How to Get a Job in Tech & Succeed When You’re There!

Are you looking to get a job in tech and you want tips on getting your foot in the door?

Or perhaps you already have a job and are looking for some advice on how to deal with those first few months?

Well, good news!

Here at Zero To Mastery, we specialize in helping people get hired in high-end tech jobs asap, with students being hired at Meta, Google, Amazon, Tesla, NVIDIA and others, even if they didn’t know a line of code before they found us!

So in this guide, I'm going to share my own personal tips and advice on how to get into tech in 2026. Let's get into it...

Why listen to me?

Hi, my name is Yihua Zhang, I'm a Senior Software Developer, who has interviewed (and sat multiple tech interviews), and I'm one of the instructors here at ZTM.

I teach both the Complete React Developer Bootcamp and How to Master the FAANG Coding Interview:

Advanced

Master the Coding Interview: Big Tech (FAANG) Interviews

38 Hours •300 Lessons

Get hired at top tech companies (Google, Amazon, Apple + more)! The only FAANG interview prep course you need to ace the coding interview and get hired at the company of your dreams.

Yihua Zhang&Andrei Neagoie

I 'll break down all the details of how to get hired in tech in just a second.

However, I ran 2 AMAs calls on this same topic, as well as how to succeed once you’re there (even if you have no previous tech experience), so I figured I would post them below if you want to watch rather than read!

AMA #1. Senior Developers advice on getting a job in tech

AMA #2. How to succeed once you have your tech job

Alternatively, if you don’t have time to watch these videos right now, I’ve added the answers to the most common questions below and added a few extra things that were not covered on the call.

With that out of the way, let's get into the guide.

Which tech job is right for me?

OK so the first step of course is to:

• Choose a specific area of tech to work in

• And then get the required tech skills for that job

, or check out our quiz below which will help you choose if you're not sure.

You simply follow along and answer the questions based on your goals, interests, and how you want to work and we’ll help you figure out the best tech job for you.

Once you've decided on the role you want to work in, we have career path roadmaps for each of tech roles that we teach here at Zero To Mastery. These cover all the skills you need, in the right order to learn them so you can get hired ASAP.

For example

Here's one on how to become a Full-stack Web Developer:

This way you won't waste years trying to figure it all out yourself. (Which is a common thing in this industry!).

So now that you have a career picked and know where to get the skills, let's talk about actually getting that tech job.

What are the differences between getting hired at Startups vs. Enterprise vs. FAANG/ MAANG?

Getting hired and working at a tech company can vary a lot depending on how big the company is.

We refer to these different companies sizes as:

• Start-Ups

• Enterprise

• FAANG / MAANG

So why does it vary?

Well, because each company is in different stages of its growth, they will often ask for different things from their potential employees. (Technically you can get a job at any of them if you have the right approach, but you may find some easier for the following reasons).

So let's break each of these down.

Getting a tech job at a Startup

Startups are smaller tech companies with 5-30 employees and are often working out of co-working spaces or even someone’s home or garage! Their focus is to stay lean and spend smart, and they have an idea about a business that they want to build but are just ‘getting started’, hence the name.

Often they’re funded by family and friends, or even self-funded. Depending how long they've been around, they might have managed to get enough customers to hit "ramen profitability"... i.e they make enough money to cover their own costs and growth and are now making profits without needing VC funding.

Because of this lean and agile approach, start-ups are usually looking for people who are willing to learn and hustle hard, and often don’t care if you have a degree. In fact, the person interviewing you is probably the owner of the company!

The good thing about this is that you don’t need to be incredibly technically talented to be employed here. They just want to see a level of competence from either a great interview or portfolio and a passion for growth (this can also work for larger companies but even more so here).

Not only that, but normally you’ll only be competing against other Junior Developers for these roles, simply because of funding and job requirements.

Simply put, startups don’t always have the funds to hire Intermediate or Senior Developers, and the fact that the problems that start-ups need to solve are usually more entry-level, it can be less appealing for more experienced Developers who might be focused on growing their skills in new areas.

Finally, because startups are usually at varying levels of success, the interview process can vary quite a lot.

For example

They may ask about legacy code and migrations or updating to new languages, but they probably won’t ask super technical problem-solving questions about data structures and algorithms, which almost always comes up in larger companies.

