Hello, I don't know if this is allowed for me to post or talk about, but if not, I apologize and will comply with removing it. I've been debating about talking about this for a while on here.
So to start... last year I finished a Computer Science Bachelor's Degree. I have been working at my family's accounting business for a long time now which has nothing to do with anything I learned while obtaining that degree, nor does accounting or the related office work fulfill or interest me. Income tax season and accounts payable aren't very interesting to me. I am thankful that I've been able to have a job thanks to family, but I really would like to do something different.
This is the reason I went back to school to finish a degree. Well it certainly wasn't easy at all, but I got through it. Unfortunately due to life circumstances, I was unable to do any internships while I was in school (I still had my full time job and couldn't lower my hours for an internship since I things to pay). Since I graduated last year I have been job searching applying over and over to various places in hopes of using this degree and growing my skills and experience. It has been discouraging and disheartening to say the least. So many "entry level" software development related positions somehow require all this specific experience that I don't possibly have, or have difficult assessments to pass. Sometimes after all is said and done, they might send an email saying something along the lines of "while we were impressed with your skills, we have decided to move forward with someone else." It would be a dream to work for one of the big companies such as google or amazon even if just for a short while to learn and absorb all that I can before moving on to something else, however my hope would be that it would be fulfilling enough to stay for a long time. I know there are certain consulting companies such as Revature that advertise job listings all over the place with no experience required. But as the saying goes if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. I have heard horror stories all over the place from companies like this, from forcing you to relocate (sometimes multiple times) with very little or no relocation assistance, to being paid minimum wage while waiting for a client, to treating employees poorly, and being locked into a 2 year contract. Of course there will be some with positive experiences, but this is what has kept me from applying to those specific types of companies. I have applied many other places, from google, to amazon, to various banks, and just anything that I could find that I might be qualified for and isn't one of these consultant companies. I have told myself that I need to have a new job by the end of the year, as I really don't want to go through yet another income tax season. Well it is now November and still despite this, nothing has changed. I just applied to 3 jobs today and am hoping for the best. I try not to let it get to me, but I am feeling a bit anxious, stressed, and saddened by this.
Also I can feel a sense of desperation, which is pushing me to start applying to those less than desirable places just to change something and get my foot in the door of software development.
I do have a linkedin and several accounts on apps for job listings. The majority of people who do try to recruit me seem to ignore the part about what kind of job I'm looking for and ignore my recent education, but instead base it off my current work experience, hence I get offers for accounting or financial positions which I am not interested in (I would just stay here if that were the case), or offers for things like being a salesperson or something else way off.
I hate to bother anyone with my problems, but I figured I might as well give it a shot. If there is anyone that knows someone willing to hire an entry-level software developer, or other roles that my computer science degree would qualify me for and will give me a chance to learn, be trained, and do my very best to be a great hard-working employee, please let me know.
Any other thoughts or advice are appreciated as well. Thank you.