I'm getting another Bachelor's degree

[nomaduser]

I left unemployed after getting a bachelor's degree in IT. I tried to find a job as a software developer but no one ever gave me any attention.
I think it's because the degree program lacks math and programming courses. And the degree is from a less known brick and mortar university.

I ended up doing random labor jobs for some months until I found a web developer job that lasted for only two months.

So I'll be doing another Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at WGU.
I don't think I can go wrong with two bachelor's degrees.

My life is so painful 

[Unlucky]

Before embarking on another Bachelor degree, which can be a long journey, have you considered Professional Certifications in Data Science, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence etc, through Coursera or edX? Their courses and certificates are offered by big companies (Google, Microsoft, IBM, Meta), and prestigious universities (Harvard, Berkeley, Stanford). These programs are usually cheaper and shorter than a full Bachelor’s degree. I heard some success stories from holders of such certificates.

https://www.coursera.org/certificates
https://www.edx.org/professional-certifi...om=sitenav

Good luck.

[rachel83az]

If you can't get a job with one degree, I doubt you'll be able to get it with two. Do you have a portfolio? Or are you relying on the weight of your degree to get you a job?

[berlinerd]

You got this! I am sorry that you are going through this, I can relate to some extent as I currently try to improve my career but am disappointed what to exactly do.

Even though you did not ask for advice - I just wanted to tell that it's not necessarily lack of courses. It may be, but the problem may be also with showing exact skills and knowledge. People all over the North America with reputable CS degrees struggle in getting any job at all. Usually it's because they have all the same basic skills/projects and do not create image of them actually knowing the subject matter.

Like a typical data science resume nowadays, for example, where literally everybody showcases "built a machine learning model predicting stock price movement". Well, if somebody is able to build such a model from scratch (and there are guides on the Internet how to do that) - why do they even look for job and not just AlgoTrade stocks? I am not saying that your resume is like this, but just giving an example. To get a SWE job nowadays, you have to make clear that you know the subject... and then the degree may be less of importance.

[nomaduser]

Before embarking on another Bachelor degree, which can be a long journey, have you considered Professional Certifications in Data Science, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence etc, through Coursera or edX? Their courses and certificates are offered by big companies (Google, Microsoft, IBM, Meta), and prestigious universities (Harvard, Berkeley, Stanford). These programs are usually cheaper and shorter than a full Bachelor’s degree. I heard some success stories from holders of such certificates.

I've had many of those but they didn't help me getting a job. Employers didn't care about them.


I'm trying to get a Udacity certificate though. Udacity bootcamp graduates are employed by big techs.

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If you can't get a job with one degree, I doubt you'll be able to get it with two. Do you have a portfolio? Or are you relying on the weight of your degree to get you a job?

I'm sure that the problem is IT degree. IT degree lacks math and programming courses when compared to a CS degree.
So employers see IT degree as a watered down programming degree that barely teaches basic python.

[bjcheung77]

@NomadUser, very often, if not sometimes, it's generally not the degree that makes the job application.  It's lots of work and I always recommend the trifecta of certs, degree, experience.  You should tell us more on what you currently bring to the table instead of just looking at another degree.

Hmm... If you're not getting the job you're looking at, education is just one part they look at, I would mix/match what you currently have with more cheapie/freebie certs from Coursera/ACE, and keep getting some experience as you already have with the partial positions you've held.  

Maybe reply with a short note telling us what happened and what you currently have on your portfolio.  In your next application, mention you're looking at full-time and the previous ones was to get entry into the field, you don't want to say they closed down or your were laid off after two months for no reason...

[rachel83az]

I'm sure that the problem is IT degree. IT degree lacks math and programming courses when compared to a CS degree.
So employers see IT degree as a watered down programming degree that barely teaches basic python.

If that's how you're selling it, yeah. You're not going to get any jobs that way.

But plenty of people have been able to pivot to a career in software development or the like without having a CS or Software Development degree. You need a solid portfolio when you've got a degree in (say) Underwater Basketweaving, but it's not the degree itself that's the major issue here. If you don't build a portfolio, you could have a dozen degrees and still not get a job.

[nomaduser]

@NomadUser, very often, if not sometimes, it's generally not the degree that makes the job application.  It's lots of work and I always recommend the trifecta of certs, degree, experience.  You should tell us more on what you currently bring to the table instead of just looking at another degree.

My portfolio already includes many companies that are features on Yahoo Finance, Forbes, and Wikipedia websites.

Whenever I apply to a software developer job position, I see 200+ other candidates applying at the same time.
They make it nearly impossible to stand out. I'm struggling...

Here's my plan:
I'll finish WGU's CS degree in one to two semesters and then will move on to Georgia Tech's OMSCS.
Maybe that'll help me. But it'll take some time....  

[berlinerd]

@NomadUser, very often, if not sometimes, it's generally not the degree that makes the job application.  It's lots of work and I always recommend the trifecta of certs, degree, experience.  You should tell us more on what you currently bring to the table instead of just looking at another degree.

My portfolio already includes many companies that are features on Yahoo Finance, Forbes, and Wikipedia websites.

Whenever I apply to a software developer job position, I see 200+ other candidates applying at the same time.
They make it nearly impossible to stand out. I'm struggling...

Here's my plan:
I'll finish WGU's CS degree in one to two semesters and then will move on to Georgia Tech's OMSCS.
Maybe that'll help me. But it'll take some time....  

Do you tailor your resume/cover letter for each particular position? The reason I ask it that usually if you apply directly through Careers section of a company, you won't see amounts of people. If you see that it means you are doing that through Linkedin/Indeed etc... which may be not the best strategy in this sphere I'd say.

edits: grammar was bad

[nomaduser]

Do you tailor your resume/cover letter for each particular position? The reason I ask if that usually if you apply directly through Careers section of a company, you won't see amounts of people. If you see that if means you are doing that through Linkedin/Indeed etc... which may be not the best strategy in this sphere I'd say.

Yeah, I'll try cover letter and careers section. Thanks.