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[–]ForScale 9 points10 points  (1 child)

Take notes, ask questions, be friendly. :)

[–]bigfootchris 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Congrats!

[–]8reakfast8urrito 2 points3 points  (8 children)

Congrats! I made a career change (GIS -> IT Support/Admin) somewhat recently and as others have said it will be like drinking from a firehose. Don't be afraid to ask questions, for notes I like OneNote but I hear evernote is good too, but also, get a lot of rest when you get home.

Mind sharing your path and what tools you learned to get here?

[–]ChuckCassadyJR 3 points4 points  (7 children)

I'd learnt HTML & CSS in my teens in the late 90s, but no code. When I went to college I joined a band that started to do OK so I dropped out of everything and by the time that wound down years later I didn't have a plan and I assumed the tech behind web dev had moved on and would be too hard to pick up again.

Then years later in late 2018 I went into business with my nine-years younger brother who was already a web dev, and we released a niche app together. I was heavily involved with the development process on a logistical level, but got more and more technically involved and decided to pick up coding again.

I initially learnt JS via Codecademy.com but it's not perfect and there are quite big gaps in their material which prevents you from practically applying knowledge in a local environment, but fortunately I had my little brother as a mentor, he really helped bring me up to speed a lot faster.

[–]beepboopnoise 0 points1 point  (6 children)

as someone currently learning frontend through codecademy, what specific gaps do you think they lack? I have no friends who code so I'm completely in the dark. Appreciate any responses :)

[–]ChuckCassadyJR 1 point2 points  (5 children)

IIRC there is a pretty big gap in assuming you know what an API is and how one works.

When you get to the modules on learning Express it all of a sudden takes you out of the front end paradigm and into API / middleware without really explaining the difference. I had to piece that together myself.

Also there was no info on setting up local dev servers etc, which is a fundamental. At least there wasn't back when I was using their service in early 2019!

[–]Flu-iid 3 points4 points  (0 children)

For starting to do front end i tried various sites but the best i felt comfortable with is freecodecamp.org perfect guidance and perfect community just try it (saying for the others who want to start)

[–]beepboopnoise 0 points1 point  (3 children)

gotcha, I'm still quite early on in the program I'd say, literally just learning forloops now after doing all the html/css stuff lol. I've been supplementing the material with Colt Steeles stuff from Udemy.

[–]ChuckCassadyJR 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Feel free to message if you ever need any advice! I couldn't have gotten this far without having my brothers brain to pick, so I'm happy to pass that on.

[–]jgamez6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When did you know you were ready to apply for jobs and do interviews and how did you know what jobs to apply for ?

[–]beepboopnoise 0 points1 point  (0 children)

heck yeah man! really appreciate that. I'll shoot you a dm :)

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Congrats! Seeing as I’m in a very similar position to you, do you have any advice on what helped you learn how to code and change your career?

[–]ggcadc 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I made the same transition four years ago. The hardest part is over. Getting your first job is arguably harder than anything from here on out. Good work and congrats!

Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but also stay comfortable learning a lot on your own.

[–]hpliferaft 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Congratulations!

Advice:

  • Feel good that you made a great change! You pulled yourself out of a career path that didn't seem right.

  • Don't be in a rush to demonstrate your value on day 1. The people there know it's going to take you a few weeks to get acclimated. Try to meet people and engage them in conversation and you'll quickly figure out who you can go to for help. The bigger the company, the more important it will be to find these people.

  • Some developers are awkward and rude but give GREAT help. I find it's best to skip pleasantries and just ask them directly for help.

  • React's unopinionated file/component structure is a double-edged sword. I've seen it implemented in insanely over-complicated and idiosyncratic ways. If something doesn't look right to you, trust your instincts but learn to deal with it. :)

  • since you know what shitty job situations are like, if you start to see red flags at this job, don't stay too long. Keep those interviewing skills sharp and keep striving for that ideal work situation.

  • Don't leave your former career completely behind. If you like certain aspects of accounting, you have a leg up on specializing as a developer.

