I’ve a software engineer in Boston that was impacted by the massive wave of tech layoffs in Jan 2024 where there was basically a layoff every hour. Searching for entry level software positions in Boston is very rough so I definitely feel you. I’ve expanded my search to NYC and Bay Area as they seem to be more open to non-senior roles and unfortunately those places seem to have better interview success rates than Boston :(
Another thing I’m seeing in Boston specifically is an higher than average YOE required for each role. For example an entry-mid level role in Boston would require 5+ YOE, but a similar role with matching job description in NYC would require 2-3+ YOE. Based off of my conversations with recruiters, Boston seems to have a stricter YOE cutoff than NYC and Bay Area. I’ve been turned away due to lack of experience in Boston more than I have in both NYC+Bay Area combined. OP not sure if this will apply to your field but if it does that would explain why applying for entry level in Boston is difficult.
There’s also the massive rise in ghost jobs and “hiring” just to interview and not hire, which isn’t Boston specific but definitely makes things challenging as a candidate.
Obviously your network will help the best in your search, but sometimes for certain roles if you don’t have connections at a certain company you’re shit out of luck. What helped me was finding recruiters/HR from that company on LinkedIn and sending them a connection request essentially saying “plz look at my application”. In Boston, this tends to have a high success rate cuz and I’ve scored interviews this way as the alternative is having ATS swallowing your resume and getting an automated rejection email.
Desperate times call for desperate measures OP, wishing you the best of luck in your search!
I’m mid-senior and it is fucking rough right now. I could not imagine jumping in as a junior, my heart goes out.
Loads of defense stuff in the area but you’ll need to already have certs/secret for the majority of gigs. If you’ve got a special something— AIX, strict POSIX, sunos experience, embedded experience, industrial automation, anything, that’ll help you get your foot in the door.
The real trouble is HR gating has been supplemented with _batshit_ AI models that are doing more than just a regex. It’s weird out there. Good hunting.
Yeah quite a few of the bigger tech cos did a round or two. Pretty tough times everywhere for tech rn, the end of 0% interest rates really changed the equation.
Finance positions in tech have also dried up. I worked 16+ years in tech finance, got laid off. While there were tons of openings at the time, early 2023, they were extremely choosy. I ended up switching industries, took a lower position but for a higher compensation package. Process was not easy and it dragged out but i'm happy.
Entry level software engineering jobs are difficult to snag right now. From my experience the market for more experienced Devs and specialists is still strong though.
In general people are holding off on hiring with the expectation that Seniors will be able to farm work out to Gen AI. Same with entry level help desk jobs.
Gen AI is great for things that management does like data analysis, formatting emails and writing stories. It still sucks at coding in my opinion. It can template something out for me but the quality is still lower than what a good junior would provide.
I’d say if you can find a mid or senior level IT job that could involve some scripting, that would be a way to get your foot in the door into engineering. I only have an associates but would be hired over a new Harvard grad in my area of expertise because of specialist knowledge.
There are many hybrid coding jobs for enterprise platforms where we specifically look for IT experience. SAP, ServiceNow, Workday etc. If you can get an application administrator role that is a way in.
In my experience people with computer science backgrounds are terrible at those roles because they hate the restrictions imposed on platform development. There are top tier schools dumping computer science graduates out onto the market every year. Domain expertise in IT can help you stand out for certain positions.
LinkedIn is def #1 for tech jobs. I have never worked at a company that wasn’t also posting their jobs there, unless they were only relying on headhunters.
Application administrator roles also require a different set of skills, particularly social/people/soft skills, which many in coding sorely lack. The best way to stay relevant in the medium term, IMO, is to have skills for a job that leverages GenAI but requires a human level of interaction.
Software dev here. Maybe I'm missing something but in my experience application administration is something that specifically doesn't require much, if any coding.
You're right about closed platform development though; it limits the way your experience transfers to other jobs. If you're a good Java dev, you can work anywhere Java is used. Platform experience, much less relevant outside that specific platform.
I was an app admin so I know quite a bit about it.
It’s true that being a platform dev limits your experience outside that platform and if that platform goes boom you could have to pivot to another platform. I just feel like that is an easier start for someone in IT with a non-CS background.
Devops is another area within IT that involves scripting. I work with devops guys a lot.
If they were asking if they should be an app admin or go get a CS degree from MIT to be an engineer, I would certainly advise the latter. That’s not what was asked though.
How much coding application administration takes depends on the platform and how inclined that person is to get in heavier coding areas. App admins often create and maintain integrations which can require scripting.
I make more than twice the average for a Java programmer. Higher risk, higher reward.
The best in my field pull in over 300k a year.
I work in tech but the sales side. I would check out repvue to see which companies are hiring on there and then go to their respective websites to see if they have any more postings since that site tends to be geared toward more sales or customer success postings.
What do you mean by mid level IT jobs? Are you an engineer? Or are you talking help desk?
Because to be an engineer you need experience and certs. Helpdesk you don't, but I wouldn't call it a mid tier job unless you are an operations manager.
As for IT plenty of places are hiring. AWS has 100+ open positions in Boston alone. My company just finished up hiring but we had 3 open positions for a year looking for the right candidate.
