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I'm 18 years old and I have studied Software Engineering and Fullstack Development on my own at home.

I believe I already have enough knowledge to develop a medium-sized website or app. So I'm looking for my first formal job.

However, companies require a degree or previous experience.

Being a self-taught, I don't have a degree. and being young, I have no previous experience.

How can I get my first job?

Kilisi
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Isaac Ferreira
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    You'd need to get hired before you get fired. Proofread the title of your question .... – brhans Jun 06 '18 at 21:13
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    Have you actually developed an app, or just think you can? – Kilisi Jun 06 '18 at 21:17
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    Sometimes you have to get in at the bottom and work your way to a position you want. If you have no experience nor any formal education, you can keep trying to get lucky (which may happen) or apply for a tech job (like a desktop tech) that you do qualify for and prove yourself competent enough for the job you actually want. I know this from personal experience - sometimes you have to climb the ladder. – Integration Jun 06 '18 at 21:19
  • @Kilisi I have a lot of private projects that I work out my skills. But I don't have a public and finished app or website to say that's my great project. I was able to overcome all the limitations I face in software development, so yes, I think I can. – Isaac Ferreira Jun 06 '18 at 21:50
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    you need something to show – Kilisi Jun 06 '18 at 21:53
  • What is the best way to achieve that? Creating a prototype application and publish the source code on Github would be good? – Isaac Ferreira Jun 06 '18 at 22:07
  • No idea, never used github – Kilisi Jun 06 '18 at 22:14
  • Related / duplicate: Effectively adding "Self-taught" skills on your Resume – Bernhard Barker Jun 06 '18 at 22:25
  • @zaclummys You need a few example projects to prove you are a good developer. Lots of companies are looking for people like you to train up. – ayrton clark Jun 07 '18 at 12:37
  • If you've never used GitHub (and I presume any version of git with a remote repo), you need to get experience with it if you're ever going to be seriously considered for a position. – Glen Pierce Jun 07 '18 at 15:25

2 Answers2

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Employers are looking for some evidence that you can be successful in the job. In the past they would have been looking for a college degree. Many employers are becoming more flexible in what they will consider, but there has to be something more concrete than "I believe I already have enough knowledge..."

The best you can do is build something that shows you actually have the skills. You can do this in a number of ways:

  • make significant contributions to an open source project
  • build out a personal website as a portfolio
  • build some other prototype system that shows you have built something of complexity that demonstrates your skills
  • freelancing for cheap and non-profit work (usually on a volunteer basis) could help build a portfolio (thanks @panoptical)

Any of these things can get you in the door for an interview where you will have the opportunity to explain to them how good your skills are.

cdkMoose
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    One thing I'd add is that freelancing for cheap and non-profit work (usually on a volunteer basis) could also help here. – panoptical Jun 06 '18 at 21:23
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Its going to be hard. You will most likely have to take a job that you will probably feel is well below what you feel you deserve. Most likely you should look for internships, possibly having to take extremely low pay.

You can do a few things to improve a bit as well. I would recommend working on some open source projects to start. That will give you the missing experience that you badly need. This is the only big improvement you can make and prove that you can actually do what you say you can do. Possibly take some accreditation courses as well, though they are not always looked on that highly. This is always taken with a grain of salt, and many jobs will pay you to take them (once hired) but you have to get to that point first.

imdannyboy909
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    "Most likely you should look for internships" - Going for internships is a good suggestion, as that would be a good way to start gaining experience so in the future OP can land better jobs. – DarkCygnus Jun 06 '18 at 21:45