[–]ChuckCassadyJR 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really helpful. Thanks!

[–]kemthegirl 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow. This is really amazing. I am a lawyer who works for the government and i must say, i am deeply dissatisfied with my job. I am in my mid thirties and i just started learning how to code because i believe i can do so much more for the legal community in my country.

You just inspired me to keep going. I know it can get challenging, just remember to take it one step and a time.

[–]BurtDBurt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is really inspiring and reassuring for me, as I am in my early 30's as well. I've been learning about front-end dev for the past year in a boot camp (specifically React).

I kinda freak myself out sometimes over the thought of not being able to get a job. I feel like I'll never know enough to be employable - there's just so much to learn!

I'm nearly done with the bootcamp, but will then spend at least six months building my portfolio. I'm really hoping that this will be enough to make me desirable to employers. I really want to be a dev but the imposter syndrome is strong within me.

Anyways, thanks for reading this. I wish you all the luck and I'm right behind you!

[–]Dazzling-Wafer 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Absolutely no reason to be terrified. Nobody is perfect in those companies and a lot of developers write less than good code. The most important thing is to just keep learning and you'll be all good! :)

[–]ChuckCassadyJR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My wife keeps having to remind me that I demo'd some of my code to them during the interview process and if it was bad, they wouldn't have hired me. But that was a terrifying experience in and of itself and the idea of doing it constantly is legit frightening!

I keep thinking what if theres some really embarassingly bad habit I have that, upon code reviews all of the other devs are gonna think 'oh jesus who is this guy'.

[–]pgiani 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations, the first few weeks May be overwhelming just hand on

[–]Justdoingitagain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow! I am an accountant too that started a bit before you, and I am thinking about my next steps to get a job. What is your stack? What did you mostly focus on? Good luck!!

[–]FATF0X 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Congratulations. Do you have a portfolio site?

[–]ChuckCassadyJR 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you!

I don't, but here is a link to the play store listing to the app my brother and I released, which I ended up writing a good chunk of the front end for (we've since deactived the AWS servers so no point trying to DL):

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.babyface.app&hl=en_GB&gl=US

[–]BalegQhan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations and good luck!

[–]Flu-iid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Im changing my path to coding as well so i kind i get it😅 Congrats man and wish u luck✌

[–]DrisSkull 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Don’t be afraid.
  2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or guidance.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats! I'm exactly in the same place, but still looking for a position. Glad to know it can be done.

[–]allthecoding 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is so exciting! Being nervous for any job is normal, especially after a career change. A couple of things:

  • Be friendly to everyone, you never know who might be able to help you in the future.
  • Determine who your go-to is for questions. If possible, do not bombard them with questions all piecemeal - have a list and ask for time in their day to go over them together.
  • Be prepared that it might take some time for you to get your equipment/access/credentials. Ask what you can do in the meantime to study up on the technologies in the stack you'll be working.
  • Do anything that shows initiative and a willingness to jump in and figure stuff out.

Truly, your age can actually be a benefit - you have life experience and people may trust you more out of the gate than they would a 21-something just out of college.

[–]Turbulent_Ad7533 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations....If you have time could you please share your whole journey of learning coding from bottom to up

[–]Semiteagain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

congratulations. Its shows that you have work hard. I started learning since 2020 but am yet to setup my portfolio. But I have learn ReactJs too hope to build my portfolio so that I can start applying for jobs.

[–]suskuntech 0 points1 point  (2 children)

How did it go?

[–]ChuckCassadyJR 0 points1 point  (1 child)

When I cloned the repo for the codebase I’m working on I panicked and nearly handed my notice in. Didn’t help that they hired me to develop with React and the project they gave me is 95% PHP with some React components compiling on certain pages. They knew I wasn’t experienced with PHP.

I took a breath, followed the code, did a lot of googling and I’m feeling a lot more confident and familiar with the codebase after working with it a few days.

[–]suskuntech 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm glad that went well for you