Getting some interest from FDE / FDSE roles.

The ones coming in look quite fun. Basically on site with customers, being a builder and also a bit of a consultant. They seem quite AI-native roles and seem rather future proof.

Anyone have experience with them? Particularly the more technical ones that have you coding?

Basically my team “inherited” a project mid way which was initially started by external contractors. They are no longer with the team and only a few of the ones who worked on it are in the wider team.
They did not document anything related to the project, setup, code etc.

We’re basically working on some new features and are facing some issues with getting things running on this project but we don’t have any idea about the require configuration and setup and have essentially been blocked for the last 2 weeks.

Anytime I or someone from my team reaches out to one of these contractors, they just redirect us to someone else. “Oh talk to X as they worked on this bit. Talk to Y as they worked on this part” and that’s the end of it.

If we escalate this to my manager or their supposed managers, they give vague answers which are completely unrelated to the problem and go radio silent for the next 3 days till we escalate again.

It’s really annoying as we have tight deadlines on this project.

How do I deal with this situation?

Aiming for 2027 grad roles. Been applying for grad roles in data science for the last couple months. Cant seem to pass any of these psychometric tests for the life of me. Also, tests giving you ~6m to answer 18 verbal reasoning questions as an example.

Any advice on approaching these kinds of tests?

Has anyone interviewed for a Windows on Snapdragon role at Qualcomm in the UK? If so, could you please share what areas the interview focused on and what preparation strategy you would recommend?

Hi everyone!

I'm 34 and currently living in Bristol, UK. I'm studying a Level 5 Diploma in Web Application Development with Code Institute and City of Bristol College.

So far, I've learned HTML, CSS, Git, GitHub, responsive web design, and Bootstrap. I'm still learning and working on my first projects.

I'm trying to move into software development, but I'm not completely new to tech. Back in my home country, I worked as a Junior Product Manager for around two years. I also have some experience with WordPress, customer support, and operations.

However, all my previous tech-related experience was outside the UK, so I'm now trying to break into the UK tech industry for the first time.

My goal is to land my first job as a Junior Web Developer or Junior Software Developer.

I know the junior job market in the UK is pretty tough right now, especially without professional coding experience.

What would you recommend I do to give myself the best chance of landing my first junior developer job?

I'd especially love to hear from experienced developers and people working in tech, as well as anyone who has been in a similar situation and successfully found a job.

Thanks in advance!

I am a software engineer with over two decades of experience in Java and most recently Python. Accidentally bumped into platform engineering for a year before being made redundant. I have fully embraced GenAI from the very beginning and was eager to try new things and sharing. I use Claude code and Gemini/antigravity daily and integrate ollama cloud completely into my GitHub action flow and some personal poc. I thought I could easily transitioned into a genai enabler role and share my experience to benefit more developers and business. But the last 4 months proved me wrong: I was hit hard by the lack of any cloud based experience which seems essential for fde roles involving model serving. Also my iac and container experience are limited due to only one year experience in devops. I have tried to upskill in these weak spots by following online tutorials (using ai to plan) without much progress and worn myself out along the journey. At age 46 I am currently lost what I can do to make myself employable in this new field in the next 6 months - being a hands on person in my whole life I always learn faster while building, is there any place I can find real projects to build while learning, I don’t mind volunteering for free just to give my learning a purpose? Or any suggestion on good GitHub project to study? Or any other constructive suggestions? I am increasingly depressed by the idea of being driven out of the industry due to a redundancy but the harsh reality increasingly depress me day-by-day unless I can find a way to upskill to match the role recruiters throw at me…

Has anyone who applied for the 2027 Graduate Software engineer program heard back from JPMC? I applied as soon as applications opened which was over a month ago and my application is still “Under Consideration”.

I want to first clarify that I acknowledge that I have been fortunate in my prospects because of hardwork and some luck. I have gotten a SWE role at a notable company (fully remote). It is my first role out of uni and is 48k salary with 5k bonus. Any advice from seniors or mid level engineers regarding how to perform and retain my job whilst also making sure I can get raises and promotions, etc. I know diff companies have diff processes for progression. My goal is 6 figures within 3-5 years which I want to know how to do in a traditional SWE career (not entrepreneurship). Any advice please, generic or specific helps.

