How to find entry level work?

[Guest]

Hi,
My name is Shaun Bedingfield and I have been programming nonprofessionally
for over 16 years (I am 26 now). I know a myriad of technologies and feel
that I am very qualified to do almost any software development related task.
However, I can't find work because of a lack of industry experience.
I have been applying for jobs for a couple years now (yes, really) and I
am always turned down with the response that I don't have enough work
experience. I would hate to leave an industry that I have been in love with
most of my life but I just can't get work. I have tried everything and
anything all the way to begging and pleading.
I am sure that I am not alone with this problem and I was wondering how
others with little or none (I technically have 4 years) of industry
experience go about finding work. It seems to me like a chicken and the egg
problem with no solution.
What am I doing wrong?

Sincerely,
Shaun Bedingfield

Below is my resume

Shaun Bedingfield
Programmer

19606 Cottage Park Circle
Houston, TX 77094
(e-mail address removed)
281-579-3549


Certifications/Degrees
----------------------

B.S. Computer Science (University of Texas at Dallas)
GPA 3.667

MCAD For .NET (Windows and Internet w/ SQL Server focus)


Knowledge
---------

Over 15 years professional and nonprofessional programming experience

Knowledge of many programming languages including Java, C/C++, C#, VB.NET,
and x86 Assembly

Extensize x86 knowlege including standard DOS interupt programming, the use
of ports to directly manipulate hardware, knowledge of most popular cpu
archetectures and how to craft Assembly for performance (I have read classics
like the Art of Assembly Language - Michael Abrash), and knowledge of using
Assembler under Windows

Knowledge of programming language theory and experience implementing parsers
and macro languages

Knowledge of state of the art Object Oriented Design principles and patterns
with a focus on developing software using a highly iterative, customer
centric, and pragmatic approach

Familiar with common design patterns and the principles used in the design
of many large and well know systems

Over 10 years professional and nonprofessional experience of the windows
platform including in depth knowledge of system internals and device
drivers(threads, fibers, spin-locks, etc.) and windows security issues

Knowledge of database implementation and development especially on Windows
systems (includes strong knowledge of XML and SQL Server)

Knowledge of SOAP, COM, COM+, .NET (w/ COM interop), Java-RMI and many other
specifications used in component based and distributed development

Knowledge of ASP, ASP.NET, CGI, XHTML, HTML and many other standards used in
web development

Knowledgeable in the realm of UI design and computer graphics (including
OpenGL and 3d graphics algorithms)

Heavily read on industry literature and issues consuming on average a couple
books/month on the industry

Experience developing and implementing complex algorithms to solve problems
coupled with a strong mathematical background

Experience mentoring programmers and the ability to write self-documenting,
maintainable code

A feeling for what works and what doesn't in software development


Character
---------

Passionate about computer software and all stages of development

Passionate about learning and self-improvement

Believes in the use of computer software to improve people's lives

Deep thinker who loves to be challenged by difficult or tricky problems

Open-minded individual who is more interested in discovering the truth or
finding the best solution rather than being right and is willing to admit his
faults

Strong innovator who believes in both challenging existing theories and
trying new and unique solutions to existing problems


Experience
----------

2/05 - 4/05 Designing an Access database for Southwest memorial hospital
- Designed a normalized database to record Stroke Performance data
- Built a UI using Access, VBA, and ActiveX to allow easy entry of all data
- Built a report to summarize database data and transfer it into an excel
spreadsheet.
- Refactored design to account for future anticipated change

1/05 - Present Ben Taub General Hospital - Volunteer DBA
- Data entry and database maintenance
- Designing queries and reports

7/02 - 11/02 Neovox - Software Engineer
- Planning and development of voice solutions using telephony hardware using
VoiceXML, Nuance, and dialogic hardware.
- Developed three-tier enterprise web to further productivity using ASP.NET

5/00 - 7/01 University of Texas at Dallas - Research Assistant
- Engineered Java applications to aid in systems testing
- Designed a program to move test statistics into Excel for analysis using VBA
- Mentored Computer Science students

1/98 - 3/00 Texas Instruments - Student Employee
- Designed a user interface utilizing constant user feedback for an
automated test code generator using an iterative process and constant user
feedback
- Designed two macro languages for use in a test code generator using
recursive descent parsing and language theory
- Participated in deploying a remote application under Solaris
- Provided consulting skills to the design of a system to gather
comprehensive statistics on defective chips

 

[John]

Hi,
My name is Shaun Bedingfield and I have been programming
nonprofessionally
for over 16 years (I am 26 now). I know a myriad of technologies and feel
that I am very qualified to do almost any software development related
task.
However, I can't find work because of a lack of industry experience.
I have been applying for jobs for a couple years now (yes, really) and I
am always turned down with the response that I don't have enough work
experience. I would hate to leave an industry that I have been in love
with
most of my life but I just can't get work. I have tried everything and
anything all the way to begging and pleading.
I am sure that I am not alone with this problem and I was wondering how
others with little or none (I technically have 4 years) of industry
experience go about finding work. It seems to me like a chicken and the
egg
problem with no solution.
What am I doing wrong?

Hi Shaun,

A couple things immediately stand out about your resume:

1. Run it through a spell checker. 3rd paragraph in Knowledge section, I
believe "Extensize" should be "Extensive".

2. Fill that multi year gap between 11/02 & 02/05

Regarding resumes. Personally, I don't care for your format, but I've found
this is a personal preference thing which means almost nothing. A friend of
mine, who is continuously offered high paying gigs, calls headhunters and
asks them for sample resumes ... he will then apply his resume to that
format. He says that resume format preferences change yearly, and if the
right people don't care for your format, they will toss it.

Regarding experience. I've come to the conclusion that if you want to get
experience in a specific technology, the best way to go about doing this is
to create your own project and implement it. You'll get the experience,
show initiative, and possibly make some money.

If programming is your passion, you MUST pursue it. It's a great job when
it's not your passion. But doing your passion for a living ... you will
become a leader in your field and live a fulfilled life. IMHO.

Good luck.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the comments.

I am sorry about my spelling. I corrected the mistake you suggested,
however, I need to find a freeware spell checker as I don't own one.

I am constantly changing my resume. I do not know the best way to present
everything. There is too much variance in the way one can present a resume
and too often companies no longer allow cover letters which forces changes in
a resume.

I could fill in the multi year gap between 11/02 and 02/05 but most of it
was spent unemployed or working at an office supply store because I couldn't
find other work and I am not sure how well this reflects on me.

Thanks

 

[Peter Rilling]

I agree with your idea about creating personal projects. When I was
unemployed a couple years ago (just for seven month, not two years), I took
that time off as an opportunity to work on personal projects. What I
developed was a great .NET library which I placed on SourceForge and
CodeProject. What this allowed me to the opportunity to demonstrate my
coding and writing capability. They saw first hand what my code looked like
and could as well as my architecture. Basically it was this that help me
land my job.

One thing about personal projects is that you can take them to any interview
and show the complete work. This is different from mentioning work you have
done for other companies where you often cannot take the code or
documentation with you when you leave.