I finally landed my first developer position!

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New-Aerie-7263@reddit

Congratulations 🎉 what technologies did you learned? Html css js react?

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fluffball23@reddit

congrats, could you mention tech stack and projects mentioned in resume in some depth ,fellow grinder here , did u do dsa? or development side ?

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cscsdpt@reddit

This is amazing. I'm 35 and just starting out learning. This is really inspiring. Time to go learn!

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xur_ntte@reddit

So you have a degree wonder if it’s 10 times harder if you don’t have a degree I have a tones of code just no degree

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Congratulations! I am a software developer, having actually about 10 years of experience. Of course, I started first at school then as an intern. The only advice I can give is simply to ALWAYS give the best of yourself in EVERYTHING you do!

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ChildhoodTypical6742@reddit

This is so true, I usually tell myself, if u've set ur mind to do sth, why don't you do become the best at it? This enables me in ways unimaginable

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you for your advice!

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gromplint@reddit

Congrats! How did you structure your resume to reflect your varied experience? Did you talk about your motivation for career change in your resume or cover letters?

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SnooLobsters9696@reddit

What bootcamp did u do? If u don’t mind sharing

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Nervous_Garden_5490@reddit

Congrats on landing your first developer position! That’s super inspiring! I'm also aiming to become a front-end developer, but I'm a bit lost on the right path. roadmap.sh feels a bit overwhelming for a beginner. What languages did you focus on that helped you land the job?

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

I use JavaScript/TypeScript

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tohfa15@reddit

Congrats!! Your journey from start to learn to code to landing a job is one of the more quicker ones. You must've put in a lot of work. GL gl, manage that imposter syndrome if/when it comes up.

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you! I'm sure it will

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nocturnals4@reddit

Congrats! Could you possible share your learning journey? I’m 29 and considering a career change but it all seems so overwhelming tbh. Thanks

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

I will reply to this in detail later! I need to sleep now!

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nocturnals4@reddit

Is later with us in this room?

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Best_Current5507@reddit

Take everything with a grain of salt! Everyone learns differently. I predominantly learn through books and documentation, but some people prefer videos.

The quickest route to a job is webdev, which you can be employable in within a year

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

I will reply to this in detail later! I need to sleep now

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haclspozo@reddit

Congratulations 🥳

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Large_Being_1635@reddit

Incredible 🤩

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sajjadhosen@reddit

Congrats for new job

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aayushbest@reddit

Big Congratulations and best wishes for your future endeavours

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LaoAronn@reddit

Congrats! Good luck on your journey 😊

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AtDawnWeDie@reddit

I have a CS degree and can’t even get a response from a company

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Extension_Anybody150@reddit

Congrats! your journey is truly inspiring

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lucaslabor@reddit

hey man, congrats! im 15 and im self-taughting how to program (i already finished some courses and i practice daily) and i hope i can get there one day

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Regular-Matter-1182@reddit

Congrats. I did the same thing, started as a junior and currently I work as an Android developer for about 2 years. Clean code and architecture are your best friends. Be close to them.

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woopsteez@reddit

This is very motivating, thank you for sharing your success story with all of us wanting to learn to code! Huge congratulations to you and wish you luck on new role!

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you very much!

I started self-teaching myself two months or so before I did my bootcamp and I found roadmap.sh to be great, Codecademy's career paths and Frontend Mentor is bloody brilliant.

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woopsteez@reddit

I’ve heard a lot about codecademy and want to give that one a chance! Ty!

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Flaky_Suggestion1082@reddit

Which bootcamp did you do if you don't mind me asking?

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

I attended Tech Educators, a UK based bootcamp

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Flaky_Suggestion1082@reddit

Do you mind telling me how much you paid for the course. I just took a look and it looks interesting. Was it a 12 week course?

