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How can I tell which job requirements matter in software offerings?
How can I overcome “years of experience” requirements when applying to positions?
I've come late to coding, been doing it under 2 years and trying really hard to gain ground in my own time and at work.
However, I've found a position via StackOverFlow that gives me quite a strong emotional charge when I consider it. It's exciting, complicated and matches a second, deeper obsession with Neuroscience that I have and had before I ever coded.
My dilemma is they appear to need someone with much higher math knowledge and data analysis than I can offer just yet. In two years, I've gone from nothing to understanding why I'd want to mix functional and OOP code, fair fluency in VB and enough understanding to mix F# with R and slot the lot into a simple WPF project. So I'm confident I can learn what I need, fairly quickly. However, I'm on the fence as to whether I should chance applying.
I don't need a different job - this particular role has just seemed to spark something off that makes me want - perhaps - to tilt at windmills a bit and go for something that is way beyond what I've done. Meaning, I think, that I don't want to waste their time I guess. I don't think my CV is sufficient to get me past any gatekeepers; though I think I can give a far better interview than I can CV.
Should I still apply to a job even if I don't have the requested amount of experience?
Update: As requested, I did get my first development job and I'd only gone for a handful of roles. The place I got into didn't do tests or ask silly interview questions. Instead they looked at the few samples of code I'd already done whilst they discussed different project types I'd worked on and generally chatted. Both are my immediate superiors and deeply experienced. So couldn't ask for better really, no ducking and diving through "please the executives and shrinks" stuff. Just could I learn, had I done enough to get started and would I get on with the group. Been there nearly two months, learnt a fair bit of T-SQL and Oracle, on top of legacy C#/VB - and about migrating these.
So not bad at all. And thank you all for your encouragement!