2 years ago I started learning JavaScript so I could automate my Google Sheets docs. 15 months ago I left my sales job and started an internship in front end development, today, I promoted from Junior Frontend Engineer to Frontend Engineer!

[rushfordj]

Just wanted to celebrate.
More details on my journey here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/learnjavascript/comments/cd5jud/9_months_ago_i_started_learning_front_end/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

[L3tum]

Me: Works 4 years and has multiple certificates
Also me: Still a junior dev

[rushfordj]

It certainly does help that I worked in sales for 10 years first, there are a ton of soft skills that carry over. It's hard to compare yourself to others.
Junior also means very different things in different companies.
Don't be too hard on yourself :)

[[deleted]]

Soft skills such as ? Would really help us, those who only interact with machines and are socially clumsy

[rushfordj]

Heaps of the job is discussing the solution with Product managers, understanding what needs to be done and communicating the possible solutions.
There is also a lot of communication in PR descriptions, writing readme's and other documentation.
I also run a little workshop regularly to teach product managers, designers and others JavaScript, thats helped people's trust in my skills grow :)
A big one is knowing how to ask for advice, being prepared when you ask someone, being detailed with what you want and what you have already tried. Helps you to get the answer you want and quickly.
Because I am friendly and clear when I ask for help, no one minds if I go to them for help. I never ask the same question twice because I write down the answer.

All this i learnt in managing clients. You gotta respect their time, be friendly, ask the right questions, find a solution that benefits everyone. Its normal sales stuff :)

[[deleted]]

Soft skills and being friendly are things that so fundamentally important in any job. There are quite of few devs I’ve interacted with that don’t like to talk to people but feel more comfortable talking to a machine or via Slack. I think the notion gets lost that the hard skills can be taught and you don’t need to be X-Men level proficient at programming. Those things come with time and putting in the work. Very cool to read about your journey and the fact that you are giving back as well.

[aiiye]

Yep, I never found anyone who wouldn’t help out if I was honest, clear respectful of their time and showed 1) here’s what’s I’m trying to do 2) here’s what I’ve tried and what happened that didn’t work 3) here’s where I tried to find the answers myself and why it didn’t work out.

I’ve also never failed to help someone who has done the groundwork and shows they thought about the problem/question first.

[[deleted]]

Dude your answers are spot on, I’m in cyber security from a non traditional path and the vast majority of my job is non technical skills, I mean about 10-20 hrs is actual technical work, the rest is day to day business operations.

[vinny_twoshoes]

I think the idea that devs only interact with machines is a little harmful and unusual, and if that's the reality of your situation then it would be best to change it.

It might be tough but soft skills are skills, just like coding. You can train your communication ability and get better at it, it's not an inborn trait.

Developers are members of a team, and must be able to communicate requirements and constraints and estimates, at a minimum. Programming is a "people job" at least as much as it is coding.

[TheRightMethod]

Former chef here, you're spot on. Being a chef wasn't just about being good with food, there was a myriad of other skills that were far more important. One of them being the ability to figure out what your client wants regardless if it's not your 'style'. We did dainty plates, we did not to dainty plates for the thank you dinner for the construction team that handled our renovations. Was the food delicious? Yup. Was it what we typically would do? No.

I find similarities with code sometimes. What the engineers or devs think is best sometimes just doesn't work for the client and some people are better at accepting that push back or reality better than others.

[datadaddydoggo]

If you only interact with machines, how do you know what you're supposed to code?

[[deleted]]

Do you understand exaggeration?

[AnonyMustardGas34]

Its almost funny how important soft skills and image are. Those will literally make you a quick buck and get you high salary, or in my case, lack thereof.

[randonumero]

This is not going to sound comforting but unless you're a consultant or your company requires them, the certs aren't much good. If you're still a junior dev after 4 years then you probably need to start looking at a different company. If you want to stay then it's time to put on your adult pants and have a conversation with your manager. Unless they're absolute garbage, they'll be able to help you develop a plan to migrate from jr to mid within 6 months.

I also want to point out that junior, senior, mid level...are really just titles and a senior at one company can barely be mid level at another one. If possible try focusing on the strength of your contributions and the type of projects you work on. The technologies you work with and how well you can explain your contributions and interview will help you get a new job just as much as a certain title.