They want you to be able to do what they are hiring for, and have no doubt you can skill up into other things. (Whereas larger companies might want you to have those skills already, hence the questions).

TL;DR

Startups are a great place to start applying for tech jobs when you're first starting out and mainly have personal projects. The pay may not be as high as the other tiers of tech companies, but it will still be good.

That being said, you may still get the odd 50-100 person startup that is just about to bridge that gap who are hiring for more specific technical skills. Even so, it’s still worth applying for as many of these as you can as they may have other roles that need filling.

Getting a tech job at an Enterprise company

Enterprise companies are much larger, usually international, and are not always tech-focused but have a large tech element such as an engineering department or digital sector.

For example

Banks or telecommunications-type companies. Even though they are a B2C company at heart, they require huge teams to build, monitor, and improve its digital products, tools, or interface.

People use the apps for the majority of their banking and then in person for specific needs.

Because of this, these companies tend to have more strict requirements in what they need or look for in an interviewee, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get a job with them if you don’t have a computer science degree or live tech experience.

In fact, you may even find it easier than you think, simply because there is often less competition for Enterprise roles.

Why is this?

It's because an Enterprise position is often seen as a more traditional job role with a 9-5 and good pay, vs a more tech-focused company that might have flexible hours, remote or async work, and other benefits.

For some people, remote work and flexibility are their major reasons to get into tech and so it doesn’t appeal to them so they don't apply. Not to mention, there are usually more steps or people in every process that can slow things down or possibly older codebases, so not everyone wants to work here.

But what if you do want an Enterprise job?

Well, normally these have a very specific and similar interview process to FAANG-type companies which we’ll cover more later.

TL;DR

Enterprise is definitely worth applying to but you might see more stringent details in what they require from you when applying. This can be a degree or possibly 1-2 years of experience first or some very specific project work to show you have the personal experience.

That being said, even if you don’t have this yet you should still apply because these companies have quotas and roles to fill and budgets to spend and they can't always find the right people.

For example

Blockchain boomed a few years back, but just couldn't find people for the role, because the language it used was so new. So if you could pick up the skill, you could get hired almost immediately.

Same thing with Prompt Engineering and AI skills right now. If you have those, then you'll definitely stand out regardless.

Beginner

Prompt Engineering Bootcamp (Working With AI & LLMs): Zero to Mastery

32 Hours •290 Lessons

Stop memorizing random prompts. Instead, learn how Large Language Models (LLMs) actually work and how to use them effectively. This course will take you from being a complete beginner to the forefront of the AI world.

Scott Kerr

Getting a tech job at a FAANG/MAANG level company

The most lucrative and difficult tech company to get a job at.

MAANG (or as it was previously known FAANG), technically stands for Meta (Facebook), Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google, but really it's also a descriptive term for any large tech-forward company, usually based in Silicon Valley or San Francisco.

These are the types of companies that are pushing innovations and have a very strict process of how they hire, even for Junior roles. In fact, their standard of ‘Junior Developer’ is so high, that people considered Senior at a start-up or Enterprise can’t even get into a junior role at a FAANG type company!

That being said, these are usually the roles with the highest pay and most benefits also.

So how do you get hired at FAANG?

Well as I said in the introduction to this article, we’ve had many of our students get hired at actual FAANG or FAANG level companies with no prior experience, so it is achievable even as your first tech job. However, it does require more effort to get hired at these companies so let’s break down what they look for.

FAANG usually wants 3 things:

#1. A depth of knowledge

FAANG companies always want academic experience such as a Computer Science degree or an equivalent level of knowledge.

You can actually learn the core parts online, and Google and other companies are happy for you to do this. They even have it in their hiring guidelines nowadays!

Basically, they just want to make sure you have a detailed understanding of how data structures and algorithms work.

Intermediate

Master the Coding Interview: Data Structures + Algorithms

21 Hours •270 Lessons

The ultimate coding interview bootcamp to ace your coding interviews and land your dream job. Learn data structures & algorithms and the exact steps to take to get more interviews, more job offers, and a higher salary.

Andrei Neagoie

They will ask you specific questions and riddles for you to solve, that you will struggle to answer without that Data Structure and algorithm knowledge.

