A lot has happened since my last post. I graduated from school and am now working in the industry as a contracted developer. My graduation at Full Sail happened on May 4th, 2018. After this time, I headed back home in Missouri to stay with my family until I got on my feet. Everyday after graduation I delegated at least an hour to searching and getting into a position. I would rarely hear back from some people but I made sure to try and figure out why. I would often revise my resume and work on side projects to prove my strength as a designer and developer. A big push I feel was creating my game Fight Fire With Water! for the Butterscotch Shenanijam 2018 (a game jam held in St. Louis, MO). This was done and added to my resume and website right away for potential employers to see.
About a week passes and I find a potential job at the University of Missouri on Indeed.com. I was able to reach out with my new resume and project and got the attention of the head of the programming division. He liked my resume and asked if I would talk with the lead programmer for a possible contract position. I was ecstatic and said yes. After some talking back and forth and a small interview showing me the project, I was able to join the team as a contract developer in about a month.
The truth is, I was very lucky to find a position so quickly and am very happy for it. However, I feel if it weren't for the steps I took before, revising my resume and building my reputation with more projects, then I don't believe I would have even stood a chance getting a job.
All I can say to anyone still trying is to not give up but also don't focus on just putting yourself out there. Make sure to take time to create something small to showoff your skill!