Getting Your First Job as a Developer is Easy, Actually

We live in times of saturated market. There are no jobs around. You have to go to places and “ask” for work. Unlike old times, people would call you asking to update their website to a better version. Things were better at that time where getting jobs were much easier and everyone could earn comfortably, right? Well no.

Let me tell you how you can get your first job. We are not talking about simple first job and go home for years. We are talking long term and reliable way where you can make meaningful money consistently.

What I am telling is from my experience. My experience shared to you is valuable if you come from an area that is outside from South East Asia. This is because here things are difficult. With country having poor resources availability, you already have way higher advantage than us due to better country. The method that is shared here will become obsolete at anytime so make use of it until it is valid.

The article is written from perspective of web developer but you can this method for most kind of work.

The start

First you must understand the philosophy. | If you think there are jobs then you will find work, otherwise you won’t. | Strategies win. Learn to make them.

Clients want to see your work. First you have to code projects that solve real world problems. This would be your proof that are capable than other candidates.

The only way you can be more valuable than other candidates (they have better experience, have spent more time on platform, have better network, good projects, better understandings to how things work, etc) at the start, is that you will have what they don't.

Understand the missing pieces. They are more engaged in the platform and are constantly using their strategy to get more projects and thus make consistent money. This has also given them ego that they have done what's necessary and that they will win over you easily.

Now, what you have to do is first go out to job market places and examine what projects are being done. Those people have experience of "old" projects while you will have experience of "new" projects and your projects are much exciting than theirs. You use modern technology and have latest approach. And, the kind of work client wants is what you can provide. The way you can show that is by building a similar project.

From that paragraph, you should enough idea what you have to do. First you must learn the necessary. Learn what others miss like difficult technologies. As for web developer, that would be WebAssembly, WebGL, ThreeJS, GSAP advanced animations, etc. Then there are topics like Fine Tuning an AI, using open source AI reliably and it can run on cheap hardware, application that checks bounce rate from email list without any cost, etc. Real world stuff count. Get a foundation where you can stand on. You can't get a job while floating.

Now examine the market. What people are asking these days. At this time, people are building AI SaaS products and amazingly beautiful landing pages for businesses. You will have to read through each job listing and get a summary to what people want. Then build such projects for yourself using things you just learned.

Create a portfolio website and GitHub repositories to show your work.

First Job

We will start with freelancing as freelancing is best way to start earning with skill. Go to job boards now and find those listings that you referenced earlier. Bid on them and wait for interview. You don't need to find the best jobs, just the jobs that you can do. Also do not look at the money offered, whatever the amount of money is, accept it. I will tell you why.

This article is kind of high level overview of these things, I understand this. I am not telling you everything exactly. If I would, this article would become a book to read. If you do need to understand a few parts of this article in more depth, you can find information about that on the internet, the internet has the most information. Or, if you prefer me explaining those parts, you can comment below. The article will reach.

The communication skills take place here. You have to be good at writing proposal. It's not difficult, just be natural. Don't write like the masses which is along the lines of: "I understand you want ...." "You should hire me because ...." "I am the best as ...."

This is not acceptable now. We are playing real world game and real world does not follow the standard.

Instead you have to discuss the project. Share ideas. Share how you will approach to build this software. Do not appear needy that you are good and amazing so you should have this job. Do not say such things in proposal. Be professional and say the things that client want to hear.

My tip for you is to spark discussion in the bid. That's your goal. From my experience, once you win the bid, interview has 75% chance that you will get the job. Be prepared to have chat, speak on mic, show yourself on camera with tidy room.

These methods should get you the first job. Do not feel down if things do not work as planned. If they don't work as planned, good news, you got feedback. Believe me, the worst thing that can happen is when you don't get any feedback and you just keep on doing something that doesn't work in the first place. Feedback should be like that client has dismissed you, ignored you, or you are simply not better at communicating.

First you must accept whatever is the feedback. It's difficult when ego is pushing the wall. Remember that ego will destruct many things in your life so learn to control it. Accept the feedback and use it to make yourself better. It can be to be better at communication, learn new things, better proposal writing, improving your room setup, buying equipment, etc.

Keep going. That's what all of us do to live life. That's what you will do to live life.

After the first job

It's great that you got the first job. It's not great, too little money like nothing and that's okay. What you will do now is what most miss on. You will create long term relationship with that client. With that, you want consistent projects from him. He should like your work so much that whenever need comes from him then he will turn to you without a second thought.

You will now be able to charge more and more money gradually as you are getting projects from him. Little at the start and more per project. Do not make him feel like that. If you do, you will regarded as greedy. Understand how things will turn out after such decisions then proceed. Construct the image you want the client to see of yourself in their mind. Remember, what is shown counts. What is not shown does not count.

Now let me give a strategy that will guarantee consistent income from a client. Most clients tend to ask for corrections after a project is done. These corrections are outside what was agreed upon before. Now, you may do them for free for a few which is good as you are making a relationship. But now you have to make a deal with him. Ask for monthly salary to maintain the project or if a fixed number of corrections are done then one payment for them.

Here you will earn from work and maintenance.

Scaling

Now you will have to follow this multiple times to get more and more clients. You probably may have modified this strategy to match yourself without realising it and it's okay cause it's working.

"One thing you must always remember is learning never stops. From birth to death, you will learn. From moment you decide to stop learning, you will face destruction and chaos."

Now time to go deep. Understand how things worked and why they didn't. Explore each point deeply and learn how you can improve yourself.

Find where work comes from. Get to its origins and make your place there. When you are close to people who give you work then you will get more work.

Understand about fees. How much fees do you pay, how much earnings are taken from you, how money moves. Improve the process to the point where fees becomes minimal to nothing.

Use money earned first on things that are related to your work like equipment. Things like these are important for you to work as without them, you will create walls that will prevent you from reaching the destination even it's near. Resources matter. When things are in hand, you can use them for outcome. When not, no matter how much knowledge you have, you are not useful.

Final

I would be happy to see you success. Do the method I shared with hope and honesty. And, when you make money, remember to give some to those who need them more than you (donate). Earn with heart and happiness. First spend on those who you care about.

This is Abdullah Memon closing this article.