@hnrocket Yes, to all. 1. One of the interviewers said they really liked me and saw the interest I had to learn the old programming language, Coldfusion, but they were on a hiring freeze, so they would let me know if they ever move on. That was 8 months ago and they are still on freeze.
2. I graduated with Udacity and had my resume checked several times and I have catered the resume for jobs myself.
3. I believe I do have a pair projects in github. I’m working slowly in some of them. I have to split my time into learning, building and networking. Also, I am building some small sites to target small local restaurants to get some freelance.
Can you tell me how I can reach you? Do you have a LinkedIn profile that you use?
Hi Rafael,
I’ve sent you a connection request.
Honestly, it’s hard. It just means you are lacking in some area. Learn jest, cucumber, docker, sql, vue, angular…everything you can. If you’re not at it 8 hours a day over a long a time until you’re on the verge of exhaustion. Then you are not working hard enough. I’m always telling myself somebody is doing more than me and i need to keep going. That’s my experience of how i reached it after a year or so anyway. But i fucking love it as well. Programming is so great. PS: i did know python a couple years bf javascript though.
Hello. You say you are a backend/FS developer, yet i don’t see a single project in your portfolio that highlights your knowledge in these areas. In fact the projects section is a disaster. A “Neighbourhood Map” project is a nice one to make in your first few hours of learning to work with google maps api, it does not belong in your portfolio as a standalone thing.
The quote machine is one of the first projects that campers on FCC are doing. Yet yours is unfinished and from what i can see is not even using a quote API. That’s not something you should be showcasing.
The restaurant menu application project links to a github code repo. Could not find a link to a working version of that website in your portfolio and you can bet an HR person will spend even less time trying to find it than I did.
I don’t know much about professional network administration, but the fact that you have experience configuring linux servers belongs in the “skills” section of your CV/portfolio? Not the projects section? You are not applying for the role of network administrator after all.
Try finishing one, just one small sized project that is something that takes more skill than you can get by watching a 30 minute YT video. You are a full stack developer, right? Show off your stack. Glue things together. Use SQL. Show that you can implement a design pattern. Take it apart halfway through after realizing you made a bad design decision.
This struggle and this experience of building a real project will give you lots of things to talk about in your job interview. These guys can’t relate to udacity nanodegrees. They are worthless without you applying your newly acquired skills and trying to build stuff. Even failed/unfinished projects will give a good boost to your skill.
Ask questions. Ask for code reviews online. Get your code decimated. Get your ego crippled, fall face down into the mud. Get up, wipe the dirt off your face and carry on.
Don’t forget to live. Spend time with your spouse. Spend time with your kids. A career in CS is a great dream but it should not come as a result of sacrificing everything else in your life. Your child gets to be in second grade once. Gets to go to the first soccer tournament once. That is why i cannot agree with the advice " spend more time learning and feel bad if you don’t".
Instead, make the time that you spend learning count. Build more. Watch fewer videos. Throw away useless code-along tutorials. They are a blight for any aspiring coder who wants to take the next step and a cancer for your development after a certain point, which comes VERY early on.
The networking part is important, but looks like you’ve got that covered. Time to work on the “what i can DO” part! Hopefully some of this will be helpful to you. Good luck.
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I really appreciate your reply. I don’t know if the ‘quote machine’ you are referring to is the https://quotes.rafaeldavis.me I have on GitHub and currently running.
I agree with you. The only app I consider finished is the quote app I have currently working. I do have plans to redesign the look of the app and functionality.
I agree 100%! On my last months to complete my last Nanodegree, I was using every hour I had available in weekdays and around 4 or more hours in Saturdays. As a family we rarely spend time together. I came to realize that I am trying to reach my dream career and get a job ASAP to fill our financial hole. So, I have decided to enjoy learning and building meaningful, personal web applications, and get back to my regular job to cover my financial needs. The time will come for me to move over to the Tech world, but when I do, I will have projects, history, experience to show for.