This probably varies from country to country, even city to city, but I know plenty people who broke into software development without any "luck". Did the courses online or in person at a bootcamp, applied for the jobs, got the job. There's a crucial element missing in your article - attitude. Coding is the least important, believe it or not. Whenever I interview juniors, I look for who they are as a person, what drives them, why they even got into software development. Your case is "for money". See, that's not a good story. I mean sure, I get that people need money, but to go into a career because of money alone, it tells me there might not be much passion for software development. From that point on you lost me, it's all downhill, even if you code like a ninja. For any graduate passion is their one true ace up the sleeve. Sell that to me, and you have a job. That's how I got my first job, and that's how many others I know did too. For context: I'm in Europe and I talk from a both Eastern and Western Europe perspective.