For example

This is considered a simple FAANG level interview question:

It may seem like gibberish right now, but if you follow my FAANG specific interview training then you’ll be able to get through it:

Advanced

Master the Coding Interview: Big Tech (FAANG) Interviews

38 Hours •300 Lessons

Get hired at top tech companies (Google, Amazon, Apple + more)! The only FAANG interview prep course you need to ace the coding interview and get hired at the company of your dreams.

Yihua Zhang&Andrei Neagoie

You can check out a sneak peak of it below:

Why does FAANG ask these questions?

These questions are mainly used as a filter or gatekeeper system to make sure that they only get the very best people working for them, who understand these broader overarching concepts.

To be clear, these are not random brainteasers. They're genuine technical problems that they want to see you answer.

This is because there's always a lot of solutions to a problem when coding. However, that solution may not work once you scale in tens of thousands of users, which is why they need people who know how to write code with these algorithms in mind.

Also, FAANG loves generalists. They don’t want people who are just good at one thing.

Why?

Because they move fast and need all hands on deck!

For example

Let's say they have an issue or a new feature, so they can quickly pull 50 people off of their other projects, so they can then work in another area quickly to solve it.

You can't do that if people don't understand the core topics and have a wider range of skills.

#2. To be pre-vetted

It definitely helps if you know someone who currently works there, so networking for FAANG roles is huge. In fact, it’s rare that the company will even take a look at you unless someone has already vetted you internally.

Most of them have systems and automation's in place to prioritize these referrals first, so there’s around a 3% chance that you can get through to the first interview and then a job offer organically, without a referral.

#3. To be above average in some way

FAANG always wants the best people. So, they often look for those who stand out in some way.

Either from unique projects or through some level of thought leadership, such as a blog where they share their ideas or made significant contributions to some open source projects.

This doesn't mean you can write a few blog posts or made a couple of pull requests. These private experiences need to show significant effort and contributions.

The key point here is even if you lack ‘workplace’ experience, you can still stand out amongst their peers by taking extra effort, and that’s what FAANG companies want. They want the best of the best.

How do you know when you're ready to apply for your first tech job?

So now you know the types of companies that you can work for, how do you prepare and get ready to start applying?

The mile-high view is this:

• Use the Pareto Principle and learn the 20% of your chosen skill set that you need to know to be able to perform 80% of your ideal new job. (All our courses follow this same ideal, so you don't waste time learning useless things)

• Create a portfolio of projects to show your work, using those new skills

• Network and build referrals if possible. This is incredibly helpful for applications

• Prepare for the interview process and learn how to solve the questions they will ask

So let’s look at each of these factors.

Know the fundamentals and build experience

The first thing to do is to skill up and train for your ideal job.

If you went through the quiz earlier then you should have an ideal career path of training to follow.

Otherwise, check out our roadmaps as they cover the EXACT things to learn, in the right order, and to the depth required to do the role. (We don't waste time learning things you don't need).

The goal here is not to know absolutely everything before you apply, because then you’ll never apply for any jobs. It’s simply impossible to know everything with all the new updates and changes!

Instead, learn the core fundamentals that will get you up and running and ignore the rest. You’ll pick up more during your job and learning anything else before you apply is just putting off the new job, possibly out of fear and self-doubt.

By all means, keep learning after you apply but focus on just getting to the level where you’re sending applications as soon as humanly possible.

Learn enough to do the job

There’s a concept among the best performers in the world called the 10,000 hours principle. The idea is that you need to have spent 10,000 hours practicing something to become the best in the world at it.

Even crazier still is that for the first 2,000 hours, you probably don’t even know what you don’t know yet. You’ll learn things down the line that will blow your mind even after you’ve been working for years.

Now the question of course is do we need to be the best in the world before we can be hired?

No, we don’t.

What we need is to know enough to do our job, and then be flexible enough to be able to learn and figure out the rest as needed.

So how many hours until we’re good enough to get hired?

Honestly, it really depends on the role you decide to work in. Some careers require multiple skills and tools, but pay more.

Based on what we've seen, a front-end developer role is the fastest position to get into. You can learn that and start applying for jobs in as little as 4 months.

Which is not bad for a complete career change right?

That being said, it really depends on how much time you can dedicate each week to learning.

