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Meet Deb Goodkin! Deb is the Executive Director of the FreeBSD Foundation. The Foundation supports the FreeBSD project and community. FreeBSD is a powerful open-source operating system known for its reliability and security and used by companies like Netflix to power their servers and networks.
With a strong background in engineering, Deb is passionate about open-source technology, and after this episode, you might become passionate about it, too! In this episode of the Scrimba podcast, you'll learn how a complex project like FreeBSD works from an organizational standpoint, why open-source is a great place for even newer developers, what are the key differences between community-driven projects and working for a corporation, and where should you start if you're looking to get into open-source.
🔗 Connect with Deb
👩💼 LinkedIn⏰ Timestamps
What is FreeBSD? (01:19)What is the FreeBSD Foundation? (02:49)Open-source projects vs. commercial projects (04:04)Open source is a nourishing place (07:04)Some original BSD developers are still working on the project decades later! (07:46)Open source is a community (09:35)How can contributing to open source help a newer developer advance their career? (11:25)Community break! (14:08)What skills do you need to join an open-source project? (16:23)Start with documentation! (18:42)How do you interact with others working on an open-source project? (21:20)Are people more likely to help others who help themselves? (24:05)Quick-fire questions! (27:26)How does an open-source project like FreeBSD run?If you're listening and want to get into open source, do this! (38:13)🧰 Resources mentioned
FreeBSD FoundationFreeBSDJon 'maddog' Hall on Linkedin and TwitterKirk McKusick on YouTubeMichael W Lucas on Mastodon⭐️ Leave a Review
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Meet Sam Julien 🇺🇸! Sam is a director of Developer Relations at Writer, a teacher, and the author of Getting Started in Developer Relations. He loves helping people level up their developer advocacy or web development jobs. Recently, he became interested in AI engineering. And in this episode, you'll find out why you should, too!
Sam will teach you how to differentiate passing fads from the tech that's here to stay, how to stay future-proof, and why it's still important to learn the basics. AI as a tool has changed the scale at which we can make stuff - and that's the biggest reason to get acquainted with it. Sam and Alex discuss the current state of the job market in the realm of AI engineering, whether AI will make developers obsolete, as well as the novel use cases and key applications of large language models. Sam also shares how he broke into the field! You'll also learn more about Writer - their LLMs are available on Hugging Face!
🔗 Connect with Sam
👨💼 Linkedin🌐 Website🐦 Twitter⏰ Timestamps
How Sam Julien got into AI engineering (01:34)What convinced Sam that AI was here to stay? (03:56)Sam was strategic about pursuing AI engineering (05:55)The spectrum of career opportunities in AI engineering (07:23)Machine learning is not the only thing you can work on! (09:19)The current state of the job market: there's a significant discrepancy between how people perceive AI engineering and how things are actually goingBreak (14:02)What is Writer (15:01)Writer's own AI models - also available on Hugging Face (17:03)Are there opportunities for front-end developers in this space? (18:28)How to learn AI engineering? (23:19)Using models to teach you how to use models (25:18)Did Sam use AI to get a job in AI engineering? (27:48)Quick-fire questions: favorite podcasts, music, and people to follow (28:49)Do you need an ML certificate? (31:06)Novel uses and core applications of AI and LLMs (31:58)Should a new developer focus on AI? (35:33)How to stay future-proof (40:44)It just takes one breakthrough to catch you by surprise (41:43)How to use Writer (41:53)🧰 Resources Mentioned
Course: Level Up From Software Engineer to AI Engineer (Shawn "Swyx" Wang and Noah Hein)Latent Space PodcastThe Rise of the AI EngineerScrimba's AI pathKadasha Kerr⭐️ Leave a Review
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Пропущенные эпизоды?
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Meet Rizel Scarlett 🇺🇸! Rizel is a Staff Developer Advocate at TBD. She's also a career changer, software engineer, and community builder!
Rizel dropped out of psychology studies after running out of money. Then she went into IT support, then into coding, and then realized that, after working in an organization that teaches women and non-binary people of color to code, developer advocacy could be a great career for her!
In this episode, you will hear how Rizel learned to code, paved her own path, and knew when to pivot. You'll learn why internships are cool and what to be on the lookout for if you're looking for your first opportunity. Rizel will also teach you why you need personal branding and how to do it even if you're an introvert - complete with step-by-step instructions on writing a blog post, practicing public speaking, or networking.
This is a rebroadcast of one of our favorite interviews!
🔗 Connect with Rizel
👩💼 Linkedin🌐 Website🐦 Twitter👩🚀 GitHub⏰ Timestamps
Why Rizel switched from psychology to IT and, later, to coding (01:43)Rizel tried many different jobs. Here’s why that’s not a bad thing! (03:48)How Rizel approached learning to code (05:55)Community and camaraderie are important parts of learning to code (06:50)How Rizel decided to enroll in a bootcamp (07:58)On learning to code with your significant other (08:31)Thinking like a programmer comes with practice (09:46)Why Rizel pursued internships (10:50)Why connections are important (12:20)What was Rizel’s internship experience like (13:21)What should you look for in an internship or your first job? (13:58)Break (15:54)What juniors bring to the table (17:00)How Rizel discovered developer advocacy and got hired as a developer advocate at GitHub (18:15)What does a supportive manager do (20:18)How Rizel approaches personal branding (22:08)You can’t expect people to find you. The best person to advocate for you is you (22:25)How to work on your public speaking (24:25)How to work on your writing and how Rizel approaches writing blog posts (27:08)How to get involved with the community (30:48)Closing advice: it’s okay to switch your focus, take your time, and maintain a list of your wins! (34:43)🧰 Resources Mentioned
How to support early career developers freeCodeCamp⭐️ Leave a Review
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Meet Angie Jones 🇺🇸! Angie is a veteran software developer currently working as a global Developer Relations executive at TBD. Before that, she worked as an automation engineer at Twitter and as a software engineer and master inventor at IBM (where she worked for nine years)! Angie is also a teacher and an international keynote speaker who has authored 27 patents.
