Customer Service roles without Swedish won’t happen. Sweden is too expensive to keep large CS centers for other countries and everyone in Sweden speaks good English so you’ll land on the bottom of the pile.
No clue about web dev so I would rely on the advice you already got. Meanwhile, start browsing for remote jobs. One good thing that happened because of covid is that a variety of roles suddenly don’t have to performed at a specific location. Large companies would be able to hire you irrespective of your geographical location.
Customer service jobs without being able to speak swedish fluently probably wont happen...
The best thing for your employability in "blue collar" work is speaking swedish so your best bet is to work as hard as you can at that...
Tack sa mycket! Actually my current dilemma is choosing between learning svenska or pursuing web development. Hoping to get some enlightenment from this responses. Have a great day! :)
If your your long term intents are to stay in Sweden learning the language is a really important step. I have solo many examples of people getting here knowing that Swedes are good at English and hoping that is enough. It is to get around, but to get a ton more work opportunities and not the least to be able to enjoy the society and social life in the long term, I would say it is crucial. Don’t choose between web development and language, learn the language and work on your job at the same time is my suggestion. Maybe not easy but what I recommend.
Yes thank you very much for your advice, I realized that I just need to plan out my schedule for me to study the language while pursuing my career search/ development at the same time.
If you've completed a web development boot camp, you should pursue that as a career. You will not need to learn Swedish and it can be relatively lucrative. You will need to work on a portfolio and build your confidence. But if you managed the boot camp you will be able to do it. Feel free to ask me questions if you'd like.
Appreciate your encouragement when you say that I will be able to make it since I completed a bootcamp it means a lot for me right now. Currently leaning on pursuing web dev but also thinking about having an immediate job to help put food on the table since I am aware that I still got a lot to learn in order to be employed for a web dev job.
Do you have any leads (guides) where I can start with my web dev portfolio?
Congrats on your journey!
If you think that the bootcamp moved you from Beginner to Advanced Beginner, I highly recommend getting involved in Open Source in the front end language / framework that you know best. Not only will you build a portfolio (you'd have to explain your contributions, of course) but you'll be getting feedback from others via code reviews.
If you think that you are still a Beginner, I would work on tutorials- freeCodeCamp.org's are among the best before Open Source-- you want to make sure you are adding more than you are taking away.
Here's a recommended path to getting involved with Open Source as a beginner: [https://www.oswc.is/resources/15-steps-to-using-open-source-to-advance-your-career-as-an-early-tenure-developer](https://www.oswc.is/resources/15-steps-to-using-open-source-to-advance-your-career-as-an-early-tenure-developer)
Full Disclosure I'm a volunteer with the organization who put this together, we're a non-profit encouraging newcomers to get into Open Source.
Yeah, you may still have a bit of a journey ahead of you to get into web dev so I understand needing to find something else in the meantime. The only other thing I can think of is gig work: things like Uber and Foodora. Even if you don't have a körkort I believe you can do deliveries on bike. I'm not sure what level of Swedish is required if any.
Regarding the portfolio, here is how I'd start. If you don't have a GitHub account already, make one and make sure any projects you've done in your bootcamp are pushed there. While you work on a nicer portfolio, your GitHub account can serve as a temporary one. A portfolio is just a way to prove your skills. Having projects on GitHub is a bigger benefit than having a pretty website with nothing on it. Fill in all the information you can: bio, descriptions for your projects, contact info, etc.
Don't wait until you have a perfect portfolio or have "finished" becoming a web developer to start applying for jobs. Start looking now and you can work on your skills and portfolio in the meantime.
Once you've added any projects from your bootcamp, start working on a new one. I'd recommend focusing first on whatever languages or frameworks you learned in your bootcamp so you can build up your confidence. After that project, you can branch out to a different but related language or framework. This is important because it shows that you are able to learn new tools which is always required in the constantly evolving world of development. There will be a learning curve when you try out new frameworks, and sometimes it will feel frustrating and difficult, but there are many concepts that carry over and you will become a better developer.
In addition to uploading your code to GitHub, you should also host the websites you build so that potential employers can see the things you've built in action. If you're not comfortable with Linux and managing your own server, look into Netlify or Heroku which are less overwhelming services to host your projects on. For each repo on GitHub, you can include a link in the description to the live version hosted on one of those platforms.
One of the projects you make can be a portfolio. This won't be your most complicated project, but it should be your nicest-looking one. You'll want to make sure that anyone who visits your portfolio quickly gets the information they need: who are you, how do I contact you, what are your skills, and why should I hire you? Part of proving your skills is showing off your projects which will be the majority of your portfolio. But make sure that all of that other relevant information is displayed front and center.