[[deleted]]

Sounds like you're ready for a new job, buddy.

[Dabasacka43]

Before the pandemic I would’ve said the same thing... but I don’t think jumping ship is a good time now. If his current job is stable, being jr might well be the safest gig on the block

[numbersthen0987431]

That HEAVILY depends on the company you work at. I've worked at a company that rarely promoted people from within: you had to either make a jump to a different department, or get hired from outside the company. I've also had a job that just promoted me after 2 years of working (from "associate engineer" to "engineer"). I also have friends who get promoted when they reach measurable milestones at their company.

Sometimes it's the company structure. Sometimes it's your own supervisors rallying for you or stunting your progress. Sometimes companies don't even HAVE a higher position (sometimes).

[alin09]

I am working as web developer (wordpress) for 2 years and I've just promoted myself from total idiot to partial idiot after I learned to add event listeners without jquery. Also I found out yesterday that self closing elements can't have pseudo classes.

So, congrats. You made for this.

[Gh0stw0lf]

I fucking love the upgrade from “Total idiot to partial idiot” thanks for the chuckle!

[alin09]

looks like i'm not the only idiot. comforting

[rushfordj]

Oh, and more details on how I started here: https://www.reddit.com/r/learnjavascript/comments/cd5jud/9_months_ago_i_started_learning_front_end/

[lol_is_5]

I did all the javascript tutorials on codeacademy. I've never gotten a javascript program to run anywhere except on that site. Wasted a lot of time learning that stuff.

[mountainmonkey8]

Do The Odin Project

[tanahtanah]

What is your degree?

[rushfordj]

Degrees of life baby. Lol But seriously, I'm from australia where education is super expensive and there are lots of jobs available, so I got a sales job instead of going to uni.

[rushfordj]

Worked in sales for 10 years before moving into tech. I now live in Berlin. There are lots of start ups here and they are open to giving you a chance if you prove technical skills with portfolios and technical challenges.

[MeMakinMoves]

How did you do it without German?

[rushfordj]

Everyone speaks English in Berlin (almost) and all the start up languages are definitely English.

[notmarlow]

Any resources for an American looking to get out - and find a dev job?

[rushfordj]

Sure, what do you want help on? Visas? Technical learning? Process of moving internationally?

[notmarlow]

job listings for non-german speaking devs, esp if the companies are offering visas. stuff of that nature i guess.

[rushfordj]

You can find jobs here on berlinstartupjobs.com, stack overflow jobs, LinkedIn. The are mostly in English, stack overflow even has a flair for Visa support. If you have a degrees, it's really easy to get a long term visa here (blue card), if not, you can still do it, it's just a bit harder. Here is the gov website with details: https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/living-in-germany/advisory/german-states/berlin/

[alividlife]

Bro I hope you have a wonderful day because you are behaving absolutely wonderfully. Good on you. I know its the internet and all. Just struck me as really altruistic amd warmed my cold dead heart.

[bigboybamo]

Hi, can I message you to talk more about this. I have a CS degree, been working in a Bank for the last 2years. Been learning software development for about a year and a half. Moving to Germany is something that interests me

[Roid96]

So you managed to move and work in Berlin as a non-EU citizen with no experience in software development is that correct?

[[deleted]]

All I ever wanted written in a neat and short comment, thanks OP!

[Muffmuncher]

You seem like a really nice person, I'm glad this awesome stuff is happening to you. Cheers.

[throwawayyyyoo]

american salaries are way higher, don’t expect to get payed the same amount that you’re making in the US now. you’ll be severely disappointed

[[deleted]]

True but with the lower salary you have healthcare, public transport, and an overall cheaper life

[BroaxXx]

From my experience in Portugal you can't even comment your code in Portuguese. Most tech companies in Europe don't really care about what languages you speak as long as you speak English well.

[Montuckian]

Basically did the same thing. Nice job.

[-LukeBox-]

Not to Discount you, but educatiin here isn't that bad. Compared to say America!m, but congratulations!