In this episode, Angie takes us through her career path, from falling in love with coding through automation engineering to eventually discovering her passion for teaching and DevRel. You'll learn the differences between large enterprises, medium-sized companies, and startups and find out what to look for if you're just breaking into the industry. Angie also talks about teaching, patenting your ideas, and finding specialization. Plus: decentralized technologies, changing jobs with the same company, and why it's important to keep learning new stuff.
👩💼 Linkedin🌐 Website🐦 Twitter👩🚀 GitHub
This is a rebroadcast of one of our favorite interviews!
🔗 Connect with Angie⏰ Timestamps
Angie's father thought she should familiarize herself with computers, so she took a C++ course. The rest is history! (01:21)What Angie loved about programming (02:54)Are developers missing out if they don't study computer science at university? (03:42)What makes a good teacher? (05:31)Break (09:40)Angie got his first role in tech through an internship (10:33)How Angie spent nine years at IBM (12:04)What are the advantages of changing jobs within the same company? (12:41)How does working at a huge corporation compare to working at smaller companies and startups, and why should you try a bit of both (14:22)What does career progression look like? (16:27)As a beginner, should you prioritize learning opportunities? What size companies should you go after? (17:05)Pay attention to the ratio of juniors vs. seniors (18:28)Software development is about much more than coding (18:49)How Angie discovered automation engineering and, subsequently, DevRel (19:32)There are gaps in the market for specializations (23:06)How to find a slight specialization within frontend (27:16)Quick-fire questions: Java, decentralized technologies, Sarah Drasner and Kelsey Hightower (29:03)Angie Jones has 27 patents! Here's how that happened. (33:10)What does a patent look like? (34:34)What's it like to invent patents within a big corporation like IBM? (37:04)Closing advice: Aside from technical competency, what else should new developers focus on? (38:41)🧰 Resources Mentioned
Sarah DrasnerKelsey HightowerScrimba Podcast with Chad Stewart: Tech Is Hiring, and Here's What You Need to Do!⭐️ Leave a Review
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Scrimba v2 is here! And you probably already know this if you've visited our website recently. Scrimba cofounder and CEO Per Borgen 🇳🇴 is joining us to reveal what this update is all about.
You might have noticed the redesign - but the update is not just on the surface. Scrimba has been rewritten from the ground up to support further development, and you can already enjoy a lot of new features. The platform is no longer a closed platform, which means you can make your own scrims, create and follow profiles, and make use of numerous templates. You can also use Scrimba's code editor to create your own projects - even if you're not following a course. It even features an advanced version control! Per and Alex also talk about AI and how it will change the way we learn coding and which AI features are already being worked on at Scrimba.
🔗 Connect with Per
👨💼LinkedIn🐦 Twitter⏰ Timestamps
Scrimba v2 is a complete rewrite of the entire platform (01:00)"We also rebuilt the tools to build Scrimba" (02:45)What are Templates? (05:49)You can now use Scrimba as an online code editor (07:34)You can also add commits! (08:31)Scrimba is now open to anyone to create content and scrims (09:15)Scrimba profiles (10:59)The future of pedagogy on Scrimba (13:02)Backend courses are coming! (14:40)Visual rebrand: is Scrimba still playful? (17:12)The state of using AI to learn to code (24:44)🧰 Resources Mentioned
Scrimba v2⭐️ Leave a Review
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Meet Ryan Talbert 🇺🇸! Ryan studied entrepreneurship and had an idea for an app. To build it, he hired a developer who scammed him and used his server for phishing! But that was also the best thing that could've happened: Today, Ryan is a developer, passionate about JavaScript, and helping other career switchers break into tech. Oh, and he wrote a book!
In this episode, Ryan shares his story and many things he's learned along the way. Ryan will teach you how to break the process of applying and interviewing for a job into smaller steps and improve them one by one - and some of his strategies are pretty novel, even after more than 160 episodes of our podcast! Ryan's approach divides the interview process into four stages. This way, you can pinpoint the exact part of it where you fail, and work on it without distractions.
You will also learn how to make learning to code more manageable and rewarding for yourself - because the more you win, the more you will win. Ryan also describes how he got his first coding job: he told the hiring manager the company wasn't right for him, but they wanted to hire him anyway, and he eventually agreed - because he had a good reason to do so.
