Hi everyone. a little about myself before i ask my question. I am currently in my second year of a bachelors in computer science. I have hopes of one day being a software developer.my issue is that i do not currently work in anything tech related and all entry level positions i can find require previous work experience. So my question is, what is a good job position to get my foot into the door of tech?
Chief
I'm afraid you're entering a field that has been decimated by AI layoffs and is probably only going to get worse. It's a very tough time to find jobs in tech even for highly experienced engineers. Juniors and interns aren't even being considered. The good news is your investment in this career is relatively low vs. people in their 40s and 50s who spent their entire lives in this field, so you're still at a point where you can easily pivot to something else. Personally I'd consider getting out of tech all together and come up with something that's not easily replaced by automation. The robots are here and they're not going away.
IA needs Datacenters, I am moving into that direction as a Datacenter Technician
A couple thoughts.
You can find an open source project and start contributing now. You don't have to wait until you graduate. Those projects can often be done on your own time and do impact future hiring considerations.
Depending on where you plan on applying, you may want to look at things like leetcode. I do not like that aspect of hiring, but during my last round of interviews, it came up often. Similarly, you can check out hellointerview, which I think does a better job of similar content.
Regarding the AI elephant in the room... It is currently a reality that most jobs are going to expect you to have experience using AI. In the last round of interviews I did, even when I applied for a job coding in the Trades - they expected you to know Claude Code. If you are good with AI/LLMs, you have a better chance of getting an interview in the first place.
Similarly, there are lots of layoffs. Even companies who are writing AI frameworks are laying off the people who write them. Even so, some companies are hiring. You will just need to plan accordingly.
There is no try only DO ... -yoda
Be a data engineer or learn to build RAG and MCP
Get an internship NOW
GL
It’s great that you’re thinking about this now!
I’d recommend attending collegiate hackathons to get real world coding experience and to network. Then focus on landing a SWE summer internship to get your foot in the door.
Apple’s Support College Advisor role is worth checking out if you’re interested in working a tech job which still in school https://www.apple.com/careers/us/work-at-apple/students.html
Also if you do a summer SWE internship you may be able to continue your internship into the Fall/Spring. My sister did this with a local company that she was interning at. I know State Farm also has options for summer interns to continue their internship into the Fall/Spring while attending classes.
thanks for the comment. i took your advice of attending a hackathon and signed up for Global hack week hosted by MLH.
They are rare, but internships pop up sometimes for people who are currently in college. Other than that try looking at government positions. I know someone with no tech experience who was able to pivot into tech by getting into an entry level government position and all they had to show at the interview was one simple passion project they developed for personal reasons.
The pay is never as good as the private sector so there isn't as much competition as there is for high paying private sector jobs. The benefits are usually much better and you could get student loans forgiven if you keep working for government agencies for 10 years. Also government positions usually come with pension retirement plans.
You're screwed, but then again, who isn't?
Notice how all the responses to your message contain correct grammar, punctuation and capitalization.
People who are really good at what they do are usually really concerned about accurate communication, presentation and how they are perceived by the rest of the world.
Everywhere you go whether virtually or physically, you will cross paths with a potential opportunity. Don't get passed over because of a couple capital letters, spaces and punctuation.
Good Luck!
You're missing an Oxford comma.
I’m tell you go into business for yourself start in the garage, apt, get your into Ai aswell teach your friends and family how to do repairs for tech support and companies!! I believe you are capable of making this happen!! Find a colleague that can write grants and get federally funded projects and programs and when you get wealthy look me up!’ Good luck BusinessMan!!