Ask HN: Do I work in-person or remote as a junior developer? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Do I work in-person or remote as a junior developer?

7 pointsNoahOlsen10 comments

Hey all, first post on the forums, glad to be here. Over the past year, I've dropped out of college, completed a software engineering bootcamp, and am now searching for junior software engineering roles.

I have the long-term vision of being a founder and am dedicated to learning vast amounts of content in short timeframes. The job market is not too hot now (at least in Columbus), and I'm faced with the debacle of whether to work in-person or remotely.

Working in-person, it seems highly beneficial in almost every aspect. You have the one-off conversations, interactions with business teams, and much more that wouldn't happen online. I've DM'd almost every applicable startup in Columbus and have had no luck. Now, I've decided to start applying to more corporate roles; however, I feel like I'd be largely unhappy with the freedom and learning opportunities there.

I see many remote roles online; however, it seems largely illogical in many ways. How will I be able to learn anywhere near as much if every interaction will come through a screen online? I'd like to ask you guys for your advice.

Do I settle for a mediocre position in Columbus, or make the learning sacrifice to work remotely? Any and all tips would be appreciated, thanks.

You don't really have a choice in this market. You take what you can get. And as a college dropout with no experience, you won't be getting a junior role anytime soon, not in-person, not remote. Get a shitjob to help you survive while you work on a one-man software product in your free time, which can also serve as your portfolio. It's going to be a while before you get a junior dev job.

I don't think this is a relevant time to look for advice on the specific subject of where to work from, but if I were to provide some more generally, I'd first ask you why you dropped out of school, and what if any experience beyond the bootcamp do you have?

Edit: Revised the first sentence.

> How will I be able to learn anywhere near as much if every interaction will come through a screen online?

this question should prompt you to ask yourself another one - are you the kind of person that can successfully learn, grow, excel, and ideally thrive in a remote-only position?

what else do you consider? can you find a job in an industry that is exciting? a subject matter, a language? that might make it worthwhile to make sacrifices elsewhere, like remote vs not.

remote has lots of challenges, some of which may be harder for someone more junior. self discipline, focus, motivation, that can all get harder when you work where you don’t work. it can get messy. in-person has a different set, commute or otherwise.

some of it is personal preference / capability. some, well, market is a mess… experience makes it easier to get a job. the days of anyone believing in unwavering loyalty to one’s employer are long gone.

This might sound crazy, but, since you don't have a degree, I suggest you don't waste your time applying for remote positions. Since lots of people want to work from home, the applicant pool for those positions is typically extremely competitive. Your biggest problem is that, with time, your bootcamp completion will become less important to employers. Since time is not on your side, I recommend that you increase the geographic radius you're applying to by 500 miles each month. You also might want to try to find tiny startups (in a subject area that interests you) that are hiring and have a tech stack that you utilized in your bootcamp. If you e-mail those tiny startups a customized pitch regarding why you really want to work for them, you might get lucky.

Whether you learn much depends on the team moreso than whether it is in person or not.

In my first job I didn’t interact with customers, nor can I remember a single one off convo that mattered as tech was so split off from the rest of the org via the product manager.

The most difficult job to get is the 1st one, so take what ever you find.

Consider your learning style and career goals. In-person roles offer more immediate mentorship and collaboration opportunities, which can be great for skill development. Remote work offers flexibility but may require more self-discipline. Also, the job market in your area matters; some regions have more remote opportunities than others.

It is good question and not easy to answer. But you may not need to.

Apply for both remote and in person positions and then if and when you get offers make remote/in person a factor if you have 2 or more offers at the same time.

In a good market I would say move if you can to a tech centre and work in person. But in this market I am not so sure.

It depends very much on the opportunity. Generally I think you’ll learn faster as a junior in person.

In-person is better for learning, but remote is better than waiting months or a year or never for the perfect job to offer itself to you.

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