Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right community to ask this, but I got yelled at by my mom today for not having a job and I thought it might be worthwhile asking what sort of strategy I should pursue from a community of people with skills I would like to develop. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from a mid-tier state university in the US before the pandemic, but didn't really do anything to develop my portfolio. I had good grades and got two interviews for software engineer positions, but didn't get the job in either case. I didn't really care too much. I was still an enby egg and everything felt off, so I never looked very hard. When the pandemic happened, it made finding a position out of the question because my parents are high risk. Unfortunately, I have had trouble developing a portfolio. I don't know if my education is lacking or I missed something or it is my ADHD or I am just not talented and got fooled into thinking I was okay by grade inflation, but I could never focus for long enough to figure out anyone's project and make a contribution. I did a bit of Cracking the Coding Interview, but got bored a chapter or two in and haven't gone back to it in a while. So I guess specifically my questions are:
- Am I correct in trusting the common advice to contribute to open source projects to build a portfolio?
- If so, how do you figure out how to gauge your skill level so that you pick the right projects to contribute to? 2a. How long does it take you to get up to speed on a new project before you feel comfortable contributing? How long did it take before your first job?
- Am I correct in thinking that any credit I get from employers from having a CS degree is strongly outweighed by 5 years of not having a job and no contributions?
- Should I consider looking into the resources I (and my mom) have heard about offering autistic people help getting into technical fields? I don't think my autism is that bad, and I'm not particularly talented either, so I'd dismissed these for the most part.
- How do I avoid positions that don't either build my skills or lead to a career?
- I am prescribed and taking medicine for ADHD. Is there anything I can do beyond that? My mom has talked about hiring a “life coach,” but it has always sounded like a good way to spend money for no benefit.
- How do I motivate myself when I'm probably mediocre and will be treated like shit if I “succeed?”
- Am I thinking about this all wrong somehow?
- What are the best resources for someone in my position? Despite how it may sound, I am willing to put a fair bit of effort into self-improvement, it has just been spread far too thin because of the ADHD.
Thank you so much for replying and I'm grateful for your insight. In regards to your first point, it is interesting that it is not completely required to be an active contributor to get your foot in the door. I do think it would help with the substantive issue of being a bit rusty at coding and my confidence (as well as being a good thing to do), but it is good to know that there are differing opinions in industry about that.
I had the same impression as you in regards to the helpfulness of a degree. I had wondered how much I missed out by not going to a flagship state university or a well regarded private school, so knowing that some people view good grades at a mid-tier university as qualifying is helpful. It is also helpful to know that while not ideal, mediocre is at least acceptable in the beginning. I probably have been letting tropes about “genius tech founder” influence my perception of necessary qualifications. Even though intellectually I know that both not everyone is incredibly technically competent and that the trope is usually hype to attract VC funding.
Also, that roadmaps.sh site looks really helpful in that it shows the concrete skills necessary. Thanks!