Next steps for Frontend Development path

Career Advice
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Hello fellow campers,

I am currently about to start my final project for the Front End Development Libraries certification. I want to be able to land an internship (or maybe an entry-level position) in front end web development and I know that the first three certs from FCC aren’t enough to land one. I want to know what are the next steps that I can take in order to prepare myself to apply for a position in this field?

P.S. I recently graduated from college with a B.S. in CompSci with some knowledge in Git, data structures and algorithms.

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Hi, @JayX97 :wave:

Let me take a stab at this…

I’m not sure where you are getting your information on what makes you unqualified or unready for a junior role. Education-wise, in terms of credentials, you’re leaps and bounds ahead of most people! In my career, I’ve actually encountered very few people with a CompSci degree.

However, I have never once been asked about my education in my entire career. I am not exaggerating; not during interviews, nor in any conversations at work.

Most places don’t care about your certificates; even your degree. I would stop trying to gather certificates and start training for what you want to accomplish:

  • Land an interview
  • Pass the interview

Land the interview:
You’ll be among heavy competition as junior roles are in high demand. Even senior devs I know have a hard time getting their application seen among the massive amounts of applications. Work with recruiters, reach out to HR or senior devs at companies of interest over LinkedIn to ask them about their company ( don’t ask for a job ). This networking can help get you to the front of the line. Take night course on-campus at tech colleges. It’s a great way to network with senior devs who are upping their skills at night school.

Prep for the interview:
In my experience they vary widely and don’t always accurately test your merit for doing that job. It’s unavoidable, and you have to just do it. Things you’ll want to practice:

Know JavaScript, CSS, and HTML at a deeper level:

  • JavaScript question - “What is hoisting? Give me an example”
  • CSS question - “What is specificity? Explain how the selectors affect it”

Learn a framework/library like React/Vue/Angular and be prepared to explain why you prefer it. You can still apply to jobs that use other tech stacks.

Data structures and algos (Do the Leetcode 75). With a CompSci education, you’ll probably do well at this!

System design - I wouldn’t put too much time into this for a junior role but it is something you’ll need to learn eventually as you interview for higher positions.

Learn about behaviorals - Soft skills in tech go a LONG way! Prepare to show initiative and eagerness to move up in your career. Have a career plan to talk about, even if you don’t really have one. Show that you can check your ego and admit when you don’t know something. Ask a lot of clarifying questions.

Hope this helps!

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Hey @yarrumevets,

Wow this is really good piece of advice that you have just given me! I guess I’ll just take a dive into applying for positions now whilst practicing interview questions :+1:. Thank you so much!

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Yeah, it never hurts to just get out there and get a feel for the interview process.
Good luck to you!

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This is a great advice :+1:

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