I've just been made redundant with 15 years experience in web development & software engineering. I've had a pretty bumpy ride - I've never been given a promotion and I have done everything from bug fixes to line management and architecting & infrastructure so my CV is not looking great. Mostly due to being in the wrong place for too long (small companies, failing companies). Any advice on what I can do to beat the market, from people who have experienced this recently?
I just graduated with my bachelor's in computer science at 26. I had a good GPA, but it took me a few extra years to get through the program for various personal reasons. My main concern right now is the age gap. Since I'm starting my career a few years behind the typical age group, I'm worried I might never catch up financially or professionally. Will companies view my age as a red flag for entry-level roles, and does starting later cap my ultimate career trajectory?
Ageism sucks. And I see older folks constantly subjected to it. But let's be clear, ageism isn't *just* towards older people. A common occurance is older people trying to pull rank on younger developers, even when the younger devs are clearly more qualified. It seems the more meaningful distinction is not age or years of experience - but whether or not you care about your work, and have continued to refine your taste and explore new ideas. Maybe we need a new metric: "Years of new experience".
What are some of the trends in reference to programming language usage in the industry now? I'm currently an IT Service Desk analyst with a degree in Computer Science, and I want to get back into software development/coding. What program languages would you recommend brushing up on or any general tips you have for breaking into that space again?
Do you think software engineering should be a licensed profession? Or do you think it eventually will be? There is so much at stake at times with what we do. While I think software a decent enough job with regulation where it really matters (financial or self driving like development), I’m sure it’s not to the par of what it should be. To add, engineers have a pretty easy recovery should they act in bad faith.
Think about everything you’ve learned in the last 15 years. You must have learned some skills that a junior wouldn’t know. Frame those skills and examples on the resume using the STAR or other variants people suggest for resume bullet points. The take those bullet points and make sure the verb being used matches your actual skill but also your targeted job role. For example words like “owned” “architected” show more leadership and could be for a tech lead or staff role If that’s what you are applying for. If you were small and solo, you get to show how your role was not a typical software developer role. If you do a cover letter, elaborate on some of those skills (I pick the most recent and the most applicable to the job). Typically I don’t need to change the cover letter for every job, but just tweak it. During interviewing, make sure you have examples about all those and can answer questions about it. Also, and probably one of the most important things is emphasize your ability to problem solve and how you think about things. AI is great for a lot of things and some models are quite spectacular, but not all companies don’t want to spent $1000 a week per employee to make up for someone not knowing how to think.
SSE1 has good advice - I would follow their lead. For any observers, this is a good lesson not get to complacent with your career growth especially in the first 10-15 years. Take risks, learn new skills, grow while you are young and have the energy to do it. As you get older and your life priorities shift you’ll be glad you put the effort upfront.
It doesn’t seem like OP wasn’t trying to stretch in the environment they were in. I also know how strange the job environment has been for the last six years. Build the story for them that shows those things you did do to stretch