A Guide to Getting a Developer Job When You Have Zero Coding Knowledge

Published in

The Startup

5 min readJan 17, 2020

Three years ago, I began coding as a hobby and switched careers to become a software engineer. I started from zero. I mean, console.log(“Hello world!") was a huge accomplishment for me.

I enrolled in a developer Bootcamp but later opted to work through the material at my own pace. After self-teaching myself JavaScript, developing a portfolio of projects and practicing coding interviews, I landed my first software engineering job at a startup.

All in all, the entire journey took me a little over 4 months. I offer no guarantees here, and it certainly wasn’t easy, but if you’re considering making the leap to become a developer, here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Start with the basics — HTML, CSS, & JavaScript

Even if you don’t plan on working in front-end development, it’s a good idea to start with the basics — HTML and CSS — to get your feet wet. You’ll quickly get an idea if programming might be for you without investing too much time in this new endeavor.

JavaScript is a common programming language that you’ll also want to check out. Tip: Popular frameworks like AngularJS, React, and Vue are all JavaScript-based and hot skills to have in the job market.

You can start with these free tutorials on Codecademy:

2. Learn how to troubleshoot

Inevitably, you’ll encounter problems that you don’t know how to fix, but don’t fret, because that error message you’re running into has probably been seen by someone else before.

And as a more experienced developer once told me, he wasn’t better at programming than me, he’s just seen more errors.

SO DO NOT PANIC.

Learn to use your code editor’s debugger. I recommend Visual Studio Code.
Search for your error message on Stack Overflow and you may see some responses and solutions for it already posted. Keep in mind that some suggestions are better than others and may or may not work for you.
Read the documentation. This is self-explanatory but too often overlooked. If you’re working with a particular framework or language, dig into the official docs for guidance.

3. Go forth and make stuff

Now that you’re armed with some coding knowledge, go forth and make your first project. “Project” is loosely defined here. It can be something as simple as a FizzBuzz program. The idea is to get you from reading tutorials and docs to actually writing code.

Like with anything else, the best way to learn is to actually do it.

Short on ideas? Try these:

4. Learn the basics of Git and GitHub

Git is a distributed version control system that tracks changes in source code during software development. Many engineering teams use it or something similar when developing.

GitHub is a cloud-based service that manages your Git repositories.

It’s one thing to work on a code repository by yourself, but another to collaborate with several people making changes to the same file. It’s a good idea to have basic knowledge of Git and GitHub workflow before your first day at an engineering job.

Check out this introductory course to Git.

5. Get your own website

It’s a personal preference, but I like having something visual to show to prospective employers. Having your own website and keeping it updated says that you take pride in your work. If you’re also design-savvy, this is a great way to express that as well. It doesn’t take long to snag your own domain and set it up with some hosting. Put your bio and contact info on there, your resume, and some links to your other work.

6. Start a coding blog or teach it to someone

When I first began programming, I wrote a blog post for every new JavaScript method I learned and explained how to use it.

The final product was a couple of dozen somewhat poorly written articles, but it forced me to learn the topic on a deeper level and solidify my understanding.

If you’re not interested in blogging, consider other opportunities to teach someone what you’ve learned. Perhaps volunteer to lead an introductory programming class or tutor someone who is also just starting to learn.

7. Explore hardware projects

Hardware projects can add variety to your portfolio and besides, they’re just fun! Make something with Raspberry Pi or Arduino kits. Let your imagination go wild here. You’ll be surprised at what you can create with just a little bit of programming knowledge.

Check out these ideas to get started:

Let your houseplant tweet out when it needs water
17 Raspberry Pi Kits for Your Weekend Projects
15 Great Arduino Projects for Beginners

8. Attend job fairs

The truth about job searching is that you can’t hide behind your computer screen all the time. You’ll eventually have to talk to a real live human.

Attending job fairs might seem old-fashioned, but I got my first programming job largely due to attending one. I spoke with an in-house recruiter at a large company who connected me to a few folks — one of them helped fast track my application for my current job.

If you want to get a job, be willing to hit the pavement and get in front of someone.

9. Prep for a coding interview

Interviewing for a programming job is unlike interviewing for other types of jobs. Sometimes there’s small talk, sometimes not. Sometimes you’re handed a laptop, sometimes you’ll have a whiteboard.

One of my favourite ways of interview prepping is Pramp, a platform where you can practice live coding interviews with peers. And it’s free.

Some other technical interview resources:

The Ultimate Guide to Preparing for the Coding Interview (freecodecamp.org)
LeetCode (technical interview prep)
I found this book helpful as well: Cracking the Coding Interview: 189 Programming Questions and Solutions

10. Join the tech community

There area multitude of ways to get connected to your local tech community, whether it’s online or in-person. Attend tech Meetup groups and join Slack channels. I liked attending code Bootcamp demo days near me to talk to students about their job search as well — plus, it’s fun to see what everyone else has been working on.

Some other ideas:

Women Who Code
NodeSchool
Tech events at local co-working spaces and companies
Leverage your LinkedIn network and join tech groups