Found a job as a full stack developer

Career Advice
1

Since starting with Freecodecamp in last September, I was looking forward to being in a position that will allow me to write this post. But after being hired I just didn’t have the time. So just to make this post happen I’ll make it short and sweet, which will leave me with more time for answering questions.

So what job did I find?
A full stack developer, 70% front end(React), 30% back end(Java + Mysql), 15% Devops, 15% product marketing and analytics(It’s a startup, so at base level you give 130% of your time and energy, preferably more).

How did I get invited to an interview?
They contacted me after finding me on Github.

The good:
I have two senior developers in charge of me, who are super knowledgeable in lots of different fields, and I learn a lot from them on all elements of creating a SASS product. Also everyone else are super awesome. I also get to do and be in charge of things that I wouldn’t get to be involved in - in a big company.

The Bad:
After 10 hours of work each day, I struggle with learning new things in my spare time. Things I need to know in order to advance my newfound career.

The ugly:
The hot and sticky weather.

How long did I study?
9 months of 8-12 hours of studying each day.

How long did it take me to find a job since I started looking for one?
About one month.

In what way did Freecodecamp help me the most?
The algorithm training. I really enjoyed it, which helped with my overall motivation. And it set me apart from other interviewees - who didn’t even know how to reverse a string in JS.
Not to mention the questions about the JS engine, closures, OOP etc.

What would I have done differently?
Spent less time on CSS and SASS, and instead focus more on backend and database related topics.

Thank you @QuincyLarson for bringing your passion to help others through this amazing project, and for allowing me to change my life in such a meaningful way.

Everyone, feel free to ask anything, and I’ll try to get to answering it as soon as possible.
Halom

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2

Congratulations!

But:

… that’s one of the reddest flags I’ve seen in a while. Presumably you get paid 130% market rate?

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Well as they say - beggars can’t be picky.

  1. My competition in the job market are brilliant developers with degree’s and people who programmed in the army with 6+ years of quality experience.

My salary is quite high in relation to the average salary where I live, but it is low in relation to that of juniors with army experience/degree.

But after 2-3 years I will be able to double my pay and will be in high demand - so it’s a worth investment, and a way better option than studying for a degree, going into debt and making no money while at it. I am 34 and need to maximize my time.

  1. My country is known as a start up nation. And as such, it has a very specific culture.

Here you can either work in a big company for an average of 9 hours a day, and be expected to give up to 20 extra hours a month if needed.

Or you can work in a startup, where it’s expected to give a 10 hours work day, and be available when needed.

The first option is preferred by family men. But since I’m not one, and since the experience gained in one year of startup life, can sometimes equal 2 years of experience in a big company(because your role there has a narrower focus) - I’d love the experience boost given to me in my current work place. As I am not young, and have a lot to catch up.

Another point to be made is, that I don’t live in Europe, where there’s a better work-life balance.

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congratulations :tada:

would you share resources that you used throughout your learning? and also your background?

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I have no official background in anything. My last job evolved around collecting and organizing graphical and architectural materials.
Before that I was a music teacher and a massage therapist.

I’ve took the following courses:

JavaScript30 by Wes Bos.

The Complete React Web Developer Course (with Redux) by Andrew Mead.

Learning Algorithms in JavaScript from Scratch & Learning Data Structures in JavaScript from Scratch by Eric Traub.

The Web Developer Bootcamp By colt steele.

Besides that, after finishing the algorithm section on FCC, I kept practicing on Code Wars, though in retrospective Hacker Rank might have been a better time investment.

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Good for you man! While obviously not optimal, if you are coming from no prior programming experience then busting your ass and going above and beyond will pay off.

My only advice is that you don’t carry this behavior far into your programming career. Of course you should bust your ass, but only during work hours (unless it’s a absolute emergency, which should be few and far between).

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Thank you for the advice!
When I’ll have more leverage as a developer I’ll certainly negotiate better condition.

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I recently learned full stack development from the best coaching center in Bangalore. I want a job from a full stack front end developer. My friend suggests me to sign up the Jobads site to get the latest developer jobs. I like the site where I saw many jobs and applied top company interviews.