Here's a rough guideline based on feedback we've received from past ZTM students and how long it took them to get hired in a tech role, based on the hours they could do each week:

• 0-10 hours a week = 7-12+ months

• 20-40 hours a week = 4-6 months

• 40-80 hours a week = 2-3 months

Be present in the industry

We mentioned earlier that going to career fairs and meetups will help you not only find job opportunities, but it can also help get contacts with companies who might not be hiring now, but could be later.

Want to work for remote companies only?

Be sure to work on open-source projects at GitHub so you can interact with other Developers internationally and get on their radar.

Build a portfolio

Speaking of [GitHub](/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-git-and-github), it doesn’t hurt to also share a portfolio of your own work, so that you can then show potential employers.

Want to take it a step further?

Build a blog of your own to get more awareness and share what you’re building.

Do I need to write the perfect LinkedIn profile for a tech job?

It can help to some extent, but to be honest, your LinkedIn profile doesn’t matter that much.

A well-organized profile may help potential employers see that you’re an organized person, but honestly, I’ve seen people get jobs with just one-line sentences saying which company they worked for and how long they were there.

It’s far more important to network and have a portfolio of projects instead.

You would be better off following some [more unconventional techniques](/blog/how-to-interview-land-a-job-and-get-a-raise) so that you stand out from other applicants vs. doing the same things everyone else does.

I don't recommend wasting too much time on LinkedIn. But if you're going to do something, do it right. And be efficient with it.

Use the same bullet points that you would put on your resume for that same role. But make sure that these bullet points are written such that you point out the impact that you had vs. just a list of tasks.

Not sure how to do this? Use the C.A.R. method to write these:

• Context/Challenge. The situation (problem or opportunity)

• Action. Step(s) you took to address the challenge

• Result. Outcome and impact of the action you took to address the challenge

Here's a quick example of a bullet point a developer might have:

"Set up a monthly process to run the Lighthouse speed test to identify biggest performance page speed improvement opportunities which has led to a 23% increase in pageload speed within the first 3 months. This increased page speed = higher rankings on google and better UX = more sales = $$$".

See how this is a real tangible result that an employer would love to see. It shows you take initiative. It shows you delivered real results. And they will definitely want to ask you about what opportunities you identified and the steps you took to fix them.

How to find tech jobs?

So how do you find these tech jobs so you can apply to them?

If you want to network and have a conversation with people who are hiring right now, then I highly recommend checking out local meetups and career fairs, as this can give you a contact inside the company almost immediately which can help you to get the interview.

Otherwise, I recommend checking out:

• Dice

• WellFound

• ZipRecruiter

• We Work Remotely

• StartupJobs, and

• Cybercoders

Check out each website as not every position is posted across every site, and you don’t want to miss any awesome opportunities.

The hiring and interview process

So now that you’ve skilled up enough to do your role, and you’ve built a portfolio of projects and networked, it’s time to start applying for jobs.

Step #1. Prep before you apply

We mentioned this a few times, but tech jobs will almost always have a question and answer section, where you are tested on your problem-solving skills.

There are a lot of potential questions that can be asked. We cover a lot of them as well as the core understanding to have a framework to solve any question they throw at you in our 2 "Master The Coding Interview" courses below:

Master the Coding Interview: Data Structures + Algorithms

Intermediate

Master the Coding Interview: Data Structures + Algorithms

21 Hours •270 Lessons

The ultimate coding interview bootcamp to ace your coding interviews and land your dream job. Learn data structures & algorithms and the exact steps to take to get more interviews, more job offers, and a higher salary.

Andrei Neagoie

and Master the Coding Interview: Big Tech (FAANG) Interviews

Advanced

Master the Coding Interview: Big Tech (FAANG) Interviews

38 Hours •300 Lessons

Get hired at top tech companies (Google, Amazon, Apple + more)! The only FAANG interview prep course you need to ace the coding interview and get hired at the company of your dreams.

Yihua Zhang&Andrei Neagoie

I highly recommend that you take these before you start applying for jobs.

Not only will these help you ace the coding interview, but you’ll get a deeper understanding of these topics, which can help you understand your own language or frameworks better.

These companies expect you to know this, so if you want an Enterprise or FAANG level tech job, you have to put in the work first.

Step #2. Start applying for jobs!

So now you know what you need for the interview, it’s time to send as many applications as possible.

Why?