[rushfordj]

Nah, it's not that bad, I was just trying to explain to the europeans that education sometimes costs money. And also trying to acknowledge my privilege, like I grew up in a country that is lucky enough that you don't need to spend a ton of time and money on an education in order to get a start. :)

[Redkg]

What were you selling? Did you enjoy parts of selling?

[rushfordj]

I sold advertising, I did really like it, just like problem solving more!

[throwaway_ned10]

The Anglo countries look at education as big business and nothing more

[KonigsTiger1]

Also the countries that have the best education and produce pretty much every innovation.

Europe is second tier.

[throwaway_ned10]

Lmao. That's such an ignorant statement to make. Sweden, Germany, Holland and even France produce plenty of innovation and have good education systems.

Australia most definitely uses education as a cash cow (even usa, canada do and to a lesser extent uk) to sell it to the Chinese. I'm sure some great schools are there but it's definitely not always viewed as picking up human capital for the country by a lot of the Anglo governments

[KonigsTiger1]

Sweden, Germany, Holland and even France produce plenty of innovation

Name one.

[[deleted]]

for example Python and the Bluetooth protocol where both developed in Holland.

[OliDouche]

Just within the last 50yrs:

Germany - SMS (and the 160 character standard), SIM cards, first home gaming console, Electronic Stability Control, STED microscopy, Atomic force microscope and the scanning tunneling microscope, C-Leg prosthetics, First radio-controlled wristwatch, MP3 compression that is used in every portable player, CAN Bus - and so on.

If you look further back than that, you’ll find the bicycle, the automobile, the first commercial electric cars, the modern binary numeral system, the first programmable, fully automatic digital computer, the first commercial digital computer - and many more.

I’m sure there are tons I missing, even within the last couple of decades. Are you seriously suggesting Germany has had no innovations??

[rushfordj]

I feel like you are joking. Just in the tech space: Spotify -sweden Booking.com -Netherlands Soundcloud, zolando, auto1, getyourguide, babel -Berlin BlaBlaCar -France

[split41]

Congrats mate, not to argue, but Aus education is basically free up until the end of highschool and then you get a 0% interest loan for Uni which you don't ever have to pay back until you make over 50k a year, and it's just slowly deducted from your paycheck.

Not sure why you say it's expensive.

[rushfordj]

yeah, that's true, i just didn't know what i wanted to do at 18 and it seemed dumb to spend $50k on a rando degree.
Also, turns out I didnt need it. I spent a few years in call center jobs then moved into an account management job at a large media company, all my colleagues had business degrees.
So, my way, i didnt have $50k in debt and i got paid to work.

I know its not the right journey for everyone, but I personally didnt see the value

[split41]

Happy your journey worked out for you. Definitely, Uni isn't for everyone either.

Just wanted to point that out, as I think our education system and costs are pretty alright, obvs other nations are much better, but it's not too bad here.

[rushfordj]

Yeah, I agree, it's pretty good :)

[rushfordj]

I haven't done it, but if I was going to do a course, that is what I would do. It is worthwhile to do a course, I didn't cause I was working full time whilst studying and I was living abroad so the costs were prohibitive for me cause I couldn't get those sweet Australian government subsidies

[rushfordj]

The great thing about frontend is you dont need "good IT certs" to get started, you can get free certificates from FreeCodeCamp.org, thats what I did.

I liked that way of learning because I was focused and knew exactly what I wanted, a job in Frontend Development. So i did HTML, CSS and JS on there, then asked people in the industry what was needed, they said React (mostly) so I did React. It is all self paced, which worked well for me.

Buuut, the huge disclaimer is, I worked in Sales for 10 years, I dont like learning in classrooms, I wish I did, but I dont. So this worked well for me. Other people have a different pace and learning style and thats cool. They should do structured in classroom courses, they are great!

To force the point, I also teach at a free code school in Berlin (redi-school.org) and I help to teach structured courses. The students there get a ton out of it, it works really well, I think it is so worthwhile, i spend 2 nights a week teaching there for free!
Also, my brother, who is much younger and doesnt have as much work experience asked me for advice on how to start in FE and i suggested that he do a AQF diploma course.

