Movin’ Out – How to Land a Job Without Two Years of Experience

In 1977, Billy Joel debuted ‘Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),’ which details the story of two men working hard to make ends meet.

“Anthony works in the grocery store
Savin’ his pennies for someday
Mama Leone left a note on the door
She said, Sonny, move out to the country
Workin’ too hard can give you a heart attack (ack)
You oughta know by now (oughta know)
Who needs a house out in Hackensack
Is that what you get with your money
It seems such a waste of time
If that’s what it’s all about
Mama if that’s movin’ up
Then I’m movin’ out
I’m movin’ out.”

Despite being released 42 years ago, the themes captured in ‘Movin Out’ still resonate – working multiple jobs to get by; living with your parents to save enough money to move out on your own; and perhaps most jarring, not being able to find a job in your desired field because you don’t have enough experience.

Therein lies the catch:

As a recent graduate, how are you supposed to land a job without having two years of experience?

For thousands of graduates across the U.S. like Daniel Ramskill, ‘Movin Out’ is more than a song – it’s a jarring reality.

Daniel graduated from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in computer science. Similar to his peers, he thought his degree would guarantee him at least an entry-level position, but his lack of job-related experience served as an employment barrier, leading to “rejection letters all over the place.”

Part of the reason organizations look for job experience is because although schools provide the theory and foundation, the very technology that they’re training on becomes quickly obsolete.

Take Java, for example:

If you were a freshman in 2017 and learned Java SE 9 as it was being released, then you probably know that it’s three versions too old and there are no free public updates available. Now, not only do you have to familiarize yourself with the latest version – Java SE 12 – but you also have to hope that your professor was able to do the same and relay how it works “in the real world.”

It’s that hands-on, real-world experience that made the difference for Daniel, “[Revature] looked like an opportunity for me to get my hands into the industry with no experience.”

Daniel later added, “Before coming [to Revature], I didn’t know how to make a user interface, I didn’t know how to create a view for a website, I didn’t know how to put the logic behind the buttons, I didn’t know how to create a database. I was essentially just this repository of information with no way to let it out. And since coming to Revature, they’ve tapped into that reservoir and given me a path to allow me to use it.”

Daniel’s story and pathway to a fulfilling career are common among our associates here at Revature. By working with some of the top-tier Fortune 500 companies and government entities, Revature delivers up-to-date technology training that’s custom-tailored to land our associates’ jobs while filling critical business demands and skills gaps.

If you’re ready to move out and learn how Revature can provide you with the skills and experience necessary to start your career as a software engineer, visit https://revature.com/why-revature/.