A Grad's Odyssey: The Quest for a Software Engineering Dream by DBS | software engineer personal blog
In the center of a busy city lies the start of my story. I am just a fresh engineering graduate. My journey is full of challenges, but even still I dream to become a software engineer, software engineer personal blog.
However, this road isn’t easy. When it comes to opportunities and the talent that surrounds me, there’s little room for a rookie like me. This is a tale that has been told by many before me, yet my version of events remains unique.
Seven months have come and went since my graduation, but I still remember those golden university days like it was yesterday. Classes felt like a breeze when I had the right amount of coffee in me, and studying into the late hours of the night was a no-brainer. It was a time where everything seemed simple, to get good grades and pass assignments. But that all changed after I tossed my cap in the air.
The summer sun is starting to sting my eyes as I comb through page after page of job listings. Who would’ve thought getting a job was harder than school? College kicked off piles of graduates with bright ideas and shiny diplomas. And now we’re swimming against each other in an ocean-sized market, clawing at every possible opportunity to show why we’re better than the rest.
I started to realize that it wasn’t just about how many applications you can submit anymore. The companies were demanding more experience, skills, and knowledge than ever before. The issue with that is fresh grads like myself don’t have this kind of background yet. This is probably one of the most frustrating things I’ve experienced in my short life so far
Then there’s the ever-volatile job market, vulnerable to the unpredictable ebbs and flows of the economy. When things start to go south, companies often put a pause on hiring or cut back on their current workforce making it even harder for newcomers to find a job. In this modern world where impatience is the norm, it’s a test of patience.
Indeed, the journey was anything other than smooth. Seven months have passed, I’ve spent countless late nights practicing coding, burning the midnight oil, and building my skills through sheer determination only to make me madder at how intense struggle is in this fiercely competitive field. But it’s that same struggle that fuels our passion and drive. We understand that excellence isn’t something you can achieve overnight; it’s forged through effort and perseverance. So, we’ll keep pushing forward and embrace every late-night session, setback, and challenge because we know that every moment spent coding is a step closer to realizing our dream in this unforgiving but ultimately rewarding field of software engineering.
But through it all, I still have a dream. I want to become a software engineer in a prestigious company. It continues to burn brightly in my heart—the belief that keeps me going - the belief that I will be able to overcome these hurdles even though times are tough. So far, I have been doing just that by participating in hackathons, contributing to open-source projects, and grabbing every internship to gather experience and build our network.
As I grab my pen and paper, it’s clear to me that I’m on a never-ending journey, the job search. But no matter how many times I’m denied, I will keep pushing forward. The tech industry is ruthless, but I’m determined to be successful in it.
To everyone else who’s going through the same thing as me: we got this. It’s not going to be easy, just know that. Currently, we’re all being hit with rejections and setbacks like crazy, but each time we get denied we get one step closer to our dream job. And chase that optimism till the end of time. We’ll do whatever it takes to improve our skills and find a great opportunity.
In a way it’s perfect. Our future isn’t only defined by our destination, but by everything we do along the way. So don’t let anyone bring you down or tell you otherwise because they don’t understand how bad we want it.
Thank you for reading. 😊
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