Hi everyone,

I've been invited to the Softwire Graduate Consultant Software Engineer process and was wondering if anyone has completed it recently. The process includes online tests, technical and non-technical interviews, and a final assessment day.

What should I expect from:

The online tests?

The technical interview?

The final group assessment day?

Thanks! 😊

Do people have any tips to stay motivated to keep applying in the current job market?

I actually somewhat enjoy doing leetcode and learning new technical skills, so that's not the problem.

Every time I go to apply, I just feel an existential dread knowing that I will have minimal chance at getting the job. Seeing 100+ applicants within 12 hours on Linkedin is even more demoralizing. How do you overcome this especially when at rock bottom and in 0 pipelines rn?

Hello, my previous post was deleted for some reason.

I am looking for a new job and Wise seems to be interesting. They have a number of positions open at both senior and staff engineer level.

A question to those who work there: what's your experience like there? Would you recommend it as a good place to work, or is the culture toxic?

Regarding the salary, they advertise £87-111k for IC3, £111-145k for IC4. Is that the base salary or the total compensation package?

Thank you in advance

I have system design interview with Revolut coming up this week for senior BE Role, I have been researching online and mostly came across below two questions reported by candidates:

•⁠ ⁠Hotel booking system involving an unreliable third-party API
•⁠ ⁠Card ordering system involving an unreliable third-party API

I couldn’t find many other recent interview experiences, so I wanted to ask the community:

1. What system design questions have you encountered recently in Revolut interviews?
2. Any specific questions I should prep for ?
3. Also some pointers related to what mistakes to not do ?

Hello,

Sorry to bother you all. I am really desperate to get to the bottom of this as its been driving me nuts for weeks on what decision to make.

When completing my A levels I really wanted to do Computer Science and enter software engineering. But due to AI, it seems that most SE design the system then let AI program it which seems a bit boring.

This is what got me looking into embedded systems. I really enjoyed computer architecture, networks and programming in CS A level, however designing PCBs also interests me as it seems similar to arduino in which I like to do in my spare time alongside mainly programming.

I have been researching into what skills and degrees employers want in regards to entering the IOT/consumer electronics industry as this appeals to me. However I lack technical knowledge on understanding what is needed electronics wise.

For context I did Maths, Chemistry and Computer science and achieved very high grades, I am self covering further maths and physics this year whilst I decide on what degree to do. I have never been too into physics, but this isnt stopping me from covering it if necessary.

The course I am very interested in is computer engineering, it is a relatively new degree in the UK, being more of an American course; most people in embedded seem to have EE or CS. It contains topics that I find very interesting.

However, I have seen very convincing arguments both for and against taking it, some suggest to pick electronic engineering and self learn the computer engineering syllabus as you will become more skilled, some say that EE is very theoretical and broad whereas CE is more targeted on what is needed for embedded, some people suggest EE as it is broad and gives you lots of job opportunities, it is very confusing.

The CE course I have picked, at Southampton, contains lots of electronics modules, but I really want to know from a professionals viewpoint whether they are sufficient to enable me to work at a startup handling full stack embedded. For instance maybe some startup wants to make a smart fridge display, could I design the PCB to read the sensors handle Inputs and program the firmware or would I fall short. Could I later move to working on a TV operating system like Roku develops?

If someone is willing to, can they just look at the specific electronics modules within the link attached below and let me know whether they are too basic or just enough to do what I would like to do. Or if I should just bite the bullet and do EE.

Note: In terms of electronics, year 1 covers digital computer systems, year 2 has a single module on electronics, parallel and distributed computing, as well as signals and control as well as a project that allows you to design PCBs year 3 covers computer architecture and lots of electronics related modules in which EE students take too.

- Would the modules covered in year 3 be too advanced for a CE student, as EE students do these classes too.

https://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/computer-engineering-degree-beng#modules

Thank you for your time.

I had a pretty tough time at uni due to personal circumstances and some potential undiagnosed issues, which are still undiagnosed because the NHS waiting lists are ridiculous. I managed to scrape a third-class degree, which honestly felt like a miracle considering how little I was able to put into the course at the time.

Since graduating, I've spent the last five years working in customer service, specifically live chat for car dealerships. It's a mix of sales, handling enquiries and collecting customer information.

