Advice from those who have been there
In November, Code Kentucky Program Director Brian Luerman hosted a panel discussion featuring three Code Louisville graduates who have gone on to build a career in software development after participating in the program.
The panel consisted of Jake St. Germain (a former Pediatric ICU Nurse who currently works as a Software Engineer Intern at Health Catalyst), Shannon Beach (a life-long Disney fan whose dream job became a reality earlier this year when she was hired on at the company as a Video Engineer), and Shawn Offutt (a self-proclaimed problem-solver who was recruited to his current employer, Virtual Peaker, by a program mentor).
Brian has hosted similar events in the past, and has been inspired to keep it going after coming across a steady stream of tech newcomers who arrive at training programs like Code Louisville and Code Kentucky armed with the same questions:
How do I get my first job in the tech industry?
How do I apply to tech jobs?
What sort of online presence should I have, and is networking really that important? (Spoiler alert: it is)
The panel addressed these questions - and many more! - for a packed Zoom of tech newbies eager for their big break. If you missed out on the talk, you can check out a recording of it, but we wanted to share some highlights.
YMMV
The panelists had very different avenues into landing their first tech job, and none of them had formal experience in tech before enrolling in Code Louisville.
Jake shared that he applied to around 50 jobs before he landed his current role. The process included stepping outside of his comfort zone to include remote roles in his search parameters, and he was thrilled to find an internship with a Utah-based company that pays great and leverages his healthcare industry experience.
Shawn didn’t get a job in IT right away, but was able to use the skills he was learning through the program to enhance the processes at his then-role.
Shannon found her first job posted in the Code Louisville Slack channel. We have our own for Code Kentucky students with hot job leads and other opportunities that come our way - check it out if you’re a current student looking to launch your job search!
Landing the elusive first job
Shannon suggests reaching out to someone at the company you’re interviewing with to prepare for an interview there. You can also Google technical and non-technical interview questions and practice answering them with a friend. Lots of tech professionals are happy to help with mock interviews. Reach out via slack communities you’re a part of, and of course, utilize the job preparedness tools and resources our staff offers!
Shawn’s advice to impress an employer: make sure you do your research into the company and can demonstrate why you’re interested in working there. Show your process when doing code challenges to show your critical thinking skills, even if you don’t know the exact answer.
Shannon says to ask clarifying questions to ensure you have the correct parameters. A couple clarifying questions can prevent a lot of heartache when you’re on the job.
Internships are a great way to get a foot in the door at a company and to gain crucial work experience. The downside - it’s not always feasible if you’re looking for full time employment. See what’s out there; some internships pay well and offer benefits. A company’s internship post may say they’re looking for a degree-seeking candidate, but boot camp students should still apply! Their requirements may be lenient, or could have changed since originally posted. Jake and Shannon both had valuable internships as part of their journey.
Shawn said freelancing and contributing to open source projects can help give you an edge in the hiring process instead of (or in addition to) an internship. Show you can collaborate with over devs.
Choosing a learning path
When choosing a learning path, 3/3 mentors agree that if you choose something that interests you, you can’t go wrong. Find what speaks to you most, what gets you excited, and pursue that. Still not sure? It’s okay! You have plenty of time to explore opportunities and evolve.
“Just because you learn a language here [at Code Louisville] doesn’t mean your employer will use the same language.” - Shawn
We see this a lot! Employers are looking for your potential and expect that as a junior you’ll be doing a lot of learning on the job.
What keeps the panelists motivated to keep learning? Solving problems, finding new (and better!) ways to do things, and working on fun personal projects. Shannon says coding makes her feel like she’s solving problems with Mystery Inc and Scooby Doo. Jake likes that you’re encouraged to break things in tech, and likes that he gets the opportunity to fix it.
How can you overcome the struggle of learning something that doesn’t quite click? Find supplemental courses, ask others for help, practice practice practice, don’t give up, make yourself build new projects to use the skills, and keep pushing! Find the learning system that works for you; they are not one size fits all. Have a question? Jake suggests searching keywords in Slack to see if it’s been answered before. The search may also point you toward someone who can help.
