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sarahutchinson·Apr 14, 2022

Posted in:Advice Job Board Tech Career Growth

Hi Elpha members!

My name is Sara Hutchinson, a software engineer from the Greater Boston area (MA). I recently graduated from General Assembly's Software Engineering Immersive program, which was the most challenging yet rewarding experience ever. I enjoy solving real-world problems and being able to learn new tech every day! I am currently job seeking for a front-end development role, either in Boston or remotely! If anyone knows of any resources to check out, any advice about job hunting as a woman in tech, or have any leads, please let me know! I look forward to any people I get to meet during this process :)

- Sara H.

rachelkspurrier·Apr 14, 2022

Hi Sara! Congrats on graduating from your program!! I know a few folks who have made the transition into software engineering by completing a bootcamp--it's a lot of work, and you should be seriously proud of yourself!For finding your a full-time role, I know there are a bunch of articles online about steps you can take to increase your changes of success, like this one: https://bit.ly/3I130pJ I think the major pieces of advice I can think of off the top of my head are - join communities for women (like Elpha! and Tech Ladies, Girls in Tech, Women Who Code, etc.)--a lot of hiring managers are in these communities, and companies will post opportunities on these orgs' job boards- keep your skills fresh by continuing to work on side projects, especially if you're working with a group; hiring managers love to see collaboration- add more skills (like languages) as much as you can- don't get discouraged; you may have to apply to dozens (or more) jobsYou may also want to consider finding a mentor or someone who can help you with mock interviews, provide resume feedback, and general support/advice during the job search. Finding a mentor can be seem impossible, but I know a lot of people (including myself) who have really benefitted from meeting with a mentor, either once or ongoing. This article has some tips and tricks for finding a mentor: https://bit.ly/3pe9KZVHope these help, and best of luck on your search!

sarahutchinson·Apr 21, 2022

Hi Rachel! Thank you so much! It was super challenging but one of the most rewarding experiences. Thank you for the advice! I will check out those other women communities, that's seriously so helpful! As well as the helpful article :) I've been continuing with coding challenges every day and want to start a new project soon utilizing my favorite tech from the program!