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How to Get a Tech Job in Less Than 90 Days

And the Only Book I Read to Land My First $100K Job Fresh Out of College

By Destiny S. HarrisPublished about 6 hours ago 4 min read
How to Get a Tech Job in Less Than 90 Days
Photo by Ales Nesetril on Unsplash

The Mindset That Changed Everything

There's a lot of soft advice floating around about getting a tech job. Network more.

Manifest it. Be patient. Wait for the right opportunity.

None of that helped me.

What worked was obsession, structure, volume, and one book that rewired how I thought about effort, failure, and inevitability: Think and Grow Rich.

Not because it teaches technical skills. Because it teaches relentless focus.

I didn't stumble into a $100K job. I engineered it. And I did it in under 90 days by treating job hunting like a full-time, high-stakes campaign - not a casual side task.

Here's what that actually looked like.

Setting a Non-Negotiable Goal

First, I set a non-negotiable goal. Not "get a job." Not "see what happens." A specific outcome: a six-figure tech role. No backup narrative. No "maybe later." That clarity mattered more than people realize.

Most people apply for jobs while emotionally hedging. They half-believe it'll work out, half-expect rejection, and subconsciously pace themselves to avoid disappointment. That mindset leaks into everything - resumes, interviews, energy.

I didn't hedge. I decided it was happening. The only variable was how much pain I'd tolerate to get there.

Volume Solves Fear and Feedback

Then came volume.

I applied to roughly 300 jobs per day.

Yes, per day.

People love to debate whether that's "too many" or "inefficient." That's irrelevant. Volume solved two problems at once: it crushed fear, it accelerated feedback, and it helped me fail faster.

When you apply at low volume, every rejection feels personal. When you apply at massive volume, rejection becomes background noise. You stop romanticizing outcomes and start tracking patterns.

Most people never apply enough to see patterns. They just internalize failure.

I didn't have the luxury of ego. I needed data.

Failure as Direction, Not a Verdict

Every interview I failed taught me something. Sometimes it was technical gaps. Sometimes it was communication. Sometimes it was confidence. Sometimes it was simply not being a culture fit. I didn't spiral. I logged it, adjusted, and moved on.

Failure wasn't a verdict. It was directional.

The Daily Structure That Carried Me

My days were brutal and boring by design.

I woke up at 4 a.m. every single day. Not because it's aesthetic. Because early mornings gave me uninterrupted control. No distractions. No excuses.

Gym first. Always.

Not optional. Training anchored my discipline and stabilized my nervous system. When your body is strong, rejection hits differently. You don't collapse. You recalibrate.

After the gym, it was 10–12 hours straight of work.

Applying.

Interviewing.

Optimizing my resume.

Rewriting bullet points.

Tailoring language.

Practicing answers.

Completing bootcamps.

Closing skill gaps in real time.

No scrolling. No "breaks" that turned into avoidance. No waiting to feel motivated.

Job hunting wasn't something I fit into my day. It was my day.

Why Waiting Kills Momentum

Most people treat job searching like a polite activity. A few applications here. Some hope there. Then they wait.

Waiting is lethal.

The market doesn't reward patience. It rewards pressure.

Interview Failure Is the Training Ground

I failed countless interviews. That part doesn't get glamorized, but it's essential. Each interview sharpened me. My answers became tighter. My confidence became quieter and more grounded. My stories became clearer. My understanding of what companies actually wanted became more precise.

People underestimate how fast you improve when you're forced to perform daily.

Why Think and Grow Rich Actually Mattered

That's where Think and Grow Rich mattered.

The book isn't about money. It's about definiteness of purpose. About burning desire. About refusing to negotiate with doubt.

Napoleon Hill drills one idea relentlessly: people fail not because they lack ability, but because they quit mentally before reality catches up.

I didn't need inspiration. I needed endurance.

The book kept me locked into the idea that effort compounds invisibly before results appear. That persistence always looks foolish right before it works.

So I stayed in motion.

Pressure Breaks Resistance

I didn't wait to feel "ready." I didn't pause because I failed an interview. I didn't take rejection as feedback about my worth. I treated it as a numbers problem.

And then it happened.

One offer came through.

Then offer number 2.

Then offer number 3.

Then offer number 4.

Not because I was lucky. Because pressure eventually breaks resistance.

What People Get Wrong About Getting Hired

That's the part people hate hearing. They want shortcuts, referrals, secret scripts. Those help - but they don't replace volume and stamina.

If you want a tech job in under 90 days, you need to stop treating the process like a polite request and start treating it like a campaign.

You don't need to be perfect. You need to be relentless.

You don't need everyone to say yes. You need one to.

And you don't need to protect your feelings. You need to protect your momentum.

The Real Reason Most People Fail

Most people don't fail because they're unqualified. They fail because they apply timidly, interview infrequently, and quit early. They stretch a three-month effort into a year because they never apply enough pressure to force a breakthrough.

I wasn't special. I was just willing to do what most people won't sustain.

The 5 Steps

Set a clear goal.

Increase your volume beyond comfort.

Let rejection train you instead of stop you. I f*cking love the word "no, cause that means I'm one more step closer to the "yes".

Structure your days like it's already your job.

Commit until the outcome is inevitable.

That's how you compress timelines.

That's how you go from "fresh out of college" to a six-figure offer faster than most people think is reasonable (this was almost a decade ago, so you can set your goals even higher).

And that's why I don't romanticize the process.

I respect it.

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Learn more about tech

Disclaimer: This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not career, financial, or professional advice. Results vary based on individual circumstances, effort, market conditions, and timing.

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About the Creator

Destiny S. Harris

Writing since 11. Investing and Lifting since 14.

destinyh.com

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