the coding project that improved my skill the most (senior developer, no cs degree)

Summary

In this inspiring talk, a 30-year-old senior developer recounts their journey from a novice to a successful professional in just five years. They share insights from developing a mental health app, emphasizing the importance of features like authentication, chat, and profile management. The developer discusses their experience with Firebase, serverless architecture, and React Native, highlighting the value of modularizing features and the impact of clean coding practices on their career growth. They also reflect on the significance of starting and completing projects, offering encouragement and advice for aspiring developers.

Takeaways

• 🚀 The speaker transitioned from having no career to becoming a senior developer with a six-figure salary in under 5 years.
• 💡 The app discussed was pivotal in the speaker's learning journey, focusing on mental health and offering various features like chat, video chat, journaling, and mood tracking.
• 🛠️ The speaker was tasked with redesigning and modularizing the app to cater to different client needs, which was a significant challenge early in their career.
• 🔑 Key components identified as essential for most apps include authentication, profile management, and chat functionalities.
• 💼 The speaker's role evolved from a sales and development position to leading the development of the app, showcasing their rapid growth.
• 🌐 The app was designed to be versatile, allowing features to be turned on and off based on client requirements, demonstrating adaptability in software development.
• 📚 The speaker learned about Firebase and serverless architecture during the app's development, which was a new experience and expanded their technical skills.
• 🔗 The use of react Redux Firebase was highlighted as a time-saving tool that streamlined data management and state control within the app.
• 📝 The importance of documentation and clean code organization was emphasized, which helped in maintaining and scaling the app effectively.
• 🔄 The speaker's advice for others is to start and finish projects, learn from mistakes, and not be afraid to make big changes if the initial approach is flawed.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial situation before becoming a senior developer?

The speaker was a 30-year-old with no career and no money in the bank.

How long did it take the speaker to transition from a beginner to a senior developer?

It took the speaker just under 5 years to become a senior developer.

What was the nature of the first app the speaker learned the most from?

The first app the speaker learned the most from was a mental health application.

What was the significant challenge the speaker faced while working on the mental health app?

The significant challenge was redesigning and rebuilding the entire app within 3 months to meet new requirements.

What key features did the speaker identify as common in most apps?

The speaker identified authentication, chat, and profile management as three key features common in most apps.

How did the speaker modularize the features of the mental health app?

The speaker modularized the features by refactoring the app to allow turning on and off different functionalities like chat, video chat, and journaling.

What was the name of the mental health app the speaker worked on?

The name of the mental health app was 'GB'.

What additional app did the speaker build using the knowledge gained from working on 'GB'?

The speaker built another app called 'Napa' using the knowledge and modular approach from 'GB'.

What technology stack was primarily used in the development of the mental health app?

The technology stack used included React Native, Node.js, Express, MySQL, Firebase, Firestore, and Cloud Functions.

What was the speaker's approach to organizing the codebase for the app?

The speaker organized the codebase by using a folder structure that included navigation, stacks, hooks, services, components, assets, and config folders.

What did the speaker learn about Firebase during the development of the app?

The speaker learned about Firebase's authentication, Firestore database, Cloud Functions, and how to integrate it with Redux using react-redux-firebase.

What advice does the speaker give to those looking to learn from their coding journey?

The speaker advises to start and finish projects, learn from mistakes, and not be afraid to start over if the initial approach is wrong.