How To Get A Software Developer Job (Roadmap)
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the speaker advises aspiring software developers on how to start a career in tech today. They recommend beginning with freeCodeCamp to gain early wins and stay motivated. Next, research the local job market to align learning with in-demand skills. After that, create a learning roadmap, move beyond tutorials, build projects that solve real problems, and focus on one significant project showcasing your tech stack. Attend meetups to network and build relationships for mentorship. Apply to jobs, especially on company career pages, and personalize outreach to hiring managers. The speaker emphasizes patience, as most take over nine months to land a job, and stresses the importance of effectively describing projects to stand out.
Takeaways
- 🌐 Start with Codecademy to quickly begin coding with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- 🎯 After basic coding, research the job market to identify the most employable tech stacks.
- 📈 Create a learning roadmap based on market needs and desired job roles.
- 🛠️ Move beyond tutorials and start building your own projects to solve real problems.
- 🚀 Focus on one significant project that encompasses your entire tech stack and showcases your abilities.
- 🤝 Attend meetups and network extensively to build relationships within the tech community.
- 🔍 Actively search for job opportunities on company career pages, not just job boards.
- 💌 When applying for jobs, personalize your outreach to hiring managers on LinkedIn.
- 📝 Be patient and give yourself time to learn and grow; most people take longer than 3 months to land a job.
- 📑 Clearly articulate the value and problem-solving aspects of your projects in your resume and LinkedIn profile.
Q & A
What is the first thing the speaker recommends doing when starting to learn code?
-The speaker recommends starting at freeCodeCamp.org, which allows you to write your first line of code within 90 seconds.
Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of early wins in coding?
-Early wins with visual results can be addictive and help maintain motivation and inspiration, which are crucial for sticking with learning in the long term.
What does the speaker suggest researching after getting a basic understanding of JavaScript?
-The speaker suggests researching the market to identify which technology stacks are employable and what companies are hiring for.
Why is it important to match your learning with the job market according to the speaker?
-Matching your learning with the job market ensures that you're learning skills that are in demand and increases your chances of getting hired.
What is the significance of creating a roadmap after understanding the market needs?
-Creating a roadmap helps in planning which languages to learn and what projects to build, making the learning process more structured and goal-oriented.
Why does the speaker advise against relying solely on tutorials?
-The speaker advises against relying solely on tutorials because they can become a crutch and hinder the development of problem-solving skills that are essential for a developer.
What is the importance of building projects that solve a problem according to the speaker?
-Building projects that solve a problem is important because it demonstrates the ability to deliver solutions and provides material for discussing one's capabilities during interviews.
Why should a developer focus on one specific project that encompasses their entire tech stack?
-Focusing on one specific project that encompasses the entire tech stack allows the developer to showcase their technical abilities and provides substantial material for interviews.
How does the speaker view the role of meetups and networking in a developer's career?
-The speaker views meetups and networking as crucial for building relationships and finding mentorship, which can significantly impact a developer's career.
What is the speaker's advice regarding job applications and descriptions?
-The speaker advises to personalize job applications, avoid copy-pasting messages, and to describe projects in a way that someone unfamiliar with the work can understand the value and achievements.
What is the speaker's perspective on the time it takes to land a job in tech after learning to code?
-The speaker emphasizes that it typically takes longer than 3 months to land a job in tech and advises patience and persistence, as most people take 9 months to several years.
Outlines
🚀 Starting a Coding Journey
The speaker emphasizes the importance of acting quickly on the inspiration to learn coding, suggesting starting with Codecademy to write the first line of code within 90 seconds. They highlight the significance of early wins in coding to maintain motivation and curiosity. The speaker then advises researching the job market to identify the most employable tech stacks and to align learning with market demands. They stress the need to create a roadmap of technologies to learn and projects to build, moving away from relying solely on tutorials and instead focusing on building projects that solve real problems. The paragraph concludes with the speaker's personal strategy for learning to code and getting a job in tech.
🤝 Building Networks and Finding Mentorship
The speaker advocates for attending meetups and networking extensively to build real relationships within the tech community. They clarify that mentorship often comes from those who have seen one's growth over time rather than from cold outreach. The speaker also discusses the importance of being part of a community and actively seeking help, as people are more inclined to assist those who are visibly putting in effort. They mention the effectiveness of LinkedIn for professional networking and suggest looking beyond job boards by checking company career pages for job opportunities. Additionally, the speaker advises on how to approach hiring managers directly through LinkedIn and the importance of personalizing outreach messages.
