Just a little post I thought I would put up as recently I felt like I was judged on my coding skills which I have learnt all in my own time while doing a very demanding job which involves me doing shift work.
So I got assessed on some code recently and made some minor mistakes on it which was missing out on some parentheses and some commas. Anyway the code was all fine though just could not be executed due to the little mistakes. So the company rejected me on that technical test, okay that is fine but why would they reject me when the job I applied for was to get a place in a training academy to learn code better and then being given a full time job as a junior developer with that one company?
They even stated that it was okay to make mistakes as I was a beginner and they just wanted to see that I at least gave the test a go. So I just do not understand how I am supposed to transition into a coding career when people know my situation and that I am self taught and still learning in my own time on my days off. I feel like I have just rambled alot here but I just felt like posting this on here as maybe someone out there might be able to give me some advice or tips or something?? 😔
Anyway hope everyone is safe and well 😁
Top comments (3)
Hey Sohaib,
I understand where you're coming from - as someone who switched careers into programming full time, it was definitely tough to land that first role. It seems like you were turned away by a company for making a few technical errors, and it can be frustrating to hear that that is the reason why you're being turned away.
As someone who's been there, done that, I can confidently say that you may have dodged a bullet! Good companies, run by good leaders, will hire based on potential and fit. Especially at the junior level. You will make mistakes, but good training (and let's be real, editors and IDEs) will build solid habits and minimize mistakes, and any solid company will recognize that.
Additionally, since it'll be your first full time coding gig, be patient with yourself in your search! I came from the world of sales and marketing, so I had a thick enough skin to start, but you should expect to be rejected or turned away a lot, and that is totally okay. The world is in a tough place right now, the job markets are rough, but you'll land that first gig if you remain positive and persistent.
Happy to help where I can. Best of luck with your search!
Cheers,
Jon
Thank you so much Jon for replying. Thanks for the kind words and advice. I think I know all of what you said and I completely agree with you. What I just did not understand is if the company is going to put me through a training academy would they have not expected me to show mistakes in my tech test? And they did also mention it themselves that "we know you will make mistakes, it is okay". Thats what confused me I thought they might give me a chance because I tried and they would see my drive to want to learn and better myself.
Like you said the world is inna tough place right now and well will just have to be patient and persistent and eventually hopefully land that first job. Hope you are well and keeping safe during these hard times.
It does seem like a weird practice, for junior candidates being brought into a "training academy", but like I mentioned it might be a bullet dodged. Organizations that project a very positive attitude but in practice are poorly run places are not worth spending a lot of your time and energy on.
Find the places that you want to work for, and think you'd get the most from, and focus on getting roles in those types of organizations.