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I started to learn to code last November at 37yo. About 30 hours a week for two months I finished the Front End Certificate from freeCodeCamp (highly recommend
by soneca 9y ago
I started to learn to code last November at 37yo.
About 30 hours a week for two months I finished the Front End Certificate from freeCodeCamp (highly recommend the site for starters). Then I decided it was better to build my own projects with the tech I wanted to learn (mostly React) using official documentation and tutorials. This is what I accomplished in around 3 months: www.rodrigo-pontes.glitch.me
Then I started to apply to jobs. After around 4 rejections, last week I started as Front End Junior Developer (using Ember actually) at a funded fintech startup with a great learning environment for the tech team.
Very proud of my accomplishment so far, but I know the rough part is only starting.
- sillysaurus3 9y agoClickable: http://rodrigo-pontes.glitch.me/ http://rodrigo-pontes.glitch.me/ Congrats on your achievement. :)
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- soneca 9y agoThanks! (there is nothing fancy in my portfolio, btw, just wanted to share it so people in similar situation can have an idea of how an average output after 6 months of coding could look like)
- ldp01 9y agoChampion! May I ask, what was your background prior to moving into coding? A different technical field or trade?
- soneca 9y agoI graduated in Economics. The first ~7 years of my career was at non-profit organizations (as project manager and fundraiser). Then I went to the startup world, one year as a startup founder, two years working with growth marketing at another startup. But I always had a good mind for logic and analytical stuff, I think it helps a lot.
- bricestacey 9y agoIt looks like you've learned a lot, but a lot of people are going to criticize you based off your design skills. Frankly, it's ugly so you're automatically not going to be doing any product work. If you could clean up your demos to look more acceptable to the modern day reviewer, I think you would have better presented yourself.
- mancerayder 9y agoI didn't downvote you, but I'll offer: Frankly, it's ugly so you're automatically not going to be doing any product work "Frankly, at the current level, without some improvement and time, you probably won't be doing much product work." If you could clean up your demos to look more acceptable to the modern day reviewer, I think you would have better presented yourself. "Clean up those demos to appeal to the modern reviewer, and you'll be better able to present yourself." (Empathy also presents you better)
- happy-go-lucky 9y agoI didn't downvote you, either. In this world, there're 10 types of people: there're good people who're half bad and there're bad people who're half good :)
- Dolores12 9y agoThis is constructive and honest opinion. Why downvote?
- earthbeing 9y agoExactly. There's this poisonous atmosphere in HN that dislikes criticizing honestly. In fact, throw in some compliments and you'll get a zillion upvotes. But complain about something, and fear getting banned...
- bllguo 9y agothat's just how people operate. If that indicates HN is poisonous then all discussion places are poisonous, which really means nothing.
- bradcrispin 9y agoI think you have accomplished the hardest part. Action is now your reward. :)
- quincyla 9y agoThis is Quincy with freeCodeCamp. Congratulations on your new job, and your diverse portfolio. Getting a job as a new developer after only 4 rejections is a great batting average. Sean Smith rejected 192 times before getting a job at Trustar. https://medium.freecodecamp.org/how-i-learned-to-code-and-earned-a-job-in-silicon-valley-changing-my-life-along-the-way-a3af854855fa https://medium.freecodecamp.org/how-i-learned-to-code-and-ea...
- albedoa 9y agoSean Smith's story is so inspiring. It teaches us that if you can afford to work unpaid for 7+ hours per day, 50+ hours per week for a whole year and move to one of the most expensive cities in the world without a job, then you can truly achieve anything.
- eecc 9y agoYou forgot the /s, but it's pretty obvious;)
- earthbeing 9y agoWhat is /s?
- developerdanny 9y agoSarcasm
- earthbeing 9y agoThanks.
- earthbeing 9y agoStrange, I got down-voted for thanking :|
- 9y ago
- lmitchell 9y agoI've been clicking on your 'hacker news best comments' button for like twenty minutes now... you weren't kidding when you said 'basically a time waster' :P Seriously, really good looking stuff for your early projects! I'm not surprised someone picked you up :) http://www.opusnota.com/hnbc http://www.opusnota.com/hnbc
- earthbeing 9y agoReally addicting! Thanks for a great time-killer!
- brokenmachine 9y agoI'm curious how hnbc even works. AFAICT there's no way to see how many upvotes someone else's comment has gotten. Is the upvote number shown through the hn API?
- soneca 9y agoAlgolia's API show comments upvotes up to 2014 I think. So basically hnbc only shows old comments.
- fidraj 9y agoI don't mean to be intrusive, but how much can one earn after this experience?
- soneca 9y agoAll depend of your location of course. I live in São Paulo, Brazil. I earn 4500 Reais per month (~ 1300 usd per month). This is actually around 30% higher than what I was expecting as an average salary for a junior web developer. Luckily I landed the job with the highest pay. My expectation is to double that within two years. I believe my former work experience can accelerate my path to be a senior developer. And then keep going on a more linear growth.
- fidraj 9y agoAwesome, thank you. I wish you good luck!
- davnicwil 9y agoCongratulations! This is awesome > but I know the rough part is only starting Yes and no. Getting the first job is a huge hurdle, you actually have overcome probably the most difficult challenge of the early years of your dev career, so well done. Of course, the challenges keep coming, and quickly, but from here on it will look much more like a (possibly rather steep ;-) upward curve wrt time rather than a huge cliff (hobby projects/qualifications -> first job). So long as you're expecting and prepared for that, which you clearly are, you're now in much more of a position to control your own success, which in relative terms is actually a lot easier, less stressful, and even fun!