How did you get your first web developer job?
Think I can advice you here - helped my boyfriend get his first Web Development job after a 4 year career in Networking / Tech Support.
So, he started 4 years back with the best option in our hometown - Networking. It was considered a more technical career than design / front end development and assuming he would have better prospects he went ahead with the career. Fast forward 2 years, he had a job in Microsoft India with the same qualifications. Working at Microsoft may seem like a dream job but at the end it just got routine and mundane, no job satisfaction and he felt he was being paid for “hours” in the office more than skill. He had to clock in for 9 hours and had a lot of free time - but zero job satisfaction.
I, on the other hand, worked around 12–14 hours everyday as a Web Developer. I was paid well and was happy with my line of work, being able to create something was a kick!
So he quit his Microsoft job after working there for 1.8 years, and started learning online on his own. I helped him out wherever I could - though most of it he was self-learning through Udacity/Coursera etc. He studied for around a month I think, whilst applying for entry-level jobs & practicing day-in-day-out. He applied for interning at a few startups in Bangalore, got through and worked for 1 month without any pay. Post the first month he was then offered a salary and started working there full-time. It was a drastic change for him from his MNC job, where he used to clock in 9 hours a day of which 1 hour lunch break etc etc, now he was working around 10 hours a day in office - and a 3–4 hours extra every night just to catch up.
He worked at the startup for around 3 months though then quit it due to various other reasons, and started looking out for other jobs. He’s now working full time as a Web Developer in a small SMB, plus getting freelance projects, overall earning around 3x what he was earning 6 months back at Microsoft!
So, to answer your question…do not be worried about working for money. At the start, you just need experience, learning - study online. Meet with small companies in your area that are hiring for developers. Intern with 1 or 2, gain some experience. Once you’ve gained the skills, you can apply for pretty much any job you want. All the best!
