I realise that I have slacked on article-writing (for 4 months → cringe) and that I lost a bit of Momentum.
YourGirlApologizes.
I am YourGirlCodes, Zoë for short, and an Aspiring Full Stack Web Developer
Author of The Bible for the Aspiring Developer parts A and B
6-months-employed, gaining experience and passing down an amalgamation of bibles passed on to me.
…at some point in the hopefully-near future we’ll have pulled together a solution as well as a bible for the unemployed, entry-level individuals who find themselves in this ‘limbo’. — Part A
Sixth Commandment: Embrace Limbo, Get the Job (Momentum)
“Get the Job? You can’t command that. That’s why I’m here, duh.” — You, maybe.
I think it is perfect — follow the bible, the first 5 commandments are leading you through Limbo and the final 5 will show you the light at the end of the tunnel — this light, the work you’ve got cut out as you transition away from just being an ‘Aspiring Developer’, is like the doughnut at the end of the treadmill that keeps you training/running (whatever).
The upcoming work is a reward, not a cause for anxiety.
Let just a part of yourself enjoy this Limbo stage.
One day, you’ll look back and think — sh*t, that was cool.
Live while in Limbo. Finding a job is a full-time job, if done right, it takes over your life — so live while in Limbo.
If you make sure to not sink into the feelings of stress, discouragement and ‘pity’ you will find that job. You’ve just got to keep going at it.
You won’t find a job if you give up, you won’t find a job if you don’t make it a priority. However, you will most likely find a job if you work hard at it and realise that it is only ever once that you’re in Limbo while trying to find your first job as a developer. You may find yourself in Limbo again, but not as an Aspiring Developer trying to find his/her first gig!
So, this is the solution — I think — Live while in Limbo, don’t lose your Momentum.
And if you find that you do, come back to this article or reach out to me in person — I’d love to kick you in the butt like I had a Genius do to me. (Check Commandment 1: “have someone who can help you decode the reasons for those failed interviews” — this Genius also gave some tough love.)
Seventh Commandment: Show Up (Hustle)
Hustling is just going for it — seeing that gap, and smuggling yourself in; and whatever is inside, making it relevant for you.
If there is an offer… take it.
In February, I attended a monstrous Investors Summit — the connection being the Genius who knocked the first Domino right at the start of my story and the Genius who followed, who encouraged me to attend.
I registered twice — once as Zoë Inc. and once under my employing company.
The Summit attracts ‘important’ people with one motive: invest/be invested in and I felt totally awkward the entire time.. YourGirlCodes took it very seriously.
I made appointments to meet people I would not otherwise have the opportunity to meet. I quietly slipped into invite-only areas, but I was not quiet.
A Genius once told me to ‘Hustle’ — ONE WORD OF ADVICE.
This is semi-silent, but effective, hustling — I think?
I was thrown commandment 8 like a snowball in the face (see following article)
I met the brilliant Assaf Luxembourg — this 5 minute encounter turned into a mind blowing experience 4 months later… maybe I’ll tell you about it another time.
I gained a handful new LinkedIn connections and left feeling like a young Rockstar.
Oh yes, and I gained a whole bunch of knowledge regarding upcoming start-ups, trending concepts, technologies and glimpses into where the future is heading — what a lot of Brilliant Brains have been up to, and why they think that they should grow.
You’re starting to smell that doughnut, right?
(COVID-19 arrived shortly after and that post-networking-event feeling sat very tightly with me all through isolation, so I’ll leave the smell of doughnuts to sit with you until Commandment 8)
— — — YourGirlCodes
(Follow me so that we can move forward out of limbo together — and so that you can easily be alerted of commandment 8)
