[Mandatum]

> but I can't imagine a harder place to come in as a young untrained programmer than Java Enterprise development.

It's funny, I can't think of a better place. Well-established companies will have the money to support you as you learn, cogs move slowly in these orgs so you don't have to rush - take your time as you learn about the code base, and figure out how things are done certain ways and make suggestions to improve.

[stirno]

Ya I understand that, if you can get in the door. Those same companies are also the ones I've found more likely to automate rejections of applicants who can't check the right boxes though, making it harder to get in without experience.

[Mandatum]

This is true, I guess networking is key here - I got into that kind of company by reporting a bug on their website and explaining it over coffee with one of the tech leads. Hired the following week.