📈 Patience and Effective Job Application Strategies
The speaker discusses the reality that finding a job in tech can take longer than expected, with most people taking more than 9 months to a few years. They encourage patience and continuous learning and improvement. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of the quality and quantity of projects when applying for jobs, suggesting that many people overestimate the impact of the time they've spent learning to code without producing substantial work. Lastly, they advise on how to effectively describe projects in resumes and LinkedIn profiles to convey the value and skills gained to potential employers, ensuring that the descriptions are clear and informative to someone unfamiliar with the project.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡FreeCodeCamp
💡Front-end Development
💡Tech Stack
💡Job Market Research
💡Roadmap
💡Tutorials
💡Problem-solving
💡Portfolio Project
💡Networking
💡Mentorship
💡Job Boards
💡Project Description
Highlights
Start coding immediately to capitalize on motivation and inspiration.
Begin with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for early visual wins.
Research the job market to identify in-demand tech stacks.
Create a learning roadmap based on market needs.
Move beyond tutorials to build a solid foundation.
Build projects that solve real problems to showcase problem-solving skills.
Develop a single project that encompasses your entire tech stack.
Attend meetups and network to build relationships in the tech community.
Utilize LinkedIn and other platforms for professional networking.
Apply directly to company career pages for job opportunities.
Reach out to hiring managers on LinkedIn for potential job openings.
Avoid copying and pasting generic messages when applying for jobs.
Give yourself permission to take time to learn and grow.
Understand that most developers take 9 months or longer to land a job.
Ensure your projects demonstrate a consistent effort over time.
Describe your projects in a way that conveys their value and your skills.
Transcripts
I've been asked more times than I can
start to count Danny as a software
developer with a lot of experience in
Tech if you had to start over today in
today's market especially what would you
do this is going to be the entire
breakdown a little bit longer video drop
a like book market so you can come back
to it but you're going to get a lot of
value out of this one video the very
first thing I would do if I'm learning a
code for the very first time I'm just
starting out the beginning first thing
I'm doing I'm going to freec Cod cam.org
I'm a big fan of the website talk about
it all the time but within 90 seconds
you're writing your first line of code
the reason why I say this is I genuinely
believe motivation and inspiration have
expiration dates they're going to expire
so the earlier you act on the
inspiration the higher likelihood you're
going to actually stick with this for
the long term not only that you're
starting with HTML CSS and JavaScript
and I'm not saying that I think
front-end development is the way the
truth etc etc I'm not saying that here
what I am saying is especially for a lot
of people in the beginning of learning
how to code you're really not starting
with a lot of background information
here those early wins with those visual
wins can get you very addicted and into
the process of building things and
creating things and solving problems so
that genuine curiosity starts to Peak
and you start to really get interested
in what you're doing the very next thing
that I'm doing after getting to
JavaScript I'm not saying you you
completed JavaScript or you really dug
deep but you're in the beginning stages
of JavaScript if my goal is to
eventually get a job in Tech especially
in the market that I'm within I'm going
to research my market to see what tech
Stacks are employable what are companies
hiring for for what are they saying that
they have problems with in these
languages and where's the Gap in the
market for me to fill that is the next
thing that I'm doing because I can't
even begin to tell you the number of
people that I run into on the regular
basis now that for example let's say
they learn the M Stack which is a great
stack in certain markets not all markets
and so you're in a market where M Stack
doesn't necessarily have opportunities
guess what I'm talking to people that
like I've been trying to get a job in
tech for 3 years four years 5 years and
I can't get a single opportunity
nobody's hiring but when you look at
their Tech stack they're in a market
where Java is king or let's say c.net is
King but here they are they're using M
and no one's hiring for it but there's
30 40,000 job opportunities open in
their market for someone with Java so
that's my next step I need to come up
with my entire road map of what to learn
stop listening to influencers including
myself that tell you learn this texto
learn that that's why I don't ever
recommend Technologies I always have the
same advice go research the market I can
tell you the most tweetable likable
rehar answer in the world but the
reality is every single Market is
different so don't take some influencers
advice that's telling you what you want
to hear for a like instead research what
companies are hiring for look at the job
descriptions look at what they're trying
to fill and try and match that as best
as possible you're never going to match
it 100% but at least get the core
competencies down so if they're saying
