[dmatlack]

What? Not everyone works on front-facing, UI applications. What if I contributed a good amount of code to a large tech company's networking infrastructure. What do you want me to show you? A picture of the servers? A picture of Amazon's homepage or google.com, if those are the companies I'm working for?

Not being able to show "code" or "screenshots" is not the fault of the prospective employee (as you "oh so subtly" implied with your last sentence).

[7Figures2Commas]

If you're concerned about your ability to convince a prospective employer that you're the real deal, that's for you to figure out, isn't it?

The point here is not what you share, but that you have something to share and can present it in a manner that's compelling to your prospective employer. In some cases, that might be nothing more than a well-written, detailed description of what you developed. In others, a picture is worth a thousand words and can a preferable format for somebody who isn't a great writer.

And finally, while I wouldn't be so naive as to argue that "engineering" equals "working on public-facing applications", engineers should consider the risks of roles that do not enable them to work on systems that are "visible" or "close to the money". Obviously, there are some industries and specializations that provide lucrative opportunities that don't do this, so there are exceptions. Not every young engineer, however, can realistically count on being able to build a decades-long career in these industries/roles.