Indie Hacker vs Junior developer
Good Morning Hackers,
I am at this crossroads in learning development and pushing towards trying to gain the skills for landing a junior developer position but its kind of discouraging when I see the massive requirement listings or see junior developer portfolio that crush mine. I was curious if anyone here became an indie hacker because of the lower bar to entry and starting your own thing vs the high bar of entry to jobs?
That long list of requirements is a wish list more than anything, I wouldnt let it discourage you. I personally would recommend getting a full time gig first because youll at least be coding everyday and getting paid. Work on some side projects and build up your skills, then start learning how to market and sell stuff. You dont want to spread yourself too thin to early IMO.
That was my plan was to get into the industry first and level up my skills more. Currently struggling my way through building some projects. Still need to learn React likely before anyone will take me seriously on applications.
I think that's the best path forward, being so new to Development you'll spend a lot of time learning how to build or trying to scratch some itch (i.e. playing with new tech), which doesn't really add value to users. You'll find that being an Indie Hacker is much less about being skilled in one specific thing than it is about having a breadth of skills, network, and experiences.
I would say to apply for positions even if you feel like you're not qualified. Usually the requirements are just a laundry list of things that are "nice-to-have," not strict requirements. And there's not a big downside to just applying.
If you're just starting out and you don't already have a stellar resume, it'll probably be hard to get interviews with companies though. I would encourage you to get referrals from people in your network, or to try to build some small projects that you can then showcase on your resume. The projects in particular will definitely differentiate you from the vast majority of people who are applying and also do not have experience.
This comment was deleted 3 years ago
Thank you for the feedback and advice I really appreciate it. I know it’s kind of unfortunate that the field is so flooded right now with everyone and their mom trying to break in but at the same time it’s great. Really just can’t wait to get my foot in the door somewhere. You made some great pointers though I will remember thank you again.