🔗 Connect with Ryan
👨💼 Linkedin⏰ Timestamps
You can come into tech from any career (01:36)Ryan studied entrepreneurship and wanted to build an app (03:56)How Ryan lost all his savings and got a cease and desist letter from the country of Germany (05:46)Getting scammed was a good thing, in the end (08:57)Community Break with Jan the Producer (10:13)How Ryan learned to code (11:40)Becoming a coder instead of entrepreneur (14:41)Job hunt in 2017 vs job hunt in 2024 (20:33)Linear progression of a job interview (22:22)Write a good resume (or pay somebody to do that), and get it in front of humans (23:37)What to do when they ask you to tell them abour yourself? (25:39)Practice coding problems (26:49)Climbing the interview hill (27:32)We're bad at multitasking (28:56)Anything is a skill! (30:42)You need to keep winning and build momentum (35:15)Set achievable goals (40:01)
Ryan's book: 101 Tips: TypeScript, React, and JavaScriptThe Companies Expert on YouTubeEdabit
🧰 Resources Mentioned⭐️ Leave a Review
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You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so that he can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏 Or tell Jan he's butchered your name here. -
Meet Dev Agrawal 🇮🇳🇺🇸! Dev is a software developer, developer advocate, content creator, and A React expert deeply ingrained in the React community. The last time he was on the show, we tried to find an answer to the question of whether we should still be learning React in 2024 - the community was divided! Today, we’re talking about React 19.
React 19 is the latest version of React, introducing some amazing new features! Key features include the new React Compiler, which automates performance optimization; Server Components, which allow rendering components on the server for faster initial page loads and improved data handling; Actions; and some new hooks! In this episode, you’ll learn what these features are, how to use them, which ones are the most important, and why we are getting them in the first place. Understanding the context and history behind these new features, as well as the needs of developers who have been using React in their work, will help us use them more effectively.
React 19 is expected to be released by the end of 2024 and is set to enhance both performance and developer experience. In the meantime, you can try the release candidate!
🔗 Connect with Dev
👨💼 Linkedin🌐 Website🐦 Twitter⏰ Timestamps
Can we use React 19 already? (01:24)Is React Canary the same as React 19 RC? (02:14)When does React 19 come out? (03:04)React Compiler is the biggest feature of React 19. What does it do? (04:18)There is a performance cost associated with memoizing (08:23How does the React compiler help with memoization? (11:13)Could you manually accomplish what the Compiler does automatically? (12:59)How do you use the React Compiler? (15:41)You need to abide by the React rules for the Compiler to work properly (16:48)Is React a library or a language? (17:04)Transpilers vs compilers (19:44)What are Actions? (23:41)What are React Transitions? (24:37)Server Actions vs Client Actions (31:39)New hoks: useFormState, useFormStatus (33:29)New features are a big departure from how we use React today (35:45)Where to learn more about React 19 (37:29)⏰ Resources Mentioned
React.devSam Selikoff: Roadmap to React 19Scrimba Podcast with Rachel Nabors⭐️ Leave a Review
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Meet Kevin Tanzyl! Originally from New Zealand, Kevin moved to Japan to become an English teacher. But after a while, he felt like he hit a plateau. Kevin then tried coding, and after a sting in the infamous tutorial hell, he discovered Scrimba. While learning to code, he made a React app for English teachers, which is still used in Japanese schools! This game-changing portfolio project for Kevin caught the eye of employers and recruiters alike.
Within a couple of months, Kevin got his first developer job, but several months later, he realized that it wasn't a good fit after all. In this episode, you'll find out all about Kevin's career change, learning path, and hurdles along the way. You'll learn how to pick your portfolio projects and why you should focus on basic programming principles while maintaining a technology-agnostic approach. Kevin also shares his approach to dealing with stubborn bugs, why "no pain, no gain" applies to coding, and how learning to code compares to learning a new language. Plus, how's the work culture in Japan different from the Western one?
🔗 Connect with Kevin
👨💼 LinkedIn👨🚀 GitHub🌐 Website⏰ Timestamps
"Software development involves a lot of math, so I avoided that" (01:13)How Kevin started teaching English in Japan (02:51)Why Kevin wanted a career change from teaching: the tech world doesn't stop! (03:51)How did learning programming compare to learning languages? (04:56)Why Kevin struggled to learn to code - and how he solved that (05:43)Do you need to go to university to become a software developer? (07:25)What are the differences between a software developer and a web developer? (08:06)Community break with Jan the Producer (09:37)Kevin learned on Udemy, freeCodeCamp, and, ultimately, Scrimba (12:17)Tutorial hell (14:02)The path of least resistance is not the right one for coding (14:57)How to fix very stubborn bugs (15:53)How Kevin made his number one portfolio app (16:44)Picking a portfolio app: ask your friends and family and solve a real problem they have! (18:56)Killing three birds with one stone (I mean, feeding three birds with one scone!) (21:05)How Kevin landed his first dev job... and didn't like it (23:20)How Kevin landed his second dev job (24:24)"They just wanted to see the willingness to learn" (26:05)Quick-fire questions! (26:43)Did Kevin have a tech interview? (28:13)Your portfolio helps an interviewer help you (28:50)"What are the things you think are lacking?" (30:01)The working culture in Japan (33:13)🧰 Resources Mentioned
Learn React FOR FREE with Bob Ziroll!Alex Kallaway, the creator of #100DaysOfCodeFireship on YouTube⭐️ Leave a Review
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Meet Monica Fidalgo 🇵🇹! Monica is a front-end product engineer at Cloudflare, an advocate for new developers and women in tech, as well as a teacher, mentor, and resume reviewer. Her path to tech wasn’t straightforward: she originally studied marine biology and was a licensed scuba diver!
