Digging Into the Problem
This year I attended CommitConf 24 together with my colleagues Mánu Fosela and Aitor Reviriego. During the event, I had the opportunity to speak with representatives from various companies and visit different booths in search of information about job opportunities for junior developers. What I found reflects a concerning reality: the market for junior profiles is more complicated than it seems, as most companies demand candidates with at least 2–3 years of experience.
This raises an important question: how do companies expect to fill these positions if they don't offer opportunities for developers who are starting their careers? The lack of experience is a difficult obstacle to overcome without proper support and training opportunities. It's clear that the biggest challenge for juniors is finding that first job that allows them to begin developing professionally.
This confirmed that the main obstacle for juniors is the lack of initial opportunities.
Discovering AdoptaUnJunior
However, my colleague Manu told me about a promising initiative I wasn't aware of: the AdoptaUnJunior group. This community is dedicated to providing the much-needed opportunities, facilitating development experience on open source projects that can count as professional experience. Manu will soon be a product owner on a new project within this community, offering juniors a work environment very similar to the real thing.
Around that time, I had a virtual meeting with the organizers of AdoptaUnJunior. It was an inspiring conversation about their mission to facilitate the first job for developers. Manu mentioned that, in addition to Leanmind's project, companies like Manfred would sponsor the community, supporting these projects that started in late April and early March.
I was also pleased to learn that they were finalists in the Tech Community category at the OpenExpo Europa awards. A great achievement!
These kinds of initiatives are essential, and it's reassuring to know that groups like AdoptaUnJunior exist to help juniors advance and find their place in some company.
Practical Tips for Juniors
In addition to raising awareness of the problem, I'd like to share some tips that worked well for me as a junior and that may help others in a similar situation.
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Develop relevant technical skills: Learn the languages and tools the market demands. Study the market in your country and train in the most in-demand technologies. Make sure you know well what's valued in job postings and prepare accordingly.
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Study concepts that are cross-language: Although not a mandatory requirement, it can be a differentiating factor when getting your first job. Knowing testing, good practices, or some design patterns are qualities that will serve you regardless of the language or framework of the moment.
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Build a solid portfolio: Work on personal projects or contribute to open source projects. Having a portfolio where you can show your work and what you know how to do is essential to broadening your opportunities. Collaborating on open source projects, or in communities like AdoptaUnJunior, is an added plus you can highlight in your portfolio.
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Develop soft skills: In addition to the technical side, it's crucial to give importance to how we treat people. In the end, you'll be working in a team and it's important to know how to communicate and relate to create a positive work environment. Effective communication and the ability to work in a team are key.
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Convey your passion and values: It's essential to show enthusiasm and the desire to do things well. Getting involved in the tools, techniques, and concepts you find useful, and applying them in your personal projects, demonstrates your commitment to continuous learning. Even if you haven't worked formally with these tools, developing a personal project focused on something that motivates you (like learning TDD or improving in OOP) can make a before and after in your career. Conveying your values and having a clear sense of where you want to go, despite not finding your first job opportunity, is something to value. Remember that you don't just contribute code — you also contribute ideas, solutions, and values.
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Network: Attend conferences and meetups to connect with industry professionals. If you can't attend paid events, you can always look for nearby meetup communities where you can meet people from the sector who might help boost your job search.
Conclusions
Why don't more companies invest in training juniors?
Investing in junior talent is not only necessary for the growth of the industry, but it's crucial to ensuring a sustainable future in software development. Training juniors, offering clear career plans, and salary increase programs are investments that generate significant long-term returns. Although it may seem like a risk, the real danger lies in not having enough seniors in the future.
I encourage all technology companies to consider the long-term benefits of investing in junior developers. And I encourage juniors to take every opportunity to demonstrate their worth — it's important not to get discouraged if you don't find a job quickly. Keep in mind that today there is a lot of competition to enter the sector, but with effort and passion you can move mountains, one step at a time, every bit counts!