Experienced Devs, If YOU Were Trying to Land an Entry-Level SWE Job Today (Late 2025), What Would Be Your Game Plan?
Posted by the-learner26@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 4 comments
Hey r/learnprogramming
I have a burning question for all you seasoned software engineers. I recently graduated from a coding bootcamp and I'm laser-focused on landing my first entry-level SWE role in the San Francisco area or a remote position within the US by the end of 2025.
Here's the thought experiment I've been running: If you, with your current knowledge and experience, were suddenly transported back to being a fresh coding bootcamp grad in today's job market, what would be your absolute top priorities to give yourself the best shot at landing that first gig?
I'm genuinely curious to hear your perspective on the current landscape. Would you:
Double down on specific in-demand technical skills? If so, which ones are screaming "hire me!" in late 2025?
Consider pivoting into a more niche area? Things like AI/ML seem to be constantly evolving; would you dive into that to stand out? Or are there other emerging niches you'd target?
Focus on foundational skills? Is a rock-solid understanding of data structures and algorithms still king, or are there other fundamentals you'd prioritize?
Sharpen your system design skills even at the entry level? How much of an edge does a basic understanding of system design give a junior candidate?
I've been looking into some online certificate programs to potentially boost my resume and knowledge. There are a few that caught my eye, including:
Applied Machine Learning and AI Certificate
Data Science Certificate (or Data Science Essentials)
Systems Design Certificate
Product Management for Engineers Certificate
From your experience, do any of these resonate as particularly valuable for someone trying to break into the field right now? If you were in my shoes, would you consider taking any of these, or would you focus your learning efforts elsewhere?
Beyond just technical skills, what other strategies would you employ? Would you:
Focus heavily on building a specific type of portfolio project? What kind of projects truly impress hiring managers for entry-level roles in 2025?
Prioritize networking in a particular way? Are online communities, meetups, or specific types of connections more valuable for entry-level candidates?
I'm really trying to understand the market from your point of view – what would you do to give yourself the biggest advantage? Any and all advice, insights, and even cautionary tales are welcome!
Thanks in advance for sharing your wisdom!
Cheers
clutchest_nugget@reddit
Do karpathys zero to hero course. Backfill any linear algebra, statistics, or calculus that I’m missing. Learn some subset of PyTorch, tensorflow, keras. Participate in kaggle competitions, and any hackathon or CTF I can find. Network with other participants of said competitions.
heroyi@reddit
If it has to be boot camp and not university then it would be leet code grinding and portfolio project building.
For port building, build anything and everything that interests you and make it a decent project. No one gives 2 shits about a calculator app you made. But if you build mea Twitter scrapper that uses a discord bot to output things based on a query from the database on aws then that can be attractive.
It shows you know how to read documentation, troubleshooting, drive to learn and understanding of a fundamental system.
System design skills as a junior isn't very important in terms of job hunting. Knowing the basics is more than enough. This sounds a bit of a paradox but interviews don't generally rate this very high as it is more of a pulse check of if you are an idiot or not. Also pretty easy to game once you know the fundamentals
Build a port to get recognized and the LC to pass your interviews.
ToThePillory@reddit
If I was starting as a junior today I'd be looking at smaller companies doing niche things with niche technologies. Get on LinkedIN, Seek and so on and look for jobs that aren't getting filled all that easily.
There are just too many new developers learning the same old crap (a JS web stack and/or Python) and they're all applying for the same jobs, often at FAANG, so really for every job, there are probably 500 other people applying for it.
I'd be much more keen to find a small company doing something weird with Delphi (just an example) and apply for those jobs. The world doesn't need another JavaScript jockey, but some weird company making weird things might need someone who is happy to work in Smalltalk or COBOL or Rust, or Eiffel, or whatever.
I'm not saying learn a weird language for the sake of it, I'm saying look for jobs that every other beginner isn't applying for, maybe using unusual technologies and go for those jobs, not just blanket apply for generic web jobs.
_Atomfinger_@reddit
If you're looking for advice for getting a job, I'd recommend posting over at r/cscareerquestions. This sub is strictly related to learning how to program and not really "how can I get a job".
Just to answer your post though: I think people overcomplicate when trying to answer this question. I, personally, would:
The above is what gets you the interview, so if you don't get interviews, then you need to work on the above (or your resume is terrible).
I'm less passionate about certifications. They're nice, and if you can get them without forking over too much cash, then go for it. Just make sure they're reputable in some way.
Networking is also a good option, but I don't think that should take the focus from having a solid portfolio. Do it if you have the chance, but don't make it your one and only thing.
Think of it like this: Your portfolio, open-source contributions and education (and certifications) are proof of knowledge, so that should be your primary focus. The goal here is to convince the people reading your resume that you actually have the skills required for whatever job you're applying for.
Once you can get interviews, then it really depends on the interviewer. Some enjoy handing out DSA stuff, while other interviewers, like me, might be more focused on code quality, automated testing, etc.
Therefore, as an entry-level SWE, there is always chance that there's a mismatch between what you've practised and what the interviewer is looking for. That said, having solid DSA skills is generally a safe choice here.
Most importantly though: Be the kind of person that the interviewer wants to work with. The main skill I'm looking for in entry-level SWEs is the ability to learn and take feedback.