What's the way forward?

Hello World!!!

Started of the greeting with the most famous line in the world of Code.
So I’m sure a similar problem like this has been popped up in the past however I’m still going to ask away because despite similarities in problems I feel getting responses specifically meant for me would be a good thing.

So here goes I am well versed with my HTML,CSS,JAVASCRIPT (etc) and ReactJs as a framework (like most people here in FCC). So shortly after discovering about FCC I became hooked on video tutorials, and got to build many projects most of which are only visible on “localhost”, during the video tutorials we got to build similar projects to the ones on FCC as a result I can’t just copy and paste code and submit to the FCC to earn all the certifications I believe it’ll go against the plagiarism agreement I made to FCC nevertheless I still strongly believe I’m ready for real world works .

Where I’m driving all this is now before I apply for a Job obviously I will need a portfolio since I’m not a CS Degree Graduate so comes the issue of projects ,I have done a lot of searches on this topics but the answers I get I somehow still doubt them for instance Weather App, JS Calculator ,HTML Form ,TIC TAC TOE game to mention a few are they really enough to get me to Land my first Job??

In addition I am not very much gifted when it comes to designing so there will be very limited variations from the design on inspiration to my final design as a result I’ll doubt myself even more cause despite the code being unique the UI will be similar to that of someone else eventually I just sit and do nothing.

To sum up what I’m looking for or hoping to get from whoever is reading this is advice, constructive criticism , projects or even an offer for a real life project which I can include in my resume absolutely anything you feel can help me.

Thank You For Your Time
Happy Coding!

Hi,

As an aspiring developer myself and recent graduate, I don’t find that the idea of having a portfolio of a lot of small apps is helpful in any sense or can impress the potential technical manager that will be in front of you in the day of the interview. I think that working on one app from Backend to Frontend and adding tests and DevOps stuff and keep improving it and adding features to it will give much more credits.

What app will you build ? I would go with trying to solve a problem I am facing. In my case, I find that hiring in the software engineering industry is not 100 % fair and therefore I am working on a job board app for developers.

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thank you for getting back at me.

That’s a good idea at times I fear that the application might get too big , like there’s a particular problem I really want to address though it will include a lot of technologies eventually I think I may be stuck for a really long time . The main problem I hope to address is availability of curriculum based information for 3rd World Countries High School Syllabuses ,each day that idea keeps on growing I keep thinking of new things to add eventually I wont be sure where to start.

any further advice on that?

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If the objective is only to get a job, the app doesn’t have to be too big. You just have to show to your employer that you know what web development is and that you know most of the engineering around web dev (I am talking here about junior roles).

If it is a long term project, then you can start very small and keep improving it and at some point in time involve other people in it. Take this project as a way to learn. That’s how I see it.

thank you once more lemme revisit the drawing board and scale it down that its still impressive but also leaving room for expansion.

This app doesn’t need to be the next billion dollar app or take a year to build. Just build something that has a little bit of depth to it beyond a project that only takes a few hours to build. You want to show employers that you are up to working on projects with some complexity. If all they see are calculators or tic tac toe games then they are going to assume that you can’t do anything beyond the basic first beginner level work.

@jwilkins.oboe indeed you are right !! Thank you so much

Probably no. But the other side of the coin is “possibly yes”. OK, it’s a narrow possibility, but still non-zero. There are jobs out there were they will take someone in as an entry level coder. But there aren’t many of them and there is a lot of competition.

So, your goal is to keep building your skills and build up your portfolio. Start building bigger projects - not tutorials but things you conceive and design. Start small if you need to. Don’t worry if it’s not an amazing idea for an app - you’re trying to get hired as a coder, not the “idea man”. Just build things. You are trying to show them that you can code.

If you can, find a meetup near you. (Tough in covid times.) Not only does this provide support, but allows you to meet other coders, get new ideas, maybe even collaborate.

But keep building. And keep learning new ideas.

At the risk of shameless self-promotion, I once wrote a doc with some thoughts on getting that difficult first job.

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@kevinSmith Thank you for getting back to me, I’m sorry for not responding earlier, however i took a look at the Doc and i must say it’s really impressive and fully detailed, surely describes the actual developer journey other than what’s filled on youtube, thanks a lot