I quit my education to go on a path to become a self-taught developer. It doesn't work out that well. I still have a part time job. Which doesn't cover all my expenses. I don't have a degree and nobody wants to hire me. I am getting a second job which leaves me little time for coding. Soooo yeah... Mistakes were made.

What was the reason why you quit education, if you don't mind mentioning

@Hackshay I don't mind at all. I tried 3 studies. All of them just weren't exactly what I wanted. I got in major debt because of them. I just didn't want to get in more debt.

For better or worse, many entry level developer positions these days will require a CS (or related) degree. That's not to say you *can't* get a job without one, or even that a degree would necessarily make you better at what you do, but it can be tricky.

The other way in would be to search for an internship, which may be unpaid, for you to get some work experience. You could search for one alongside your current part time job, and if you impress, they may well end up employing you full time after your internship is over. If they don't, at least you've got some practical, paid dev experience you can then put on the CV.

@WeAreVenom

Understandable.
Which country or place are you currently in?

@AlmondSauce I've applied for several internships / traineeships. I got rejected so many times. I made it into 3 interviews but I failed them all. They gave me assessment. But they were just way too hard to do with less than a year of coding experience.

@Hackshay The Netherlands.

I'm contemplating quitting my degree at the moment and it's driving me crazy.

No wonder. Less than a year coding experience, failing interview tests AND drop-out, that's just over the top.

If you want to be hired without degree, you should have something challenging to present. Or something that isn't exactly rocket science, but close to the job, like WordPress expertise for applying in a WP sweat shop.

@rantsauce why do you want to quit?

@Fast-Nop I even applied for WP internships. But they just turned me down right away.

@WeAreVenom Well did you show them some evidence that you know your way around WP? Do you have a relevant portfolio to assert your competence?

@Fast-Nop how do I build a portfolio in WP if I don't have work in WP? I could make some websites for imaginary customers.

@WeAreVenom well that's the thing - if you don't have any credentials, why would an employer hire you? What do you bring to the table?

Do something to build up your resume. Do some impressive side projects. Or take part in some open source project. Show people that you can rock the boat.

Of course, all of that is a bit difficult as beginner - but unless you find an apprenticeship, employers will want you to do regular work. They won't like the idea of paying you money for teaching you.

@WeAreVenom because it's making my life more miserable than it should be and I know I can learn whatever I want on my own without the need for someone to tell what I should or should not learn.

Bill Gates wannabes 😂

@rantsauce I have been in these shoes before. I assume you have a developer job now?

@Fast-Nop But my imagination stops here. I just do not know what "good enough" is. If someone could tell me build this or that. I will do my best to do so. But I can't think of something right now what is in my skillset what will be considered as "good enough". With only less than a year experience nothing will be impressive because everyone else had made it or it's just not relevant anymore.

@WeAreVenom I had a job and I had to quit it to finish my studies. This made me even more miserable...

@rantsauce I would hold onto that degree. What year are you in?

@WeAreVenom Senior year I guess? I have a few courses left to graduate (8 courses).

@WeAreVenom Well that's not an issue. Most dev jobs aren't groundbreaking rocket science research anyway.

Depending on what exactly you are heading for, you could make a project that is small enough for you to tackle, but that still shows typical aspects of what people would expect.

Also, you could use it to expand your skillset - being self-taught includes a lot of work to actually teach oneself. How do you do this, how that, what are standard solutions, common pitfalls, common patterns.

The thing is - this isn't less work than a degree, and it will take about as much time. It's just a different way of learning, not a shortcut.

I guess employers just think of this as a liability if you quit education for no reason/you didn't like what they taught at university. This is simply because they only focus on your ability to commit on some important goals not achieving them. Which in reality can be entirely different for example like you said - debt or illness or family reasons.

On the other hand, a degree is no indicator for skills or experience/exposure to technologies that you have gathered. It's just a placeholder, maybe shows something that you've accomplished- relevant or not

But the good thing is you have several options, nothing is the end of your career.

1) You can perhaps focus on your current job and improve your skills implementing new techniques, ways to impact changes in your team/organization.

2) You create something as a showcase of your dedication- github/opensource projects are a great way to do this. Or, create many things to shows your creativity. This will help you to be a fulltime dev at your current place. If not, help you get a better one. This is not something simple and you may need a stroke of luck. But hey when it happens, it just happens.

3) You could go back and complete your degree and find a better job elsewhere.

4) Keep applying to as many jobs as possible: Learn New stuffs-->Apply-->Get Feedback-->ImproveCV+Cover-->Take better preparation-->Apply. Never submit the exact same cv/cover twice even if it's a different company. Keep changing the formats if you have to. Don't lose hope if you get rejected, better things maybe waiting for you. Shrug off all the negativities and keep on repeating.

It's not that degree - you only need a lucky spark. Good luck

I'd also like to add: 1.) Get a LinkedIn Account or similar, and put meaningful content on it. Add there a Link to your Github and resume. 2.) Try to attend events of the local coding community, if available, that might give you insights in startUp scene etc. Those things worked for me.

The best option has been mentioned which Is to build a decent portfolio.in terms of getting a WordPress portfolio,you could actually approach a family member who needs a website or a local business who needs a website ,it will get you started.
Freelancing on Freelancer or Upwork is an option but the beginning of that journey will be rocky and you'll earn very little at first and for quite a while.

Otherwise you could build up your own projects and upload them to GitHub.

I'm sure you will be able to get a decent portfolio ready eventually.it will take time.