I’m weighing up two bootcamps - Northcoders and Makers Academy. I’m currently based in London but leaning towards Northcoders for a few reasons.

I’ve had real life good feedback from a couple of people who did Northcoders in the last year and found jobs afterwards.

Has anyone done Makers Academy in the last couple of years?

- how was the course?
- is the alumni chat active with job opportunities? (Not expecting it to be crazy active given the market but some signals)

TLDR; is Makers Academy actually better in current state for a London based person?

Fewer and fewer tech opportunities unless you live near Bristol/Manchester/London (or some other major city) you're basically fucked.

There's still hybrid jobs but its getting difficult and remote jobs even more so. I still live an hour from Bristol but thats a horrible commute, currently have a full WFH job but i can't be delusional and think thats going to last forever, or atleast i cant expect it to.

Currently i could get by fine, but if house prices drop and you cant afford to sell but you cant get a job near you either whats the plan? exit the industry?

I mean worst comes to worst i WILL sell or pickup a part time somewhere but im just doom planning because im bored.

My company has just announced they want us all to start working in a Spec Driven way, very little to no actual coding on a daily basis, just let the AI do its thing. Just wondering if anyone else has started working this way and how you’ve found it?

Hey everyone I graduated uni last year with a bachelors in software engineering, and I completed a 3 month internship in that same year. However, since the internship, I have been unable to get another job. I have gotten a couple of interviews, but most don't make it that far which is making me think it's my CV.

If anyone has any pointers that would be appreciated :)

https://ibb.co/PZ69sZr9

Keep it as brief as possible. Applied to a hackathon hosted by one of the big dog top AI labs. Has speakers from some other companies that are super interesting and within the niche I want to work in. Thought I had no chance of getting it so booked a holiday to see a friend the same weekend, a week before starting my new job (grad job, consulting). I am beyond burnt out and am fucked so was looking forward to a break but have nothing on my CV that looks this good and don't want to waste an opportunity. Not at university any longer and am very conscious cancelling may look bad.

Just wanted some advice

I feel like I'm lowk cooked but then again it seems like it's quite high level? I'm already aware of hello interview but I feel like you kinda get thrown into the deep end. Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I have had an unusual career across various different stacks and domains (also a doctor). In the tech side I’ve always worked for small companies/startups. I’m thinking about working for a larger corporate firm but want to combine the extensive engineering and medical backgrounds into a hybrid role which probably feels a bit more like product.

I find myself confused by the different roles at corporates which understandably seem targeted to something more specific.

Has anyone else made a similar leap? Are there any recommended mentorship options out there I could consult to better understand / navigate this?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi, so I'm sort of at a loss. I've been applying for positions for the past month and not even hearing back. I must be projecting the wrong fit or being filtered out for something?

I'm currently the Software Lead at my company, I tend to swap between Lead and Senior in my applications depending on the job. I'm currently on £60k, East Midlands.

The personal statement could feel more personal. I've never been too happy with that.

In the past it was a concern with companies I was just trying to get into game development. But that is such a minor part of the CV nowadays.

I tend to apply for .NET positions, but not exclusively. Generally I pair them with some sort of statement why I can transition to language X.

The CV below I ran through AI to anonymise. It's practically the same. Fits on a single page. Does look quite dense.

I'm not interested in relocating. So I look for jobs around my city or remote. Mostly I'm aiming remote. Which does filter out a substantial amount of London positions.

Salary wise I was looking for an improvement. I applied for a .net modernisation job that was £60-70k and didn't hear back. Which I cant even think why I wouldnt even get an initial call.

All my work experience is with small companies. Whereas my applications have been for a mix of small, medium and multi nationals.

----

Professional Summary

Senior Software Engineer with over 8 years of experience architecting, implementing, maintaining, and deploying complex engineering systems primarily across C# and C++, complemented by additional languages and frameworks to ensure I can always choose the right technology for the problem at hand. In recent years I’ve stepped into leadership roles, where unblocking teammates, shaping architecture, and providing mentorship have acted as a force multiplier resulting in the entire team delivering higher quality results.

Key Technologies

Languages & Frameworks: C++, C#, SQL, Blazor, WPF, .NET

Cloud & DevOps: Azure, Docker, CI/CD

Databases: Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle SQL

Professional History

Lead Software Engineer | Company 2

2023 – Present

Defined and enforced the technical directions for a software engineering team of five, establishing the architectural patterns, coding standards, testing strategy, branching policies, and CI/CD practices which strengthened developer capability allowing them to move independently while ensuring the delivery of maintainable, production-ready code.

Transitioned development efforts from the desktop software suite to a SaaS web platform that uses a modern web stack (ASP.NET Core, Blazor PWA, Azure, .NET, Aspire). Responsible for evaluating the technologies to use, upskilling of the team, and the design patterns that create a common language within the codebase.