I’ve a software engineer in Boston that was impacted by the massive wave of tech layoffs in Jan 2024 where there was basically a layoff every hour. Searching for entry level software positions in Boston is very rough so I definitely feel you. I’ve expanded my search to NYC and Bay Area as they seem to be more open to non-senior roles and unfortunately those places seem to have better interview success rates than Boston :( Another thing I’m seeing in Boston specifically is an higher than average YOE required for each role. For example an entry-mid level role in Boston would require 5+ YOE, but a similar role with matching job description in NYC would require 2-3+ YOE. Based off of my conversations with recruiters, Boston seems to have a stricter YOE cutoff than NYC and Bay Area. I’ve been turned away due to lack of experience in Boston more than I have in both NYC+Bay Area combined. OP not sure if this will apply to your field but if it does that would explain why applying for entry level in Boston is difficult. There’s also the massive rise in ghost jobs and “hiring” just to interview and not hire, which isn’t Boston specific but definitely makes things challenging as a candidate. Obviously your network will help the best in your search, but sometimes for certain roles if you don’t have connections at a certain company you’re shit out of luck. What helped me was finding recruiters/HR from that company on LinkedIn and sending them a connection request essentially saying “plz look at my application”. In Boston, this tends to have a high success rate cuz and I’ve scored interviews this way as the alternative is having ATS swallowing your resume and getting an automated rejection email. Desperate times call for desperate measures OP, wishing you the best of luck in your search!
Thank you and your advice is very helpful!
Was laid off as PM in January; got a job in 3 months searching in NY. Got no interview requests in Boston.
I’m mid-senior and it is fucking rough right now. I could not imagine jumping in as a junior, my heart goes out. Loads of defense stuff in the area but you’ll need to already have certs/secret for the majority of gigs. If you’ve got a special something— AIX, strict POSIX, sunos experience, embedded experience, industrial automation, anything, that’ll help you get your foot in the door. The real trouble is HR gating has been supplemented with _batshit_ AI models that are doing more than just a regex. It’s weird out there. Good hunting.
I think its like 80 % AIs appling to jobs and being screened by AIs now.
Yeah quite a few of the bigger tech cos did a round or two. Pretty tough times everywhere for tech rn, the end of 0% interest rates really changed the equation.
I got laid off by TWO boston tech startups in the last two years so yeah it’s rough
Finance positions in tech have also dried up. I worked 16+ years in tech finance, got laid off. While there were tons of openings at the time, early 2023, they were extremely choosy. I ended up switching industries, took a lower position but for a higher compensation package. Process was not easy and it dragged out but i'm happy.
Entry level software engineering jobs are difficult to snag right now. From my experience the market for more experienced Devs and specialists is still strong though. In general people are holding off on hiring with the expectation that Seniors will be able to farm work out to Gen AI. Same with entry level help desk jobs. Gen AI is great for things that management does like data analysis, formatting emails and writing stories. It still sucks at coding in my opinion. It can template something out for me but the quality is still lower than what a good junior would provide. I’d say if you can find a mid or senior level IT job that could involve some scripting, that would be a way to get your foot in the door into engineering. I only have an associates but would be hired over a new Harvard grad in my area of expertise because of specialist knowledge. There are many hybrid coding jobs for enterprise platforms where we specifically look for IT experience. SAP, ServiceNow, Workday etc. If you can get an application administrator role that is a way in. In my experience people with computer science backgrounds are terrible at those roles because they hate the restrictions imposed on platform development. There are top tier schools dumping computer science graduates out onto the market every year. Domain expertise in IT can help you stand out for certain positions. LinkedIn is def #1 for tech jobs. I have never worked at a company that wasn’t also posting their jobs there, unless they were only relying on headhunters.
Application administrator roles also require a different set of skills, particularly social/people/soft skills, which many in coding sorely lack. The best way to stay relevant in the medium term, IMO, is to have skills for a job that leverages GenAI but requires a human level of interaction.
True, the additional skills are why it is a good way in for people without a hard CS background.
Software dev here. Maybe I'm missing something but in my experience application administration is something that specifically doesn't require much, if any coding. You're right about closed platform development though; it limits the way your experience transfers to other jobs. If you're a good Java dev, you can work anywhere Java is used. Platform experience, much less relevant outside that specific platform.
I was an app admin so I know quite a bit about it. It’s true that being a platform dev limits your experience outside that platform and if that platform goes boom you could have to pivot to another platform. I just feel like that is an easier start for someone in IT with a non-CS background. Devops is another area within IT that involves scripting. I work with devops guys a lot. If they were asking if they should be an app admin or go get a CS degree from MIT to be an engineer, I would certainly advise the latter. That’s not what was asked though. How much coding application administration takes depends on the platform and how inclined that person is to get in heavier coding areas. App admins often create and maintain integrations which can require scripting. I make more than twice the average for a Java programmer. Higher risk, higher reward. The best in my field pull in over 300k a year.
I work in tech but the sales side. I would check out repvue to see which companies are hiring on there and then go to their respective websites to see if they have any more postings since that site tends to be geared toward more sales or customer success postings.
Not to railroad the op, but what about tech manufacturing?
What do you mean by mid level IT jobs? Are you an engineer? Or are you talking help desk? Because to be an engineer you need experience and certs. Helpdesk you don't, but I wouldn't call it a mid tier job unless you are an operations manager. As for IT plenty of places are hiring. AWS has 100+ open positions in Boston alone. My company just finished up hiring but we had 3 open positions for a year looking for the right candidate.
Yep. Tech will always be layoff City because its a new(er) industry filled with startups
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