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Interviewing is arguably the highest paying skill you can have as a developer.
I don't think this is fair but it is reality.
I've taken part in well over 100 interviews both as an interviewee and interviewer. I've worked with dozens of developers to ace their interviews and increase their salaries by tens of thousands of dollars.
This is not for developers looking to get into Big Tech. This episode is for the 99%.
We're going to cover the 4 most common stages of the tech interview from recruiter filtering to technical interview to "tell me about yourself" and finally the offer stage.
Here's the unit testing course I mentioned in the episode that you seriously need to check out if you don't know how to write a test: https://github.com/CodeCoachJS/js_pro_unit_testing
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These principles don't just create pretty code—they reduce bugs, simplify updates, and prevent real-world problems like the $10,000 mistake I made early in my career.
Yeah, that was not a fun one.
Check out https://www.dofactory.com/javascript/design-patterns/adapter if you want to learn more patterns.
PS - I write unfiltered advice for early career developers here: 👉 Real Talk JS
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In this Office Hours Q&A, I got some pretty interesting questions:
Should you lie on your resume to trick the ATS and get more interviews?If you’re building websites with tools like Squarespace, does it count as real experience—or are you cheating yourself?Is a master’s degree in computer science worth it if you already have some tech skills?I also share thoughts on how to get experience that actually helps you land a dev job and why every learner should have a side project that they control.
Whether you’re self-taught, in school, or just figuring things out, this one’s packed with advice you won’t hear in most coding bootcamp brochures.
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The software development market didn't die, it's just unrecognizable.
Let's go over 8 harsh pieces of advice that will help you as a career changer to make a successful switch into a career as a software developer.
PS. If you're a front-end developer looking to expand your skills, grab the Node Express Starter Kit here.Have a question for the Friday Q&A show? Submit it through the form in the show notes, and I'll shout you out or keep you anonymous.
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Whatever you do, don’t learn to code.
The market is over-saturated.
AI took your job.
There is no hope.
But then you meet someone like Jacob, a young dad who was delivering food a year ago and just landed his first dev job without submitting a single application.
Is his story typical? No. But then few stories are.
At Parsity.io, we've seen CS grads take up to a year to get hired. We've seen people go from zero to hired in 6 months or less.
There is no formula.What works for one person might work for you and it might not.
Not a great marketing tactic eh? It's just the truth.
Jacob shares how he landed a role with ZERO applications and juggling a tight schedule as a new father while learning to build complex software.Send us a text
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Got a question you want answered on the show?
Drop it here: Ask Your Question
On today's show:
"I’m currently a mid-level product manager thinking of switching to software engineering. Is that too ambitious?"
“Where do I get good at interview practice? Leetcode seems unrealistic. Is there something more practical?”
“Should I go all in on C# or .NET instead? Or maybe get a CS degree from WGU?”
“As an early career dev, should I be building side projects with AI tools like Cursor—or is that risky before I know how to code well?”
Send us a text
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Learning data structures and algorithms (DSA) isn't JUST a smart interview skill, it will boost your confidence as a software engineer, give you a deeper understanding of computer science fundamentals and they can even be fun once you know how to use them.
If you're self teaching or just starting out with code, they can be intimidating.
They don't have to be.
I break down a pretty comprehensive guide here for learning DSA as well as a video on Binary Search Trees (BST)
DSA Study Guide My popular guide to DSA
Video on Binary Search Trees (Source Code included in the comments)PS. Zubin and I are building stuff for Parsity. What should we build next? Take 15 seconds and tell us here: Quick Survey
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Check out this beginner project to use AI with HTML and JS 👇
Grab the project here
I'm no AI hater but I am getting so tired of the dialogue online I read from people who claim that AI is making developers 2, 3 or 10x more productive.
Google's CEO recently came out with a sobering statistic:
AI has made their engineers 10% more productive. (source)
10%.
This is still massive but no where near the gains we were promised or what our managers are expecting.
Let's explore this myth of productivity and what you, as a developer, can and cannot do with AI.
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Have you ever felt like the weakest link on your development team? You're not alone.
The moment you land your first developer job, you're likely to face the crushing weight of comparison. Your teammates seem to know everything while your mind fills with doubts about your abilities. Seven years ago, this pressure nearly drove me out of the industry despite earning more money than ever before.The stress was paralyzing - I faced panic attacks each morning and received direct feedback about my inadequate skills.
I developed a powerful three-step system that transformed my approach to professional growth that I want to share with you.Send us a text
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What do engineering leaders really think about bootcamp grads?
Why are so many developers so stressed?
Is it even worth learning to code in 2025?
Michael Greenspan pulls back the curtain on the realities of engineering leadership, interviewing and the state of the industry, drawing from his extensive experience as both a software engineer and engineering manager before becoming a coach for burnt-out tech professionals.
"Moving into management is a job change," Michael emphasizes, describing how this transition often comes with minimal guidance and significant imposter syndrome. Both Michael and host Brian share their personal experiences of feeling lost when first stepping into leadership positions.
Find Michael at TheCompleteEngineer.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.Send us a text
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I spent a few years as an engineering manager, and my buddy Zubin, a former Google engineer, is currently hiring developers at his company. Between the two of us, we’ve seen the good, the bad, and the totally avoidable when it comes to technical interviews.
In this episode, we pull back the curtain on what really happens during interviews. What are hiring managers actually looking for? What are the most common mistakes that cost people the job? And how can you stand out even if you’re early in your journey?
