Have been working in the IT sector for 2 years now. First a System Administrator than a Service Technician. Been wanting to switch over to a programming/ Web developing role, but don't know where to start.
I tried looking for a few internship programs, but most of them are from a job agency that requires a fee to pay them in order to find a internship or last year University students which I'm not.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Have you contributed to open source projects? Do you have things to show on GitHub?
Programming is one of the last places where talent is much more important than qualifications. Showcase that talent.
It is all about experience that is how I have got all my Web Dev / Developer roles. Also, not being tied to one language/technology is also handy. Most of the time, people want multi-skilled talent.
Also, as mentioned above, you need to have examples and/or a showcase to really show what you can do. At my previous role, we got people to do a 3 hour DEV test before being hired. It wasn't about how much they could do in the 3 hours, but how much they knew and their process about execution and it weeded out some of the people.
One thing to note, just because you are in Brisbane/QLD, doesn't mean you cannot find other jobs in other locations that are remote. My current business is completely remote and there are often jobs available that will be happy to have you remote.
Plenty of free and paid online guides on learning a web programming stack and many come with lifetime updates. Sign up to one of these and give it 2-4 months. You can even claim the payment in your tax returns. Once you are comfortable, sign up for a GitHub account and start adding your work there, starting with simple projects and build up your confidence. Contribute to other OSS projects for getting your name out there. Participate in mailing lists and forums to help our others because teaching helps cement your own knowledge too.
The whole process will take 6-12 months but if you are consistent, it will work out. Interviewers will like the fact that you taught yourself and have a portfolio to share.
I work as a senior full-stack dev, without a relevant degree your options are pretty limited, even final year university students in my network are struggling to find internships and grad roles, my last company recently slashed their intake from 200/year to 50/year.
You'll generally find it easier to get hired as a junior front-end dev without a degree, focus on learning React, Next.js and Material-UI (mui). Create a few sample websites from scratch (don't use AI), including one for yourself with your resume and skills, highlight good web dev and design principles.
If you really want to stand out, learn how to use Figma as well, designers will love you. Create your website designs and wireframes there, and then convert them into actual web pages. Show off both the design and result as part of your portfolio, show you can convert non-technical designs into actual sites.
Figma balls
Join an organisation that caters to everything then jump to the dev team? That way you can up skills from peers while demonstrating your passion for coding.
Make something in your spare time, you’ve got to start there. Build something fun, and you'll have a project to show off and talk about.
Try to get into a startup. Building something new is way more enjoyable than dealing with a huge, messy and outdated codebase. Startups often can't afford top-tier talent, so that’s where you come in as an underpaid newbie. You may not be the best developer, but you bring other skills, creativity, and flexibility to help them move quickly.
They’ll be looking for someone who fits into the culture and is fun to be around - it's not just about the work.
Almost forgot to mention: Avoid going through an agency if you can. Finding a startup directly saves them money and reduces risk, making you a more attractive option.
First use the correct terminology and then you may get further along with the use
Changing jobs that many times will NOT get you far in the dev world.
First question would be, do you have an experience in programming? You'll find there's very few employers willing to train on the job, not when there's a huge grad/intern market to pick from.