they need a Java developer that knows
spring that knows JavaScript boom those
are the things that you're going to
start hitting so you can get those
Junior opportunities now that I
understand understand what my market is
hiring for that's where step three comes
in I make my road map and I start
hitting actionable items of what
languages I'm going to learn in which
ways and what projects I'm going to
build step number four is I would stop
Reliance upon tutorials guiding me the
entirety of the way because that's where
a lot of y'all get hung up on it's good
to use a tutorial to build your
foundation but there's a point where
your foundation isn't going to carry you
the rest of the we and you need to start
building upon it right you can only do
so many educational items until this
becomes a crutch instead of the
assistant that it's supposed to be step
number five is actually building
projects that solve a problem and I know
a lot of people say like I don't know
what to build look I put out so many of
these threads already I've talked about
this for years you could build anything
you don't got to cure cancer with code
y'all no one's expecting you to do that
especially as a junior but what they are
expecting is for you to solve some kind
of problem deliver a solution and talk
about said solution when you don't do
that you're doing a disservice to
yourself the next thing I'm going to do
after I build projects that solve a
problem I'm going to really hone in and
focus on on one specific project that
uses and encompasses my entire Tech
stack that's great for the market and
that project in particular is going to
be one that there's not going to really
be a tutorial on it's going to be hell
it's going to make me want to flip a
table it's going to make me want to pull
out my hair you can see I've already
pulled out enough of that but yeah it's
going to be a nightmare right but at the
end of it that is going to be a project
that I'm going to love talking about in
an interview that an interviewer and
hiring manager is going to love to hear
about it's going to Showcase my
technical ability it's going to give me
stuff to talk about as far as problems
that I've solved and solutions that I
delivered that's what I'm looking for
the ammunition within the interview
process that really showcases my
abilities now the reality is no one is
really going to hire you based on a
project that you make especially at the
junior level right there's just so much
that you don't know but it's going to
give you more items to talk about
yourself and really showcase what you
bring to the conversation then the other
thing that I'd be doing and I'd be doing
this already at this point meetups I'm
so big on meetups y'all I don't think I
would be here in Tech if it wasn't for
amazing communities you need to be going
to as many meetups as humanly possible
Network as much as possible now when I
say Network I don't say com in with a
PowerPoint SL like here are three ways
that I'm going to save you 15% or more
that's not going to happen what you do
want to do is start building real
relationships with people over time
because guess what a lot of the people
that are going to be in your corner
advocating for you there are going to be
individuals that have seen you grow over
time now a lot of people I get hit up
for this 20 times a day at this point
can you Mentor me can you Mentor me I
wish I could Mentor everybody right and
I don't want to come up with some like
cheesy you know mentorship thing where
I'm you're paying you know $10,000 for 3
months or something I don't want to do
that stuff right reality is more often
than not over the years I have seen more
people get mentorship from people that
they have built a relationship with and
they've seen grow over time then I have
seen cold Outreach Of You just dming
someone who is a complete utter stranger
saying can you Mentor me it's not going
to work that way build real
relationships one quote in particular
comes to mind on this and I've I've
referenced this quote many times and
it's by Chris Rock and he basically said
anytime I ever ran out of gas on the
side of the highway and I just stood out
there with a gas can hoping somebody
would stop no one ever stopped but every
single time I was pushing the car on my
own someone would pull over they would
help me push it the rest of the way or
they would drive me to the gas station
and bring me back people want to help
people that are working towards
something and they see them actively
putting in that effort it almost
incentivizes them and entices them to do
that so by being part of a community
that's a great way for that to happen so
I'd be networking non-stop I'd be going
to all kinds of meetups I'd use LinkedIn
of course I'd be all over LinkedIn um
any social media platform but LinkedIn
the access to the Quality level of
connections that you get it's no other
platform in my opinion really comes that
close even though Twitter for example is
my largest following LinkedIn has
definitely been my most impactful
following now when it comes to job
boards and things like that right I'd be
applying to a lot of jobs I'd be
networking I'd be advocating for myself
in any any way shape or form but when it
comes to job boards and particular when
you go to a job board they pce to post
those jobs so a lot of people say no
one's ever hiring Junior I don't see the
ads the reality is there's no incentive
for most organizations I'm not going to
say all I'd say like 90 plus per.
