, where Ben was hired by several FAANG companies without a cs degree, people are starting to attract towards other outlets to show the expertise of their skills.
Ben’s story talks about the importance of networking with the right people and creating an online presence to help source new connections in the programming world, but for many who are just learning to code for the first time, they may not have the connections and online brand to help support their growth.
Zach’s app, Polaris, targets new learners who do not have any connections in the industry, do not have an online presence, and have no clue how to find similar people to network with.
As it turns out, this persona represents the majority of those interested in pursuing a programming career, and thus the value of Polaris is extremely apparent.
Coding Careers For Beginners
Although there are resources online today that provide training in the form of courses, projects, and community groups to join, Polaris wants to create an even more personalized experience for the beginner programmer where they can schedule appointments to meet with mentors, and work on community-led activities.
Polaris provides a solution for beginners to learn critical information, act on their knowledge, and speak with other experienced developers all inside one platform.
This will greatly improve expectations amongst new coders as they can gain a complete understanding of what their desired career entails by speaking with people who are in their desired position, and it will help new learners from being underprepared or overprepared for their next job interview.
Learning Made Fun
Lastly, Zach’s app will create a more engaging learning experience for the average user as learners can compete with others as they earn points throughout their journey that will be shown on a leaderboard.
Along with this, as users advance in their learning, they earn rewards that they can use to customize their experience by changing themes, borders, other artistic choices, and more.
In order to provide the most personalized experience, the app evaluates the level of knowledge users currently have before learning in regards to subjects that they are interested in.
Once users choose their set of interests and skill levels, the platform will automatically suggest the best training videos, community projects, community questions, mentors, and future employment opportunities all related to the settings that the user has configured upon signing up.
Conclusion
Overall, Zach’s app Polaris aims to help new coders learn, collaborate with others, find mentorship, and find employment opportunities all inside one central platform.
At this stage, Zach is asking for people to download his app (it’s free!) as it is still in beta testing and would love to receive feedback on how he can improve.
If you would like to help Zach on his mission, click this link here.
Also, if you would like to learn about other free resources for new programmers, check out our previous article here.
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