Can I still find a job in web design if I never had any kind of work?

[saddam_maliq]

Hi

In 2011 I finished my university degree where I learned programming. Since then I haven’t done any kind of work.

I have a disability which effects my speech and my walking. This fact has played a negative role on my confidence. When I left University I still didn’t feel that I had learned enough and wanted to take sometime to play with coding and get good enough so that on interviews my ability to code would hide my inability to communicate clearly (The criteria to communicate clearly was in every advertised job and that scared me to death – and it still does).

I didn’t plan to stay so long without looking for work, but I got used to the routine. A fact that I absolutely hate to admit but it’s true. Even though I am up to date with front-end development technologies, I still am just good enough for a junior position.

I am 27. I have read a lot of stories where people have changed careers and started learning programming in their 30s. But all of them have had enough work experience to talk about transferable skills (at least for employers to know that they are reliable); where as I have four years of nothingness – apart from the fact that I have kept learning.

I really hope you could give me some honest advice as to whether I haven’t totally ruined my chances of getting a job in this industry and how should I go about it- if it’s not too late. I am willing to work hard and for free (different people say I should, and different people say it would look bad, I’d look like a push over).

I love the idea of volunteering first. After leaving university I worked as a freelancer for a local businessman and it wasn’t great, he asked a lot and changed the entire project half way through. I’d love it if I didn’t have to deal with local businesses as a freelancer without experience – Unless that’s what you should think I should do

This is my first post on this forum. I’m sorry for asking a question without contributing first.

Thanks in advance

[Alen]

@saddam_maliq

What you did yesterday has no bearing on what you can do today or in the future. Who cares about your past. Just keep learning and advancing. Understand everything takes time. If you are up to date with latest tech, can you demonstrate some of those skills in contrived examples on codepen.io, possibly send that to potential employer.

I would not suggest working for free. People that get stuff for free, refer people that want stuff for free. You don’t want that. If anything barter for service.

I always tell people:

It’s always hard before it’s easy

and

If you send 100 emails, and one gets returned, that’s all you need

Alen

[saddam_maliq]

Thank you @Alen.

What you did yesterday has no bearing on what you can do today or in the future. Who cares about your past. 

That makes me so happy to hear.

can you demonstrate some of those skills in contrived examples on codepen.io

Over the years, especially in the past few months, I have been trying to create full websites to show on my portfolio, the end results end up not impressive at all – I tend to be very good at front-end but not as good at backend. Using code examples would be much better for me, it would give me the opportunity to focus on what I can do best.

So I should aim to create a portfolio with “contrived examples” rather than full examples. I have also started planning for a blog (more to keep myself in check).

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