In this episode of The Frontend Masters Podcast, Todd Gardner, co-founder of TrackJS and RequestMetrics, discusses his journey from consultant to entrepreneur. He shares insights on bootstrapping SaaS products, competing against VC-backed companies, and the importance of charging customers for your product or service early. Todd delves into technical aspects of his products' stacks, including the use of .NET Core, Clickhouse, and HTMX. He offers advice on public speaking, teaching, and maintaining healthy co-founder relationships. The conversation covers web performance optimization, JavaScript error monitoring, and the challenges of balancing product development with marketing efforts. Todd also reflects on his career philosophy of continuous learning and adaptation in the fast-paced tech industry.

Marc has captured his advice on startups in this article, originally an email to Todd in 2014: https://marcgrabanski.com/articles/your-advice-startups/

Check out Todd’s Frontend Masters courses here: https://frontendmasters.com/teachers/todd-gardner/

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Advance your skills with in-depth, modern front-end engineering courses — our 150+ high-quality courses and 18 curated learning paths will guide you from mid-level to senior developer! https://frontendmasters.com/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=home_link&utm_campaign=podcastepisode21

In this 20th episode of The Frontend Masters Podcast, Francesca Sadikin, a software engineer at Netflix, shares her journey from architecture to tech. She discusses her experience at a software engineering consulting firm, rapid career progression, and landing a role at Netflix. Sadikin offers insights on transitioning into tech, the benefits of software consulting for skill accumulation, and the challenges of working at a top-tier tech company. She also delves into her approach to teaching and public speaking, emphasizing the importance of practice and preparation. The conversation covers strategies for managing imposter syndrome, the value of autonomy in Netflix's work culture, and balancing career growth with personal life as a new parent.

Check out Francesca’s Frontend Masters courses here: https://frontendmasters.com/teachers/francesca-sadikin/

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About Us:

Advance your skills with in-depth, modern front-end engineering courses — our 150+ high-quality courses and 18 curated learning paths will guide you from mid-level to senior developer!

 https://frontendmasters.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=home_link&utm_campaign=podcastepisode20

In this episode, Kadi Kraman, a software developer at Expo, discusses her journey from scientific programming to React Native development. She shares insights on her experiences at companies like Formidable and her work on projects such as the Puma app. Kadi delves into the evolution of Expo, explaining how it has addressed previous limitations and become the recommended framework for React Native. She explores the concept of React Native frameworks, the benefits of Expo Go, and the introduction of development builds. The conversation also touches on emerging trends in React Native, including React Strictum and efforts to align React Native more closely with web standards. Finally, Kadi offers advice on getting into tech speaking and teaching, and reflects on the importance of tackling challenges and continuous learning in software development.

Check out Kadi’s Frontend Masters courses here: https://frontendmasters.com/teachers/kadi-kraman/

Frontend Masters Online:

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About Us:

Advance your skills with in-depth, modern front-end engineering courses — our 150+ high-quality courses and 18 curated learning paths will guide you from mid-level to senior developer! https://frontendmasters.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=home_link&utm_campaign=podcastepisode19

In this episode, Maximiliano Firtman discusses his journey as a web and mobile developer spanning over 20 years. He shares insights on the evolution of mobile web development, from early WAP and J2ME applications to modern Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). Firtman reflects on his experiences teaching, speaking at conferences, and consulting internationally from his base in Buenos Aires. He explores the changing landscape of web technologies, the current state of PWAs, and the industry's shift in terminology from "PWAs" to "web apps." Firtman also delves into the importance of understanding vanilla JavaScript in today's development ecosystem and offers advice for aspiring speakers and teachers in the tech industry.Check out Maximiliano’s Frontend Masters courses here: https://frontendmasters.com/teachers/firt/Find Frontend Masters Online:Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrontendMastersLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frontend-masters/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrontendMastersInstagram: https://instagram.com/FrontendMastersAbout Us:Advance your skills with in-depth, modern front-end engineering courses — our 150+ high-quality courses and 18 curated learning paths will guide you from mid-level to senior developer! https://frontendmasters.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=home_link&utm_campaign=podcastepisode18

In this episode, Evgenii Ray discusses his journey from a remote, economically challenged region to becoming a software engineer at Meta and a Frontend Masters instructor. He shares insights on transitioning from backend to frontend development, the importance of persistence in learning, and his experience creating educational content on YouTube. Ray emphasizes the value of internships, studying abroad, and continuous learning in advancing one's tech career. He also touches on his work at JetBrains and his current role at Meta, his preparation for technical interviews, and his passion for teaching and sharing knowledge with the developer community. The conversation covers topics such as system design for frontend, the benefits of teaching as a learning tool, and the challenges of overcoming significant cultural and geographic barriers for career growth.Check out Evgenii’s Frontend Masters courses here: https://frontendmasters.com/teachers/evgenii-ray/Find Frontend Masters Online:Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrontendMastersLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frontend-masters/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrontendMastersInstagram: https://instagram.com/FrontendMastersAbout Us:Advance your skills with in-depth, modern front-end engineering courses — our 150+ high-quality courses and 18 curated learning paths will guide you from mid-level to senior developer! https://frontendmasters.com/?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=home_link&utm_campaign=podcastepisode17

In this episode, Marc sits down with Charlie Gerard as she shares her cutting-edge experiments, including hacking a car using JavaScript, tracking live data from airplanes, and controlling interfaces with brain sensors. Charlie also discusses using machine learning with TensorFlow.js, her creative projects during the pandemic like detecting running movements to play videos, and her journey from marketing to coding. This episode offers deep insights into the practical applications of JavaScript and the importance of mentorship in a tech career.Check out Charlie’s Frontend Masters courses here: https://frontendmasters.com/teachers/charlie-gerard/Find Frontend Masters Online:Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrontendMastersLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frontend-masters/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrontendMastersInstagram: https://instagram.com/FrontendMastersAbout Us:Advance your skills with in-depth, modern front-end engineering courses — our 150+ high-quality courses and 18 curated learning paths will guide you from mid-level to senior developer! https://frontendmasters.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=home_link&utm_campaign=podcastepisode16

In this episode, