Develop Yourself

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?

Send us a text

Shameless Plugs

🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI

🤔 Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here

Apply for 1 of 12 spots at Parsity - Learn to build complex software with AI integrations.

AI Bootcamp - for software developers who want to be the expert on their team when it comes to AI

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

Send us a text

Shameless Plugs

🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI

🤔 Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here

Apply for 1 of 12 spots at Parsity - Learn to build complex software with AI integrations.

AI Bootcamp - for software developers who want to be the expert on their team when it comes to AI

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

Send us a text

Shameless Plugs

🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI

🤔 Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here

Apply for 1 of 12 spots at Parsity - Learn to build complex software with AI integrations.

AI Bootcamp - for software developers who want to be the expert on their team when it comes to AI

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.

Send us a text

Shameless Plugs

🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI

🤔 Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here

Apply for 1 of 12 spots at Parsity - Learn to build complex software with AI integrations.

AI Bootcamp - for software developers who want to be the expert on their team when it comes to AI

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 learning

Check 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

Send us a text

Shameless Plugs

🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI

🤔 Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here

Apply for 1 of 12 spots at Parsity - Learn to build complex software with AI integrations.

AI Bootcamp - for software developers who want to be the expert on their team when it comes to AI

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

Shameless Plugs

🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI

🤔 Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here

Apply for 1 of 12 spots at Parsity - Learn to build complex software with AI integrations.

AI Bootcamp - for software developers who want to be the expert on their team when it comes to AI

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

Send us a text

Shameless Plugs

🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI

🤔 Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here

Apply for 1 of 12 spots at Parsity - Learn to build complex software with AI integrations.

AI Bootcamp - for software developers who want to be the expert on their team when it comes to AI

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.

Send us a text

Shameless Plugs

🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI

🤔 Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here

Apply for 1 of 12 spots at Parsity - Learn to build complex software with AI integrations.

AI Bootcamp - for software developers who want to be the expert on their team when it comes to AI

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

Send us a text

Shameless Plugs

🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI

🤔 Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here

Apply for 1 of 12 spots at Parsity - Learn to build complex software with AI integrations.

AI Bootcamp - for software developers who want to be the expert on their team when it comes to AI

The developer landscape is shifting. Fast.

AI isn’t replacing developers—it’s replacing the kind of developer that only knows how to write boilerplate and follow tutorials.

There are some practical skills you're going to want to pick up in the AI era and a few I'm kinda sad to say are becoming less relevant by the day.

I mentioned my unit testing project in this episode - it's still worth checking out IMO. 

Grab it here: https://github.com/CodeCoachJS/js_pro_unit_testing

Send us a text

Shameless Plugs

🧑‍💻 Free 5 day email course to go from HTML to AI

🤔 Got a question you want answered on the pod? Drop it here

Apply for 1 of 12 spots at Parsity - Learn to build complex software with AI integrations.

AI Bootcamp - for software developers who want to be the expert on their team when it comes to AI