How can I prove my skills when the software I use to create code is owned by my employer?

Question

I work in a pretty narrow field as Microsoft Dynamics AX programmer.

I'm currently looking for a new job, reason being growing demands and duties without compensation, excessive overtime and much more.

I'd like to be able to show some projects to my future employer so they can get a grasp what I can do. I know a good portfolio on github would definitely help, ideally with code in technology I want to find job in. I have some projects there, mostly in SQL and C#, but not in the technology I work in everyday and look job for.

Problem is, I can't really create any code relative to my field without using licenses belonging to my employer. Buying such licenses myself is out of question since they cost more money than I can muster without starving.

What can I do to prepare and prove my skills for future employer ?

Some additional scope to the question:

Ms dynamics AX is a complex ERP solution for businesses that, depending on the type of license company buys, allows for more or less advanced code manipulation.

Code editor is integrated in the ERP environment (something along VBA editor in Excel), where dedicated X++ programming language is used. That means that basically everything I code, uses business licenses that belong to the company. I can't code without them.

As far as I know and searched, there are no free of charge environments for me to just code some solution to prove my coding skills in X++ (something like Visual Studio Code/Community)

So unless you're a Microsoft partner or end client, you can't access the X++ code editor (there are only business-side trials available). And if I were a Microsoft partner, I wouldn't have to build my portfolio anymore.

This is my first job as MS Dynamics AX programmer. I live and work in Poland.

Answer 1

Quite often you don't need a (public) portfolio as a programmer/developer.

You can show where you've worked. You can talk the talk and walk the walk when it comes down to having conversations about Microsoft Dynamics AX programming. That alone tells a future employer a lot (at least, at the technical interview if a technical person is not present during the initial interview).

My advice: go apply for new jobs.

When you get asked specifics, ask them into how much detail they would like you to go. You might be talking to a general manager, HR or someone else without a technical background.

Another thing companies tend to do (not all, and better they don't) is have you do a technical challenge of some kind. This is kind of a snapshot grading system, hence that I dislike them, as they might be about a part of a framework you're (un-)familiar with, thus throw off the resulting opinion of you. Still, they provide both them and you with some information about one another.

Next, something which near every company everywhere does: probation periods. When you sign a contract for a year, you'll usually have a month (or 2) probation in there, during which both you and your new employer can sever ties at any time.

An example is my current job. I used to work exclusively with Zend Framework (PHP language), now I use Symfony for my current job (PHP language). I started the current job without ever having used Symfony, but got hired on the premise that I know the language (PHP), programming concepts and social enough ;)

Answer 2

I'd like to be able to show some projects to my future employer so they can get a grasp what I can do.

That is tricky. If you come with the code from home, how will the employer know that you actually created it? If the employer wants to see you writing code, then they will ask you do undergo some programming test. They would get much more valuable information.

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From my experience: I changed jobs or a few times. I never presented them not even one single line of code which i wrote for the previous employers. Heck, I did not even show them one lousy ASCII character.

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Companies will understand your abilities indirectly from:

• your employment history;
• the discussions that they have with you;
• references, if there are any;
• tests applied on the spot.

Just do not worry about showing copyrighted work you do not own, and go apply to wherever you consider attractive.

In the unlikely situation that a company want you to show them code, you can answer something like:

The code I wrote for my previous employers is their property and I cannot show it to anybody without breaching the rules of confidentiality and the law. Even more, would you be happy if in the future I would show the software I will write for you, to other companies?

If they still insist you to show them code, then take that as a bog red flag and go away without looking back.