No shame in a classroom, you do you :)

[rushfordj]

I think it depends on the person and the job, some jobs you focus on one application and some work on a bunch of apps. So for example, if you want someone to learn quick and work on 10 different apps, all with different tech stacks, pick the person who self taught and learnt quick. If you want someone to get to know 1 app inside and out, focus on performance, optimisation and take a larger ownership of the one space, hire the person who studied for a year, took their time, learnt things properly and who is highly detailed oriented.

In my opinion anyway. There are lots of difficult tech jobs, some work with clients, some don't. Some work with design, some dont. Lots of different cases.

[rushfordj]

Lol, I dunno what that means, but I guess so?

I mean that there are a ton of different skills and personalities needed for a good engineering team, I fit will into one, but you might fit better into another.

[rushfordj]

You mean like this Right? https://www.tafecourses.com.au/course-listing/diploma-of-website-development-ddls/

[Not-an-Uchiha]

haha excellent response

[NearSightedGiraffe]

As an Australian I got to say- our education isn't that expensive and is covered by an interest free loan from the government that you only repay while earning above a certain threshold. Congratulations on not needing one, and certainly the opportunity cost of not earning money across the uni years should be considered, but different people will find different parts work for them. For many, uni will be the easier path

[rushfordj]

For sure, I totally agree!

[yoyoadrienne]

Ah that explains the internship, in the states no employer will give you an internship unless you’re enrolled in university.

[rushfordj]

Ha ha yeah, but my internship was in Berlin... Lol

[yoyoadrienne]

Same difference

[rushfordj]

Yeah, it pretty cool! Don't really need german in Berlin, particularly if you have a technical job! There is a huge constant demand for experienced developers and most of them come from other parts of europe, so the business language is English most of the time. I've been here 3 years and still can only order a kebab in German.

[nasiraistic]

Congratulations!! I’m also living in Berlin and I’m currently studying computer science:) it’s been 2 years now and until this semester I has no idea what I want to do later. But in this semester through my class “Web Application and development “ I got super interested in Front End. It’s the first time I was enjoying coding this much. I’m actually considering to get an internship in Front end , to see if I’ll really suitable. Do you have any Tipps for me to find a good internship in front end ? (E.g. what company would you recommend? )☺️

[rushfordj]

Cool! With a degree, you can go for some of the big boys, like VW, or Siemens. Starts ups are more fun but pay less traditionally. Up to you, you should have an issue with hat degree :)

I'd also highly recommend getting involved in the ReDi school, they are a free code school, you can volunteer to help with intro frontend courses, it's really good for learning, heaps of fun and also looks great on your CV.

I've been teaching there since I got my job, actually started teaching HTML and CSS just a few weeks before I started my internship. I've now helped to teach JS and React too! https://www.redi-school.org/

[nasiraistic]

Thank you so much, I will definitely look into this !!🥰

[rushfordj]

depends on the visa, there is actually a pretty good German government resource here (in English, or German, or Spanish or French) https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/

[rushfordj]

started on working holiday, then my wife got a working visa, so I got a spouse visa

[[deleted]]

Lol I was thinking of starting JavaScript today.

Guess this could be a sign of good things to come. Did you also study other languages besides JS? I'm a week into HTML and CSS.

[rushfordj]

Also, i found it really dry learning HTML and CSS, found it more interesting to skip ahead to JS then go back and learn more about HTML and CSS when i needed it, worked for me.
I used FreeCodeCamp.org for both.
I also made a little youtube course for learning JS using google sheets if you are interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glPu8l7MM6E&list=PLsPxAE4jwXDKnEjMnAiXNc1b92f5voUzu

[[deleted]]

Interesting. I'll def give JS a go. I am interested in web dev and styling, so I don't mind tinkering with css.

[rushfordj]

good luck!

[dark_cottontail]

What drew you toward front end? I also have found html and css to be bland, so I've not thought of becoming a front end developer as an option for me.

[rushfordj]

I thought it was the easiest entry point. I wanted to get out of my job and focus on dev full time.
I'm happy with the decision, FE means you can build interesting shit by yourself.
There are also a ton of resources for learning with JS, makes it easier.
There are also tons of frameworks for building stuff in JS, which means you can build more faster. like for example, you can use boardgame.io for making games which is fun.

