Graduating soon? What to look for in your first development job

Every year at Entelect we have a couple of Grad Days where we give graduates a short presentation on the state of the Software Industry in Johannesburg, some basic career advice and some information on what to do once entering the workplace. We also give a few tips on how to identify what types of job will suit you best.

We believe that the first two years of your career can really accelerate your career, so in many ways that first job is an important decision.

Firstly, do some research on the company you are applying to work with. You need to find the atmosphere that is right for you. It’s hard to determine this before the fact, so if you are granted an interview then ask for a tour and ask questions about the work environment. you know anyone else at the company, ask their opinion. Even check the company’s website. Which will also give you an idea of the company’s core values. It’s important to work for a company that has values similar to yours. This is all fairly generic stuff, relevant to all industries.

In the software industry, there are a few other things to look for. Number one on our list is to make sure your first job gives you transferrable skills. Without opening the debate on generalisation versus specialisation because there is definitely a place for both, your first job should give you some generalist skills. For example, initially working in a position where you will learn the basics of the Java EE technology set should be preferential to working in a position where you will only learn a very small technology set (for example Tibco). This isn’t a hard and fast rule since specialist positions can be lucrative and fulfilling, but what this allows you is greater options to move between jobs. And you can always specialise down the line.

Tied to this, there are all sorts of other decisions – do you want to go down a pure technical route or move more towards consultancy? Do you see yourself fitting better into a small development house or a large corporate? Do you want to work in a particular technology set or industry? No matter what the answers are to these questions, look for something that will give the widest exposure to gain the maximum amount of experience in the shortest amount of time.