How to be a great web application developer in Columbus, OH
Why did I include Columbus in this blog? Because Columbus is different then a lot of other cities for developers. If you live in Silicon Valley you need to sleep in your car, work at an IT startup, be willing to learn the latest and greatest technology. I’m referring to stuff that is even newer then Angular.JS or React or even some of newest database tools like Hadoop or NoSQL. Columbus is a great tech town. We love to work with new technologies but again, if you are looking for a job here you need to understand that most jobs are in more practical application development. Yup, that means knowing Java, ASP.Net (Webforms and MVC), PHP and Ruby on Rails are all great. You will find a ton of companies looking for those core skill sets. I can’t tell you how many developers have been pulled into the newest technology stack(I once interviewed a developer who said CoffeeScript was going to take over the world) because they read a blog that said that it was great. If you want a job learn a solid language.
Spend time mastering a core language and then build out. We love hiring web developers who are solid in one of our core development languages but who have also become proficient in Angular.JS or native iOS development or even who have learned to write solid SQL queries. At the end of the day what companies in Columbus and even suburbs like Dublin and New Albany want are core software developers, not people who know some micro niche language.
What if I want to do bleeding edge development?
Columbus has awesome jobs for you. Please just realize that just because you love a brand new untested programming language doesn’t mean there is a job opening for it. Columbus is awesome for tech but my experience has been most companies want to use new technologies but not the stuff that just got released last week. We have tons of jobs for augmented reality, GIS data visulization, etc. but most companies primary development language is something tested.
What Web Development Language is Most Popular?
I found a great chart here so instead of trying to tell you I’ll simply embed the link. This is a list of how often different programming languages are used in 2017. Ruby, Java, and .Net all rank really high.
Should I send a boring resume to the HR department?
No. That is what morons do. Sorry, just being honest. If you want to stand out build your own website, show so cool stuff, link to your GitHub account, or do something that shows us employers that you are not some random unemployed developer that is just like everyone else. Do something. Anything. But show us that you actually know how to build a website. I can’t tell you the number of resumes we get where someone claims they know how to setup a web server but they haven’t even built a page on GoDaddy. Please show us what you can do instead of putting it in text.
What Else?
- Show up ready to talk about projects you have done. No one is buying the “I worked for XYZ corporate and built their ERP system.” That is what your development team built. What did you do?
- Bring a computer with some examples if you have them. If you built a site that is public come with the URL and a username and password to demo the site.
- If you haven’t built anything and you are applying for a junior role don’t try to make us think you are something you’re not. We get it. You just graduated. Talk about what you want to do. What you want to learn. And what you want to bring to the company that hires you.
Web and Mobile Application Developers are getting tons of job offerings right now. Why should I waste my time doing this?
True. If you want to work in a cubicle for the rest of your life, get minimal raises, work on projects that are totally unfulfilling, and get placed on projects by years of experience instead of how good you actually are then by all means, don’t waste your time trying to find a good job and impress people. 🙂 Seriously, if you want a unique job you need to be unique. If you want to make money being a software developer you will get lots of job offers. Our advice there is don’t get comfortable. Keep looking for your dream job. If you want to work for the best development company in Columbus, Ohio apply today.