Ask HN: What skills and projects should an unemployed software dev focus on?
My daughter is an MIT graduate and a junior software developer who’s currently unemployed. She has a solid academic foundation, but it’s been hard translating that into job offers in the current market.
I’m trying to understand what actually matters right now from a hiring perspective. Beyond brushing up on core CS, what specific skills should she focus on building? More importantly, what kinds of projects genuinely help at the junior level?
For example:
– Are end-to-end projects more valuable than algorithm-heavy ones?
– Are there particular domains where a well-executed project sends a strong signal?
From your experience as interviewers or hiring managers, what projects actually make you stop and say, “this person is ready”?
I’m trying to understand what actually matters right now from a hiring perspective. Beyond brushing up on core CS, what specific skills should she focus on building? More importantly, what kinds of projects genuinely help at the junior level?
For example: – Are end-to-end projects more valuable than algorithm-heavy ones? – Are there particular domains where a well-executed project sends a strong signal? From your experience as interviewers or hiring managers, what projects actually make you stop and say, “this person is ready”?