u/michaelnovati replied ·
Thanks for sharing, +1 to a lot of this, this is all really great insight into some topics that aren't discussed that much here.
My additional thoughts:
1. As you said, not all CS degree are the same, and internships are critical. The cheap and fast degrees don't have great internship opportunities.
2. Apprenticeships, they have always been absurdly competitive, and so many qualified people apply, there's a bit of luck involved there too, beyond your control.
3. I remember during the boom times when people were calling out things like Revature for their questionably-enforcable contracts. Because the same people could have gotten higher paying, more stable jobs not through this mechanism. Now that the tables have turned, these are being given more consideration. Agree to do your homework and consider all options and see if they work for you.
4. **Networking + Referrals.** Not all referrals are the same. I know thousands of engineers (literally, not hyperbole) who work at or have worked at almost every tech company. But that doesn't mean if you email me I can snap my fingers and get you an interview, that's not how it works.
This is my problem with Blind and referral websites. It sometimes works and the small glimmer of hope drives people with nothing to lose to seek out "referrals".
But the spirit of referrals is that an engineer sends your resume to a recruiter or engineer at a company that trusts that person. Both people are putting their reputations on the line in pushing for you to get an interview so the first engineer has to be confident you will pass an interview and the receiving recruiter/engineer has to trust the first engineer and then also think you will pass an interview. **So if you graduated a bootcamp, have no experience, have a couple of week-long projects, it's not reasonable to expect a referral, and it's does not work as reproducible job hunt strategy.**