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Yeah it was 12 weeks, and I didn't pay anything! I got a fully funded position as I met the criteria of living in one of the areas where they get funding from local councils

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onemanlionpride@reddit

Wow nice. Any idea if this opportunity exists in the US (anyone)?

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Flaky_Suggestion1082@reddit

Ah nice. I'll have to see if they do that in Leicestershire ! Doubt it though 😂

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

They're quite regularly expanding to different regions and working with different local councils so it's definetly worth keeping an eye on. You can also do one of their taster sessions for free to get an idea of what it's like!

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humblenarcissist112@reddit

How did you go about your job search? Was the role a referral or just an online application?

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Jotnar67@reddit

Curious: how many hours per week did you spend learning on average, and which languages (and any related incidental things) did you learn? And lastly, because tech tends to be somewhat ageist, what’s the first digit of your age (please totally ignore this question if you’d prefer). I’m likely old enough for my age to me a factor in being hired as a developer, but programming skills will definitely help me in what I’m already doing. And I’m any case, it’s just cool to know!

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

My bootcamp was 9-4 Mon-Fri but I would often stay until 5/6pm working, go home for dinner then carry on until 10/11pm. Most of my free time was spent working on projects and learning. Post bootcamp it dropped a little as I struggled with my own structure and routine while being unemployed but probably still looking at around 30 ish hours a week.

I turned 32 last week!

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Jotnar67@reddit

Btw, which language(s) did you learn? And which is figuring most prominently in your new job? Thanks!

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Jotnar67@reddit

Cool, thanks for the info. And congrats again! That’s super!

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MissyxAlli@reddit

What were you doing before? Also, congrats!

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Dangerous-Hair8474@reddit

Hey, I completed a boot camp a few months ago but feel like I don’t remember anything. How did you retain/practice more to retain all the information? Any advice really appreciated 😭 it’s rough out hereee

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Build, build, build. Then build some more. And when you're done with that, build again. I don't retain all the information. I look stuff up and reference my previous projects all the time. I'll know I want to do something specific but can't remember exactly how to do it but I know I did X in project Y, so I go to project Y's repo and then be like 'oh yeah, cool'. Copy and edit it as needed. The more you build and the more you push yourself the more stuff you'll have to use as reference material.

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BobDigger@reddit

Congratz!!

I'm curious what did you put as your role on Linkedin when you were searching for jobs? Did you put software engineer or something else?

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Junior Software Developer is what I use!

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Adracosta@reddit

Congrats! This is extremely exciting news! Welcome to the dev world! 💪🏻

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you! I'm looking forward to getting stuck in and learning a lot more about the industry.

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Adracosta@reddit

It’s fun! There are going to be some tough times, but eventually if you put your head down and do the work, you’ll be great. I’ve had quite a few of those where everything seems to be not working but I take a walk, and come back with a clear head.

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hoithetaco@reddit

Congrats what a great achievement! If you don't mind disclosing what's the industry of your new company? Did you apply for front end dev roles for a specific industry or just any dev jobs online?

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

I wasn't applying for front end dev roles specifically, more just junior developer roles in general that were either remote or within a commuteable distance to me and hybrid that matched what skills I had.

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king_Debs@reddit

May i ask which programming languages do you know and do you know backend development?

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

I predominantly use JavaScript/TypeScript. And a little yeah as my bootcamp was full stack. So I know Postgres, how to manage a database, node.js etc. It's surface level but a good start

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Sad_Comfortable_9837@reddit

Great job op! You must be really good at what you do for you to land a job in this market,keep it up.

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thanks a lot!

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DEvilAnimeGuy@reddit

What skill set is in demand right now?

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

It can vary wildly depending on your area and what field within Software you're looking to get into. For me a common theme while interviewing at various places was that orgs were in the process of modernising their applications into the web, so things like TypeScript and React

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Donezoo69@reddit

Many congrats! I have been trying to land a dev position too myself. May I ask how old you are and was the bootcamp the main contributor towards your success?