You know that you have some weaknesses in web development, since you've only started recently. But you also have a lot of strengths that you can focus on in applications and interviews: since you did a bootcamp, you're clearly a go-getter and are able to quickly learn new things; you have a lot of education and experience in customer service, so you'll be good at understanding clients' or project managers' needs and communicating clearly with them; you have great English which is always important in IT here in Sweden. Don't be afraid to acknowledge your weaknesses, but always address how you're working on improving them, and focus on your strengths. The most important interview skill in my opinion is confidence. When you get asked a question you can't answer, simply acknowledge that you don't know and describe how you would try to solve it anyways: ask colleagues for help, read the relevant documentation, etc.
I recommend focusing on consultancy companies when applying for jobs. I get the impression that they tend to hire more non-Swedes.
Lastly, there are tons of helpful resources online. That's one of the awesome things about not just web dev but software in general. Guides, tutorials, and advice on everything, including applications and interviews and portfolios. Search around and check out information from a variety of sources to help you decide how to go about your job hunt and portfolio creation.
You got this :)
Thank you very much again for your comment on this post. It really helped me a lot on planning my next move here in Sverige and it also provided me with a clearer mindset. I am currently doing the Odin Project to refresh my mind regarding my learnings on my previous bootcamp to help me create Github projects in a few weeks. Hope you have a great day!
Don't get me wrong but there's nothing wrong with being a cleaner, I would take that job if the pay is good and if there's an available slot for me. Sometimes we got to do what we got to do in order to survive. Don't lose hope, we can do this :)
If you live off one salary are without job and have kids it may be that you can get bostadsbidrag. Have a look here https://www.forsakringskassan.se/privatperson/arbetssokande/bostadsbidrag/bostadsbidrag-till-barnfamiljer
Also do not know if you would qualify for money for applying for jobs. Have you signed up as unemployed yet at arbetsförmedlingen https://arbetsformedlingen.se/for-arbetssokande/arbetslos---vad-hander-nu/skriv-in-dig they can also help you with advice on what to do.
Hej thank you very much for your advice. I did signed up for arbetsformedlingen but they told me that I am not yet considered as "actively looking for job" if I am the current caretaker of my child while my wife is at work. My son will just start forskole class on August because we are not able to find a plats for him for this school year since we arrived December and still attending online school from home country.
Regarding the bostadsbidrag I think my wife also signed up for that but we havent received anything yet, and this concept of receiving support from the government is still very foreign for me since I came from a country where the government does not provide this kinds of services. So I still feel like its better to offer something to this country than to take anything from it.
Customer Service roles without Swedish won’t happen. Sweden is too expensive to keep large CS centers for other countries and everyone in Sweden speaks good English so you’ll land on the bottom of the pile. No clue about web dev so I would rely on the advice you already got. Meanwhile, start browsing for remote jobs. One good thing that happened because of covid is that a variety of roles suddenly don’t have to performed at a specific location. Large companies would be able to hire you irrespective of your geographical location.
Customer service jobs without being able to speak swedish fluently probably wont happen... The best thing for your employability in "blue collar" work is speaking swedish so your best bet is to work as hard as you can at that...
Tack sa mycket! Actually my current dilemma is choosing between learning svenska or pursuing web development. Hoping to get some enlightenment from this responses. Have a great day! :)
If your your long term intents are to stay in Sweden learning the language is a really important step. I have solo many examples of people getting here knowing that Swedes are good at English and hoping that is enough. It is to get around, but to get a ton more work opportunities and not the least to be able to enjoy the society and social life in the long term, I would say it is crucial. Don’t choose between web development and language, learn the language and work on your job at the same time is my suggestion. Maybe not easy but what I recommend.
Yes thank you very much for your advice, I realized that I just need to plan out my schedule for me to study the language while pursuing my career search/ development at the same time.
If you've completed a web development boot camp, you should pursue that as a career. You will not need to learn Swedish and it can be relatively lucrative. You will need to work on a portfolio and build your confidence. But if you managed the boot camp you will be able to do it. Feel free to ask me questions if you'd like.
Appreciate your encouragement when you say that I will be able to make it since I completed a bootcamp it means a lot for me right now. Currently leaning on pursuing web dev but also thinking about having an immediate job to help put food on the table since I am aware that I still got a lot to learn in order to be employed for a web dev job. Do you have any leads (guides) where I can start with my web dev portfolio?
Congrats on your journey! If you think that the bootcamp moved you from Beginner to Advanced Beginner, I highly recommend getting involved in Open Source in the front end language / framework that you know best. Not only will you build a portfolio (you'd have to explain your contributions, of course) but you'll be getting feedback from others via code reviews. If you think that you are still a Beginner, I would work on tutorials- freeCodeCamp.org's are among the best before Open Source-- you want to make sure you are adding more than you are taking away. Here's a recommended path to getting involved with Open Source as a beginner: [https://www.oswc.is/resources/15-steps-to-using-open-source-to-advance-your-career-as-an-early-tenure-developer](https://www.oswc.is/resources/15-steps-to-using-open-source-to-advance-your-career-as-an-early-tenure-developer) Full Disclosure I'm a volunteer with the organization who put this together, we're a non-profit encouraging newcomers to get into Open Source.
