Market yourself as a computer science student

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As a student, it can be very hard to market yourself and show the world what you are made of. It can be sometimes frustrating or you can get the feeling that marketing yourself is a waste of time when you are a student. The earlier you start to market yourself, the better it is for you. 

Where to start

This can be a difficult one. As a student, you can feel not wanted by companies.First, you need to forget this feeling of not being wanted by companies and that you don't have any chance when you are a student. 

We all have greatness and specialties. Don't be afraid to step right in the marketplace.Market yourself with all your self-confidence. As a student, your the one that has a fresh mind and if you don't start by marketing yourself from the start it will be more difficult to showcase your brand after you are done with your study.

We are all our own brand and better start by promoting your brand as soon as possible. Get over the mindset of: "I am still a student, companies won't be interested". Yeah, sure they are interested! 

 

Portfolio

As a computer science student, there are so many ways to market yourself. The first one is to build a strong portfolio.You need to grow your portfolio the moment you start with your study. 

You have so many ways to grow your portfolio. Take coding courses and complete them so you get certificates that you can show companies. Companies love it when they see that you are active.You can create your own website with all the projects you made or you can create a blog and write regularly.

 These are great opportunities that you have as a student.You need to keep being active in order to market yourself.

LinkedIn

This social media platform is really amazing. I like it a lot. LinkedIn is a different platform. Very different from Facebook etcetera. It is actually your online CV. LinkedIn is really for people who want to showcase themselves to the business world all over the world.As a student, this is a great way to market yourself. 

When you apply for a job you can reference the company recruiter to your LinkedIn page. It is a great way to showcase your certificates etcetera.You can get in touch with professionals that already work as a professional computer scientist. That is great because you can chat with them. You can ask them things and they will always have a reference to you.

I think that LinkedIn will be the best way to market yourself as a student. You need to show the world your brand. and there is no better way than having an online CV that you can showcase to the world.

Build

Building software as a computer science student is very important. You need to stay active in learning the new programming trends and the new languages. As a computer science student, you really need to be a lifelong learner.When you have an idea start creating your idea. 

The best way is by creating useful apps. These apps don't have to be on the playstore, but you need to be able to show the people what you have made and what you are working on.Everybody can say that they can program in Java or Kotlin, but if you don't have anything to show that showcases your skills it will be much harder to believe you.

People will know you as a student that works hard and really wants to become successful.Keep on building software and keep up with the newest trends in programming.

Recruiters

Getting in touch with recruiters on LinkedIn can be very beneficial. If you have a company in mind where you want to work after you are done with your study, knowing the recruiters of that company can really help you out.Recruiters are the people that are looking for new and fresh graduates. Don't be afraid to ask recruiters if they are looking for part-time student programmers. Maybe they will be more than happy to help you out.

Show recruiters that you are open to start with a part-time programming job and be able to show them projects that you are working on. This will really help you, but sometimes it can be very annoying if they reject it. Keep doing it and before you know you have your first programming job.Make it simple for recruiters to find you. You can do this by having an outstanding LinkedIn page. Keep recruiters your friend. 

 

Free help

As a computer science student, you can give other students free help. For example, you can help them out with their programming exercise.This helps with getting the respect of people. They will tell other students that you are a great programmer and it will be a matter of time before you become a "famous programmer" at school.

Not only offer free help at school but try to help people after school hours. Do not only offer help with programming but also with other subjects that you are good at.

What you are doing is actually you are building an audience. The people you helped will refer to you and tell others how good you are and that can be really helpful to get in touch with other people.I know that it is hard to do something for free, but as a student, it is really important to market your brand and getting your brand in the marketplace. By helping other people for free you can create a big audience.

Conclusion

Create your portfolio from the moment you start with your study. A portfolio can be an online CV, but starting your own blog is even better.It is really important to showcase the business world who you are and what your brand stands for. 

LinkedIn is a great option to show the business world who you are. It is actually your online CV. The whole world can see it and you can connect with professionals and chat with them.Building software is crucial. You need to be able to showcase your programming skills and your creativity. Everybody can tell what they can do, but if you can't show anything it will be hard to trust you. Keep making hobby projects. I am not saying that you need to publish 10 apps on the playstore, but you can make apps and install them on your cell phone in order to be able to show your hobby projects.

Recruiters can be really helpful. When you keep close contact with the recruiters of a company, they will keep an eye on you. Dare to ask them if the company they are working for, are looking for part-time student programmers. Maybe you will have your first programming job before you know it.

Helping people is great in order to create an audience that can help you promote your brand. Don't think about money straight from the start. Start by creating your audience.