The 13th Week in the Technical Job Search
Hello again! I haven’t updated my Medium in a few weeks as I am transitioning to a new platform, however recently I wrote a blog-update on how the job search was going. You can find my week 5 review here. I wanted to throw another update out there for anybody who was curious and (maybe more so) for my own state of mind.
Since then, a looooot has happened. I have written about how the job search is related to fishing, done countless interviews, I have moved my blogging over to the wonderful Dev.to community (check it ouuuut), and recently I accepted a part time position at a startup. Oh… and if you read to the bottom of my last post in this “series” you saw that I didn’t have a Fortnite solo’s win… well let me tell you THAT has changed.
A lot to talk about, but I generally couldn’t be more excited with where I am at and what is to come. I can truly feel myself on the verge of taking that next step. It has been a long process, going on a year now, but I have surrounded myself with phenomenal people (family, friends, peers, and colleagues) all who are looking out for me and I cannot explain how grateful I am. I truly have too many people to thank.
In my last post, I gave out a few tips for the job search and my recommendations on how to keep your sanity…
- TRY to Stick to a Schedule
- Get Organized
- Ask Questions
- Keep Coding
- Take Some Time for Yourself
Some of these I still fail at here and there, but I stand by all of them. However, I have a few more to add to that list.
Engage in a Community, Specifically Dev.to
I cannot explain how great this community is… I even wrote an entire blog on it here that you should check out. I believe that blog and the engagement I got on it speak for themselves. It was my first post there and I ended up gaining almost 300 followers in a about a week. I have gotten amazing feedback on all posts and enjoy engaging with others there more than anywhere else. It is a REAL community.
Put Yourself Out There
This is easier said than done, but in any walk of life you have to learn to own your up-comings, your shortcomings, and your struggles. Whether it is applying to that job you don’t think you qualify for, sharing updates on social media, or just getting yourself involved with a project… as long as your intentions are good, I promise the worst that will happen is you will learn something. And that is what this is all about.
As I mentioned, I have accepted a part-time role with a startup. Jumping into a new codebase was one of the most overwhelming and daunting things that I have done in my technical career. I was blown away with what was going on and just a week ago I was pulling my hair out and telling myself I couldn’t do it. Today, I had a meeting with the CEO and CTO and could not be more excited about the plan for the company.
Have Fun?
The reason I decided to begin this journey was because the thought of creative freedom (is what I have been calling it) -being able to take an idea from its birth and see it to it’s finish- is something that I have fallen in love with. I love the problem solving aspects, I love grinding a problem out and the feeling of finding your own solution (no matter how janky the code may be) and I love the support and kindness of the tech community.
No matter what it is, there is a reason that you and I have started down whatever path we are on and it is important not to lose sight of that. I have found myself burnt out and beat down for days and even weeks throughout this process. Looking back on it all, however, it has been an absolute blast and something I would not trade for anything short of probably one hundred thousand dollars lolz.
I have met so many amazing people along the way (some of my closest friends now) and am generally happy, not content, but happy with the decision I have made.
To conclude, I am looking forward to more hard-work, more grind, and more of the satisfaction that comes with it. Thirteen weeks down and spirits are high as ever. C’moooon baby… what else you got for me?