Entry-Level Software Jobs in the US: How to Get Hired in 2026

You want a first software job in the US and every listing you open asks for two years of experience. That is the normal state of this market, so the fix is not to apply harder. It is to aim at the right titles, prove you can do the work, and go where junior roles actually get posted.

How much of the market is really entry-level#

On 14 October 2026, the US software category on JobRise listed 1,827 open roles. Of those, 30 carry entry-level wording such as intern, graduate, junior, or trainee. That is a small slice, and you should know it before you start.

The rest of the feed moves fast. 1,116 of the 1,827 listings went up in the last 30 days, and 585 in the last 7 days. Fresh listings matter more for juniors than for seniors, because early-career hiring tends to fill quickly and quietly.

You can browse the full set in our US software jobs hub, where the count updates as listings change. Treat the 30 entry-level titles as a dated snapshot of one feed, not as a national statistic.

Titles worth targeting#

Junior roles hide behind odd names. Here are real examples from the snapshot: "Entry Level Software Developer 2027 - DURHAM" at IBM, "Entry Level Software Developer 2027 - SAN JOSE" at IBM, "Software Engineer - New Grad" at Scaleai, "Software Engineer, Public Sector - New Grad" at Scaleai, and "Junior QA Engineer - US Remote" at PerfectServe.

Note the pattern. "New Grad" and year-stamped campus titles are the two most common ways large employers signal openness to beginners. Search those strings directly instead of filtering on "junior".

Also scan adjacent titles. "IT Help Desk Technician" at Celsius and "IT Help Desk Support Part-Time" at BelovED Community & Empowerment Academy Charter Schools are not software engineering, but help desk work gets many people their first paid tech line on a resume.

What employers expect from a beginner#

For entry-level software work in the US, hiring teams generally look for three things: one language you can write without a tutorial open, one system you built end to end, and one way to show how you work with other people. That third one is usually a Git history, code review notes, or a team project.

Stack expectations vary by role, so check the listing. Web roles tend to want JavaScript or TypeScript plus a framework and SQL. Backend roles lean Python, Go, or Java with APIs and a database. QA roles want test writing, bug reports, and some automation.

Certifications help in some corners and are ignored in others. Cloud certs and security certs carry weight at infrastructure employers. For pure product engineering, a working project beats a certificate almost every time.

Proof beats promises#

A portfolio of two or three finished projects outperforms a list of technologies you have "familiarity" with. Finish means: deployed, with a README, a live link, and code someone else can run.

Include the boring parts. Seed data, tests, error handling, and a short note on what you would rebuild if you started over. Reviewers spend about two minutes on a junior portfolio, and the details are what they remember.

A resume bullet with zero experience#

Most beginners write this:

"Responsible for developing a web application using React and Node.js."

Rewrite it with scope, a decision, and a result:

"Built and deployed a React and Node.js app that tracks job applications across stages; wrote the Postgres schema, added CSV export after testers asked for it, and cut my own data entry time from 20 minutes a week to about 3."

Same work, different signal. The second version shows you finished something, you respond to feedback, and you measure outcomes. If you need more help shaping lines like this, our resume builder walks you through the structure.

Where entry-level openings get posted#

Company career pages and university programs are the main sources for "New Grad" and campus titles. IBM, Scaleai, and the other employers above post these in seasonal batches, usually tied to graduation dates.

Job boards with a fresh feed are the second source. Since 585 of the 1,827 US software listings on JobRise went up in the last 7 days, checking weekly is enough; checking daily mostly wastes time.

For wider context, the US market on JobRise held 13,720 open listings across all categories, with 8,471 posted in the last 30 days. Those country-level numbers appear in our hiring report for the United States, which is useful when you are deciding which city or field to aim at.

Your 7-step plan#

• Pick one target title, such as "New Grad Software Engineer" or "Junior QA Engineer", and write it at the top of your search notes.
• List the five most common requirements across ten matching listings, then note which ones you already have.
• Build one project that covers at least three of those requirements, deployed with a README and a live link.
• Rewrite three resume bullets using the scope, decision, result pattern above.
• Set up saved searches for "New Grad", "Entry Level", "Junior", and your city, and check them once a week.
• Apply to ten roles per week with a short note referencing something specific in the listing.
• Track every application in a simple spreadsheet: company, title, date, contact, next step.

Pay expectations#

Only 46 of the 1,827 listings in the snapshot show pay, and those are mostly senior or lead roles. For example, "Software Engineer, Frontend, Growth" at Ramp is listed at $200K to $310K with equity, and "Tech Lead Full-Stack Rails Engineer" at Mitre Media at $170k to $200k.

Those are not entry-level numbers, so do not anchor on them. Reported entry-level software pay in the US varies widely by city and employer type; verify current ranges on official sources and on each listing before you negotiate.

Free tools#

• Software jobs in United States
• JobRise Hiring Report: the US
• free resume builder

FAQ#

How many entry-level software jobs were open in the US on 14 October 2026?

30 of the 1,827 open software listings on JobRise carried entry-level wording such as intern, graduate, junior, or trainee. That is a snapshot of one feed on one day, not a national count.

Do I need a computer science degree to get hired?

Many listings say "or equivalent experience", and finished projects can substitute for a degree at a lot of employers. Degree requirements are stricter at large firms and in regulated industries, so read each listing.

Which companies hire the most software roles overall?

In the snapshot, the companies with the most open US software listings were Anthropic (170), Palantir (82), Google (53), Stripe (49), Brex (49), Robinhood (47), Geeks on Site (46), Elastic (43), Langchain (41), and Datadog (39). These are listing counts, and several of these firms also hire for senior roles.

How long does an entry-level search usually take?

It varies a lot by city, stack, and how targeted your applications are. Plan for a few months of steady weekly work rather than a weekend sprint.

Should I apply to roles asking for one to two years of experience?

Yes, if you can cover most of the listed requirements with projects. Keep the applications short and specific, and move on quickly when a listing asks for more than you can show.