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A comment on Ask HN: Washed out PHP Dev – What to do next?.

Re:Ask HN: Washed out PHP Dev – What to do next? by hnisoss on Wednesday December 27, 2023 @07:12PM (#38788462)
This is what worked for few of my friends who were laid off last year (I am a assistant professor on local uni but I own dev agency and dev 9-5 as pythonista!)

  1. learn python 
  - https://books.trinket.io/pfe/ + https://python.swaroopch.com/ (in parallel)
  - https://effectivepython.com/ (skim, dive deeper once you have job)
  - https://www.programiz.com/python-programming (skim, look at examples, type out)

  2. apply python 
  - https://blog.miguelgrinberg.com/post/the-flask-mega-tutorial-part-i-hello-world
  - miguel tutorial is all you need to get hired. go through it meticulously, make sure you understand everything
  - https://www.fullstackpython.com/ (skim, just so you know the keywords)

  3. update your cv
  - this step is optional and shady, but will improve your odds
  - reuse all your current experience but replace php tech with python (switch keywords)
  - if your cv entries are <1.5y change the dates, recruiters prefer 2-3 years per entry.

  4. find job asap, contiue grinding once you have job.
  - if you understand miguel tutorial, you can learn everything else you need once you got the job
  - market yourself as python software engineer/ devops python, NOT junior, NOT senior
This works.

if you have more questions, shoot :)

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Washed out PHP Dev – What to do next? by hnisoss on Wednesday December 27, 2023 @07:16PM (#38788490)
As recommended down in the comments, ignore AI for now, give it a year or two more, focus on getting a python backend job. Avoid frontend (including fullstack frontend), focus on having as much free time as possible so you can grind and apply for better jobs.

Apply to jobs sparingly, and when applying make sure you research the company. Adjust CV to be 75% same as the job listing. Most recruiters only care about the keyword match. The guy that knows his stuff is desperate anyway, if you did well in steps 1 and 2 you re golden.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Washed out PHP Dev – What to do next? by gorjusborg on Wednesday December 27, 2023 @10:06PM (#38789533)
> Avoid frontend (including fullstack frontend)

Why?

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Washed out PHP Dev – What to do next? by subtra3t on Thursday December 28, 2023 @04:59AM (#38791837)
I think they thought that the market for front-end web devs is very saturated. I cannot speak for London but in India it is indeed like that.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Washed out PHP Dev – What to do next? by hnisoss on Sunday January 07, 2024 @05:02PM (#38905619)
1. saturation 2. takes up too much of your time compared to backend 3. salary/contract rate ceiling is lower
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Washed out PHP Dev – What to do next? by jsiepkes on Thursday December 28, 2023 @01:10AM (#38790592)
> - reuse all your current experience but replace php tech with python (switch keywords) > - if your cv entries are <1.5y change the dates, recruiters prefer 2-3 years per entry.

That's not just "shady". It's fraud.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Washed out PHP Dev – What to do next? by taskforcegemini on Thursday December 28, 2023 @07:00PM (#38800254)
that depends on the phrasing
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Washed out PHP Dev – What to do next? by kingkongjaffa on Thursday December 28, 2023 @11:59AM (#38795492)
> [Flask mega tutorial] is all you need to get hired

Do you an example of this, because I work within an org where the bar to be a dev is way higher.

Do places like that exist?

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Washed out PHP Dev – What to do next? by hnisoss on Sunday January 07, 2024 @05:05PM (#38905646)
most enterprise. if you know the keywords and can explain the basics you ll pass the tests in many places. after that you learn what you need on the job. yes, to be a dev you need to know much more, but think about average software dev's ticket in big corp. We had tickets that are open for years and they're literally just an package update and similar.

Know enough to get hired, then grind and learn to do your job from there as needed. The corporate will shift you around if necessary.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Washed out PHP Dev – What to do next? by ConfusedDev123 on Friday December 29, 2023 @08:12AM (#38804491)
Thanks for all the links!

They're an excellent resource for learning and applying Python.

I appreciate your advice about swapping skill sets on my CV, but due to the nature of my last job, it would such a lie that I'd never back it up.

Instead I'd show something like a game made in Python from my spare time or something like that.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: Washed out PHP Dev – What to do next? by hnisoss on Sunday January 07, 2024 @05:02PM (#38905614)
that's also very good. remember, the start is very hard, it is what keeps people away and makes the salaries $$$$. After you break into it it is bread and butter, you just need to be smart, listen and research. Do not give up, you will succeed 10 out of 10 times if you just keep grinding and reevaluating!

Fraudsters and shady approaches pass the hard initial "wall" easier, true, but those are rare because even if you cheat here and there you still need to back up what you do with actual skill eventually. Don't be afraid to dip your toe here and there in the corporate machiavellianism tho. You would be fool not to.

[ Parent | on HN ]