there's no real incentive for them to
pay to post it on the Eds LinkedIn jobs
dice Etc it's not really there they know
once they advertise Juniors they're
going to get thousands of applications
without even trying so most companies
end up doing two things first they go to
their team saying hey we're going to add
a junior to the team your manager
probably going to be like do you know
anybody is there anybody that you would
recommend is there anybody that you know
that would be like a good fit that we
could have a conversation with
that those referrals really kick in
there the second thing that they do is
they post the jobs on their company
portal and career Pages that's why I
always tell people don't just check out
the LinkedIn and the Eds check out your
local company's career page that's where
they're posting it because it doesn't
cost them anything they're not paying
for that yeah sure they're going to get
less applicants overall but guess what
overall I guarantee you that if a
candidate is going to the career page
they probably have a lot more intuitive
knowledge to kind of check that out and
go out of their way to find it as
opposed to someone who's just hitting
LinkedIn easy apply on every single job
that comes their way so while the
overall gross of number of applicants
may be lower it's probably going to be
more quality candidates hitting them up
in that regard the other thing that I'd
be doing is if I saw that there was a
job that I was a great fit for and I I
really matched this up in a big way I
would just check out if the company
let's say Jimmy's insurance company
they're hiring for a junior developer I
would just check out Jimmy's insurance
company on LinkedIn and see if any of
the hiring managers have posted about it
and if they did I would hit them up
being like hey I saw that you posted XYZ
I think I'm a great candidate and a
great fit for this I'd love to have a
conversation here are a couple reasons
why I think you know I'm a great fit for
this particular role I I don't want to
do the copy and paste thing it people
can see that a mile away you don't want
to do that you want your especially
think about it your comment or your
message has the potential to shift your
career why are you cutting Corners
copying and pasting everything when
pretty much everybody can tell we can
tell when recruiters are doing it we see
all the memes online of people copying
pasting their answers and their messages
is it's very obvious to everybody if we
already know it's obvious why are you
doing that to yourself and sabotaging
your own success other thing that I
would say and this is to give you
realisticness I would give myself
permission to take my time a lot of
y'all don't do that and I get it it's
impatience etc etc hell most of yall
probably didn't watch to this part of
the video if I'm being real the other
thing that I would say here if I'm being
completely blunt and honest with you I
do a poll pretty much every single year
and the last year that we did this I
asked the same question for software
developers that landed a job in Tech how
long did it take you the first option is
3 months the second option is 9 months
or longer the third option is a year to
3 years and the fourth option is 4 years
plus right how long did it take you from
writing your first line of code only in
the last poll I think it was
6.2% of the total number of respondents
which was over 15,000 between LinkedIn
and Twitter 15,000 ended up saying I got
a job in Tech in 3 months that means
almost 94% of the time it took them 9
plus months or longer with a heavy
amount of the votes being one to three
years and what's Wild to me is the sheer
amount of comments that came from Junior
saying I can't believe how long it's
taken some people it's totally shifted
the way that I think and I think that's
really important here because so many
people are trying to rush this process
because they just think I'm supposed to
get a job in 3 months everybody talks
about 3 months everybody talks about 6
months the reality is it's going to take
you a little bit longer it took me
longer than 3 months it's took I I've
only met one person in real life that
landed a job from the first line of code
that they wrote to Landing an
opportunity in 3 months and that person
himself told me it's because I knew the
owner of the company so you need to give
yourself a little bit of credit and
slack here learn your stuff apply your
skills if you don't get in 3 months
that's okay if you don't get it in a
year that's okay too but just keep
learning and applying and growing and
building and just keep growing your
skill set the one problem that I see
with a lot of people is they'll talk
about how they've been learning how to
Cod for 3 years four years but when you
look at the quality of their projects or
the number of things that they've built
it's so small when you tell me 3 4 years
I'm expecting a very different level of
skill set than someone who's been
learning how to code for 3 months 6
months 9 months so if you're at the 3
four year mark you need to go ahead and
make sure you're really applying
yourself but if you've been off and on
and if you just build some one thing
here then you take off for 6 months
that's not the same three years last tip
I want to give you is when it comes to
your job applications your resumés your
LinkedIn your projects the biggest area
of value comes in in how you describe
your projects I was on a call last night
with a group of students in the cohort
that were doing here in Dallas and one
of the students has been they recently
graduated a degree they're trying to get
a job in Tech they can't get a single
call back and when we look at the resume
it became very obvious why but the big
issue is and a lot of Juniors don't
realize this and I didn't realize this
at the beginning too if I'm being honest
is it's really hard for someone who's
reading this paper to conceptualize the
problems that you solved or the
achievements that you had and so when
you just brought Rush past it they don't
have the background information that you
possess on said projects or onet
accomplishments onet Awards you need to
explain that so in the mindset of
someone who doesn't know who you are
doesn't know your background or anything
about you in that mindset can they walk
away from reading that piece of paper or
that LinkedIn profile really knowing
everything about you so try to audit
yourself and remove yourself saying I'm
not auditing not Danny but Jimmy's
LinkedIn profile Jimmy's resume Jimmy's
explanation of his project and I don't
know anything about Jimmy but by reading
this description I now know everything
that they did in this if you can walk
away film that way then you did a good
job if not reapply some effort here and
finesse and make that a little bit
better so that way people kind of
understand where you're coming from this
video was a
lot I get it you may have to watch this
a couple times that's cool too but
believe me when I say this you
absolutely got this
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