Well, the thing you need to be aware of is that you’ll see a lot of declines at first before you get an interview.

This isn’t because they don’t like you. It can be down to several reasons such as the high volume of applications or simply because some companies will also have unique criteria for the role they’re looking to fill. This is fine as every new application will help you to improve.

This is a numbers game. More applications = more chances at an interview.

That being said, even though you’re going to apply for a lot of jobs, that doesn’t mean you should spaghetti cannon the exact same resume to every single job placing

Always write custom applications

A great way to stand out is to write a custom application for each job that you apply for. The key is to tailor your resume and cover letter to focus on exactly looking at what they are asking for and how you meet it.

If you don’t have evidence on GitHub (or a personal website) with specific projects, then try to overlap your personal life experience and make it relevant to what they are asking for in the role.

Remember:

The recruiter's goal is to find the person who meets X, so they’re filtering out people they don’t need to interview to save time. But if you can show how you meet each point that they’re looking for, then you’ll stand out against the other applicants.

You may not meet it perfectly, but you can show how you have some contextual experience. The main thing is to sell yourself and just get the interview!

Step #3. How to ace the interview: What to do one week before it happens

If you’ve done the work and practiced the interview questions, then the final things that normally stall people or cause them to bomb the interview are self-doubt, not selling themselves enough and how they can help the company, or simply just nerves on the day.

Here are 2 techniques to help you get past this.

What's your story?

This is a great way to not only learn how to sell yourself better but to also build up your self-belief and remove those doubts.

Simply ask yourself, " What's your story?"

• Where did you start out?

• What experiences do you have and what have you learned?

• How did you get to where you are today?

• What friction and challenges did you get past to get here?

• How did this lead you to choose this new career?

It should paint a quick, high-level picture of your journey from how you started to how you're sitting down in front of the interview.

Write it down, and then refine it up until you have a ~60 second story. Practice saying your story in the mirror or to friends and family.

This will not only help you to realize how far you’ve grown and how much you know, but it also works well when being interviewed. And there's almost a guarantee it's one of the first questions you will get.

Here are a few ways it will be asked:

• Tell me about yourself

• Walk me through your resume

• What's your background?

Even better if your story shows you overcoming difficulties and challenges because this shows ambition and drive which is what these companies want from all their employees.

Also, don’t forget that they only know what’s on your application. There is probably a depth of knowledge that you can share on the day. So connecting what you learned and how you got there will help them to see this expertise.

Andrei goes into a heap more detail on acing the interview in this article here, as well as his course on the topic:

Intermediate

Career Guide to Your Dream Job: Resumes, Interviews & Promotions

5 Hours •80 Lessons

Learn how to take the next step in your career. Whether you’re job hunting or aiming for a promotion, this course gives you the ultimate career advantage no matter your industry or experience level.

Andrei Neagoie

Work on soft skills

Another element that can help you on the day and calm your nerves, is to start practicing meditation in advance before the interview.

Beginner

Learning to Meditate [Productivity & Focus]

5.5 Hours •50 Lessons

Learn to meditate from scratch to master your mental game & advance your career. Take the 30 Day Challenge to build a lasting habit that will make you a better candidate, a more productive employee, and a happier person.

Oana Dragan

I recommend doing it daily, but you can start a week or so before the call and be amazed at how much it helps you focus and stay calm during the day.

It honestly feels like a cheat code for performance.

How to succeed after getting your first tech job

Congratulations! You nailed the interview, and now you’re at your very first tech job.

Let’s break down some common questions and issues you might have now that you’re hired, or might even be thinking about while you wait to hear back from recruiters.

What does your first month at a tech job look like?

For big FAANG and Enterprise companies, your first month is almost completely focused on onboarding to their systems and processes.

This is to help you become familiar with the company and how it works, the products and company goals, etc. It’s also to make sure that the larger teams all work together in a similar way for maximum efficiency.

Not every company has this in place though.

Startups on the other hand are much more likely to just throw you in the deep end (ie: read through the code base and ask any questions) by giving you basic tasks to complete right away and just have you learn as you go. You'll also likely have someone a bit more senior to shadow and ask questions.

This can be overwhelming at first but you'll be learning _a ton_ which is what it's all about for your first role!

Make sure to ask lots of questions. Own up to your mistakes and then don't make them a second time. Work hard.

