I feel so defeated right now

I feel so defeated right now.

Today I was browsing a local developers group in Facebook. There was a person asking for a developer to do some work for a website. The person was asking specifically for a local person to do the job.

From what I can gather, some people jumped on the offer and contacted the person to offer their services. I know local people can be pretty condescending most of the time and it seems that’s how things went. People were being sarcastic about the offer.

I went into the person’s Facebook to page to see who the person was. I liked the content he was sharing on his page because they were similar interests of mine. The guy seemed well versed, educated and with a sense of adventure, I might say.

At this point I haven’t contacted the gentleman because I am not a fit to what he’s looking for. But, in difference to the other people who jumped the gun and just treated the guy like crap, I decided to google this person’s name, see if anything would come up.

As it turns out, the person is an Executive Producer of a massive TV series. It looks like he’s working on a project that requires multiple websites and apps. I’m just not the level this project demands. I basically started FreeCodeCamp three weeks ago and was taking a course before that in Udemy, which is great but I needed to really learn Javascript first, which I’m doing from different sources right now.

So, in short, I just saw a bunch of people probably blow the chance of a lifetime to do awesome work, to gain experience that would’ve added an huge amount of value to their resumes, and they just blew because they acted like assholes, they didn’t know who they were talking to.

Why do I feel defeated?

I just witnessed what could’ve been the opportunity of a lifetime just pass in front of my eyes because I don’t have the necessary skills to accomplish the job and quality a client like this demands. I feel defeated because when others jumped the gun I did my due diligence and researched who was the customer but that’s just not enough, I don’t have the skills to do the job. While others trashed their chances I stood by and don’t have anything to offer to this person. It is crushing to feel like this, when you see such a huge opportunity just pass you by. The work that goes into that project will probably be around for years, and having that in your portfolio will almost for sure bring you to the top of your game and most definitely you won’t be out of work, ever.

So, I think this brings a few lessons.

1- Always be ready. You never know when the chance of a lifetime is going to walk right in front of you. work your ass off like that chance is coming to you today,everyday.

2- Never treat a prospect client like crap, you might just not know who you are talking to.

3- Always be professional, make everything around you show that you are a professional and you mean business. Your Facebook profile, your tweets, your portfolio,everything that represents you and the work you do, you just don’t know where that chance might come from.

I hope this helps anyone stay focused on what their doing, really big opportunities do show up, be ready for them. I know I’ll be kicking myself about this for a while.

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There are plenty of such opportunities around, so don’t feel like you missed out on much. If anything, you should feel proud for having demonstrated your strength of character in the simple act of taking this person’s request seriously. Your attitude will take you much farther in this field than any technical skills. :thumbsup:

I wouldn’t put much stock in what people are doing on Facebook. When people feel inadequate and self-conscious, they tend to create fantasy versions of themselves who exemplify the skills they desire. That’s not necessarily a bad thing and is perfectly healthy, but internet comments, and Facebook in particular, are a colostemy bag of negative feelings. The world of entertainment is brutal, and I doubt the EP is crying into a pillow on account of some talking trash cans. Even so, there is an understandable guardedness that freelancers develop with regards to these sorts of offers. Sometimes, “professionals” looking to stretch their budgets will try to take advantage of people they feel are desperate for work and willing to take whatever job they can for little pay (or more egregiously, the promise of “exposure” :rolling_eyes: ). I’ve seen more than a few job postings by entrepreneurs looking for a developer who can bang out a few “quick apps” for these great ideas they have and money is tight but you’re getting in on the ground floor here so SIEZE THE OPPORTUNITY, BRO! Believe it or not, this behavior isn’t unheard of from very large corporations, as well. I’m not saying that’s what it was, but job postings on Facebook are not the normal channel for finding experienced developers, so it gets a raised eyebrow from me. You didn’t mention whether they pay money, but be very wary of any request for work that even slightly implies you won’t get paid. There’s a huge difference between contributing to a cool project and getting tricked into filling some executive’s coffers by doing free work.

Regardless, I think your lessons are entirely valid and important. I would add a couple more:

  1. Respect the work you do or no one else will. You’re a developer. Your skills didn’t come cheaply to you, why should they be cheap for anyone else? Feel free to donate your time, but if someone else if profiting off of your efforts, you ought to get paid with more than padding on your resume.

  2. Don’t be afraid to say “No”. There’s a lot of work out there for anyone who can program, so don’t get too caught up in the opportunities that are right in front of you. A poorly managed job with a bad outcome will have a negative effect on your portfolio.

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Sounds like you drew some great lessons for this. Someone a long time ago told me that you can’t plan for anything, all you can do is prepare yourself to jump on an opportunity when you see it.

Keep preparing! There will be another opportunity down the road.

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No one will ever know when you are ready for a new task better than you will. Doubt is common, but it sound like you are taking some positive steps to challenge yourself for the better. That mindset will help you get through this and onto some great projects in a way some false sense of superiority never could. Better to be prepared and succeed than to rush in blind and ruin the entire learning experience.

I say get in touch with the guy anyway. Don’t hide. Just contact him and be be curious about what he is building

Maybe he needs something. that you can offer today. Maybe his company will grow a lot, and future developers will be needed. If he has been treated disrespectfully by others he will be happy to talk with you who not only is respectful but also made the research. He will remember you when the time comes I believe. You could introduce him to someone who can do the job today. Again he will take notice of you.

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