Interviews are high stakes, high pressure, and if done right, high reward. We cover:
Why trust matters more than being perfectHow AI has changed the interview processWhat to do when you don’t know the answerHow likability can make or break your chancesThe worst way to prep, and what to do insteadAs always - hope it's helpful!
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Ever feel like you missed your chance to break into tech? That 30 marks some invisible deadline for career reinvention? I've been there—and I'm here to tell you it's absolutely false.
My journey from addiction to software engineering began in my thirties, while juggling two kids and a full-time job.
The truth about learning to code after 30 isn't sugar-coated: you're playing a different game than the 22-year-olds who've been coding since middle school. You'll have responsibilities they don't—families, mortgages and perhaps aging parents. But you also bring powerful advantages they lack: real-world experience, emotional intelligence, and discipline that comes from weathering life's storms.Where most career-changers fail isn't in their ability to learn, but in time management. You don't need eight hours daily—you need two focused hours and a reason strong enough to keep showing up.
Don't let news cycles about AI or layoffs dictate your future. The tech industry desperately needs more adults in the room with diverse perspectives and life experiences. Whether you choose Parsity.io or another path, take that calculated risk on yourself.Because what's harder: the temporary challenge of learning something new, or staying stuck in a life you don't want?
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What happens when software engineers rely too heavily on AI-assisted coding tools? Brian and Zubin (an ex-Google engineer) dive deep into what they call "The 70% Problem" – the phenomenon where AI coding tools excel at initial scaffolding but falter when tackling the crucial final 30% of engineering work.
Drawing from Addy Osmani's insightful article, these experienced developers share their firsthand experiences with tools like Cursor, ChatGPT, and GitHub Copilot. They explore how AI-assisted coding creates a dangerous illusion of competence while potentially masking fundamental knowledge gaps. As Zubin aptly puts it, giving powerful AI coding tools to inexperienced developers is like "giving a Formula One car to someone who's only driven on city streets."
Visit parsity.io to learn how Brian and Zubin are training the next generation of engineers to excel in this new paradigm.Addy Osmani's Article
VS Code Cheat Sheet
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What happens when a music educator with performance anxiety decides to become a software developer?
Anne discovered coding through The Odin Project and immediately recognized a familiar pattern-based thinking from her music background. "I fell in love with the process of coding, the community of developers," she explains.Despite being an introvert with social anxiety, she forced herself to attend meetups and hackathons—each experience confirming she was on the right path.
Her job search defied conventional wisdom. No endless LinkedIn networking or algorithm grinding. Instead, a casual conversation with a friend led to her current role as a front-end developer.
Want to follow in Anne's footsteps? Check out our Dev 30 program for structured JavaScript learning and community support. Visit dev30.xyz to save your spot and begin your own coding journey.You can connect with Anne here: Anne's LinkedIn
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AI didn’t kill bootcamps — shallow learning did.
So what skills actually matter now that building a CRUD app is a commodity?
And can you learn them without working at a company or getting a CS degree?
In this episode, I’ll break down why the bootcamp model no longer works, what’s replacing it, and how to develop the old school engineering mindset that will set you apart in the AI era — even if you’re self-taught.
If you’re serious about becoming a software engineer and want mentorship that’s not just YouTube and vibe coding, check out Parsity.io or hit the link in the show notes to chat.
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Yasemin, a senior front-end developer with a decade of experience, shares insights on career progression in front-end development and how the transition from junior to senior is more about mindset than technical skills.
She discusses her journey from being task-focused to product-minded while offering practical advice for developers at all stages.
• The junior-to-senior transition
• Front-end interviews
• Deep JavaScript fundamentals and whether they're worth learningCheck out Yasemin's podcast "Commit to Growth" and look for her articles on Medium where she shares more technical insights and career advice.
Yasemin's LinkedIn
Commit to Growth Podcast
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Chris, a mentee at Parsity was feeling a bit down and asked me straight up what I think about the future of coding careers.
I had to really think about it.
With headlines screaming about AI taking our jobs and markets being oversaturated, it's enough to make anyone question their path.
But what if the doom and gloom narrative isn't matching reality? In this candid episode, I tackle the question head-on: is learning to code still worth it?Send us a text
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A rant on the myth of developer productivity with AI and my experience in vibe coding hell with a team of senior engineers.
- Why Vibe Coding is great for prototyping and terrible for real software
- Why we still need junior developers
- Why you should be wary of loud expert beginners online
- What skills you ACTUALLY need as a software engineer in the AI era
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🧑💻 Join Parsity - For career changers who want to pivot into software.
✉️ Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here
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You want to learn to code because you want more money. Let's just be honest about it.
First off - there are many other ways to make a desirable income without learning a difficult skill like coding.
You can do sales.
You could be a product manager.
Maybe start an illegal gambling den?
Have you considered selling large quantities of drugs perhaps?
If you do decide to create software for money, just realize you may never crack six figures, you're likely to be laid off at least once and you have to keep up with technology which changes fast AF.
Is anyone still here?
Here's the great news - if you do enjoy coding and are willing to do things that make you uncomfortable, you can have dramatic financial upside.
I have a process I've been following to maximize my earning potential as a developer and stay employed which I want to share with you.
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🧑💻 Join Parsity - For career changers who want to pivot into software.
✉️ Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here
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What’s it really like to go from coding alone to working on a real dev team?
Dean Fox shares his raw experience navigating TypeScript, Git, team dynamics, and scrapped code during his first internship through Parsity's Inner Circle program.
👤 Connect with Dean: Dean Fox on LinkedIn
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🧑💻 Join Parsity - For career changers who want to pivot into software.
✉️ Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here
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