From 0 to a UI/UX Developer

Here is my journey from being a language instructor heading quickly to no where in life to getting hired at a startup for a UI/UX developer position.

Some background, I am not very mathematically inclined at all and I remember being last in my cohort of coding bootcamp mates in coding challenges. I also was given an aptitude test as part of a job prospect and was told I was “not fit” to be a programmer.

  • Quit teaching in 2017
  • jumped into a coding bootcamp in September of 2017
  • Hopped around between short term contracts as a developer for companies between December 2017 to August 2018
  • Started learning on FCC in July of 2018
  • Got my first phone interview on September of 2018
  • Went in for an in person interview the next day
  • Took and passed the take home assessment on React
  • Got the contract 3 weeks after the initial phone interview.

My first two short term contracts were for a company that needed to build a video streaming platform for a major international sporting event. The other was for a large traveling company.

I would say that a few things that got me to multiple offers (one permanent and one short term contract) are:

  • A good looking Resume (try creddle)
  • A specialization in something (React for me)
  • Coding everyday until you really know what you are doing
  • A nothing to lose attitude

I was rejected for the majority of the applications I applied to on indeed, and didn’t get past 3 take home assignments and one whiteboard exercise. In retrospect I wasn’t ready for any of those. I really needed to code something until I actually knew what I was doing. This may seems strange, but before I had an attitude of “as long as it works” which meant only knowing enough to get something to work. It was getting past that that got me from beginner to junior.

My advice is to work on projects that you do from sites like FCC and do them again and again, first with instruction and than without. Until you can do that project without referring to past work. This got me to understand what I didn’t understand. This and find a good recruiter, I received two short term job opportunities from them which I am very grateful for.

Also Have thick skin, I had an interview just today which asked questions like "What are the 4 statuses of Redux?
" and I was ashamed for not being able that question completely, but I knew with time that I would learn this so I did research instead of my usual wound licking.

That’s all, if a person like me who has no aptitude for programming and is slow in the head can get to where I am now, I think you’ll be fine. If you don’t give up.

7 Likes

Thanks for sharing, and congratulations :slight_smile:

Good luck!

Congrats my friend, wishing you the best of luck in your new position!

Thank you for this!! Very inspiring for someone who has a similar background of ‘not being mathematically inclined’!