I’m currently a line cook, considering making the switch, but I’m a little confused about where to start. A local community college offers some certs that seem promising.

I have a little relevant background, a minor in comp sci, but that was some years ago (trying to relearn some of the material in my spare time now).

  • HeHoXa@lemmy.zip
    5·
    2 days ago

    Was also in that position. Took an entry level QA job and just bounced around a lot.

    Trying to be concise and noting this is all just my random opinion from personal experience:

    1. Always be building something. Look around at listings and see which tech stacks seem like stuff you’d enjoy and are hiring, Google them, download them, build with them.
    2. Carefully and securely after seeking much advice, host live demos of your builds somewhere and link them on your resume. If it’s something that might generate a large bill if abused, you could set up an auth system for it and have prospective employers email demo account requests by some form on your page. If you’re thinking web dev, at least host a simple page in AWS or Azure just to demonstrate some mastery of the basics of the front end, DNS listings, etc. Describe your setup in the page and why it is safe and efficient.
    3. Look for support and/or QA positions to make a start somewhere. Look for chances to leverage your new skills there for automation, analysis, or reporting.
    4. Contribute to open source projects and list contributions on your resume.
    5. (risky but often good) take freelance jobs gor short term work and exposure to different concerns… carefully with thorough research

    … I think that’s my highlight reel.