Here are a few options to get experience:
- Find an internship: You'll be able to code and get mentoring from other developers. You'll be get some valuable experience that can be listed on your resume and get a chance meet some good mentors that can advise you. You may even find out about other professional roles that might interest you in the future.
- Volunteer with open source project: Find a project that interests you and join their development group. You'll get some good practical coding experience and the opportunity to learn from some of the best coders in the world. As a bonus, you'll be able to help one of your favorite open source projects.
- Create your own coding project: Some options might be games or utilities that provide some benefit to you - you'll have the advantage of having some interest and passion there.
- Volunteer with a local non-profit: You may be able to pick up some coding experience while helping a worthy cause. As a side benefit, you may meet some interesting people that can mentor you in a variety of fields.
- Volunteer/work with a local university professor: He/she may have some interesting coding projects that could use an extra programmer. You'll meet the prof and possibly work with some of the associated grad students. There could be an opportunity to pick up experience in interesting topics, which can be a real conversation starter when interviewing later.
You might not want to focus too closely on any specific technology, unless you're fairly sure that you want to work in a specific area. Being well-rounded would be beneficial when looking for a full-time role.
Good luck and happy coding!
