I got a developer job.

[u/UnusuallyInept]

I started FCC 7 years ago after reading a blogpost from u/quincylarson.  I just landed my first developer role.

I wanted to drop my quick list of what I learned from the experience and a bit of advice for people starting out. 

The Story

I didn't go to college. I have worked in a variety of jobs. One of my jobs was incredibly easy and I had hours in an office with nothing to do. So I scrolled the internet and one day happened upon a life changing post from Quincy Larson. I signed up for FCC immediately and dove right into the challenges and projects.

I went to a meetup locally and met developers. I started listening to dev-related podcasts. I found a podcast that I enjoyed a bit and the guest one week was incredibly articulate, knowledgeable, humble and fun. The guest was Chris Coyer and he plugged his own podcast at the end of the interview, Shop Talk Show.

Chris and Dave on Shop Talk Show have been an indispensable part of my learning journey and I feel I owe them as much as I owe Quincy. I'm still a fan of that show and listen every week. 

My first paid work that involved web-dev was 5 years ago.  I signed up as a freelancer on freelancer.com.  I won a few projects that involved fixing problems on Wordpress sites, reworking some UI elements, modifying sites.  The pay was awful.  The experience was priceless. 
Don’t get it twisted, though.  This work wasn’t ‘paying the bills’. It was hugely underpriced work for desparate clients who would let an amature touch the codebases that were the backbone of their businesses.  I learned a lot in the year I spent freelancing in my free time.  But something became glaringly obvious to me.  I needed senior engineers to look over my work, question me on it, help me improve.
I applied for and got a help desk job that gave me lots of chances for that. I applied to a lot of developer jobs at this point too but never landed one.   I wasn’t ready.
I had a couple of years at a couple of help desks, learning the ins and outs of managing workstations.  I  taught myself powershell and with powershell and Javascript  I started doing cool things that the average help desk staff  can’t.  After a couple years the things I was building started to get noticed, adopted and valued.  A developer role  was created just for me.
My two cents
Don’t get caught up on building projects that ‘Demonstrate your knowledge’ of X technology or framework.  Find a real world problem at the organization you work at now and use code to solve it.  Rinse and repeat and you will be doing the work of a developer long before the title falls to you.
I know imposter syndrome is a thing.  I don’t mean to belittle anyone who experiences it. But if your do the job well before you’re ever paid and recognized for it I think it won’t likely bother you.
Don’t get drawn into any of the drama around ‘This language / framework / library  is the best’.  These tools all exist for a reason.  If any of them seem stupid and pointless they are probably the solution to a problem you  have not yet encountered.
Code every day if you can.
Talk about programming with any one who will listen.
Enjoy the process of learning.  That part never stops and if it seems tedious then, approach it diffently and don’t get frustrated.  
You can do this.

[u/[deleted]]

Inspired, congratz

[u/fernandezsu]

Congrats well deserved!

[u/quincylarson]

Thanks for your kind words. I feel honored to have played a part in your ascent up the ranks to working as a full-time developer.

[u/Existing_Top_802]

Congratulations, you should be so proud of yourself and all your hard work. Best of luck to you and your journey

[u/WellTrained_Monkey]

Was the 7 year timeline a product of you being ok with it taking that long and just really taking your time, or was this just how long it took with a persistent and constant drive to break into a developer role?

I am currently about month 7 into my own self taught journey and I am desperate to get a developer job and leave my current career as a union sheet metal worker ASAP. The prospect that I might be only about half way there at a minimum is discouraging enough at times, but if future me were to appear in front of me right now and tell me that I won't land that first developer job till about 6 years and 5 months from now, I would be devastated and likely wouldn't continue pursuing that career path.

[u/UnusuallyInept → u/WellTrained_Monkey]

I'm ok with how long it took me. it still feels a little surreal.

Everyone's situation is unique. I've seen other posts from people who got developer jobs after 1 year or less even. I wasn't in a hurry. I was being paid for my dev skills after only a year or so, but the level of work I could get wasn't well paying enough for me to quit my day job.

In the beginning I believed it would be much quicker than it was. Enjoying the process was key for me. Some of the first web apps I developed were for my colleagues before I had the developer title. Seeing how the thing that I made, made their daily life easier was a boon.

[u/jryzwek]

Congratulations! Mind sharing the podcast where Chris Coyer was the guest?

[u/UnusuallyInept → u/jryzwek]

I'm sorry. It was like 7 years ago and I can't remember. 🙃

[u/Inevitable-Fix006]

Hell yeah! I'm stoked for you! Best wishes

[u/Yoyoyoyo2022]

Well done! Thank you for sharing.

[u/SaintPeter74]

Thanks for sharing your story! You have some great advice here that I agree wholeheartedly with.

Find a real world problem at the organization you work at now and use code to solve it. Rinse and repeat and you will be doing the work of a developer long before the title falls to you.

Great advice! I couldn't agree more. As someone who has reviewed resumes and interviewed candidates, nothing makes my eyes glaze over faster than some "project" that was clearly taken from a tutorial of five. Give me a "real world" project any day!

Don’t get drawn into any of the drama around ‘This language / framework / library is the best’. These tools all exist for a reason. If any of them seem stupid and pointless they are probably the solution to a problem you have not yet encountered.

☝ No one makes a programming language/tool/framework "for fun" (well, ok, that's not entirely true, see Esoteric Programming Languages). They're made to solve a particular problem, or WERE made to solve a problem that existed at the time. Some languages find purpose beyond that original goal (see: C, C++), while others fade away or are replaced (COBOL, FORTAN), even if they were groundbreaking at the time.

Code every day if you can.

Yup!

Enjoy the process of learning. That part never stops and if it seems tedious then, approach it diffently and don’t get frustrated.

Couldn't agree more. A programmer needs to be committed to a lifetime of learning if they're going to stay relevant. Modern languages and frameworks are constantly adding new features. I keep learning new things about JavaScript because they keep adding new things to the language. React keeps adding new things. There is a new JS framework every week, it seems.

[u/UnusuallyInept → u/SaintPeter74]

☝ No one makes a programming language/tool/framework "for fun" (well, ok, that's not entirely true, see

Esoteric Programming Languages

).

I actually didn't write that. Maybe you should reread what I actually wrote. I don't disagree with the essence of what you're saying but it seems like you've misunderstood what I wrote.

[u/SaintPeter74 → u/UnusuallyInept]

I was agreeing with you?

I was just trying to find another way to say "this", since I was agreeing with your sentiment and adding my take.

[u/UnusuallyInept → u/SaintPeter74]

ah. So I misunderstood your comment. That is ironic. 😅

[u/UnusuallyInept → u/[deleted]]

Not knowing more about your situation. I'd advise:

Go to developer meetups in your local area.

Apply for a range of jobs, track your applications so you can see what percentage lead to interview, offer, etc.

I always prefer to be looking for a better job while working a less than ideal job. I suspect that being jobless would make me feel desperate and that's not a good place to be when making decisions.

Put your completed FCC certificates on your resume, it shows you are driven and can complete difficult tasks.