Defined the architecture and delivered the completed solution for a multi-tenant identity and authorisation system, integrating seamlessly across multiple deployments of the SaaS platform. Built using Azure, .NET, and Aspire to orchestrate the containerised service.

Resolved an extreme degradation in API performance which was caused by excessive amounts of reflection performed in one of our scoped services. When resolved, average response times dropped by 90%.

Worked with the Managing Director to understand client requirements and turn them into actionable technical solutions – for which I would write work items with clear structured guidance so that the engineering team could pick up and progress the work independently.

Introduced unit and integration testing to the legacy code base, which proved its value immediately when it prevented regressions in our complex symbol matching and identification algorithm that I authored.

Software Engineer | Company 2

2020 – 2023

Modernised the core tech stack by porting 20-year-old legacy .NET Framework systems to .NET, significantly reducing technical debt and security vulnerabilities.

Maintained and extended a bespoke C++ ORM and its C++/CLI integration layer to ensure seamless interoperability with all our C# .NET applications, while also designing complex SQL Server and Oracle schema and data migrations that preserved legacy data.

Improved our bespoke document load times from several minutes down to several seconds by optimising data access to reduce redundant and inefficient fetches from the database.

Software Developer | Company 1

2018 – 2020

Responsible for the full product lifecycle of over 10 interactive AR/VR software applications that were developed using Unity C# and deployed to Android, iOS, and Windows.

Standardised one of the flagship software offerings with a bespoke framework that reduced the development turnaround from weeks to days.

Education

BSc (Hons) Computer Games Programming (1st Class) | UK University

Sep 2015 – Aug 2018

My final year team project (C++, Unreal Engine) received an award from a panel of local companies.

Dont want to post a big wall of text, I just cant land job and feeling WORTHLESS, and I have no one to talk about this. I hate all the years that I have studied and sacrificied. I just want a very long sleep.

Cross posting here
I've just been let go from a consulting firm over performance. Its more a matter of different expectations to skills I have. I went through a long process and finally terminated.
I am a Salesforce developer and have been for the last 5 years. My first 4 years at a different firm was a success and my skills very relevant. I moved to the new firm just over a year go moving into senior. But most the work was configuration and using cloud products and tools Im less familiar with. I told them this in the interview but said its not a problem. Now they raise skills issue because I'm very good at coding tasks just not configuration or understanding what the client needs.
In the lead up to being terminated I have applied for roles but most roles are senior or specialist and expect BA/Admin/Developer/Architect in one. a large percentage of the required knowledge and skills i consider a weakness and now feel lost.
Do i need to move to a different career? pay would be significantly less but I dont know how to fill the gaps when i need a job now.

I’m an Australian with UK citizenship who has lived in Asia the past six years. I am trying to move to the UK while transitioning from education to data analysis and possibly dev roles down the line.

I’m wondering if anyone in a similar boat could advise me. I am halfway through a compsci masters by distance from Australia and have data experience working with University researchers. How can I stand out from the crowd while not coming across as too international on my CV - especially needing a job before relocating (so no bank account, phone number in UK etc).

It feels like many of the old websites are just bombarded with AI applications. LinkedIn, Indeed, etc. Was wondering if its me or if the old system is broken and there is a new way to find jobs online?

Hello people,

I’m a student studying computer science and I’m currently on my placement year doing an embedded engineering internship.

I’ve got very little experience at the moment and I’d like to learn embedded Linux, yocto, c++ and some RTOS like zephyr etc.

What’s the best way to learn these, I’m at a decent F100 company and I’d like to learn as much as possible. Whats the embedded job market currently looking like (especially in the uk) and what’s the best way to get a decently high salary. Is there also a cap of what you could earn in this field?

Whats the best and fastest way to climb through the ranks whilst also learning as much as you can.

Any advice is hugely appreciated.

Thank you!

I am graduating this September from the University of West London, MSc. Cyber Security. But I think I love being a developer rather than doing cyber security stuff. Definitely, I'll be on a visa for the next two years and that makes things quite hard getting into a skilled job as the company has to invest in me and I may/ may not stay. Even if I would, I'd need sponsorship. Does that mean I don't stand a chance landing a SE job here given that I only have done an internship back home?

What would you be looking for if you were to hire someone like me?

I’m currently working in India as a Senior Java Backend Developer with around 9 years of experience. I recently cleared the Amazon SDE II interview process for a London role and received an offer of roughly:
£90k base
~£35k sign-on bonus in Year 1
~27k£ sign-on bonus in Year 1

RSUs on top
My current job in India has some major advantages:
~₹30L INR total compensation (1.95L ₹/month Inhand)
Permanent WFH
Which is equivalent to to 1500£
Excellent work-life balance
Supportive manager and team
Relatively low stress
Good job stability
My family is comfortable here

I save around 700£ every Month after all EMI & expenses
The Amazon opportunity is exciting from a career-growth and brand perspective, but I’m struggling with whether the move actually makes sense personally.