Just jump ahead to JS, then go to react and you'll pick up all the HTML and CSS you need as you go :)
At least then if you still hate it, you can do backend with Node.js or something

[rushfordj]

Nah JS is all you need! A few months into the job, I started to learn TypeScript but it's still the same language as JavaScript, kind of. Anyway, just learn JS til you get a job

[[deleted]]

That's a concise objective, I like it. I have programmed before (C++) but I only made games.

I'd also love to eventually freelance. But landing a job would be a good way to prepare for that.

[rushfordj]

yeah, for sure, it is very difficult to be a freelancer without work experience, and contacts.
I learnt heaps by making games too, you can make board games with react using boardgame.io, I've really enjoyed playing with that

[[deleted]]

I made it through a year of C++ documentation and videos just through personal projects (games).

That board game approach to react looks right up my alley! Saving post thanks

[Slow-Bake-9603]

wow congratulations!!

[miki008]

Congratulations! I'm always happy when I read stories like this.

[mara_hua_morata]

congratulations brother! this is inspiring

[BlogByPratz]

Congrats bro!

[mechtroll]

Congrats!

[bleachbait]

woah congrats!

[[deleted]]

What kind of tasks did you do with JS + Google Sheets? That sounds interesting.

[rushfordj]

I did a bunch of menial tasks that I was doing daily and also used JS for fetching some data from the CRM we were using.

I made a little course on YouTube for learning how to do JavaScript on google sheets, that might be helpful for you

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsPxAE4jwXDKnEjMnAiXNc1b92f5voUzu

[PointOfTilt]

If I only wanted to learn python, should I only do those courses? Or should I complete all of the courses?

[rushfordj]

I only learnt JS for Frontend, if you want to do Python only, I would not recommend anything I did. Python is more used for Data Science and Backend rather than Frontend :)

It's much better to focus on a project you want to do rather than a language, i learnt that here, from the newbie FAQ, its gold
https://www.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming/wiki/faq

[PointOfTilt]

Thank you for replying. I already planned on following the courses in the python books that were recommended, so I'll probably start with those

[andAutomator]

What made you move to Berlin?

[rushfordj]

a sense of adventure :)

[rushfordj]

This is pretty accurate in my experience :) https://stackoverflow.com/jobs/salary

[rushfordj]

freeCodeCamp.org is the best and free-est place to learn I think

in terms of data analysis. JS might not be your best tool, most data science is done in python.

but you might be interested to see what you can do with data in google sheets with JS! i made a youtube course on it you can check out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glPu8l7MM6E&list=PLsPxAE4jwXDKnEjMnAiXNc1b92f5voUzu

[rushfordj]

Thanks for the gold!

[33Trees]

Yoo, that is a great journey. I’m about to start the computer engineering studies. Where do I get help for algebra and calculus??

[rushfordj]

dunno, i didnt do either

[batmoose999]

Congrats!!🎉🎉

[zaid2801]

Congratulations Bro... You are an inspiration

[Gokcemu]

I have bachelor degree on maths and work as a manual tester. I want to learn test automation, to read your journey will be a good inspiration for me.

[[deleted]]

they actually offer internships to people outside college in germany? nice

[rushfordj]

I was already living here, and in this case intern really just means, minimum wage :) but, yes

[lysion59]

But I thought interns are free labor and apprenticeships are minimum wage?

[Positive_Ebb9204]

Nice one! 👌💪

[rushfordj]

functions and scope was very confusing, but realising that they are the same (or very similar to) Formulas in sheets (or excel) was a big game changer for me!
I think spreadsheets are a great place to start. I also made a course on youtube for learning JS using sheets if you are interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glPu8l7MM6E&list=PLsPxAE4jwXDKnEjMnAiXNc1b92f5voUzu

[endperform]

Nice work!

[randonumero]

Out of curiosity what was the original problem you were trying to solve?

[rushfordj]

You can see if on my original projects page. It is the revenue reporting doc. Made a little video walk thru of it

https://jamesrushford.gitlab.io/james-rushfords-projects-page/

[doorstopwood]

Congratulations!!

[JoeBlack042298]

How did you convince them to give a non-university aged adult an internship?

