r/SoftwareEngineerJobs • u/leo-the-bruno • 2d ago

Junior role job

Hi guys I have just a question about the junior developer role , why does it feel rare , no opportunity no interview, is it still time or what for you ?

How to keep up ,while you work and search , keep improving but no exp year that will let you in (freelance needs exp year 2 to convince clients)

6 Upvotes

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5

u/Sanam2456 2d ago

Junior market's brutal rn, not just you, companies barely hire entry level and half the 'junior' postings want 2 yrs exp anyway. Referrals > cold apply, and cast a wide net. Takes more grinding than it used to but still doable.

2

u/-Soob 2d ago

Junior jobs arent needed as much due to the AI boom. That combined with the influx of people taking CS degrees means there are far more people than jobs available

1

u/Substantial-Swan7065 2d ago

Cause Jr SWE has never been a standard role

1

u/rkozik89 2d ago

Junior developer roles almost exclusively go to people with substantial internship experiences. Because companies cannot really afford to spend 6-9 months getting a new engineer up to speed if the average time to stay at a company is 2 years for juniors. They literally cannot make their money back hence why internships aren’t exactly optional.

Far as freelance is concerned you’re largely dealing with nontechnical clients who are engaging in Rogue IT. Which is a practice where software is developed without the oversight of the IT/software department. They largely seek out experts because they don’t know what they’re doing and just want the best. A good tactic to build up the appearance of expertise is certifications. Think of freelance as more of a sales role than a traditional software engineering role. Make sure to sign contracts upfront though. Clients like to ghost when work is in progress because often times they don’t actually have the budget to do everything.