Reccomendations for post-covid/post-AI JR programmers
The job market for programmers has changed significantly within the last 5 years. Software tends to go through boom-bust cycles but we went from absolute highs (covid boom, bootcamps) to absolute lows (mass layoffs, end of the ZIRP era) to the absolute weirdness that is today (Hiring is picking up, maybe?).
Being a Junior engineer today is very unique. A lot of old advice is irrelevant. The bar has been raised absurdly high - a lot of older programmers will agree with the statement of "I couldn’t make it in today’s market."
It’s not all doom and gloom. I feel like there’s a lot of ways to differentiate one’s self, and become successful. The hard part is that no one tells you how do to so.
If you get ONE THING from this, it 's the fact that Being hired at one of these 100k+ positions is life changing, and you have to be willing to go above and beyond to stand out. Also - Getting a job at a 60-90k company then upskilling to a higher paid position is possible, and a lot of people do this. You don’t have to burn yourself out and get on the treadmill. There’s more ways.
Here’s my advice.
Warning: This is just my perspective. Do not take this as the final source of truth. I’m wrong about a lot. I’m not an extremely intelligent person.
This is for non-technical advice. This is for everyone.
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Read 'BEYOND cracking the coding interview'
Cracking the coding interview is seen as the bible of 2010s-era technical prep, and for good reason. It’s a good read.
Beyond cracking the coding interview is the sequel, made for the 2020s. It came out in January 2025, and I find it’s extremely practical.
The gist is that we focus on building an online presence, getting your name out there, memorizing your elevator pitch - boring stuff that you may have heard a lot - but a lot of unique advice too.
For example, a lot of recruiters who have pools of 4,000 resumes and they DO NOT read them. As a result, you have to find ways to differentiate yourself outside of that. The number one way of doing this is targeting a company, and building rapport SLOWLY after weeks, but probably months.
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Hey man, I read your blog. Mind if I ask how you got good at XYZ?
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Hey man, thanks for your advice. I managed to read through the book and I made this thing.
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[3 months later] so I see that your company has an opening. Mind if I message you about that?
This is exhausting. But this his how the game is played in 2026. It’s not enough to be smart, skilled, technical and friendly. You have to put in the work to network. These are life changing jobs that are over 100k where you sit inside of an air conditioned office and live comfortably. Competition is HIGH.
Another example is that cold outreach → cold referrals no longer work. Heck, even strong referrals where the person has known you for a long time might not guarantee an interview. There’s too many referrals. Your time is better spent elsewhere.
As someone who never had the chance to be in a room where people gave me advice like that, I find this book immensely helpful. There’s a also a lot of technical stuff too. Do that as well.
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You MUST have a portfolio and website
If I google you - what do I see? If you google "Nicholas Dewberry", you’ll find my personal site, my Linkedin, and perhaps some news about me.
This is extremely helpful when it comes to introduction. People see "Nicholas Dewberry" emailing them, and then they turn to google. I’m bad with first impressions - I’m a slow burn type of guy. That’s why I spend so much time on my site.
This is just my personal conspiracy theory - but I also think that some companies have autonomous AI agents that scrape sites and profiles belonging to you, and build a profile of you outside of your immediate resume and cover letter. So then that happens - having a site helps a lot.
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Post weekly on handshake/linkedin. Comment daily.
Get to work. It sucks, but you have to make a name for yourself.
Post projects, improvements, ask questions. You need visibility.
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Handshake > Linkedin (for students).
Linkedin rewards those who play the Linkedin game. In 2026 that means posting AI slop every few days, even though no one will read it.
Handshake is basically what linkedin should be. It’s for university students and recruiters only - so make it count.
Remember, handshake is filled with actual university recruiters who want to find hidden gems and elevate them. Bonus if you’re from a non-traditional background and have soul.
IMO It’s super easy for technical people to stand out there. A lot of people are easily impressed if you have actual projects and are able to show your work.
This is for technical advice. I’m going to focus on python-based advice, since that’s what my specialty is.
To build expertise, you need to self-study intermediate and advanced content to upskill. You need to practice A LOT.
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Read programming books
I’m making a longer article on this.
Due to Jevon’s paradox, the biggest winner of the AI automatic programming boom are senior developers who are able to dive deeper and move fast. Junior programmers and non-programmers get a bump, but that doesn’t help them for making scalable, reliable software.
I don’t know if project based learning is still relevant when it comes to work. It’s too easy to AI slop something up, and recruiters know that.
Personally - I find reading complicated books and understanding advanced features is the best way to improve your skills and learn more.
For Python that’s books like "Fluent Python" or "High performance python".
If you are a student, MAXIMIZE the fact you get O’Reily books for free. A lot of Universities, such as mine (North Carolina A&T State University) offer free books to students. Take advantage of this.
Books offer the best time-spent to upskilling ratio.
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Watch programming conferences
These are 20-50 minutes gems where someone breaks down something complicated or difficult. These are GREAT introductions to complicated problems, or advanced features, or similar. So you want to be a Python Expert? is an advanced one, but I LOVE it. I’ve watched it three times - and I learn something new each time.
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Try new things and fail
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Contribute to open source
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Contribute to communities, learn more.
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Always be reading, and stay curious
I have been obsessed with hackernews. Try to read multiple things at once.
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Leetcode is still mandatory
A sidenote about speaking to insecure/arrogant people
I spend a lot of time thinking about how to treat people correctly in social, professional situations. I never had this modeled for me. No one gives you a checklist or guide, so you awkwardly have to read and take advice. I’ve made mistakes in the past, got better - but there’s one thing to keep in mind. There’s some people you can’t make happy.
There are a lot of times when you speak to people who are somewhat insecure in their position. There’s nothing wrong with that. The issue comes when they make it your problem. Instead of being humble and open minded by this fact, they become judgemental and rude.
For example, when I was 17 I went to an IT networking event and asked people how they know moving to the cloud was the right choice. Every person - except one - had a specific use case and answer. They were able to give pros/cons and have smart reasoning behind why they did so. One person just said "It’s because it’s what big tech companies like Microsoft do" and found my question insulting. They made fun of my age, experience, and the fact I shouldn’t have been there. I was in a group of six people when they said this. Everyone else found them strange (but no one spoke up).
I remember this event fondly. There was an older guy in a hoodie who gave me three book recommendations. I only remember two - "How to win friends and influence people" and "Getting Naked: Patrick Lecioni" (It’s a book about management consulting).
In the AI era, where a lot of professional people just ask claude for everything, having deep knowledge and asking hard questions can sometimes backfire. Be mindful of this. There are people who "do research" by reading Linkedin 2 hours a day, and take skepticism as an insult.
This advice goes doubly so if you aren’t a graduate of a top college, or are a woman, or don’t fit the exact preconceptions these people have in their head.
You must walk on eggshells talking to these people. Do not make yourself sound too smart. Do not make jokes about your experience. Focus on what they can relate to - and only them. DO NOT ask too many questions.
There will be times when you nail an interview, are well liked, yet someone might flag you as being "cocky" since you "do too much". I once went to a career fair and showed the recruiter videos on my phone of projects I’ve did. I learned later that they said that I acted "arrogantly" because I kept "trying to make an impression" and "tried too hard".
Of course, there are some social things you must accept. For example, people mixing up java and javascript. Or mispronouncing Linux or saying 'Sequel Programming'. Treat people as human. Give them grace. Don’t ever sigh or talk down to people, or be dismissive when people open up to you.