Jesse Nwankwo ⋅ Irving, TX IBM ⋅ 3 years experience

Hi Hang,

First and foremost, thank you for your service and dedication. As a software developer the best advice that I can give you is "build something" then "build something else". By something, I mean a personal website from scratch using (HTML/CSS and JS), or/and an application such as a calendar, address book, game or something that interests you. To land a job, you should be really confident in your skill. To accomplish that, you have to "do." Here is what helped me:

1. Create a github account and store/showcase your code. (Commit code as often as possible)
2. Create an app (can be anything you want. A personal website is a good start)
3. Code everyday!
4. Apply to 10+ jobs on job sites everyday (linkedin, indeed, etc). Remember, you do NOT have to work for a large company. As long as you are able to build your skills, you will be fine.
5. Rinse and repeat

I wish you the best of luck. Please reach out if you have questions or if you need information on where to start.

Semper!

Tooba Ali ⋅ New York, NY ⋅ 3 years experience

Hi Hang! Thank you for your service. I would ask: do you have a Git profile to showcase your comp-sci skills? Do you know what part of tech youd like to go into (cyber, blockchain, cloud, etc). Do you want to do development work? And then networking is always super helpful - gettings peoples names on linkedin (who have roles that you admire) and emailing them for help. Asking for 10 mins to talk to them about their career path and how they got into the field. You never know who has or knows of an opening. You can message me in my linkedin and i can help you! https://www.linkedin.com/in/tooba-ali-223aa971/

Tricia Johnson ⋅ Newtown, CT IBM ⋅ 25 years experience

Thank you for your service. You mention that you have. BS in Computer Science. I would encourage you to reach out to your university career center as another source of employment and internship opportunities. Many university career centers are available to all graduates of the university even if years have passed since you received your degree.

Andrew Foster ⋅ IBM ⋅ 10 years experience

Hi Hang,

I would recommend building a good LinkedIn & GitHub profile. LinkedIn will get you noticed by recruiters and give you access to a ton of job postings. A strong GitHub profile will help you be noticed by whomever sees your resume after you make it through the HR filter.

I wouldn't recommend anything that requires payment to participate. There are tons of coding challenges & free online training that will help elevate your profile. For example, IBM offers free training for in demand skills through https://cognitiveclass.ai/courses These are great introductory courses that upon completion award a badge that you can add to your profile. If you complete these courses & save the code you created during the course to your GitHub profile, you get double the benefit.

Another resource you can use to elevate your profile is https://www.hackerrank.com It has a ton of coding challenges that will help you build & showcase your skills.

Find the right balance between submitting applications & growing your skills. Don't give up hope. I know it's frustrating and time consuming, but you will find the right opportunity.

Eric Kaltenberger ⋅ Ault, CO Microsoft ⋅ 22 years experience

Hang: I'm not a big believer in the "find your passion" mantra, most of us do what we **have** to do before we get to move on to what we **want** to do. 20 years ago I chose a field (IT) that had a strong upside, offered decent starting pay, and seemed like something I could do long term. You have your Navy experience and CS degree, but you might still have to start in an area outside of software development (e.g. support) just to get your foot in the door. Once you've done that, begin finding ways to leverage/highlight your CS skills in that position. Then begin checking out internal/external job postings for positions that are more interesting to you, note the skills you might be missing but can get through something like a short certificate program or course. Being a vet certainly helps and will have given you skills/experiences that others probably don't have, but most of us still have to work our way up once we become civilians. This has been the path I have used my entire career, and it has worked out pretty well for me. Message me directly if you wanna discuss this further...

Bob Fesler ⋅ Matthews, NC IBM ⋅ 37 years experience

Hi Hang, Quick question. As a start, have you looked on the IBM site for opportunities https://www.ibm.com/employment

Joe Woodward ⋅ Tarpon Springs, FL IBM Corporation ⋅ 4 years experience

PO3 Li...I am not very familiar w/the Leetcode process but any success effort to learn more skills is usually rewarded. IBM is similar to many larger companies and has veteran outreach/hiring efforts. I encourage you to apply via those routes.