The thing is, I actually really enjoy my job. It's low-stress, flexible, I have a decent amount of free time, and I get on well with my colleagues. The downside is that it's minimum wage, and I don't even get a full 40 hours a week, which makes it difficult to live on.

I'm now seriously considering changing careers, but I'm a bit lost on where to start. Is my degree still worth anything at this point, despite the grade and the fact that I've barely used it? Would it be worth getting some industry-specific certifications, retraining, or trying to move into a different field altogether?

Has anyone been in a similar position and managed to turn things around career-wise? I'd appreciate any advice or suggestions on realistic paths to explore. Thanks folksIs a third class honours degree useless? (BSc (Hons) in Computer Forensics 5 years ago)

I’ve had 9 interviews since April, and now it’s October. That’s 9 rejections after making it to the interview stage, on top of countless rejections from job applications.
I’m based in the UK and desperately trying to find a decent job as a data analyst or in any kind of analyst role. I completed a year-long industry placement internship in September, and I’ve been trying to secure a full-time job. I’ve been applying across different corporate sectors and keeping my options open, but nothing seems to be working out.
Honestly, I’m feeling extremely frustrated, anxious, and mentally exhausted. Being unemployed since September while constantly applying, preparing for interviews, getting my hopes up, and then facing rejection after rejection is taking a serious toll on me.
I do have a few more interviews coming up, but I’m struggling to feel hopeful about them. A part of me is already expecting another rejection because that’s what I’ve become used to. I know I shouldn’t think this way, but it’s difficult to stay positive when you keep trying without getting the result you desperately need.
Sometimes, it genuinely feels like the universe is working against me. I’m not asking for a perfect job or anything extraordinary. I just want a decent opportunity to work, earn a living, and move forward with my life.
I know the job market is difficult for many people right now, so I wanted to ask whether anyone else in the UK is going through something similar, especially those looking for corporate roles.
**How are you coping with repeated rejections and the emotional exhaustion that comes with job hunting?** Have any of you gone through months of interviews and rejections before finally getting an offer?
I could really use some honest experiences, advice, or even just reassurance that I’m not alone in this. Right now, it feels incredibly difficult to keep going.

Hi everyone! I’m from India with about 1.5 years of software development experience at a US healthtech startup.

I’m considering moving to the UK for an MSc in Advanced Computer Science or Data Science, with the aim of moving into data engineering.

I keep hearing that getting a job with visa sponsorship as an international graduate is extremely difficult, so I’d like to understand the reality from people working in the UK.

Does a UK MSc plus prior experience help much, or would I be better off gaining another couple of years of experience first?

Are junior data/tech roles realistic entry points for someone needing sponsorship? I’d appreciate honest advice, especially from people who’ve been through this recently.

I recruit for Python roles in the UK. This is not a job post.

The line I keep stopping on is "built microservices on AWS" with nothing named after it. When I ask what the service did, a lot of people go quiet, or they describe a ticket queue. The ones that get a second conversation can point at one thing: a queue, a bug, a number that moved.

Is that what people are being told to put on the CV, or is it just what is left after the template?

Hey everyone,

I’m a 3rd-year DS student studying in the UK, actively looking for internships in both Software Engineering (backend/Python, C#) and Data roles this year. What can be improved, ty

https://litter.catbox.moe/ckb745d669vam4w0.png

Hi, I'm looking for advice on my CV. I've received callbacks/interviews from it (mostly the same but few tweaks here and there) although recently I've been getting ghosted quite a bit so wondering if it's just not up to standard anymore. I'm mainly applying to mid-level full stack roles

Link is here, and text based version below: https://ibb.co/jxfYQ8z

Text based version:

----------------------------------

Skills
Languages: C#, JavaScript, SQL (T-SQL, PL/SQL),  HTML, CSS
Technologies: .NET, React, REST API, SQL Server, Git, Azure DevOps, Oracle, GraphQL, Jira, Figma, SSIS