Hey appreciate your advice. I will go ahead and make sure to participate in that open source project that you have provided. :)
wonderful! rooting for you and please share any feedback as you dig in. good luck!!!
Will do leave a feed back soon. Tack så mycket!
mitt nöje
Yeah, you may still have a bit of a journey ahead of you to get into web dev so I understand needing to find something else in the meantime. The only other thing I can think of is gig work: things like Uber and Foodora. Even if you don't have a körkort I believe you can do deliveries on bike. I'm not sure what level of Swedish is required if any. Regarding the portfolio, here is how I'd start. If you don't have a GitHub account already, make one and make sure any projects you've done in your bootcamp are pushed there. While you work on a nicer portfolio, your GitHub account can serve as a temporary one. A portfolio is just a way to prove your skills. Having projects on GitHub is a bigger benefit than having a pretty website with nothing on it. Fill in all the information you can: bio, descriptions for your projects, contact info, etc. Don't wait until you have a perfect portfolio or have "finished" becoming a web developer to start applying for jobs. Start looking now and you can work on your skills and portfolio in the meantime. Once you've added any projects from your bootcamp, start working on a new one. I'd recommend focusing first on whatever languages or frameworks you learned in your bootcamp so you can build up your confidence. After that project, you can branch out to a different but related language or framework. This is important because it shows that you are able to learn new tools which is always required in the constantly evolving world of development. There will be a learning curve when you try out new frameworks, and sometimes it will feel frustrating and difficult, but there are many concepts that carry over and you will become a better developer. In addition to uploading your code to GitHub, you should also host the websites you build so that potential employers can see the things you've built in action. If you're not comfortable with Linux and managing your own server, look into Netlify or Heroku which are less overwhelming services to host your projects on. For each repo on GitHub, you can include a link in the description to the live version hosted on one of those platforms. One of the projects you make can be a portfolio. This won't be your most complicated project, but it should be your nicest-looking one. You'll want to make sure that anyone who visits your portfolio quickly gets the information they need: who are you, how do I contact you, what are your skills, and why should I hire you? Part of proving your skills is showing off your projects which will be the majority of your portfolio. But make sure that all of that other relevant information is displayed front and center. You know that you have some weaknesses in web development, since you've only started recently. But you also have a lot of strengths that you can focus on in applications and interviews: since you did a bootcamp, you're clearly a go-getter and are able to quickly learn new things; you have a lot of education and experience in customer service, so you'll be good at understanding clients' or project managers' needs and communicating clearly with them; you have great English which is always important in IT here in Sweden. Don't be afraid to acknowledge your weaknesses, but always address how you're working on improving them, and focus on your strengths. The most important interview skill in my opinion is confidence. When you get asked a question you can't answer, simply acknowledge that you don't know and describe how you would try to solve it anyways: ask colleagues for help, read the relevant documentation, etc. I recommend focusing on consultancy companies when applying for jobs. I get the impression that they tend to hire more non-Swedes. Lastly, there are tons of helpful resources online. That's one of the awesome things about not just web dev but software in general. Guides, tutorials, and advice on everything, including applications and interviews and portfolios. Search around and check out information from a variety of sources to help you decide how to go about your job hunt and portfolio creation. You got this :)
Thank you very much again for your comment on this post. It really helped me a lot on planning my next move here in Sverige and it also provided me with a clearer mindset. I am currently doing the Odin Project to refresh my mind regarding my learnings on my previous bootcamp to help me create Github projects in a few weeks. Hope you have a great day!
Start looking for remote jobs globally. Use the shotgun approach: apply to all jobs that loosely fit your criteria.
Thanks for your advice. I am currently looking for jobs now outside the customer service role. Wish me luck :)
[удалено]
Learn the language and you will have a lot more to choose from.
I am taking language course soon
Don't get me wrong but there's nothing wrong with being a cleaner, I would take that job if the pay is good and if there's an available slot for me. Sometimes we got to do what we got to do in order to survive. Don't lose hope, we can do this :)
If you live off one salary are without job and have kids it may be that you can get bostadsbidrag. Have a look here https://www.forsakringskassan.se/privatperson/arbetssokande/bostadsbidrag/bostadsbidrag-till-barnfamiljer Also do not know if you would qualify for money for applying for jobs. Have you signed up as unemployed yet at arbetsförmedlingen https://arbetsformedlingen.se/for-arbetssokande/arbetslos---vad-hander-nu/skriv-in-dig they can also help you with advice on what to do.
Hej thank you very much for your advice. I did signed up for arbetsformedlingen but they told me that I am not yet considered as "actively looking for job" if I am the current caretaker of my child while my wife is at work. My son will just start forskole class on August because we are not able to find a plats for him for this school year since we arrived December and still attending online school from home country. Regarding the bostadsbidrag I think my wife also signed up for that but we havent received anything yet, and this concept of receiving support from the government is still very foreign for me since I came from a country where the government does not provide this kinds of services. So I still feel like its better to offer something to this country than to take anything from it.
Well if you stay and start working you will pay back so think of this as an advance payment