Monica's life took a dramatic turn when she was involved in a serious car accident that temporarily left her unable to walk. After months of recovery, she was even able to run again! However, her recovery made finding a job in her already competitive field even more challenging. In 2018, she began exploring other interests and remembered her love for customizing her Blogger and Tumblr templates. So, she decided to learn web design!
In this episode, you’ll learn a thing or two about motivation. You'll also discover a fantastic technique you should be using when applying for jobs, and learn everything about Monica's inspiring career change. You'll also find out when to switch companies, how to evaluate coding schools before you sign up, and how Monica's car accident changed her outlook on life.🔗 Connect with Monica
👩💼 LinkedIn⏰ Timestamps
Monica studied marine biology and thought IT was just for men (01:31)How Monica's car accident changed her outlook on life (04:29)Feeling sorry for yourself won't take you anywhere (08:53)Community break with Jan the Producer (09:27)How Monica learned to code (11:02)Monica coded during the day and worked at night - but also took up sports (13:57)"It's difficult, but it won't last forever" (15:24)Monica's family wasn't always supportive (16:36)You can't count on luck (18:38)Monica had a checklist of companies she wanted to work for (19:10)How to apply to a company without open job ads (20:35)Quick-fire questions (21:07)How Monica found her first job in tech (23:09)Getting ahead of the curve: why you should be sending your CV to HRs on LinkedIn (23:27)Why - and how - Monica changes jobs (25:57)How Monica got a job at Cloudflare (29:37)Monica's first counter-proposal and why women should negotiate their salaries (32:51)"You already have a NO. Try getting a YES"Sometimes you feel bad - and that's okay (39:19)Boxing! (40:45)🧰 Resources Mentioned
Lisi LinhartFrom Pathologic Anatomy to QA Lead⭐️ Leave a Review
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Meet Shaundai Person 🇺🇸! Shaundai is a senior software engineer at Netflix, but she hasn't always been a coder. She studied entrepreneurship and had a long, successful career in sales. After a decade in sales and running her own business, Shaundai discovered coding through customizing her business's Shopify website.
Shaundai realized she was ready for a career change to something she felt more passionate about. She also learned that you don't have to go back to school to become a software engineer and that much of engineering isn't NASA-level stuff. In fact, it's about listening to customers' needs and offering them solutions—just like in sales!
In this episode, you'll learn how Shaundai transitioned into the tech team of the company she was already working at. She leveraged her extensive sales experience and her passion for coding to create a personal brand within the company, building a reputation that preceded her. The key to a successful sale is believing in your product, and if you're learning to sell yourself, you are the product! Shaundai will teach you how to do just that while remembering that you're still human. Shaundai and Alex also discuss the often non-linear path to career change and why coding skills are nowadays a commodity (so you need to find a different way to stand out).
👩💼 LinkedIn🌐 Website
🔗 Connect with Shaundai⏰ Timestamps
How Shaundai chose to study entrepreneurship (01:53)"I had never been in a position where I loved the thing that I was doing" (04:41)Selling software made Shaundai fascinated with software engineering (05:49)How Shaundai eventually taught herself to code on Codecademy (10:17)How Shaundai organized her studying... and went overtime (12:58)"I could make money AND be happy with that I'm doing" (13:25)"In this case, I'm selling myself!" (14:36)There are always more decision-makers involved in hiring, and here's what to do about them (16:57)Shaundai's strategy to win over her company's engineering team (18:31)You're always in a more powerful position when people think that something was their idea (20:07)Never start conversations with what YOU need (20:54)Shaundai started submitting projects to the engineering team's personal development form... and getting challenges (23:50)Put yourself in the shoes of the customer (26:02)Managers can't go through every single line of code of everybody who's applied. Here's how to tackle that! (26:21)Your coding skills are a commodity! Provide value instead. (27:31)What's a commodity? (28:16)If you're a career changer, you're a superset of a developer! (29:18)How Shaundai eventually got to switch teams (30:19)Shaundai started interviewing with Netflix less than a year into her new career, and it all started with a podcast (32:01)"In order to stand out, I need to show that I'm a human" (36:27)How to be human (38:10)How to get outside of the goal (while still keeping the goal in sight) (38:55)Sometimes we pick the more tangible thing, but ultimately you don't know what can help you in the long run (42:04)How to cultivate self-belief? (45:07)🧰 Resources mentioned
Front End Happy Hour
⭐️ Leave a Review
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Meet Alex Kallaway 🇷🇺🇨🇦! Alex is a Lead Full-Stack Developer, but he hasn't always been a coder. First, he was a violinist; then, he was interested in having a business; he worked in product management and digital marketing. At one point, he was determined to become a developer and was looking for a way to accelerate his learning, and he thought of a coding challenge you might have heard of. Believe it or not, Alex created #100DaysOfCode just for himself - he never thought it would become something that other people would want to do. But then Quincy Larson of freeCodeCamp got an idea...
You can also find Alex at https://www.discomfortacademy.com/, or read his newsletter.
In this interview, you'll learn about the origin story of #100DaysOfCode and Alex's career path. You will also hear everything about the challenge's rules and best practices. What do you do if you can't code for an hour every day? What should you do if you skip a day? How do you set goals? Can you do #100DaysOfCode more than once? How should you measure success?
