A lot of time, money, sweat, and tears go into getting a degree.
However, it’s no longer enough to just complete a Computer Science degree.
Every one of the hundreds of candidates you are up against for a single position will have gotten the same degree and will have roughly the same skills as you have.
To get a job upon graduation, you need to make the most of the four years preceding your job search. You need to use that time while in university to make sure you stand out upon graduation.
Here’s how:
1. Pair your computer science degree with something else.
If you have the time management skills, the inclination, and the ability to swing it financially, you should consider pairing your computer science degree with something else.
Having the ability to code is great. Having the ability to code within a context and solve problems within an industry that you actually know something about is even better.
Programming is no longer unique to the IT and software industries. Computer science graduates are being hired by every single industry as needs for software, websites, IT services, and data analysis becomes vital to staying ahead of the competition.
While most candidates in the room will have programming experience, it will be those who have experience in the given industry and can understand some of the problems the industry faces that will stand out to the employer.
In an interview with Bloomberg Quicktake, Ivana Seric describes how her unique background of a Ph.D. in math combined with being an NCAA Division I basketball player during her University years helped her become a data scientist for the Philidelphia 76ers. This background of being a university-level athlete who understands basketball at a deep level combined with a graduate degree in math made her stand out tremendously from other candidates vying for the position.
This example can be applied to your computer science degree. By pairing it with something that will set you apart, you make it very hard for an employer to say no to your application.
2. Attend events and grow your network.
I got my first job after graduation by staying in touch with people I met in university.
One day, out of the blue, a university colleague messaged me on LinkedIn saying that the company they work for was looking for someone with my skill set to fulfill work on a contract basis. A quick interview later and I was employed as a consultant by this company.
In a world where more and more people have bachelor’s degrees, it’s becoming vital to leverage existing relationships to get that first job after graduation. Nepotism is alive and well, and while it’s never an okay thing to practice, it’s the way of the world. Therefore, your time in university is the perfect time to grow your network and build connections that may pay off later on down the road.
While attending networking events sounds like torture to some, the same principle applied at those events can be used in your everyday university life to ensure that you’re adding connections to your network. Make some friends in your classes, interact with your instructors, and connect with industry professionals during capstone projects.
While walking away from your university program with a very expensive piece of paper is the end goal, so too should be walking away with a contact list full of classmates, instructors, and industry professionals who may be able to help you in the future.
3. Focus on developing practical programming skills.
Computer science degrees focus on a lot of the theoretical knowledge that supports and explains why certain things work and why other things don’t. In other words, the theoretical knowledge explains why your code works or why it doesn’t.
However, that theoretical knowledge isn’t as useful as you think it will be once you enter the workforce.
A famous article from 2007 describes the incredulity that arises when it becomes apparent that a developer who looks like a developer, walks like a developer, and can talk about a theory like a developer, can’t code. The article goes on to describe how the majority of computer science graduates are stumped when presented with solving the infamous "Fizz-Buzz" coding problem. The author further describes how even self-proclaimed senior developers struggle to write a solution for this simple problem in under fifteen minutes.
The takeaway from this article: don’t be that computer science graduate who can’t complete the "Fizz-Buzz" coding problem.
In all seriousness, the moral of the story is that as a computer science student, you need to be able to code if you want to get a job as a developer after graduation. This means that you need to focus on developing practical programming skills during your time at university. In other words, you can’t just be able to talk-the-talk. You need to be able to walk-the-walk.
4. Study job postings so you know what employers are looking for.
Tech changes fast.
Like super fast.
Like so fast that one-day technology may be "in" and the next day it’s "out".
Computer science degrees, unfortunately, do not change nearly as fast. If anything, computer science degrees are more often than not way behind the times.
Because of this, you must study job postings periodically so you know what employers are looking for in viable candidates.
When it comes time to apply for developer positions after you graduate, you don’t want to realize too late that you need to be proficient in a bunch of new technologies that you were never taught in university. Furthermore, many of these jobs are looking for developers who have several years of experience in these technologies. Why not learn the technologies while in university and build some projects with them so you can demonstrate that you have the years of experience necessary in the technology to be a useful and contributing member to the company?
Many graduates see the whole concept of needing experience in a particular language as needing to be a strictly employed experience. However, most employers will see personal usage and demonstrated proficiency in the language as a sufficient replacement for employed experience.
Therefore, learn what technologies and proficiencies employers are looking for in the industries you’re interested in, and invest some of your personal time into learning those technologies. This is one investment that is guaranteed to pay off.
5. Don’t neglect to develop your soft skills.
Soft skills are what got me my first job after graduation.
While I need a technical background to understand what is going on and what the company is trying to accomplish, it’s the soft skills that I use to complete work and to get the job done.
It can be exciting being in university and seeing all of the courses focused on technologies that you want to become proficient in. Of course, you want to become the best developer out there (or at least of your graduating class).
However, when it comes time to compete against hundreds of other applicants for a single junior developer position, it will be your soft skills that will set you apart. Every one of the other applicants will be able to write clean code, will have gotten a computer science degree, and will be able to fly through whiteboard interview sessions no problem. But how many of the applicants actually have passable soft skills that will be of use to the employer?
When I was studying software development in university, roughly 25% of the courses I took were in business communications and organizational behavior which gave me the soft skills I needed to get my first job after graduation.
In other words, don’t neglect the soft skills. Take a few courses that will turn you into a well-rounded developer who will be instrumental to the success of the company you end up working for. You would be surprised by how much employers will appreciate your ability to write a polished business proposal or your ability to deliver a presentation to a crowd.
6. Get your foot in the door with internships, part-time work, and consulting work.
Most of the people in my graduating class who got jobs after graduation had internships while they were attending university.
There is no better way to get your foot in the industry than showing employers that you have relevant experience from an internship, part-time work, or consulting work in that field.
Not only that, but these types of employment that can come during your time at university are great indicators of whether or not you will be happy in the industry after graduating. There is no shame in switching your major if you realize that working in tech is not for you. As the old saying goes, if you’re happy with your work, you will never work a day in your life. This is what you should be aiming for.
Many will advise that it’s ideal to get an internship every single year that you are in your degree program. While I agree in part with this, I also think that you need to take a couple of considerations into account, including whether the internship is paid (it’s time to abolish unpaid internships by the way), how many hours they expect you to work, whether you can balance your coursework and your internship-related work, and if the internship will really add to your resume.
Regardless, there is no better time than while you’re in university to get your foot in the door. These first experiences will be what pay off and get you those jobs after graduation.
7. Start your professional portfolio immediately.
The professional portfolio is quickly becoming the standard by which employers will consider your abilities before calling you for an interview.
Professional portfolios are one of the best ways to show employers your growth as a candidate and to show that you can apply what you’re learning to real-life situations.
Therefore, you must begin your portfolio as soon as possible.
Start by setting up a LinkedIn profile, a personal website, a GitHub profile and repository, and even a blog (preferably on Medium – there is no better way to wow your potential future employer than to explain to them how you get paid every month because people find your blog posts informative, useful, and of good quality).
Start this portfolio in your first year of university and add to it whenever you complete a new project or when you learn a new concept. By demonstrating a progression of learning, you will show a potential employer that you are willing to embark on the career-specific journey of self-education.
Final thoughts.
A computer science degree is invaluable – when you make the most of it.
The fact is that while computer science grads get to enjoy a low unemployment rate compared to many other fields of study, it’s still difficult to get a job after graduation.
Therefore, don’t waste the four years that you’re in university simply studying to get your degree. Make the most of it so that by the time you graduate, it will be impossible for employers to say no to you.
