My parents say when I graduated in 2006 I should have applied and got a job (junior level) straight away.
However, instead I spent some time to develop some software (nothing too complex at the time), which I used to my benefit in interviews.
When getting your foot in the door, to what extent can spending some time out and writing code help an application? Is it a waste of time and not a difference maker when getting your foot in the door?
Thanks
The projects themselves don't help. The experience can.
Being able to talk intelligently about various aspects of your programming language is a big help. There really is a big difference between a 0-year and a 1-year programmer, in terms of the gotchas and common errors you learn about and get used to, so if you can demonstrate that you've gained that knowledge in your own projects, it can't hurt.
Very few places, if any, will actually ask to see your code.
Without commercial experience, you are competing with other graduates, so to stand out from the rest, it is good to do an internship or cooperative program for one year while you study to gain that 1 year of experience so that when you go into interviews you have some stand out points.
It also means you have experience working in a professional environment where you learn communication skills and other inter personal skills.
So I think you are heading in the right direction, and it will help you in interviews.
Let's put it this way... it doesn't hurt. However, it'll absolutely kill you if you're asked to elaborate/explain something in your sample code, and you can't do it well.
Since you were generating the requirements yourself, the experience isn't the same.
You gained coding knowledge with is defiantly a plus.
But the problem solving skills in a business environment aren't being learned.
Usually in an interview its good to talk about little anecdotes about problems you over came.
They will see the passion for coding! ( but maybe wonder why you weren't part of the workforce)
Fortunately, I know my code and the decisions I made damn well.
In the companies I interview at, they do ask for source code because I could write "I wrote this" with nothing stopping me - until proof is required. I only send source snippets and nowhere near enough to make the code compile.
I didn't get an internship when I was at uni, unfortunately.
The way I see it is that getting a job right now is tough and I am no longer a complete junior. And of course I now have proof of what I can do, a portfolio, etc...
I think it is a good idea if you can't get work without it. Most prospective employers now ask to see code.
However, it's now 2009. As a current hiring manager I want to know what you have been doing for three years. The trouble with your explanation will be making it sound like you haven't been goofing off. Your app had better be pretty good and pretty large and show that you have really done something or it could do more harm than good. I know how much work I would have expected a developer to have done in the same time, so you had better be at least a match for that.
So, as a general rule I think that having code to hand from a hobby project is a good idea, but only if it is good code. Otherwise plead IP infringement and take the programming tests.
Taking a year off to write a project would be reasonable and you'd still get an interview. However, I'd be looking for lots of information about the project or, better yet, a URL where I could go and give the system a try. I'd also want to see source code samples.
Please don't take this the wrong way but three years would pretty much eliminate you from consideration unless you came recommended by someone I knew and trusted. That or a web site that was phenomenally well done. Again, I'm not trying to be mean; I'm just trying to give you a realistic assessment of how we (and most companies) would approach your resume. Only with that foundation can you plot a comeback plan.
You effectively gave yourself an internship. That matters a lot. Real world experience is far better than classroom experience. The classroom stuff is more long term. In the short term I just want to know if you can code a while loop: but can he code?
If you write something related to the area where you want employment, it can be a definite benefit in the interview.
However, it should be something COMPLETE, packaged and ready to discuss/demonstrate. Half-done or incomplete is worse than no example at all.
Back in the early '90's, I was interviewed for a consulting gig working on sound cards. I was asked "have you any MIDI programming experience". I had the foresight to bring a floppy [remember those? :-) ] with a shareware program I'd written (MIDIBars).
One of the key people in the interview took the disk, disappeared for about 5 minutes, then returned and said "Hire him. NOW!!!" (which they did).
So it can work, but to summarize - it must be complete, it must work, and it must be in the area of THEIR interest.
Best wishes,
-R
As someone that hires programmers, I always look at their work history and ask them to explain gaps. Sometimes its reasonable, sometimes its because no one would hire them for months at a time after getting fired.
Taking time between school and a career to write software is fine, it is certainly not normal though. My first question would be how much can someone really learn on their own in that span of time? To avert questions of your skills, I'd suggest taking a standardized test such as those offered by brainbench. Even though the tests are fundamentally flawed, if you want into an interview with a 98th percentile score they are not going to question your abilities.