Junior Developer Lands First Tech Job After a Year of Rejections and AI Disruption

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A junior developer who began coding in 2020 spent over a year unemployed after graduating, facing a job market increasingly shaped by AI tools like ChatGPT. Despite grinding through LeetCode problems and submitting countless applications, he received only three interviews and no offers. To stay productive, he joined a friend in building an app using AI-assisted 'vibe coding' tools, eventually publishing it on the App Store after seven months. The experience raised doubts about the value of his four-year computer science education as he watched a non-programmer build features with ease. His fortunes shifted when a local company whose job description matched his profile called him in for a same-day interview, marking a potential turning point in his job search.

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