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you! I turned 32 last week and honestly that's a tricky one! I didn't feel 100% job ready fresh out of the boot camp if I'm honest but a few people on my cohort got them quick quickly! I think the main contributor to my success has been my tenacity and consistency to succeed. I had no plan B and failure wasn't an option for me. I focused on building anything and everything I could with personal projects and documenting my progress on LinkedIn. However, it is without a doubt that without the boot camp I wouldn't have developed the skills as quickly as I did so perhaps it was!

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Lostpollen@reddit

Did you make a portfolio?

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Not in the traditional sense, I don't have a website with all my projects on, I use my GitHub as my portfolio and just linked to them on my CV

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iamlegend235@reddit

Mind if I check out your GitHub profile?

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ben5642@reddit

Also wondering what bootcamp you used. I was thinking about checking out cwu one but seeing mixed reviews about online bootcamps

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Tech Educators in the UK

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ben5642@reddit

cool congrats I was checking out the cwu one because that university is 45 minutes from me, and I've visited it before so I know the place is legit, and I've been interested in coding, but I suck at math and never liked it

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

I suck at Math too! You'll be surprised how little math there actually is

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ben5642@reddit

Ah, IC always thought it would be math intensive

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

It certainly can be, but there are so many fields within Software Development. Ones that require Math skills are like Data Science, AI/Machine Learning, LLM's etc, but outside of these there's Web Development, Backend Development, Frontend, Fullstack, Cloud etc!

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ben5642@reddit

Sounds good, will look around

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Responsible_Caker@reddit

Congratulations!!! I'm in a very similar situation myself, I'm 28 right now, and want to become a developer. Can you plesse share your road map?

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physco_1@reddit

Fu*k I am jealous!, I've been applying for internships but here I am, and you achieved those in one year!

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

You've got this!

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physco_1@reddit

Impressive of you to land a job in a year! Congrats

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SScattered@reddit

Congratulations brother!

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you!

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knight04@reddit

What do you think is the biggest reason they hired you

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

My natural curiousity, willingness to learn and dedication. After I signed the contract I had a meeting with the hiring manager and this is what they told me directly. He specifically said "You can teach people the technical skills, but you can't teach people to be a nice person"

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neighbor_man@reddit

💟💟💟

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Specific_Ant580@reddit

Congrats man! I wish you well, know your story inspires every one of us.

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you!!

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Just_to_rebut@reddit

I love the success stories; they’re very motivating, especially given the very short time frame (1 year!).

Maybe share some sobering background details like you also happened to have an engineering degree and experience but you just felt like trying something different so you started to learn coding and practiced 12h a day, 7 days a week, for a year.

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

I have a BA and MA degrees in Creative Writing. No prior professional experience with coding whatsoever. I was interested in it as kid but never pursued it because STEM subjects were my weakest in school. I've no doubt my degrees have helped me somewhat in areas like being able to read heavy articles akin to documentation, resilience in knowing how to keep working on something to completion, writing and communication skills etc.

Prior to career switching, I worked in Digital Marketing for 5 years as a PPC Manager, it was data analysis heavy but no coding involved in the slightest. I eventually hit Senior and was able to gain and hone a lot of soft skills in this career.

In terms of how much time I spent learning day to day, it was a lot I won't lie but not 24/7. I had the luxury of being able to support myself from my own savings while being unemployed to could focus 100% on learning and getting into the industry.

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Just_to_rebut@reddit

That’s an interesting career path. I think a lot of people with non-STEM backgrounds are interested in coding but intimidated by the idea of it too.

What resources do you think are a good gateway for people with similar background as you? What was the bootcamp like?

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Honestly roadmap.sh is fantastic and just keeps getting better, I used this initially, prior to starting the bootcamp to give me an idea of what to do.

I know a lot of people tend not to rate it, but I found Codecademy worked great for me starting out as well.

Frontend Mentor is bloody brilliant, I did quite of a lot these before my bootcamp just to practice my HTML & CSS skills.

