Years of development experience isn’t a good indicator of knowledge. Some jobs teach you more than others, and some people learn a lot in a short period of time doing side projects in addition to their full time work.

Don’t get discouraged if a job posting requires more years of experience than what you have. If you have the skills, are a quick learner, have a continuous track record of exceptional performance, or all of the above, you may be just the person they are looking for.

If not, the good news is that it’s never been easier to learn programming and build something worth showing your potential employers.