Hello!
First off, I want to thank Quincy Larson for starting this amazing community and curriculum. I also want to thank all the Free Code Campers for being a part of this community. I have learned a ton from others and I also had the chance to return the favor and help others out.
I’m currently a full-time college student majoring in Computer Science. I’m one of the “lucky ones” who has had prior coding experience. I first touched code at the age of 13 through a website called CodeAcademy. I started off learning HTML, CSS, and Python (though I focused on Python) and when the learning curve got steep, I did what most people have done: I decided to drop Python and switch to an “easier” programming language. I went through this cycle for the next five years, until I came across Free Code Camp.
When I first started Free Code Camp, I found myself in a very rough position: I was a full-time college student who was homeless due to an unstable job situation. My goal was to finish my front-end developer certification as soon as possible and try to land a front-end developer job locally. Each day I browsed through Craigslist applying to a plethora of jobs – even some I knew I would hate – to better my housing situation.
About a week ago, I came across a job post on Craigslist that needed a front-end developer, and though I doubted myself, I decided to apply anyways. I submitted my resume and cover letter. In my cover letter, I was straight-forward and let my potential employer know I have no prior experience as a front-end developer, but that I do have experience coding. Five days went by, and I didn’t receive a call, so I sort of forgot that I had even applied! Six days went by, and I woke up to a phone call from a number that looked rather weird. At first, I thought it was telemarketers, so I was going to ignore the call, but my instinct told me to answer it, so I did. It was the company I had applied to as a front-end developer. They wanted to interview me. The interview was scheduled, and then I patiently and anxiously waited for the interview day to arrive.
The interview went extremely well. Again, I let the interviewer know what I could do and what I had not learned yet. Notice the keyword here: learned. The interviewer told me it was perfectly fine if I had no prior work experience as a front-end dev; the company was looking for someone who wanted learn. So then, I was offered a position as a front-end developer on the spot and accepted it.
In closing, I want to thank the Free Code Camp community for all the help I received along the way and to Quincy, for the Free Code Camp platform that empowers people around the world. Free Code Campers, know that anything is possible. Set goals for yourselves and commit to them. Don’t doubt yourselves. Most importantly, never give up.