Dealing with imposter syndrome

Starting fresh in any new job is extremely nerve-wracking, especially if it’s a brand new industry for you or you’ve never been paid for your problem-solving skills before.

You’re going to second-guess yourself and have self-doubt, and might even think that you don’t know enough and shouldn’t be there.

First off, yes, you do. You did the hard work to get there, and you don’t need to learn everything in the first week or even a few months.

What you have to realize is that the companies that are hiring Junior Developers have a rough idea of the level of expertise you have now, where your gaps are, and what you need to improve.

They knew this when they hired you, and they know you won’t be as fast and will have questions, so don’t beat yourself up about this.

In fact, be sure to always keep asking questions when you’re uncertain. You might think that this makes you seem like you don’t know what you’re doing, but in reality, it’s showing that you care about the details and want to learn, and it will help you get past any doubts or what-ifs almost immediately.

Not only that?

You’ll be surprised how many times corners were cut or code was added to make a random fix work, so that there would literally be no way for you to know. Trying to figure it out yourself will make you go insane!

Work-life balance for Junior Developers

Work-life balance comes down to the individual and the environment that you’re in.

I will say that this balance is incredibly important, and finding the right company to work in that is flexible and empathetic to your needs is massive.

Likewise, you need to make sure that as a new starter, you’re not pushing yourself far more than you need to due to some fear of imposter syndrome.

That being said, the tech industry is a modern-day gold rush right now. It’s highly lucrative and incredibly competitive, and they can always hire someone else if they need to.

At the start of a new career, you'll inevitably need to work harder to get up to speed.

TL;DR: Work hard and take breaks when you need them. Go for a walk and get some fresh air. Do 5-10 minutes of meditation (deep breathing). Do a workout.

So what can you do to keep your boss happy and not burn yourself out?

Well, these are the key things that I do:

• Make sure to have set rest days. You can’t work if you’re burnt out, so take weekends off!

• Focus on sleep. A good mattress and less caffeine will do wonders for your output, efficiency, and mental health

• Try meditation. It works like a system defrag for the brain, and you’ll be amazed at how much easier things get

• Make a list of the 3 most important tasks to complete that day, and then get them done before anything else. This way, you’re spending time on the more important things and anything that falls behind isn’t as much of an issue (it also means you shouldn’t be working weekends)

• That being said, if stuff falls behind, then prepare to work on a Sunday or something to get it done. There’s nothing quite like being ahead on your tasks, but just don’t get in the habit of always doing this

• Make sure to spend time doing things you enjoy away from screens

• Exercise! Physical health is so connected to mental health and output that we created a 4-week home workout program focused on people who sit at desks all day

Beginner

ZTM Fitness: Get Healthier in 4 Weeks

2 Hours •18 Lessons

4-Week Exercise Bootcamp created specifically for programmers & tech workers. In only 4 weeks, you'll build a new habit that will make you healthier, more productive, happier, and help you become a better version of you.

Kristi Storoschuk&Andrei Neagoie

If you follow those tips, then after a little practice, you should be able to deal with high-pressure environments with ease.

How many hours of coding should you be able to do each day?

OK, so a few things:

When you first start out, you’re going to struggle to write a lot of code every day. Not only are you writing, but you’re learning and solving problems at the same time.

Also, it’s impossible to function for 4 hours or more without small breaks to rest your brain. 15-minute breaks every 90 minutes or so can help you stay more efficient for longer, so that you could effectively do a 12-hour day if you wanted to, although I don’t recommend it!

And finally, as you get more experienced, you’ll not only find it easier to write more code for longer, but it also gets easier because of practice and systems.

This comes down to less mental fatigue, but also the fact that you can start reusing code or templates that you’ve created before, and now spend less time learning how to implement things. This means you can write code for less time or effort, but get projects finished earlier.

Huzzah!

So what are you waiting for? Go change your life and get a tech job today!

Sure it takes work but you can do this. The time will pass either way, but where you are this time next year can be drastically different depending on the choices you make now and the actions you take today.

The biggest component of high performers is simply that they follow through on the goals they set. You don’t need to learn it all in a day, a week, or even a month, but progress each week can change your life.

Take our tech job career path quiz now and let me know how you do. I can't wait to hear your success story!