First-gen CS grad stuck in Help Desk after a rough year. What can I do?
I’m looking for some advice on how to reset my path and land an entry-level CS role. I feel like I ruined my resume and being a first-gen college grad with no real tech network, I could use an outside perspective.
I graduated from the University of Michigan last spring with a Bacholer's in Computer Science. In college, I had 2 small internships. One as a Project lead for a non profit, where we designed a software for another non profit. One as a "Power BI" intern, where I worked with maufacturing data to create PowerBI dashboards.
I started applying to full time postitions around early 2025. Because I didn't have many CS peers, I had no idea how important LeetCode/DSA was. Every time I managed to land an a potenital job, I bombed the technical portion.
Right as I graduated, my father got major health issues. I had to move home and prioritize my family and support them. To support my girlfriend (currently in school) and I, I took an IT Help Desk job because it was easy and availible.
A year has passed, family health is stable, and I am ready to push for a better career. My current IT job is stabl, but it is moving me into IT, which I don't want do.
I have a solid programming foundation from my CS degree However, I have a 1-year gap of "no professional coding."
How do I frame a year at an IT Help Desk followed by a CS degree to data recruiters?
Should I spend my time on LeetCode, certificates, applying, or a personal portfolio project?
Appreciate any brutally honest feedback or steps if you were me. Thanks