Thanks, I appreciate your kind words. I’ve actually applied at Revature before, multiple times in fact and across multiple states. If I had to guess, I’d probably applied there a total of 30 times since their job postings are literally all over the place. But I never once got any sort of response. Maybe I was doing something wrong.
Wow, that is really weird i don’t get it. Maybe buy a domain for your portfolio website(only $0.99 rn) to make it look professional. Even better create a unique project. I saw this video from this Alan Bay Walker guy. He did a lot impressive stuff, this might help you. I don’t think age matter in your case.
his github: https://github.com/AlanBayWalker
Website:http://abwtechnologies.com/
Best of luck!
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this is me also. I think that my own bootcamp experience helped me in more ways than one… including the fact that I went out of state. That’s a huge commitment right there as well… the willingness to step outside of my comfort zone WITH the anxiety of how my other needs would be met… which were by the way- they provided assistance (with a little help.
Networking on the other hand… as much as I want to go out and do all kinds of meetups… there’s the communication barrier. Not to mention the bias. I’ve met some wonderful people through the local dev Slack channel so that helps a ton. I’ve gone to a few meetups but I almost never got anything out of them until the last one I went to lol.
I’m still looking but it’s not due to the bootcamp or my self-learning but more to do with other things that most people don’t have to deal with.
But still he persisted…
And I’ll get that job.
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Im such a huge believer and supporter in FCC, so this is totally biased when I say this is an amazing place to learn, and build a very worthwhile portfolio… so its great to hear your doubts have lifted 
It’s also good to hear that you are moving forward into building some full-stack projects…whether FCC, a bootcamp (though like @geekysmurf said…this is a bootcamp!) or a degree or really any path you take at all…going further, making and reaching stretch goals, continuing to build new things creates opportunities to really understand what youve learned and pick up new things along the way…thats whats going to build your skills and put you on top.
When it comes to networking, like I said, meetups, events, talk to people…dont feel awkward about coming off like you are talking to them to find a job…of course you are, and thats okay! I really mean it when I say that people in this industry are helpful…whether its tech advice, or help finding work, all that is perfectly okay. The person who helps you today may be the person you help tomorrow… by not allowing someone to help you, are you in turn denying the community the ability to build itself up and have you as someone to reach out to when youre in a position to return the favor. See what I mean? Everything comes full circle…always.
Another good point I read (sorry, tried to find it and forgot who) was to get involved in online communities…FCC is a great one, but also many meetups and local dev groups have slack channels you can tap into…Im in some women coding slacks, as well as a a slack for veterans who code. I cant stress enough how helpful everyone is…people Ive never met have taken an interest in my career…thats overwhelming and awesome.
All this leads into another point related to networking, and thats being able to communicate and interact with others…the days of being the sole programmer in the basement hunkered away from people and only having to deal with computers all day are long gone…the ability to work on a team, be able to communicate, let your team know you need help, reach out and help others when they need it…that is hugely HUGELY important. Something Ive heard so many times is, you can teach someone to code, you cant teach someone to be part of a team.
There were a lot of things I learned in bootcamp that have nothing to do with specifically coding, but have been major while working…stuff like agile, growth mindset, standups, working with a dev team, being able to express what Im working on, what problems Im having, having the courage to admit Im having a tough time, having the initiative to step away from your desk and help someone else…thats a big deal. So when you’re networking, think of it as a safe space to steady your nerves and work on building up these communication skills in a safe place.
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so you are choosing to copy what i said and add more words. always totally awsome and great perspective. I love that you didn’t really add anything to the convo.
Do you mean me? No, I didnt copy what you said… You’ve said a few times that bootcamp is a waste of time, something I dont agree with…but not everything works for everyone. So I gave my perspective on things I learned in bootcamp, as well as networking and communication skills that I found were valuable to me in my experience. Also, envincebal had sent me a pm asking for specific advice, which I included in my reply. Even if to one person my perspective doesnt add anything to the convo, another person may get something out of it.
As far as writing about my experience and sharing them with others and putting my money where my mouth is…I have. I have a post titled from FCC to Microsoft here in the Developer Job forum where I shared my path, and I respond to anyone who reaches out to me to help them out in any way I can. When I started on FCC, I was scared to ask questions…once I did, it made a huge impact on me how people went out of their way to help me, and I swore I would do my best to give back to the community.
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I agree! FCC is a godsend and I just love all the huge community here. And yes, I should have clarified that I was debating whether to join a paid bootcamp or not. lol.
I have made it to a few meetups this past year but not as many as I should. But I have vowed to be more aggressive in attending meetups regularly this coming year. Thank you for all your tips on how to network effectively. I still feel a bit weird talking to someone and just outright ask them for a referral. It’s hard for me to break out of the mindset that it feels like I am using people. But I can understand your point. Most people who attend meetups are looking for a job anyways and the professionals there know that. I still want to make it clear that I do want to offer something of value to them as well.
You also make a good point about working as a team. One thing I regret not doing earlier in my learning is pair programming with someone or several people. It would have been invaluable to learn how to read each other’s code and collaborate towards specific goal.
Thanks again for all your insight. It really helped me a lot. Also you said you joined a veterans who code Slack group. Thank you for your service too 
I’m not sure who you’re referring to but I don’t see anyone copying what you wrote. I can only speak for myself but so far everyone, including you, has offered advice that helped me personally.
At one time, there were FCC cohorts who each had a project they were working on… I had a lot going on for a minute there and when I came back to FCC, it seemed the cohorts werent around anymore, but I do sometimes see someone post about a project idea they’d like to work on with other FCC’ers, so keep an eye out for that.
Locally, in Miami, theres a meetup that focuses on building projects for charities and non-profits…people of all skill levels re invited to come and help…thats something to look for (and hey, maybe even start yourself if there isnt one) Whether remotely or in person, finding a team to work with really is great…its one thing to build something yourself, a whole other thing to work with others…and you learn those agile and project management skills. It also looks good on your resume/github that you contribute to team projects.
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