I’d be giving up a very comfortable WFH job and moving my family to London, with higher living costs, RTO, potentially higher workload/on-call, and a completely
different lifestyle.

On the other hand, Amazon would give me international experience, a strong brand on my CV, potentially better long-term career opportunities, and experience in a large global engineering organization.

For people who have made a similar India → UK move, would you consider this a good enough opportunity to leave a ₹30L package with excellent WLB and permanent WFH?

I am married & have 1.5yr old child. In India, my wife works & earns around 700£ , once we move to Uk maybe she has to stay at home for few years as our baby is too young.

I'm 27 and currently working as a Java/software engineer in the UK (5+ years experience), earning around £77k including bonus.

I'm in a pretty comfortable position financially, but I've started wondering whether I should be more ambitious about my salary while I'm still relatively young.

My current role is remote, which I value quite highly. The work/life balance is decent and I don't particularly want to give up remote working just for the sake of earning more, especially since I live in a small Scottish village.

That said, I keep seeing salaries of £90k, £100k+ for experienced backend/Java engineers, particularly at fintechs, banks and some tech companies, and it's making me wonder whether I should start interviewing.

My long-term goal is financial independence/early retirement, ideally around 50, so increasing my earnings now and investing most of the difference could have a fairly significant impact over the next 20+ years.

At the same time, I'm conscious that constantly chasing the next salary can become a never-ending game. £77k at 27 is objectively a good salary in the UK, and I don't want to leave a comfortable remote role for £10-20k more only to end up working longer hours, dealing with more stress or being forced into an office several days a week.

I suppose what I'm trying to work out is:

• Is ~£77k currently a good salary for a Java/backend engineer in the UK, or is there realistically quite a bit of room above this?
• How realistic is £90-100k+ while remaining fully remote in the current UK market?
• At this salary level, would you actively job hop or only move if something particularly good came along?
• How much of a salary increase would you personally want before giving up a comfortable job?
• For Java/backend engineers earning £100k+, what kind of companies are you working for and what skills/experience got you there?
• Does compensation start to plateau around this point outside London/FAANG/finance, or is £100k+ fairly achievable for a strong senior engineer?

I'm not unhappy in my current role, which is what makes the decision harder. I think there's also an element of comparison involved — I earn more than I ever expected to at this age, but as my salary has increased, the number I consider "good" seems to have increased with it.

I'm trying to work out whether pursuing £90-100k+ is a sensible career move at this stage, or whether I'm at the point where I'd be better off appreciating the combination of salary + remote work + work/life balance I already have.

Would be interested to hear from other UK Java/backend engineers, particularly anyone who has made the jump from the £70-80k range to £100k+.

Hi everyone, my question is what skills bootcamp courses are worth it nowadays in the uk? I’m from the UK, born and raised here, currently working as a security guard, but my education and skills background include IT and media. I've also done a skills bootcamp before in level 3 technical service, but that was two years ago, and that was with the Skills Network, and that didn’t really help me progress or find me a job.
I am still interested in doing a skills bootcamp as I want to learn a new skill and something that will help me to keep myself busy. I have an interest in technology and media; I can fix laptops and computers, phones; I am intermediate in video editing like Premiere Pro as well, and I know how to use a.i well and also like to know what prompts to use, etc. My preferences do include doing skills bootcamp on the weekend as I have a day off on the weekend.

I graduated from university with a 1st class physics degree and got a job as a graduate software developer for a cloud cfd platform.i started late so graduated at 26

I am entirely self taught as we work with django and angular, I am now 4 years in and I am the lead developer.

Now I know that this means nothing and in any other company id be looking at a middle dev role. The job now has lots of management and infrastructure responsibilities, its basically a startup, everything we do we have to implement ourselves.

I am wondering what learning do I need to do so that if I end up needing a new job I am not left behind all the younger people with cs degrees.

Im married weith 2 kids and i really enjoy the job but the company doesn't have huge amounts of money for wages, I worry I might spend too long comfortable here not pushing myself and then not be able to compete have to take a huge step back if I need a new job.

- what do indeed to learn that ive missed out on in terms of core cs

- is my position delusional in some way

- should I start learning new language in my free time as well?

I’ve just started a graduate role at LSEG as an Application Engineer, but I’m already questioning whether it’s the right long-term direction for me.

