New Year, new me, new career: First-hand advice from developers

Come to think of New Year, we often think about changes.

Sometimes that changes are smaller (e.g., going blond), and sometimes they are pretty huge (like becoming a software developer). 🤔

Here at Kodius, we have a few people who turned their careers in a completely different direction, and now they are killing it. 💪 👨💻

The three most important things could be research, planning, and dedication. ❗

Without further ado, our developers have really given themselves in to provide the best possible advice.

To all of you who think their current occupation isn't good enough... Take a look below. 😎

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From a first-hand experience - This is a plan that works :)

1️⃣ Research: Do detailed research where could your programming career take you and where you could fit in the most. Also, research the labor market and see if there are job advertisements in this type of programming. Finally, investigate what kind of future is envisioned for the area to make sure it is not a language that is in decline.

2️⃣ Create your progress path: When you choose something (e.g., frontend), find out which languages are used in the area and see if you like any of them (via youtube), again check the labor market what is most in demand. Create a learning path. The path I created was: HTML - CSS - JAVASCRIPT - REACT. With the help of cheap Udemy courses, blogs, and youtube, start learning according to the path you created.

3️⃣ Execute the plan every day: Try to work with the plan every day, even if it's only 20 minutes. This is the hardest part of the journey and the most time-consuming, so you need to be very persistent.

4️⃣ Make up projects: The best way to acquire programming skills is to learn not only through tutorials but also when mastering something new - immediately make up a project to consolidate the knowledge.

5️⃣ Make a portfolio: After developing a solid knowledge structure, gather three or four projects with the most notable things you have learned. If you haven't worked in that industry, this is a great way to show your employer what you can do.

6️⃣ Prepare for Interview: Most companies have a technical interview, and you need to prepare well for it. Udemy or youtube

7️⃣ Apply for a job

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My message would be that if you are already changing careers/occupations, definitely go for something that r.e.a.l.l.y. interests you (maybe turn a hobby into a job). Then, after deciding what you want to do for the rest of your life, you should be ready for a lot of learning and getting out of your comfort zone (especially if you are about to do something you have never done before). After that, the rest comes by itself.

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Essentially, it is very simple. If you really want it, you have to invest a lot of time (approximately 6-12 months). The most important thing, from my perspective, is to make a learning path that is based daily but also weekly and monthly. Sticking to a schedule, being consistent is the most important thing. Of course, there will be all kinds of days in terms of motivation, and that is why the most important thing is to instill habits. I recommend YouTube, Udemy, Coursera, freeCodeCamp, MDN, and W3Schools sites as learning materials. There are excellent channels on YouTube, both theoretical and practical, where you can learn a lot through various projects. If you decide on the frontend direction, you should start with HTML, CSS, and Javascript basics. I recommend that you first learn Javascript quite thoroughly before switching to some framework (React or Vue would be a recommendation). I am sending a link to a very good roadmap to get a very good idea of what is needed. Basically, the most important things are scheduling, creating habits, and a desire to learn.

Roadmap: https://roadmap.sh/frontend

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To get involved in programming, it must be interesting for you because it is a profession in which you have to be ready to learn all the time, try new things and improve. And how to start? Coursera, Udemy, and YouTube are always a good idea 😉

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Already changed your career? Looking for a job?

Send your application to careers@kodius.com :D