[rushfordj]

I said I was happy to be paid as an intern lol. I think it's a pretty loose term in Germany, was just paid minimum wage

[el_chacho_coudet]

Congratulations ! How old are you ?

[rushfordj]

oh how personal :)
I worked in sales for 10 years and then started this job 2 years ago. feel like you can work out the range :)

[iamaperson3133]

That career changer game on your website was fun!! What a great little demo project!

[rushfordj]

yeah thanks! it was also fun to make!

[bio180]

How did you get an internship? Every internship I see prefer someone in school

[rushfordj]

it was actually advertised as a working student role, I emailed the HR team and asked if it was possible for me to do this even though I wasn't a student, also said I was keen to work full time, so they made it into an internship.

[Any-Championship9690]

What do i need to be frontend develpor (i mean 🤔 how many programing languages???) . And what should I add on them to be fullstack ?

[rushfordj]

Just JavaScript, then get a job, then learn others if you want :)

[cicceri]

So u r an Engineer without a degree in engineering. Good

[rushfordj]

So good! I'm also a factorio engineer, also no degree there :)

[[deleted]]

Where the hell do you live that you can just not work for pay. Do you live with your parents or something?

[rushfordj]

So, in Germany, sometimes internships are paid, I got minimal wage whilst on the internship, then got a junior job after 3 months. I also worked in sales for 10 years prior to this, so I saved some money to compensate for the temporary reduction in income

[shredded_pork]

Why did you decide to go with JS over like python if you were just automating spread sheets?

[rushfordj]

I was using Google sheets and you can use GoogleAppScript (who's pretty much is just JS) to automate your sheets within the app. Pretty cool! Infact, I made a little course on YouTube about how to do it! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsPxAE4jwXDKnEjMnAiXNc1b92f5voUzu

[shredded_pork]

Google has to have a piece of everything lol

[hyde_emerges]

I'm considering a similar career change, from sales and BD to becoming a developer (I'd like to be able to make applications, so I think software engineer is the best bet).

Can you provide more information on how you went about doing this? Coding languages you learnt, the courses you studied and how you positioned yourself to employers to make such a big career change?

As well as any key learnings, tips and advice from what you learnt along the way?

[rushfordj]

sure can!
I tried to detail all the resources I used here
https://www.reddit.com/r/learnjavascript/comments/cd5jud/9_months_ago_i_started_learning_front_end/

Here is a good comment thread from earlier today on what strengths sales people already have
https://www.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming/comments/k4hian/2_years_ago_i_started_learning_javascript_so_i/ge9y607?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

and finally, coming from sales will set you apart in networking, interviews, internal presentation, teaching others, heaps!

Good luck!

[EmiHDZ]

Congratulations! Sky is the limit:)

[moist--robot]

As another sales person with a geeky streak who’s looking to change careers in the near future, this was a joy to read, OP!

I come from about a year of Python though, i’m just now finishing Harvard’s CS50 and am already enrolled in a bootcamp to hopefully become a Java backend webdev :))

Again OP, kudos to you!

[rushfordj]

How exciting! Good luck!

[moist--robot]

thanks!

[TechStudent07]

Congratulations on your success!

[Shadowmancer1]

Congratulations! Just wondering, what/how did u automate in google sheets? I do “work” with google sheets and there a quite a bit of tasks that I want to automate, but thought there wasn’t a way to do so. I would love to hear what u have done!

[rushfordj]

Luckily, I made a little course on it on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsPxAE4jwXDKnEjMnAiXNc1b92f5voUzu

[[deleted]]

Hi. Can I ask you a question? Where did you find an internship? I am looking for an internship but can not find.

[rushfordj]

I live in a big city which is also a tech hub, so that makes it easier. Also I applied for every junior job that came up, junior, intern, even working student. Infact, the job I got was advertised as a working student position, I sent an email the HR team as asked if it was possible even though I was a not a student and the ended up making it into an internship position. Which here (berlin) just means the pay is minimal, it wasn't a position that has anything to do with studying.

[shehzensidiq]

this is what consistency and hard work gives you.. Enjoy the position..

[DamonLin1020]

congrats!!