Alex and Alex also discuss habits, procrastination, and "manifestations of resistance," as well as ways and tactics for overcoming discomfort and reaching goals. Does something really become a habit after a set number of days? Why is mindfulness important, and how do you define consistency? All this, and more, in today's episode.
👨💼 LinkedIn🌐 Website✉️ Discomfort Academy📹 Youtube
🔗 Connect with Alex⏰ Timestamps
How Alex like coding but became a violin player (02:01)Alex moved to Canada via Japan (05:18)"Codecademy is like Duolingo" (06:59)How a product role turned into a marketing role, and that marketing role lead Alex back into coding (07:59)Breaking out of tutorial hell with freeCodeCamp (11:37)Community break with Jan The Producer (13:25)You have to be frustrated to motivate yourself (15:02)How #100DaysOfCode was born (16:55)The basic rules of #100DaysOfCode (19:50)Alex Booker's GitHub activity streak (20:39)Procrastination, rationalization, and manifestations of resistance (21:32)We are a little bit too addicted to comfort (24:44)There's no quick way to break your own resistance and discomfort (25:45)How to maintain your momentum (27:05)What happens if you break the streak of #100DaysOfCode? (29:22)If in the course of 120 days you've coded for 100 days, it's better than if you gave up on day 30 (30:51)Amateur vs professional mindset (31:50)Top tips for making it to the end of #100DaysOfCode (35:28)How to plan your coding challenge (36:21)Following rules blindly is not the answer (37:29)Create a positive feedback loop (39:24)Tutorials should have to include mistakes (40:09)Managing your willpower: there is no plan B (40:53)What is Discomfort Academy? (45:49)Next week on the show, Shaundai Person! (47:32)⭐️ Leave a Review
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Meet Rachel Lee Nabors 🇺🇸🇬🇧! They are an award-winning cartoonist who transitioned to become a developer with a passion for teaching the world how to code. Rachel has worked at major tech companies such as Microsoft, AWS, and Meta. At Meta, they were a pivotal contributor to react.dev, the award-winning version of React documentation.
Rachel is also the author of the Tech Career Survival Guide, a series of Substack essays that may or may not become a book. In these essays, they teach readers about emotional resilience, managing change, and the practical aspects of working in tech. In this episode, Rachel will share their secret for landing high-profile tech jobs, as well as advice for owning your non-linear career path, especially if you're a career changer. You will also discover how to deal with a job market where opportunities may seem scarce and what you can do if nobody seems to be hiring. Plus: why you shouldn't email Dan Abramov, who to reach out to instead, and why collecting feedback from people directly is often better than staring at analytics.
🔗 Connect with Rachel
🧑💼 LinkedIn🌐 Website✉️ The Tech Career Survival Guide🐦 Twitter꩜ Threads🧑🚀 GitHub⏰ Timestamps
How Rachel became a developer while being a cartoonist (01:29)How Rachel handled the career shift into professional development (03:08)Code can make things come to life (05:48)Very few people are given jobs just because they're popular (09:22)Break (11:07)How Rachel gets her FAANG roles (12:28)What to do if nobody's hiring (14:48)How can a new developer create value in the community? (16:28)How Alex did the same (18:41)Great Recession was tough, but it brought up some great engineering (21:17)Increase your chance to get lucky later (25:43)What to do if you don't have a linear career path (27:38)When changing career paths, it can feel like starting from scratch (31:26)Developing expertise is not a good thing! (32:14)Are your skills out of date, and how Rachel transferred her old skills into new roles (33:33)Barista engineering (36:52)Don't be ashamed of your previous work experience, however unrelated (38:40)How Rachel adjusts to change and challenges and helps others do the same through The Tech Career Survival Guide (40:56)⭐️ Leave a Review
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Meet Dominik Piątek 🇵🇱🇬🇧! Dominik moved to the UK from Poland in search of career opportunities. He worked odd jobs, acquired a varied set of skills, and became a partner in a digital agency at the age of 23. That's where he got interested in front-end development, and more than a decade later, Dom is still in London. He's a staff developer who has also led cross-functional teams, worked with complex JavaScript applications and multiple times served as a tech lead.
Dominik interviewed Alex for a job in their previous company. Today, the tables have turned, and Alex interviews Dom. In this episode, you'll learn what Dom looks for in a candidate, what's the difference between a senior developer and a tech lead, and whether or not whiteboard interviews can actually be useful. Dominik also talks about company values and explains the notion of a culture fit once and for all. You'll find out if the hiring processes are getting better, what are the current interview trends, and how different companies optimize their interviews so that they select just the candidates that are right for them.
