How I Got a Software Engineering Job at Facebook After Being Rejected From College

How I Broke into Tech

I started programming when I was 13.

I was immediately drawn to the idea that I could build something from nothing. And have people actually benefit from it.

Hearing about billion dollar apps. Or social networks with millions of users sparked a curiosity.

I wanted to understand what goes into making a product like that. How it scales so seamlessly for millions. And the deeper I went, the more I wanted to get my hands on a real project that people use and care about. I became fascinated by Silicon Valley.

I became determined to break in, but back then, high school was my reality. With 4 more years of college ahead of me. The most immediate priority was to pass admissions and get a spot in 1 of 10 universities I applied to.

Due to obsessing over my interest in coding. I hardly focused on getting into college. I did a horrible job putting together applications. And in the end, received rejection letters from all schools.

Reality really hit seeing other peers move ahead with their college lives, while I was stuck in the same place.

Time after that was a blur of stress. Not wanting to sit on my hands. I decided to seek a tech internship of some kind to improve my chances of next year’s applications.

For months, I asked around if someone needed an unpaid intern. And after a crap ton of attempts, luckily, one person was willing to give me a chance.

I ended up with a pretty cool software engineering internship, with a full time role quickly after that.

The internship even came with pay.

I started putting together a plan to use this experience to bolster my next college applications. After all, even with the engineering gig, college was the next serious thing forward.

This time around, I concentrated fully on college. Despite my best efforts, though, I faced rejection yet again...

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It took a whole another year to finally get accepted. At this point, I have tried to get into college 3 times. And no matter how you look at it, behind in life.

Acceptance came with a massive catch - spiraling into debt at a rate of >$60k a year. With limited options. Seemingly, it was my only choice.

Bringing up alternative options, like growing further, continuing that software engineering gig and foregoing college. In my talks with others was always met with skepticism.

My friends in tech, though, kept saying that a degree is not a requirement. And on job applications, you always see “bachelors or relevant experience.” I refused to believe it. Still, I kept throwing things at the wall and interviewing. Just maybe it will work?

Right before my flight to college, I was given a callback from one of the recent interviews and to my surprise. It was an offer from Facebook!

Conclusion:

It’s definitely possible to get into tech without a degree. I’ve come across a number of such folks. There’s more than only one viable path out there.

Anything is possible. I learned to have faith when shooting for the fences! + Nurture relationships. Everything wouldn’t have been possible without the support of key people through the years.

Hit me up on arlan@lodely.com if you have any thoughts/questions. Or if you’re just feeling lonely!