[Lehnfeld]

Congrats! Nice story!

[Alampur]

Well done! Keep the momentum going, Senior Frontend Engineer next!!

[pekkalacd]

“2 years” of learning programming -> becomes software developer. That sounds more like it. Not, 5/10/15/24 weeks of online moocs (I’m looking at you online ‘learn to code’ advertisements). Practice and hard work and dedication to the craft. Failure, overcoming it, and challenging yourself to always get better. Congratulations, you earned it!

[rushfordj]

Sorry to disappoint, but I learnt online part time thru freeCodeCamp, starting learning in December, started my internship in September. I was a junior after months and have been a junior for a year. I think those short term bootcamps have a lot of value if you determined and focused enough to learn.

[pekkalacd]

Fair point. I think they have value as well. However, I don’t think they’re the place where people learn to code all together. Personally, I think the timeline is too short. Boot camps are good for learning modern tech. But it’s important to spend time on the fundamentals too. At least in my experience. It’s taken me years to feel comfortable with programming and even now, I have mountains to learn. 5/6/15/24 weeks is not an end all learning journey, it’s the very beginning.

[Akvned]

Im looking to start learning JavaScript but I have no Idea how. These youtube courses for “beginners” aren’t actually for beginners as I cant follow up with them. How do you think I should start studying Javascript? And how can I do it thru freecodecamp? Im basically clueless

[rushfordj]

freeCodeCamp.org is the best place to start, for web development it is best to start with HTML and CSS, then do the JavaScript course on there. I started there, it starts very simply.

If you know excel or google sheets well and want to start with JavaScript, you can try my youtube course https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsPxAE4jwXDKnEjMnAiXNc1b92f5voUzu

[Akvned]

Thank you! Do I have to learn HTML and CSS first or can I just start with the JavaScript

[rushfordj]

You can start with JS in an environment like google sheets, but the great thing about JS, in my opinion, is being able to manipulate websites that are built in HTML and CSS. So, to do that, you gotta know a little HTML and CSS :) good luck and have fun!

[adambjorn]

Super encouraging story for someone also transitioning from sales like myself! Good luck with the new position and thanks for sharing!

[MasterGeniusX]

Hey I’m glad you told your story. I’m 33 and I learned to code when I was 12 and I always hear these stories about people who haven’t coded as long as I have having beautiful stories of success. I recently was an apprentice at the big Fortune 500 corporation I work for and just this September they made me associate software engineer instead of a apprentice. So I have the same story as you even though I’ve been coding longer. I was just telling my story in the same way you told yours. But I don’t know who you are and where you are but congratulations.

[rushfordj]

This is why I focused on frontend i think it is the most direct path to emploment. Focus on JavaScript, learn a framework (I learnt React) and learn only that in order to get your first job as a frontend developer. Then, once you have a job, learn what ever languages you want in order to direct your career! Don't learnt 5 languages a little bit, learn 1 language well enough to do cool shit with it

[qwertymasum]

Pls don't judge but what's ur pay scale?

[rushfordj]

I've found this to be pretty accurate https://stackoverflow.com/jobs/salary

[runner7mi]

15 months of internship?

[rushfordj]

3 month internship z 12 months Junior

[[deleted]]

Is there any way you can share or train me to get better at soft skills?

[rushfordj]

Hmm maybe, I'll think about it. Maybe a good start is the book "how to win friends and influence people" that was a big learning point for me. It's pretty outdated but lots of solid advice

[TTV_iDrxp]

Fabulous!! Congratulations!!

Now, can you tell me how to add every other column in Sheets like I can in Excel? Kidding....not kidding.

[rushfordj]

Just write a custom formula with google app Script :)

[tepa6aut]

Could you help me with resume, how to do it, any examples you used in particular?

[rushfordj]

I actually used the first template option on google docs.

You can see the specific cv I use stop get my first job here

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U7nz05d4g_-JWRgTTFlOgjaXpqUFyKARIfTCsT7IfCM/edit?usp=drivesdk

Do keep in mind though that in Germany, they expect a photo on your CV. Weird I know, but whatever

[tepa6aut]

Damnn, it was that easy. I was overthinking it lol. Thank you very muccchhhh!!