👨🏻💼 LinkedIn🌐 Website👨🚀 GitHub
🔗 Connect with Dominik⏰ Timestamps
In an interview, you only get one shot (01:34)Sometimes you get nervous, but sometimes you're too relaxed (02:45)How Dominik became a developer (04:19)Why Dominik left Poland (05:21)"This is not like C!" (06:56)It's going to take five years to become comfortable with coding (11:26)Don't be buzzwordy! (12:13)Community break with Jan the Producer (15:50)What do companies want to see in a beginner developer (19:39)If your PR gets destroyed, don't be emotional (23:49)What's a culture fit? (24:39)Can you codify culture? (26:34)A lot of time, values are aspirational (28:13)Why do people tend to hire people like themselves? (29:12)Should you vibe with your job interview? (30:38)Is your ability to interview more important than your coding skills? (32:54)Are whiteboard interviews a culture test? (34:15)Who needs whiteboarding as a skill? (39:33)Do you need computer science fundamentals? (43:54)Closing advice: The job market always ebbs and flows, focus on your own growth! (45:31)Next week on the show: Rachel Lee Nabors (46:45)⭐️ Leave a Review
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Meet Ian Douglas 🇺🇸🇨🇦! Developer, DevRel, Tech Educator, Career Coach, and author of The Tech Interview Guide, Ian Douglas, has been coding professionally since 1996. During that time, he worked at seventeen different companies! So, he probably knows a thing or two about how to transition companies in the most productive and secure way.
Whether you're a new or more experienced developer, sooner or later, the time will come to change companies. How can you be sure it's time to quit your job? How do you hand in your notice, and what do you even write in a resignation letter? Why is a manager who gets surprised by your leaving the company probably not a good manager? How do you hand off your projects, and when do you tell your coworkers you're moving on from the company? When should you publicize your new role on LinkedIn, why do some recruiters hit you up 90 days after you've changed jobs, and ultimately, how should you navigate all this in today's job market?If you need help moving on from your role - or at least renegotiating it, listen to this episode!
🔗 Connect with Ian
👨🏻💼 LinkedIn🌐 Website🐦 Twitter⏰ Timestamps
Alex changed jobs recently! (01:58)"The first thing you really need to understand is why you want to leave the company" (03:16)Have a direction in mind (05:02)It takes six to twelve months to hit your stride at a new job (07:13)With all the info you have currently, could you see yourself being at the new company for at least two years? (09:29)Sometimes the company changes, and that's okay (10:00)Should you feel guilty when quitting your job? (10:49)What you need to know about notice periods (12:46)The risk of resigning (14:42)Get all your paperwork signed first (16:34)What if your current company wants to keep you? (17:31)Even if they manage to keep you, they might not trust in your loyalty (18:59)Always communicate with your manager (21:00)If you leave a job, it shouldn't really surprise your manager (22:29)What if your company can't make the accommodations you need (23:20)You need to be able to trust your manager (25:45)How to communicate your resignation (26:27)How to write your notice letter: it's just a notification email! (28:53)Should you tell the team you're quitting (30:21)Be prepared to lose access to company stuff (31:31)Can you work for a competitor? (32:06)Should you tell your current employer about the new company (33:48)When should you share the news about your new job on LinkedIn? (37:58)🧰 Resources Mentioned
Our previous shows with Ian: An Expert Guide to Technical Interviews, and This Is How You Onboard: Actionable Tips for Developers On a New Job⭐️ Leave a Review
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Meet Jean Lee! She was the nineteenth engineer at WhatsApp (that was even before it got acquired by Facebook!) and then worked at Meta as an engineering manager for six years after the acquisition. She helped set up WhatsApp's London office and also worked on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Her coding journey didn't start there - she discovered tech almost by chance after her family moved to California. She wanted to study art - but after taking art courses at her university, she realized that coding was her thing. She worked at a tiny startup competing with YouTube and a huge corporation, IBM, before she realized which company size suited her best. She became an engineering manager at Meta without ever planning to become one - but when an opportunity arose, she took it. Because how are you ever going to know what you like doing or not if you don't try things? Today, Jean is a cofounder of Exaltitude, providing resources and coaching to software engineers navigating the ever-changing tech landscape and cultivating a community where everyone can grow together.
In this episode, Jean shares her best career advice. You'll also find out what it was like to work at WhatsApp during the expansion, why company culture always changes when a company is scaling up, why inclusive hiring practices are important, and what is one thing that juniors never remember they need to do.
🔗 Connect with Jean
👩💼 Linkedin🌐 Website📹 YouTube⏰ Timestamps
"I had never really met adults who were so into their work before" (01:08)How Jean decided to learn to code (02:50)Should you go to university to become a developer (03:52)Jean's first role: internship at a Youtube competitor (05:14)Jean's second role was at IBM! (05:41)Are bigger companies better? Was WhatsApp a happy medium? (06:49)Is there a difference in how startups and big companies hire? (08:21)The startup scene then vs. now (09:40)Should you follow trends and disruptors? (12:20)Community Break with Jan the Producer (14:50)The challenges of joining WhatsApp early on (16:57)How Jean progressed into a management role (19:19)Give it a go! (21:32)Alex's personality type, and how personality types relate to work (22:21)What was it like to set up the WhatsApp London office? (24:28)"Whenever there's growth, you have to shift the culture" (27:57)Why we need diversity, equity, and inclusion (28:52)"Siri would not understand me, and I was offended" (31:04)How can we support the professional growth of underrepresented people in tech? (32:23)What is Exaltitude (34:05)The number one thing developers struggle with (36:02)Make a brag journal! (39:38)Next week on the podcast: Ian Douglas! (41:44)🧰 Resources Mentioned
ExaltitudeExaltitude YouTube channel⭐️ Leave a Review
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✨Use this link for a free month of O'Reilly Learning and read Anna's book and any other resource on the platform! ✨ Meet Anna Skoulikari! She's a UX designer turned front-end developer, senior technical writer, and the author of "Learning Git" - a book published by O'Reilly Media that teaches Git in a simple, visual, and tangible manner so that you can build a solid mental model of how it all works.
