Hello everyone, I'm writing to ask for some advice on this current situation I find myself in.
Before my first 'real' tech role, I was an admin assistant. I joined a certification program to earn certification as a front end web developer and got hired on to my first role as a Web Content Producer. Despite the title, I didn't get to work a whole lot in the capacity for which I had trained, so I naturally didn't get any tangible experience working front end development. I was let go last month after my position was eliminated due to company changes, so I am both without a job and back to square one in not having job experience as a front end dev.
I want to work in front end but I'm not sure if I should jump into another role that's adjacent because I am without insurance, have no steady paycheck, and have an apartment lease ending in two months where renewal is out of budget anyway (if I was working). With no income to speak of, I won't be able to rent another apartment.
If I do this, I risk further delaying my growth as a front end developer. If I don't, I feel like it would put me in a dire financial situation as well as being stuck without hope that somewhere would hire me as a front end developer with minimal to little experience.
If you've ever been in a similar position or have any general advice, I would appreciate it so much. Thank you.
Barb Hansen
Startup Product, Growth & Strategy
7.95k
03/17/22 at 2:24AM UTC
There is nothing wrong with getting a job to pay the bills.
You can look for a front-end developer job while you are also looking for a "I need a job to pay the bills" job.
You can continue to grow your front-end job skills if you take a non-tech job or a tech job outside of your front-end development career.
Get a github account (if you don't have one), code and make that code public. You don't have to code every day, if you are working another job, just code when you can.
Don't have a client? Make one up.
Don't have a client? Volunteer your skills (don't work for free, but you could volunteer at a code weekend, woman who code workshops or for non-profits who need help).
I hire front-end developers, and I don't discount someone who has a "day job", I care about the quality of their code and the quality of their character (can we work together?)
You are welcome to connect with me here and on LinkedIn. I have a pretty big network of Product, Startup Executive and other people who hire developers. I'm happy to provide an introduction if you want to connect with someone in my network.
And give yourself some grace.
Kristie WhiteHRPMO Inc.
1.87k
03/17/22 at 1:09AM UTC
It sounds like you already know what you need to do. You need a job to get you out of this lease and into a new apartment so that you can have a place to live and buy groceries. So those are your priorities - Maslow‘s hierarchy of needs. Once you have addressed your most immediate needs, then you can start the process of getting into front end development again. But you are putting yourself into a lot of stress if you try to put the desire before the need, I.e. before you know where your next grocery money is coming from.
Anonymous
03/16/22 at 11:04PM UTC
I would break this down into priorities. First and foremost you need employment. So temp work immediately comes to mind. If there is a way to land some immediate work that happens to be in tech dev. Where you can immerse yourself in that area as well train, all the better. I would reach out to your tech contacts in your network and let them know what you're looking for. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up todate with your certifications, experience and title in the area of interest you're focused on. Further if there are technology recruiters you can connect with make sure to do so.
You've got this!
