Create – Your Career Launchpad

Create – Your Career Launchpad

Graduates who came out of college (or maybe who came out 2 or 3 years earlier) and who desire to build a career in Technology, don’t worry if you lost your chance to get into a job during Campus placements. You having a degree alone does not entitle you to a high paying job in an MNC. When the employer hires an employee for X amount of money, they are expecting to get n times X worth of productive work in return. The employers who hired your classmates through campus placements did so because they saw some potential in them, so they can train them for a few months retain them for a few years and recover the training cost and profit once they become billable. That’s why the two year bonds and six month notice periods. Not getting a campus placement is no fault of yours, it should not be taken in any way as a shortcoming on your part.

Some of you who realise that you need to acquire additional skills to get a job in the industry go on and start learning to code. Learning to code is the first step. And, you ought to have learned that during your college years anyway. There is a long way to go from learning how to code to doing productive work using that skill. How do you reach there without having a job? Here are a few tips:

Create: Instead of knocking doors with your resume, let the employers come to you. Let your work speak for you. Create something. Think about the problems you can solve using your coding skills. Narrow down on one or two problems and start developing a solution for those problems. Develop an app, website etc. Use Producthunt, Kickstarter etc. to see how people are using technology to solve problems.
Network: Use online resources to refine your skills, network with experts in your field (Stackoverflow, LinkedIn etc.). Find a mentor, partner with your peers and form a team. Be a regular contributor on Stackoverflow.
Organise: Use free resources available on the internet to organise your work (Github, JIRA etc.)
Showcase your work: Bring your solutions online. If you developed an app, get it on Play store, if it’s a website, host it. Let people see your work and give you feedback. Skip a few movies to save and pay for the hosting costs. Use Ad services to start making money through your apps/websites.
Physical workplace: Try to get a seat in a co working space. Although these spaces seem to be expensive, but if there is a vacant slot, the owner might give that at a discount or even for free. Working in such an environment lets you get in touch with potential employers, peers, recruiters and lets you see the current and happening.
It won’t be long before the employers start lining up in front of you. And who knows, if one of your products gains traction, you would be the one looking for employees.