c/career-switch-diaries

A coffee shop chat in Austin made me rethink my whole job search

I was talking to a guy who switched from sales to coding, and he told me to stop applying for jobs online. He said, 'Go to two meetups a week for three months, talk to people, and you'll have an offer.' I did exactly that and got my first tech job through a connection I made at a Python meetup. Has anyone else found that in-person networking works way better than sending out a hundred resumes?

Shoutout to side projects for my career change

I always believed side work didn't count for real jobs. Putting together a simple data tracker in my free time changed that and got me hired. Now I tell every switcher to build something, anything.

PSA: My career switch stalled for six months until I fixed this one thing

I moved from graphic design to web development last year. I learned all the coding basics but had no real work to show. Job apps went nowhere because I had no portfolio. I was ready to go back to my old job. Then I started making websites for local shops for free. This built my skills and gave me examples to share. Now I'm employed and I urge everyone to build something real fast.

Warning about unfinished portfolios during a job hunt

I'm trying to move into graphic design and keep getting asked for a full portfolio before even an interview. My old job didn't let me keep the files, so I have big gaps. How do you show your skills when you can't show past work?

Chronic neck pain from my office days pushed me into freelance design.

How a failed interview made me rethink my career switch plan

Honestly, I was aiming for a project manager role after years in customer service. Tbh, I skipped getting any certs because I heard experience mattered more. Ngl, I bombed the interview when they asked about specific methods I had no clue about. Now I'm considering a certification course but worried it's too late. Has anyone else been in this spot? I'd love some advice on whether certs are worth it now.