Anna started teaching Git because she had to understand it herself. It's powerful but not the most user-friendly of tools. Yet, Git is what we all have in common, whether we're working on back-end or front-end development, on Windows or a Mac. Even GitHub's lawyers use Git!
If you're learning to code, you probably have many questions. Should you use GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket? What's the difference between a merge request and a pull request? Does it make sense to use Git from your command line, or is a GUI good enough? Where are all those files? And how, for the last time, does any of that work? This episode will help you understand Git and provide you with plenty of practical insights to navigate its complexities effectively.
👩💼 Linkedin🌐 Website
🔗 Connect with Anna⏰ Timestamps
Anna’s journey into coding via UX design (01:44)How Anna decided to conquer her fear of Git (02:25)What is Git? (03:28)What can you use Git for? (04:38)What is GitHub, and what other platforms are out there? (05:35)GitHub’s lawyers also use Git (07:58)Should you use Git for your own projects, even if you’re not collaborating with anyone? (08:27)What is branching? What is merging? (10:39)How do companies typically use Git? (12:14)Community Break with Jan the Producer (16:47)When should a new deveoloper start learning Git? (18:36)Git is a unifying technology (20:27)Why is the terminology around Git so confusing? (21:38)How Anna teaches Git: the colors of the rainbow (23:08)Making the four areas of Git tangible (25:12)How to use git: command line or GUI? (28:04)What are merge conflicts and how to handle them? (33:24)How to practice merge requests and conflicts? (35:47)How Anna decided to write a book on Git, and how O’Reilly chooses animals for the book covers (37:57)🧰 Resources Mentioned
Use this link for a free month of O'Reilly Learning!Learning Git⭐️ Leave a Review
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✨Use this link for a 20% discount on the Scrimba bootcamp! ✨ Meet Michaella Rodriguez! If you're already in the Scrimba Discord community, you probably know her. If not, she's a career changer who discovered Scrimba while learning, like many; she was active in the Scrimba community when Guil recruited the first-ever code reviewers for our bootcamp. Now, she's a bootcamp lead at Scrimba. And no, she never thought she would be a coder - but a friend made her try it.
Yes, Micha and Alex do talk about the Scrimba bootcamp in this episode. But even if you're not interested in the bootcamp, this interview brings a wealth of information that can help you if you're learning to code. You have probably already heard that trying and teaching somebody else is the best way to solidify your learning. Well, in this episode, you'll find out how to do that as a junior, why you should be able to talk about and explain code, and whether you can bring anything to the table in a discussion or a code review if you're not an expert. Also in this episode: group projects, GIT, accountability, (not) letting yourself slide, and Alex's unorthodox StackOverflow strategy.
🔗 Connect with Micha
👩💼 Linkedin🐦 Twitter👩🚀 GitHub🤖 michaellala on Scrimba Discord⏰ Timestamps
How Micha started to learn to code after a friend told her he thought she'd be good at it (01:57)Micha used freeCodeCamp but turned to Scrimba for JavaScript (03:19)Eventually, Micha started working at Scrimba! (04:42)What is the Scrimba Bootcamp? (06:07)What challenges do coding students typically face? (09:45)How Scrimba bootcamp keeps students accountable (10:57)Community Break with Jan the Producer (15:04)Why code reviews are important (17:03)Why you should look to give code reviews and not just get them (18:29)Pay it forward, learn by teaching, and foster community (20:25)How Alex used StackOverflow while learning to code (21:39)Why you should be able to talk about code (22:42)Can beginners actually help someone with their code? (23:28)The best person to teach a subject is somebody who just learned it (26:01)ELI5 (26:54)Some teachers love sounding smart, and that's not always the best for students (28:03)The common traits of successful self-taught developers (29:09)Where to learn more about the Scrimba Bootcamp (30:53)Do group projects as a learner! (33:38)Next week on the show: O'Reilly author of Learning Git, Anna SKoulikari! (35:02)🧰 Resources Mentioned
Use this link for a 20% discount on the Scrimba bootcamp!Scrimba BootcampFrom Lab Coat to Code: Vanessa's Path from Lab Scientist to Developing Lab SoftwareAnna Skoulikari⭐️ Leave a Review
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Meet Parul Singh 🇬🇧! Parul is a Tech Careers & Neurodiversity Consultant, ADHD advocate, board member at Manchester Tech Festival, Public Speaker, and a former recruitment marketing partner and tech recruiter. The last time she was on the show, she gave us advice on how to stand out and land a role in tech.
Today, we're talking about neurodiversity! What does it mean, why do we need it, why do tech companies seem to attract neurodivergent talent, and how can we create a more inclusive workplace? In this episode, you'll find out why neurodivergent conditions aren't superpowers (but sometimes feel like they are), why some people get diagnosed late, and whether self-diagnosis is valid. Parul is passionate about these topics because of her own lived experience with ADHD and autism, which intersects with her being a woman of color. But even if you're not neurodivergent yourself, chances are you've worked with or managed somebody who is... so tune in!
