LebGeeks

gamingindex

Member

Anyone struggling to find a job in this country?

I just want to make sure whether this is normal or not. I'm a fresh graduate with a computer science degree from a reputable university. I worked as a freelance web developer for a long time and i know how to build web apps with the modern way. Is it so hard for a person with my skills to find a job in this country? Been trying for months with no luck.

rolf

Member

Re: Anyone struggling to find a job in this country?

In which country is it easy to find a job?
It depends what you mean by "long time" and what do you mean by "hard".

My assessment is that it's not too hard to find any job but it's hard to find a good job.

Last edited by rolf (December 9 2018)

gamingindex

Member

Re: Anyone struggling to find a job in this country?

Well I've been looking for 4-5 months and I'm checking the job portal websites on daily basis. I usually apply for jobs that fit mostly with the languages and frameworks that I know.
I completely agree with you, but I don't think anyone who worked hard on his education should end up looking for any job.

Last edited by gamingindex (December 9 2018)

Kareem

Member

Re: Anyone struggling to find a job in this country?

Well I've been looking for 4-5 months and I'm checking the job portal websites on daily basis. I usually apply for jobs that fit mostly with the languages and frameworks that I know.
I completely agree with you, but I don't think anyone who worked hard on his education should end up looking for any job.

Welcome to the real world.

I can share with you my own experience but that's going to be very depressing and I certainly don't want that.

Last edited by Kareem (December 9 2018)

mikasa

Member

Re: Anyone struggling to find a job in this country?

what languages and frameworks do you use ?

Tech Guru

Member

Re: Anyone struggling to find a job in this country?

Nepotsim & Connections = Differentiating Factor in Lebanon

In a highly competitive enviromnment where Universities are popping  like mushrooms here and there , a Bachelor /Engineering degree is common / standard. Job market demand < Supply.

Make a good CV
List All You technical competences / Languages you have strong coding skills at
Build a Strong Profile on LinkedIn
Always Apply

Last edited by Tech Guru (December 9 2018)

Kareem

Member

Re: Anyone struggling to find a job in this country?

what languages and frameworks do you use ?

Not really CS. More like CCE. Worked in a global telecom company back in 2007 it was all good until 2012 when everything went downhill. Lots of restructuring, merge and acquisitions....

It was the case for many multinational firms... The competition is very fierce and the salaries/ benefits are no longer what they used to be.

Worth mentioning that I have 5 Cisco certifications,  ECE degree from Lebanon, MBA degree from Paris  and a bunch of training in Europe. Despite everything, the struggle is always there, I can't stand a good income with no stability but sometimes you need to compromise.

In the end I gave up and quit the domain; I have my own company now and doing much better; it has nothing to do with telecom whatsoever which is sad  but it's all about priorities and that was my own experience.

Salloum

Member

Re: Anyone struggling to find a job in this country?

Finding a job anywhere is difficult these days, and I have a graduate degree and a European nationality. Still doesn't help.

rolf

Member

Re: Anyone struggling to find a job in this country?

In the end I gave up and quit the domain; I have my own company now and doing much better; it has nothing to do with telecom whatsoever which is sad  but it's all about priorities and that was my own experience.

It doesn't sound too sad, you founded your company and got out of telecom. I don't know about telecom but if it's like development eventually you get tired of dealing with the same problems and eventually you kind of burn out or to say it mildly loose some of your motivation. I know many people who moved on. Hype is not really a sustainable thing. Normally since it's their business they would open something they like doing somewhat.

If you really like telecom I would think there must be a place on this planet where there is a demand.

Finding a job anywhere is difficult these days, and I have a graduate degree and a European nationality. Still doesn't help.

Yeah that's what I was trying to say.

Nepotism exists everywhere, by the way, such as hiring friends of people who already work for you.

Well I've been looking for 4-5 months and I'm checking the job portal websites on daily basis. I usually apply for jobs that fit mostly with the languages and frameworks that I know.
I completely agree with you, but I don't think anyone who worked hard on his education should end up looking for any job.

