I worry such entry-level positions and on-the-job training will start to disappear (if they haven't already.)
the modern management culture has warped the apprenticeship/mentorship model (which is what's being described).
The management do not want to risk investing in someone junior, lest they become senior and move to a different company. So the strategic thing to do is to hire someone already senior, and not pay the cost of the education/training.
Agreed, but this is a legitimate concern. In fact, it's almost a guarantee in my experience. The vast majority of people, myself included, do not stay at the same company long-term anymore. I mostly blame The company's ridiculous HR policies around salaries and promotions. For this. They have built a system in which if you want a promotion or raise you typically have to leave the company. However, that does not change the reality that most Juniors will not stick around long enough to become seniors.
I don't know what the solution is, but we definitely need one.
I literally just had a conversation with my boss. You are near top of your band so can't do much in terms of raises. To his credit, he at least offered a path to the next level, but honestly.. that promotion should have happened after last year's crazy project.
<< if you want a promotion or raise you typically have to leave the company
And this is mostly what they got, because people respond to incentives. I know my last move was upwards for 30% raise ( yes, I was clearly fairly underpaid ).
<< However, that does not change the reality that most Juniors will not stick around long enough to become seniors.
My first real job kept me for 10 years. It could happen. Still, the tension between management and rank-and-file is real though.
Then you might ask what are managers for. To this I have no answer.
My guess is there isn't really a way to get this done without some violations of freedom, so it probably isn't going to work, but it would be fun to brainstorm on.
Working on some large FOSS project will teach you most of the skills, though maybe don't specialize too much. Some people seem to mostly fix bugs, others design and half-finish stuff before switching to something else, etc. It's best to know the full lifecycle in order to have relevant experience for all situations.
My best advice is start writing code to solve problems in your own life. Basically write apps to solve your own problem. A great example currently on hn is an expense tracker. That sort of stuff is great because you can showcase your front end and back-end skills, along with design and refinement. Then maintain that project for a while to show a history, which demonstrates your skill of maintenance. That sort of thing Will get you hired by me as a junior in a heartbeat.
It's also unlikely to change because it's just one more symptom of how companies are run these days, and that mindset has societal-scale momentum now.
College is about getting the knowledge to perform your field, not the knowledge of every particular procedure one could possibly expect to see. The modern emphasis on internships softens the blow somewhat, but it's a half-hearted replacement and is easily abused in many fields.
> Can I still apply even if my major and job course are not related?
> Please do! Around 40% of our new recruits work in positions that are different from their university majors. Instead of narrowing your options by focusing on your major, please expand your thoughts and ideas to what you want to do at Sony. Pick job courses that excite you and motivate you to take on a challenge.
In the Japanese website they mention that 300 engineers act as in-house instructors.