Why you can’t find a job as a Software Engineer

Is it true that it’s practically impossible to get hired as a software engineer in the current job market? Should I still pursue it, I’m very passionate for it, but the fact that people say such thing.

Woman Coding

You are living in difficult times, and as a fresh career candidate, I don’t envy your position as it is more difficult to get jobs, or at least the strategy is far different from what happened thirty years ago. When I first entered the market, many employers searched college campuses for hires. Hiring was more of a recruitment effort as a priority; global initiatives drove the market to a frenzy. The Y2K “bug” had many corporations scurrying in fear, and if not as direct hires, consulting companies were snapping up hires as fast as they could submit resumes. A decade later, the Internet boom and its summarily developing bubble cast the next big wave of recruitment.

Along with many of my colleagues, I was hired with no experience. We were promised real-world, hands-on experience as developers and received training to do our jobs. That may be distasteful to experienced software engineers, but that was the landscape. The consulting companies would mix their project staff with varying experience levels, expecting the extra warm bodies to “train up” the less experienced staff and that everyone would generally float to the top.

The reality is that wasn’t true. The seasoned developers continued to do their job, ignoring the juniors. After all, it isn’t their job to teach people without skills. Or is it? After thirty years of struggling to be a software engineer, I have had little or no assistance from anyone. I learned on the job and through self-initiated training with progressively increasing responsibilities and projects. In the end, however, there was still a struggle. Some people will disagree because they found mentors along the way, but it isn’t the norm; you may spend three decades like me in a continual, uphill battle to prove myself and to upskill for survival.

The added component for applicants today is that they aren’t recruited and are forced to showcase their skills and do some salesmanship to get their foot in the door. An added set of hurdles is in the way, but it isn’t impossible. Your focus now is on interview-based coding tests; your showcase is that you know how to code, analyze problems, and can demonstrate collaborative skills and an attitude conducive to your team. Your work style and soft skills are ever scrutinized from the moment when you field that first hiring call.

My post advises that passion is only one component of a good career. You may be crazy motivated, but if you’re not good at it, it may not fit. After getting your foot in the door, your next task is to determine if you have an aptitude for software engineering. Pivoting into other IT careers isn’t impossible, and you could still recycle into another field if it doesn’t work out. You won’t know unless you try, but remember that it may take a long time to get into a flow and find your place in a field like software engineering. Do informational interviews with people already in the field, discover the day-to-day life and challenges, and decide if it’s for you. Be prepared, as the market is also tough because everyone wants experience. A little self-promotion and sales skills will also help. Good luck.