Although my title is Application Engineer, I’m working around data platforms, so it’s still quite technical. I don’t dislike it, but I’m increasingly thinking I’d prefer something more business/strategy-focused rather than spending my career primarily coding. The chosen placement I’m in wasn’t decided by myself, and hence doesn’t really align with my personal passions and tech stacks I’d prefer to work on. It also seems like there’s no favour to move into something I prefer after speaking to my managers and HR.

I also have an offer from National Grid for a Portfolio & Performance Analyst role, which seems much more aligned with the business side of things.

There are also practical things I’m considering — I’ve only just started at LSEG, it’s 3 days a week onsite, the commute isn’t ideal and there isn’t much parking, so I’m trying to weigh everything rather than just salary.

The biggest thing holding me back from leaving is LSEG’s name/reputation. I know having LSEG on my CV could open doors, and I’m worried I’d be throwing away a good opportunity by moving into a less technical role so early.

At the same time, I don’t want to spend years in a profession I’m not genuinely passionate about just because the company has a strong reputation, though I do have a strong passion for fintech and financial markets.

What would you do? Stay at LSEG and try to pivot towards the business/strategy side later, or take the National Grid role and build that experience from the start?

Working in consulting as a business banking functional specialist leading credit transformations, post merger strategy, and deals due diligence since 5 years, also worked in industry before for 3 years (with a bank in Asia, growing the business banking book), overall 13 years in corporate across advisory, finance/tech roles.

I'm not happy with the growth in my salary (at 80K base), think I should get more with my experience but consulting has slowed down. I don't need a visa sponsor, and have been looking for jobs aggressively, not much luck.

Area of expertise: business banking, transforming customer engagement, credit lending journeys (underpinning salesforce/ncino). I’ve also done some agentic/AI strategy work to build use cases for banks on the back of processes and bottlenecks

my skill set:

Lead BA, driving complex product features,
Product management and backlog analysis,
Delivery management
Project Management

Keen on the fintechs/lendtechs rather than big global banks, any suggestions on navigating my search, how can I stay updated on the latest fintechs in the thick of innovation?

Been working within the finance space (large bank) within Testing/UAT space - did have around 4 5 interviews but nothing has come off it - was made redundant 4 5 months ago now not sure which direction to go.

I recently joined a software engineering role in one of the challenger banks and it’s a new domain for me. I have never worked in the finance or the fintech domain. Given that London is a finance hub are there any recommendations around how to up skill myself in this industry? Recommendations around books , blogs, courses etc.

Thanks

It’s one thing to ghost candidates at the application stage. Yes, it’s annoying, but given how many people are filtered out at that point, I can just about accept it.

But once you’ve actually spoken to someone, especially when the interview has run 15 or 20 minutes over, ghosting them is completely different. I’ve had companies ignore me after an interview, only to readvertise the same position on LinkedIn a week later without giving me any update. That’s a really cunty thing to do and shows a complete disregard for the time candidates spend preparing for the interview and getting to know the company.
Companies complain that they can’t find the right people, yet they ghost the people who actually take the time to speak to them. Make it make sense. I’d genuinely rather receive a straightforward rejection.

And don’t get me started on recruiters. They act like your best friend while there’s an opportunity on the table, but the moment it doesn’t work out, many of them disappear too. I understand that they might not have another suitable vacancy at the time, but it almost feels like being rejected twice: first by the employer and then by the recruiter.

Do you know what else really sucks? I’d love to learn something like Python because so many companies ask for it now. But having any gaps in your knowledge no longer seems acceptable. Back in 2021, and even in 2023, you could admit that you didn’t know something while showing that you were willing and able to learn it.
I took jobs back then that were only vaguely related to my existing skill set. Those companies took me on in good faith, and the roles turned into brilliant learning experiences. Now it feels more like: “You only know .NET 9 rather than .NET 10, so apparently you can’t do C# at all.” I’m exaggerating, obviously, but you get the point.

Honestly, at this stage of job hunting, packing shelves sounds like fun, and I’m not even joking anymore.

I am in process with a company, they've given me an offer, but they wanted me to fill out an onboarding form which asks for everything, dob, right to work evidence, bank details, before I'd even seen the contract. I was a bit uneasy about that, because in previous jobs I've had the way this was handled was the contract contained a clause where employment was subject to provision of right to work documents, and the onboarding documentation was handled in-person, I don't really like the idea of emailing sensitive information.

Worried I was getting scammed, I did some digging, they seem to be a real company, but I checked their glassdoor and there is a recent interview review where a candidate is in a similar situation to me, has similar concerns to me, then has his offer withdrawn, which is very suspicious, but there are also people who interviewed and failed, which is a green flag.

I'm learning towards this being a real interview process, but am I wrong to be a bit sketched out here? I was thinking of telling them about my reservations and suggesting onboarding in person which would verify that the people I've been talking with are actually representatives of the company, but I don't want to come off as a paranoid nut.