Chigozie Asikaburu in
Security Software Engineer at Amazon
Top 6 Reasons Students 🎒 Struggle To Land Software Engineer 💻 Jobs
I’m a big reddit user and have been browsing computer science (CS) subreddits like r/cscareerquestions and others like r/csmajors for a little over five years. I’ve learned a lot, especially from other student’s mistakes. Through the countless posts I’ve read, in this article I go over what I think are the top 6 reasons students struggle to land software engineering roles.
Surprisingly, I put having a bad resume and poor CS fundamentals low on this list. I think students really underestimate the importance of networking and applying early and often. Dear CS students, don’t be a ghost 👻! Networking will valuable for getting referrals, resume reviews or recommendations.
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dq731nhadComputer Engineering at Pennsylvania State University
Okay, networking is a new concept for me. Like do I just go up to people and start talking about myself? Isnt that being a narcissist? Who likes going around talking about themselves and not be seen that way?
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19g6ukxpdde1cSecurity Software Engineer
Good question. I added this topic to my backlog of articles to write. I'd say the easiest way to network, is just asking for advice or help. I'm met a ton of people on LinkedIn who wanted to know what it's like to work at Cisco or Amazon. They wanted a resume review or wanted tips on how to do things like network. I've helped them and also referred them to jobs and good websites to use for applying.
Try participating in class more. Your professor will appreciate it and recognize you. You could try starting a small conversation with a professor about coursework and a particular subject or something you didn't quite catch during lecture. They'd be happy to chat and help you.
Once you've done that, you can try asking if they have any research internships or know of any internship opportunities. By establishing some rapport, it's easier to ask for these things along with any formal recommendations (grad school, REUs, job recommendations) if you need any.
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