It sounds like you are struggling a bit but nothing out of ordinary. It does take that long to find a job. Also freelance experience is not easily transferable. You will have to deal with office politics and many other things, and also you will have to be up-to-date on the trendy platforms (like React or whatever is à la mode) and methodologies (Testing, scrum, whatever).

All of these things you did not really have to deal with when you were doing freelance.

So I would say keep trying!

The path from freelance to employee was a little bit easier a few years ago, when web developers were expected to do everything. But nowadays there is a trend towards specialization (account manager, front-end, back-end, devOps, and further specialization into frameworks) so you have to do one thing and do it well as opposed to being a freelancer and doing everything from dealing with the client to setting up the server.

This is how you can be competitive globally or in the top Lebanese companies.

Also go to events, check out eventbrite (Beirut) or similar. You can meet people, learn new things, and some of these events (competitions, workshops) can be added to your CV.

Last edited by rolf (December 10 2018)

rolf

Member

Re: Anyone struggling to find a job in this country?

One more tip from my experience is to ask for feedback, it will give you an idea of what to improve.

Is Lebanon they tend not to give feedback but I guess it doesn't hurt to try.

Be aware the feedback might not be honest. For example if they don't like your look they will probably not tell you (ما حبّينا شكلك) but maybe say that "you won't fit our team" or make up something about your technical shortcomings.

In any case, looks, cleanliness, being on time, these are things you should do without anyone telling you.

In the end if you get multiple feedback, it will eventually give you some useful information on what you can improve to be more competitive.

Last edited by rolf (December 17 2018)

dp0001

Member

Re: Anyone struggling to find a job in this country?

if you have something valuable to offer, upwork imho is the way to go, Lebanon is drying up

anayman_k7

Member

Re: Anyone struggling to find a job in this country?

Hey, try to apply to CME Offshore, you might get lucky there, for me I've been working since I was in my second year of Computer Science (9 years ago), started for 300$ as salary and then stayed at around 800$ for couple of years in Tripoli, and then went to Beirut, luckily I never had troubles finding a job and all the jumps between the 4 companies I worked for were to upgrade my salary/position.

VincentKeyboard

Member

Re: Anyone struggling to find a job in this country?

Finding a job is easy if you can afford to start well below the minimal salary. You may otherwise suffer at first.
There are a lot of offshore software companies in Badaro which you can locate using extensive google maps searches. Try doing so and applying to anything you can. Many of them will start you at 800 to 1200 depending on age, experience, and knowledge.

Elied

Member

Re: Anyone struggling to find a job in this country?

Here's a contrasting anecdotal experience that isn't as depressing or bleak in case it might help you if nothing else but to boost morale. I graduated last year in December with a Computer Science degree from a reputable university as well. While studying, I had the chance to work for about 1 year part-time at a small web development company near Beirut paying about 800$ a month. The opportunity had started out as a summer internship I got through a university connection but then turned into a part-time job when they appreciated my work and wanted me to stay on during my studies. About two months before graduating, I sent in my CV to a financial software company for an entry-level consulting position they had contacted me about. One Hackerrank challenge and in-person interview later, I got the offer with a starting salary a little north of 2300$ + benefits, which from what I understood was their standard entry-level package, started work about a month after graduating.

I know a lot of classmates and friends who have gotten entry-level positions with starting salaries of over 2000$ in the field, some of them in large companies and others in startups. However, I am aware that this is not at all the norm in the country, especially outside of Beirut. The people I know and I were extremely privileged and lucky to have access to these opportunities but I do want to point out that none of these were obtained through nepotism or other nefarious means as far as I know.
This isn't a humble brag or anything but a different view and experience that you might benefit from. There are good tech companies in Lebanon and a very healthy demand for good developers. I'd say don't despair and keep at it, possibly broaden your search and take more risks if your situation allows.

Other recommendations to ease the search that have helped me, although to be taken with a grain of salt as I myself am still very new to the field:
- Network as much as possible, the best opportunities are often not communicated through LinkedIn but word-to-mouth.
- Diversify your skills, web development is not all computer science is, try and learn other marketable skills like Mobile development, Database Administration, Game Development, etc...
-  Work on your soft skills, this relates to networking but also applies everywhere else be it interviews, meetings or anything else.

Good luck!