🔗 Connect with Parul
👨💼 Linkedin📪 Parul's Dopamine Diaries Newsletter🌐 Linktree🐦 Twitter⏰ Timestamps
What are they: neurodivergent, neurotypical, neurodiversity (02:22)The medical model of neurodivergent conditions is deficit-focused (04:13)Stereotypes and internalized ableism (05:53)What is masking? (08:16)Are neurodivergent conditions classified as disabilities? (09:02)Is being neurodivergent a superpower? (10:08)What are the challenges for an employer in working with neurodiverse employees? (12:43)How many people working in tech are neurodivergent? (14:01)You have probably already worked with neurodivergent coworkers (15:43)On setting expectations, handling challenging situations, and sharing personal stories (16:43)Double empathy problem (20:20)Modern corporate culture and delivery pressure (22:09)How Parul got diagnosed with ADHD at 25 (24:56)Misdiagnosis, and why autism and ADHD mask each other out (26:34)You are diagnosed based on how much you inconvenience other people (28:13)ADHD medication (30:26)The importance of intersectionality (32:29)Learned skills vs. habitual skills (34:10)Is self-diagnosis valid (37:22)🧰 Resources Mentioned
Annual Report: Diversity in Tech in the UKParul's Dopamine Diaries NewsletterParul's previous interview⭐️ Leave a Review
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Meet Özge Ahras 🇹🇷! Özge studied computer enigneering, but felt her coding skills weren't up to par. She yearned to transition into frontend development and explore cutting-edge technologies, but the company she had spent eight years in was relying on vanilla javascript. Eventually, she discovered Scrimba, back in the day before the Frontend Career Path even existed. Can you imagine?
Özge fell in love with Scrimba's pedagogy and enrolled in the Path. But the journey wasn't without its challenges. It took her two and a half years to complete the course, balancing her studies with a demanding full-time job. And in February 2023, a devastating earthquake struck her hometown in southern Turkey. Yet Özge persevered, realizing that the true investment lay in nurturing her own growth and peace of mind.
Today, Özge is a front-end developer living in sunny Malta! You'll hear how she picked where she wanted to move and how she went about hunting for jobs, as well as learn one trick that boosted her job application success rate. Özge also shares the details of her interview process (spoiler: there was a bit that was slightly unconventional).
This is a story about giving yourself grace and time, staying motivated, and remaining curious!
👩💼 Linkedin🌐 Portfolio👩🚀 GitHub
🔗 Connect with Özge⏰ Resources Mentioned
Özge studied computer engineering and worked at the same company for eight years, but wanted to get better at frontend (01:03)How it felt to relearn JavaScript and React (04:15)Why JavaScript fixed 90% of Özge's work problems (06:43)Community Break with Jan the Producer (07:48)How Özge stayed motivated and learned to code alongside her full-time job (09:43)Özge's mindset shifted after a devastating earthquake that hit her hometown (11:13)Invest in yourself, that's the only thing you can't lose (12:50)The aftermath of the earthquake (14:02)Letting go of material goals (17:38)Why Özge moved to Malta to continue her career (18:35)Özge's job-hunting process: ChatGPT and reaching out directly (22:09)Özge's job interview (22:41)How Özge got a same-day coding assignment... And successfully completed it! (24:53)HR questions and a technical interview (26:31)And finally, the latest technologies! (27:41)🧰 Resources Mentioned
Learn React for free!Scrimba BootcampFrontend Career Path⭐️ Leave a Review
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Meet Amy Posten 🇺🇸! Amy was a veterinary technician for fifteen years before she decided to switch careers. First, she discovered freeCodeCamp while on maternity leave. Later, she joined a premium bootcamp but didn't feel quite ready to apply for coding jobs afterward, so she turned to Scrimba to polish her skills. Nowadays, she's a front-end engineer and instructor.
In this episode, you'll learn how to figure out what kind of job you want and what was a small change in her job-hunting approach that brought Amy immediate results. You'll discover what are the gaps in knowledge one might have after a bootcamp, and how you can make learning to code less lonely. Finally, Amy and Alex discuss generative AI tools and how you can use them in your job hunt.
👩💼 Linkedin
🔗 Connect with Amy⏰ Timestamps
How Amy became a Veterinary Technician (01:32)Maternity leave on freeCodeCamp, and a career change brought up by the pandemic (04:38)Why Amy likes JavaScript, HTML, and CSS (06:59)Why Amy decided to join a bootcamp (08:56)The importance of getting to connect with people (11:16)Social media break with Jan the Producer (12:43)How to make learning to code less lonely (14:12)Joining a bootcamp is like drinking from a fire hose (16:27)Amy discovered Scrimba through her bootcamp! (18:31)After the bootcamp, Amy also joined the Scrimba bootcamp (19:37)Why Amy decided to start from scratch on Scrimba (21:35)How Amy found her north star and became a teacher (24:48)Amy changed her approach to job applications and got immediate results! (28:26)Amy's reach-out strategy and how she got a job interview at the company she currently works at (31:52)How to figure out what kind of job you want (35:11)Amy's job interview (36:04)How to use AI tools in your job hunt (40:22)🧰 Resources Mentioned
Scrimba podcast: The State of React (and Should You Still Learn It in 2024), with Dev AgrawalScrimba podcast: An expert guide to technical interviews with Ian DouglasScrimba podcast: This Is How You Onboard: Actionable Tips for Developers On a New Job from Ian DouglasLearn React for free!Scrimba BootcampScrimba's Discord community⭐️ Leave a Review
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