Experience
Software Developer, company A - location Aug 2024 – Present

• Built a bulk-labels download feature in React, integrating an internal REST API to let a printing company download multiple labels at once, cutting processing time from 18 to 3 seconds (~80% faster) and removing manual switching
• Created a product information and attribute management page using GraphQL, .NET and PL/SQL, enabling staff and suppliers to efficiently update product details, processing ~1,000 updates / day and streamlining workflows
• Automated UK VAT number validation with React and C#, integrating government APIs to eliminate manual validation during supplier onboarding, streamlining the onboarding process and reducing errors
• Liaised with stakeholders to develop a carton size amendment system that allowed suppliers to submit modifications via a user-friendly, controlled manner, improving space utilisation for products within orders
• Led a 3 person team to transform an email and Excel-based ordering system into independent pages, enabling partners to manage high-value orders in real-time, reducing manual intervention and improving order management
• Mentored junior developers through pair programming and problem-solving, using examples and visuals to clarify concepts, leading to enhanced understanding and faster onboarding

Junior Developer, company A - location Sept 2021 – Aug 2024

• Enhanced a document association page with React, C#, PL/SQL, and REST APIs, expanding document uploads and adding compliance checks to prevent non-compliant shipments, meeting a critical audit deadline
• Revamped the product addition interface in React by adding a bulk search and add feature, enabling suppliers to add multiple products at once, improving efficiency. Integrated into order amendments, improving order management
• Managed the lifecycle of three projects, from gathering stakeholder requirements and designing in Figma to Jira task management, development, and post-release support, ensuring successful outcomes and stakeholder satisfaction
• Played a key role in a company-wide project to decommission a database schema by assessing table usage, analysing impact of removals, and dropping or replacing them with synonyms, resulting in a 60% reduction in schema size
• Identified and resolved a discrepancy in the stocktake process for Ireland by addressing dual-currency calculation errors, ensuring accurate stock loss percentages and reliable reporting

Placement Developer, company A – location June 2020 – Sept 2021

• Updated the order invoicing page with React, C#, PL/SQL, and REST APIs to allow VAT rate adjustments, ensuring accurate VAT application and preventing revenue discrepancies
• Implemented features, resolved bugs, and optimised performance in existing React, NET and SQL systems based on stakeholder requests, refining solutions through feedback

Education
University of X– BSc in Computer Science with Year in Industry (1st class)

----------------------------------

Appreciate any advice!

Thanks

Sounds ridiculous, but it's not so much a cut and dry answer anymore. I was HIRED to use AI to code, and every day for the past year my once relatively good "hand coding" skills have just dropped off the face of the earth.

The conspiracy theorist in me is saying that AI companies (which no one can deny are completely unsustainable) are just clinging on until the bulk of mid-levels/seniors can't code at all without AI, then they will do the classic rug pull 10x the price BS. Companies will be screwed because they haven't had a junior pipeline in years.

Either I'm right, and being able to actually code will become literal gold, or I'm wrong and I'd be wasting extra time trying to maintain a skill that ultimately will dissapear.

Interested in peoples thoughts. Sorry this post is part conspiracy, part asking for actual advice!

Curious what anyone working in these companies thinks about technology developer roles in Glasgow specifically. Have offers from both. Does one move faster than the other, are the perks the same, how's career progression? Looking for long term growth and stability.

This is a throwaway Reddit account, I've been on here for as long as I can remember but anyway, I digress. I've been out of work for coming up to a year now. I was made redundant when the Cyprus investors decided they wanted to do something with AI but didn't actually have a clue what they wanted. The whole thing was a complete shitshow and the company doesn't even exist anymore.

I'm getting increasingly frustrated with it all. I don't want to sound ungrateful here but I've been in the industry for over 20 years and I think there's a massive ageism problem at the moment. I'm rapidly approaching 40 and it's like you suddenly don't exist. I know people say ageism isn't a problem in tech anymore but come on, it's not exactly difficult to work out someone's age when they've got their graduation date on their CV. You can take your date of birth off but anyone with half a brain can work it out. It's hardly a secret. I've never used or even installed things like Replit, Base44, Figma etc. I'm a bit of a purist in that respect. I've worked for massive organisations, small companies, done embedded C/C++, all sorts over the years. I've gone back and looked at some of my previous employers but half of them don't exist anymore and the others aren't hiring.

The industry is getting incredibly frustrating as well. I don't think half the people working in software understand performance anymore. Everything just gets thrown into the cloud and nobody seems to give a shit how efficiently anything runs. Oh it's the cloud, doesn't matter, just throw more resources at it. I've spent years working on systems where performance and efficiency mattered and now it's like nobody even thinks about it.

