Need help moving from Web Dev to SWE
Hey guys, After completing my Masters I landed a web developer job at Washington D.C. I didn't want to pursue web dev but I had to because my OPT period had already started and I had to show employment. This was 2 years ago and now it's been almost a year I've been trying to get into SWE. For the past year my life includes me going to my office job and come back home to do Leetcode and then wake up next morning to repeat this cycle again. My H1B didn't go through 2 times and now I have my last chance at H1B. I feel so defeated and dejected and don't think I have it in me to continue this any longer. Would appreciate if people can share their experience how they moved to SWE from webdev.
Just remember that all pain is transient. Even if your sports team is down in the last minutes of the game, you keep playing your hardest. Whether you win or loose at the end of the game, you fucking grinded it out, got stronger, and can do it again. Also try and stay focused on the solution and not the consequences if you don’t find a solution. Easier said than done for sure. Godspeed
Since you have related experience in the field you already have a leg up (I went straight from Maths to SWE - I had done lots of crucial projects that played to my advantage instead of LC). But more importantly, what might count against you in hiring decisions is the amount of time left on your permit. So I'd address the visa status foremost. Given that you have approx 1 year on your permit, I'd advise you to continue working at your current company and hope you are lucky in lottery the coming round (I'm also in a similar situation - last shot at H1B). You can go back to school on F1 next year for a PhD
Thank you for your response. In the worst case I'll be applying for H1B from my current employer but have you given a thought if H1B is not picked up in the lottery this time as well then what you will do. I know we can't do another Masters for F1 status and am certainly not interested in PhD.
I am going through the Canadian PR process at the moment (at document collection stage). I'm also looking to join Non-profits that could sponser me for Non-cap H1-B (I have to time this so that I'm able to jump ship sometime in May next year if I'm not selected).
Isn’t web dev just one kind of many SWEs?
My bad, I should have said SDE specifically.
I’m not even in a SW field and I’m gonna skip WEB Dev and go straight to a SWE position. And I’ll interview in JS too. Just grind on, man. It’s easy to be discouraged but you can’t win if you self defeat.🖕🏼😄🖕🏼