Get A Degree In Something Unrelated
A degree in basket weaving or interpretive dance may show that you have diverse skills, but it’s not likely to help you land a job in computer science. Your degree is way to signal to an employer that you know what you are doing. That’s why it is crucial to get a degree in something unrelated. The more unrelated the better.
Of course, there are exceptions to this. You could be very motivated, driven, and lucky and self-teach yourself Computer Science concepts. You could attend a boot-camp and be taught tools that would be useful for on the job tasks. You could even go back to school to get another degree! But who would do that?
Apply To As Few Jobs As Possible
It takes forever to apply for a job. Especially if you tailor your resume and cover letter to each individual job posting. If you do a handful of applications a day, it could easily take up all of your time. That, and it could take a lot of applications to hear back.
Doing applications is a skill in and of itself, so improving this skill would help in the time it takes and the quality of your applications. But that would help you get a job, which is the opposite of what this blog is about.
Experience Is Overrated
Why spend time gaining experience when you can just tell potential employers how awesome you are? Having prior work experience through an internship or personal projects will almost surely look good to an employer, so make sure not to do that. Heck, even the act of getting an internship could lead to job. That is why it is important to follow the next piece of advice.
Data Structures and Algorithms? Forget Them
Data Structures and Algorithms are integral in nailing down the technical interview. Without knowledge of these and some LeetCode practice, it would be impossible to pass your interviews and show that you know what you’re doing. So definitely don’t study these!
Soft Skills Are Too Hard
If all else fails and you nail all aspects of interviewing for a job, you can always fall back on some bad soft skills. Here are some ways to do that:
- Make sure to communicate your thoughts badly when working through a problem
- Display bad problem solving skills
- Have a bad attitude – be negative and unenthusiastic
Beware! If you don’t follow any of this advice (do the opposite) you will get a job!
