I think D@nish is on the right track with posting your work to Codeplex, etc., but an even better solution to your "when I have nothing built from before" problem is to volunteer to do some real-world projects for non-profit organizations on a consulting or pro bono basis, in return for them providing great reference recommendations and letting you talk in depth about your project (omitting anything proprietary about the organization, of course). Non-profits tend to be unable to afford serious programmers, but still have real business needs. Since there is no financial risk, they will not be as picky in interviews, so it will be easier to get your foot in the door and get the valuable project experience you need when pitching yourself for more serious programming jobs. Glenn