| Not trolling. Since others have handled the H1-B visa stuff, I'll just say your first sentence tells you the exact problem. > I'm a 20 y/o bootcamp grad with no college degree and 6 months of professional experience Six months experience out of a bootcamp isn't even enough experience to know what you don't know. I don't care what they told you in the bootcamp. IMO it's one of the main problems with bootcamp programs, they're a sort of ponzi scheme for becoming a programmer. It's like learning to swing a hammer and calling yourself a carpenter. In SF, you'll be going up against BS in Comp Sci grads at minimum, that are probably from an Ivy League or "Public Ivy" type of school, who most likely also have a solid internship and references under their belt and were actively recruited by the FAANG company. I think your expectations are a bit too lofty. You're gunning for FAANG and you simply don't have the qualifications. That's the harsh reality. The good news is there are plenty of places around the world that need competent programmers. You should probably return to your home country and target a smaller company somewhere in the EU, that will give you the experience that sets a solid foundation. While you're doing that you'll need to build your online presence, e.g. open source code contributions, open source code repos, blog posts on seemly simple subjects where you pull the subject apart and lay it open for the reader. Basically you need to establish yourself so that when people search for your credentials, they exist and demonstrate clearly what you're capable of doing. We've all been there. While it can be frustrating, it's not so much different than anything else in life. Hopefully you love to program and will find a joy in your growth as you learn new concepts and ways of applying the languages you utilize. Best of luck! |
I don't feel frustrated, I feel relieved, actually. My vague sense of idealism is no more. I'm amazed that I opened this thread and received so much valuable and candid advice. I can now refocus and move forward. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.