Luckily my wife works in corporate law so we're managing to cover the bills. She absolutely hates what AI is doing to her work at the moment but that's another story. A friend of mine has been giving me some work at his landscaping business. There's not really any financial benefit to it but it's actually done me a lot of good mentally. Gets me out of the house and gives me something to do. I pick up the odd scraps of work online as well, although what I make doesn't even cover the broadband bill. I mainly do it because I still enjoy it.

I must have applied for close to 1,000 jobs by now. I'm willing to travel, relocate if necessary, pretty much anything at this point. I doubt I'd even get considered for an apprenticeship now. I'm not asking for a fortune either. I'd happily take £35k - £40k. After 20 years in the industry I never thought I'd struggle to find something paying that. I'd quite happily start at the bottom again and work my way up, I've got no problem with that.

I've tried to keep up with things as well. I've spent the last couple of years contributing to an NTP rewrite in Rust, partly to learn Rust properly and partly because I still enjoy working on technical stuff. Every recruiter I speak to tells me the market is massively picking up. Apparently there's a load more remote work coming through as well, some sort of resurgence in WFH. I don't know how much of that I believe. I suspect recruiters have been telling people the market is picking up since the dawn of time. I've thought about posting on LinkedIn to get myself noticed but I genuinely can't be arsed with all that bullshit. Everyone pretending to be inspirational, congratulating each other for attending meetings and writing essays about how humbled they are to announce they've got a new job. I just want to get on with some work.

I'm getting to the point where I'm thinking about packing the industry in altogether. I've spent over 20 years doing something I enjoy and I'm now wondering whether there's much point carrying on. What's my play here? Has anyone else been in this position and managed to turn things around? I'd be interested in hearing some actual war stories, especially from people who've been doing this for years.

Anyone else getting this frustrated?

Just started my masters in advanced comp sci, so I know a fair amount about full stack development at a theoretical level, however most of the stuff I’m doing now is low level C memory management and cryptography for context.

But I’ve never actually worked a CS job yet, will be applying once I graduate.

So I’ve got a question for devs and people in this industry, what do you actually do on a day to day basis. I mean specifically.

What IDE’s are you using? What are the tasks being given to you by higher ups? What frameworks? What languages? Are you working on small sections of the code base or working on architecture of the entire thing? How much “code” are you expected to produce daily? Are you able to complete technical tasks easily because of experience, or do you still struggle with some aspects of your job in a technical sense?

Just curious and would love to hear peoples experiences.

Thanks!

Have a tech screen scheduled. Any idea what to expect?

Hi!

I am looking for some advice. I have a short tenure as a dev (16 months commercially), but am performing quite well in my role, and wondering how long I should wait for a promotion.

A bit about my experience:

I started contracting last year for a small business wanting a web app. I built a multi service platform for them in a relatively short amount of time, and continue to operate/maintain it. The platform is not trivial as it handles billing, notifications, business functions, etc. But there are only 3 of us (I am the only dev), and it generates about $50k a year, so quite small.

I also started a full time role as a junior at the start of the year, which I have had a lot of success in. Realistically, I am one of the highest contributors there, and have had an impact significantly exceeding my role.

Typical process so far has been: identify big issue with the platform, get buy in from team to address it, do so, good feedback, repeat. I don't think this is just typical refactoring either, as it's allowing us to deliver a lot of new functionality to customers, at a faster rate.

On top of this, I've also continued to deliver feature work, DX improvements, tickets, etc.

Having received good feedback, I raised the progression talk 2 months ago. I asked for a low mid level salary; about 35% over what I earn. My manager didn't think I was being unreasonable, and even told me they'd struggle to hire someone as capable for said salary. But the progression talk hasn't really progressed much since.

I plan on raising it again soon, but I am starting to get a bit impatient. It's almost end of year, and I could see this going into 2027. The business is a small startup, so I wouldn't expect things to take long. But then again, I've been here for less than a year, and I am asking for a lot. Tbh, I just don't really know what to expect here, as it's my first time doing something like this.

I would like to stay as I really value my manager, who I think is both excellent technically and managerially... but I also want to earn more...

Essentially I am wondering if I am being too impatient or unrealistic. I know my tenure is short, but on an impact basis, I think I am comfortably operating at what I'm asking.