The boot camp was amazing. I was fortunate enough in that the boot camp provider (Tech Educators) was headquartered in my city so I was able to attend in person for the full 3 months and meet other people who were on the same journey. I was incredibly intense, fast paced and demanding but I think that should be expected going in if you're throwing yourself into a new career. A lot of late nights and weekends were spent working on projects. We had to complete a project a week, with each week increasing in complexity. Two of which were group projects which allowed for bigger scopes

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Just_to_rebut@reddit

That’s amazing. I guess we just have to buckle down and get started. The resources are there and they’re the commonly recommended ones too… nothing obscure nor any special techniques.

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

I downloaded VSCode for the first time ever sometime in 2020 and wrote a 'Hello World' script in Python, then promptly uninstalled it and never touched it again because I didn't think I could. I often think about that and kick myself for not carrying on or learning sooner.

I'll probably butcher this but the phrase "The best time to plant a tree was yesterday, the second best time is now" very much rings true here.

And absolutely, no hidden formula or secret to success. Just hard work, determination and time.

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1_8_1@reddit

What about javascript? What topics/fundamentals did you study/focus in JS?

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Rus_sol@reddit

Wow, congratulations

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you!

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MicahM_@reddit

Congrats. This is dope

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you!

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Deutschgeek13@reddit

Probably u the best at math too

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Math has always been my weakest subject

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PsychologicalDraw909@reddit

How was the interview process like?

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

It was three stages, initial online interview with lead developer and hiring manager, a take home task which I had a week to complete where I was given a brief and had to implement/fix different features in a React application and a final face to face interview where we went through and analysed my implementation and got to know each other better

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Deutschgeek13@reddit

Same

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transitfreedom@reddit

What did you learn? I need a change they made gig work miserable

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BolsheviksParty@reddit

is it onsite or remote

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

It's hybrid!

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Jotnar67@reddit

Congratulations!! Nicely done!!

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you!

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SenpaiShane@reddit

Huge congratulations! That’s a big achievement!

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you!

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Darth_Nanar@reddit

Well done!

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you!

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transitfreedom@reddit

I am looking for a change away from say ubereats as due to NYC restrictions my income just cratered sinking me into debt. So called minimum wage increases to $29/hr LOL NOPE my income increased to the highest level of $0/hr

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InternationalPlan325@reddit

Cograts!

Just hope it ain't this tho. 😬

https://foresiet.com/blog/lazarus-hackers-pose-as-recruiters-to-target-python-developers-with-malware

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Ok-Hyena-375@reddit

Congrats and good luck!!

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WhichJuice@reddit

What do you think helped you get the job? How did you highlight your interest in your resume?

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OkEquivalent6985@reddit

Congrats, thanks for the motivation

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

💪🏻

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punk_code@reddit

Thank you for posting this. It gets so depressing seeing all the “I’m quitting the game” posts and it’s refreshing to see something positive. Congrats on the job!

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you! I'm glad you were able to get something from it!

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tanny24@reddit

Congrats

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you!

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Sylphadora@reddit

Only in one year? Wow! That’s really impressive. Congratulations!

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you!

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Saukonen@reddit

Inspiring post. Thank you

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kprdb22@reddit

Congrats! How did you navigate your job search?

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FrazzleMazzle@reddit (OP)

Thank you! I wasn't consistent with my search coming out of the boot camp but it was when I really knuckled down with the job search I started to see results.

I registered with my local library and dedicated 2-3 hours each morning, Mon-Fri, to just job searching / applications. I focused on relevance of requirements to my skills quality of application over quantity with tailored CVs and cover letters to ones I thought matched. I also punched slightly above my weight in some situations. I was mainly focused on searching job boards (LinkedIn and Indeed) as I found these in my country (UK) to have the most volume. I tracked every single application I made in a spreadsheet which helped me A LOT!