Getting into the workplace

Hi! So I am 17 and have my responsive web design certificate.
I’m interested in getting into freelance work but I am pretty sure I don’t have enough knowledge.
I also intend to get a more stable job later on but since i’m 17 I need to wait till i’m 18 I assume. I also know I want to be a full stack developer (hopefully). So number one, should I just wait till I get all the certifications? And two, What if not all of the certifications should I focus on first.
I have a sudo-portfolio here on codepen.

Any advice is welcome! Also quick note, I have a G.E.D already and I am done with high school. I also intend to use freecodecamp as my programming education(aka I am not attending a college).

  1. There is nothing wrong with seeking out work whenever. Just be honest with yourself and the client what you capabilities are. You may not find much at first, but it can’t hurt to try. And getting work is a skill so the more you practice it, the better you get. Don’t get discouraged - this may take a while before things start coming together.
  2. I would just do all of the certs, and you might as well do them in order. Even with all the certs, you aren’t really “fully employable” yet, but you’re at least “partially employable” at that point. My advice would be to finish FCC (taking a few side trips here and there to help with the FCC material) and then when you are done, just start building things. Build things and learn new libraries. And when you learn a new library, build something with it. And if you need a new library as your building something, learn that. And then use that new library as an excuse to build something else. imho, that is what impressed employers the most.

Nice start on your portfolio. You get bonus points since I am a musician also :smile:. I agree with Kevin’s advice and also would suggest looking at a site and learning things that help companies run. Payment portals and APIs to start. Your static pages and links are a start, but integrating other operational type components in the page as well would be a great skill set to add to your inventory.

Great Luck!

Dave

@kevinSmith thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it. I will definitely keep going and learning new libraries.

@orleansd
thanks for the feedback. I will definitely add some more operational components to my portfolio.

I really appreciate you guys advice.