Imposter Syndrome
Everyone experiences imposter syndrome, and it’s okay! Jake said he was excited to take on a big piece of a project at his internship, because he was the most experienced team member in Angular, even though he’s the most junior dev overall. You probably know more than you think!
Ask ALL the questions
“I talked to mentors a lot. Asked a lot of questions in class and on Slack. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Even senior engineers are asking questions.” - Shannon
Excellent advice - never be afraid to ask questions! The mentors and staff are here to help. Even if you’re confused on something that was covered earlier on in the course - ask! You won’t be able to grow and succeed until you get the basics down, and our awesome team of mentors are here to help enforce those fundamentals throughout the course.
Making connections in the industry
We’ve seen many situations where a mentor ends up hiring a student at their own company, and Shawn is an example of this at Virtual Peaker. Several Virtual Peaker devs have mentored for Code Louisville because they love helping the new wave of tech talent. Shawn noted some of the connections he met through networking - particularly at a meetup for game devs which he had a personal interest in - kept him motivated to stay on his tech journey and helped him continue to learn.
Networking can be intimidating for anyone, but introverts may find an especially hard time putting themselves out there. Leveraging LinkedIn and other online platforms like Slack tech communities are great ways to network virtually.
Whether you already have contacts in the industry, or are looking to meet more, maintaining those relationships is the key to finding a job in many cases. Tech events ranging from social happy hours (in pre-COVID times) to educational lectures to hack nights have forged tons of relationships that have led to new creative side projects and full time gigs.
Looking for inspiration? Find fellow dog lovers to make a web app that features pups up for adoption. Get together with foodie friends to make an API of the best restaurants in town. Congregate with classmates to give mobile development a try. Whatever it is, find something you enjoy doing to get the added experience to wow employers.
Eventually, employers will be coming to you, even if you’re not actively job searching.
“The first moment I felt like I really made it was when recruiters started reaching out to me, even though I wasn’t actively looking for a job...that’s actually how I got my job at Disney. I didn’t apply, the recruiter found me.” - Shannon
Build, build, build; code, code, code; projects, projects, projects
Jake’s front end project was a personal portfolio site which is a great choice. It gives you a project to add on to for years to come as you learn new skills and evolve in your career. There are not enough characters allowed to list all of Shannon’s projects, but she has made some amazing stuff. Find something that interests you (like Bigfoot - seriously!) and go for it. Your passion for your project will stand out when interviewing.
“Build whatever you’re interested in; run with it.” - Shannon
Shawn did a rebuild of a site he was already familiar with to make it more user-friendly using a language he was learning. Great practice!
“Figure out something you’d like an app to solve or you would like to see. Who knows, it could turn into an actual business!” - Shawn
What makes a good project to present to an employer?
“Anything you can speak passionately about” - all 3 panelists, almost verbatim.
Be sure you can speak to your project and feel comfortable sharing how it’s built.
Tech is very much a “show-me” industry, where employers are more interested in the code samples you can provide than hearing you drone on about languages you know. Keep making commits to your GitHub even after your Code Kentucky class has ended, to show employers you are passionate about tech and serious about working in the industry. Having solid samples of your work will show that you have experience with coding, even if you don’t have a professional position to highlight on your resume.
You’ll also want to go beyond just having one class project. Make your own passion projects, contribute to open source projects, volunteer your time to a nonprofit, or whatever it takes to produce as many high-quality work samples as you can. The teenage Myspace skins designer to adult pursuing a career in tech pipeline is real; find something you enjoy and give it your own spin!
Advice for new students:
Take notes
There are no stupid questions
Learn how to Google
Bookmark your favorite resources
Recognize your learning style and act on it
Master the fundamentals
Know your end goal and figure out a path to get there
If you’re a current Code Kentucky student, keep an eye on the #announcements channel in Slack for information on signing up for the upcoming Job Readiness Workshops. Our career coach, August, will help you revamp your resume to make it more tech-friendly, create a LinkedIn profile that will get you noticed by recruiters and hiring managers, and learn interviewing techniques so you’ll be prepared for anything they may throw at you. If you’re eager to get started now, send him a DM in Slack to set up a one on one.
Visit codekentucky.org to find out more about how you can join the program as a student, mentor, or employer partner.
