I initially started FreeCodeCamp out of a desire to learn coding as a hobby. This snowballed and I decided that it would be amazing if I transition my career path from a sales to development.
At first it seemed like a pipe dream that I would be able to make money as a developer. It seemed all so intimidating at the beginning, but after a few months I figured I had nothing to lose and just kept going, progressing through the FCC curriculum.
I finally attained the Front End certificate, and started my job search. While I was looking I took on some projects for friends, building websites using the skills I learned through FCC, and supplementing that material with some helpful YouTube videos. After a while I got a call to join a training program to learn AngularJS for a Fortune 100 company.
At the beginning of the bootcamp a sense of dread washed over me as the other eleven candidates had computer science degrees or some form of IT experience - I was the only self-taught trainee. After a few days I realized that quite a few people were struggling to grasp various JavaScript and Angular concepts; however, having previously gone through the JavaScript course, and done the algorithm problem,s on FreeCodeCamp I was more than sufficiently prepared.
I ultimately finished the course 1st in the class and had assisted quite a few others throughout the training. And honestly, I have FreeCodeCamp to thank for this. The combination of way-point challenges, projects, and algorithms all aided me in solidifying my understanding of the language, and now I’m working at my dream job that I had previously thought unattainable a few months ago!
Keep Hacking,
-ehutchllew