Hi guys,
Ecstatic about getting my
OCAJP certification yesterday, I updated my resume online and woke up to a missed call from a recruiter. Things looking better already! I called them back, no go on the job, they want (2+ years experience). Of course, this has forever been the problem, experience, experience, experience. I didn't go to school for Computer Science, I haven't worked an internship, and now I want to break into the field as a
Java Developer. The cert is helping me get noticed, but it's still boiling down to experience. How can I best get experience without having a job as a programmer? Undersell myself as a freelancer for the time being? I need something to put on a resume that says "I know what I'm doing, see?"
Another question: the job I was contacted for did not simply say they wanted a guy with Java experience, but a whole host of other languages (JavaScript/JQuery, HTML, CSS, HTTP, REST,
SOAP, SOA, SQL, etc.) Does anyone actually "know" all of these things when they are hired? I've worked with some of these before (as in: dabbled) but I have a hard time envisioning most candidates know much of anymore than a handful of these (unless they've been in the industry for years). I guess they're just posting up the ideal candidate, in case one exists? Help a newbie navigate this job market that has proven his bane for the last 2 years!