Hello everybody, this is a rephrased version of an earlier posting I ended up editing I hope this doesn't constitute spamming. I'm finishing up my A.S. degree at a CC in the US. I have all A's in my computer related classes (Basic Java, Advanced Java, Basic C++, Database Administration, Systems Analysis and Design) and a few B's in other non-computer classes. I have also learned AS3 and Haxe. I am creating a social media site in Ruby that will demonstrate knowledge of Rails[0], and have created a few games (some used XML and JSON) using said Haxe and AS3.<p>The above examples show that I am a capable learner. However, I'm not quite sure how to best approach putting together a portfolio and contact potential employers. I'm in NY right now but will most likely be moving to SC for a year at least.<p>I understand that this is a bit of an open ended question, but I would love advice what to do at this point (I graduate in the spring and will be moving out to SC in late July).<p>[0]I'm currently using a private repo on bitbucket and developing on Arch Linux.
What area of SC? If it is the Charleston area there are quite a few good opportunities for junior programmer. If you are planning on looking in or around Charleston be sure to take a look at the Charleston Digital Corridor[1] for some good leads. Also, I would be happy to speak with you as I have worked as a programmer in Charleston for the last 2 years and I love it. Feel free to get in touch: hello [at] jakejohnson [dot] me<p>[1]<a href="http://www.charlestondigitalcorridor.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.charlestondigitalcorridor.com/</a>
Unless you really have intentions of selling your site, you should just open all your code. There isn't much of a reason to keep it private, because potential employers can't view it.<p>But more to the point, you would have a better chance of getting a job in NYC than in SC. Just keep coding. Finish your projects too. Finish that site you are making. I would be more likely to hire you if you showed passion and interest in coding. And a big part of that for me is finishing the projects you start.
While your degree and grades count for something, it's more important that you build a solid understanding of programming concepts. You should also write code every day, for any reason that you can think of. Build up that skillset.<p>Relevant: <a href="http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/26191/what-are-the-skills-you-look-for-when-hiring-a-fresher-newbie-for-developement" rel="nofollow">http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/26191/what-ar...</a>
The HN community is a bit unusual in that they're willing to consider programmers with no degree. But you should really just put in the extra 2 years, transfer to a state school and get a BS. It will pay off in the long run for your career. For most employers you would be at a big disadvantage having only an AS. Also keeps your options open for returning to grad school.
I have some invites to StackOverflow Careers [1] that are just sitting. If you shoot me an email...you'll have to figure it out from my profile...I will send you one. It's a good place to post a CV.<p>[1]: <a href="http://careers.stackoverflow.com" rel="nofollow">http://careers.stackoverflow.com</a>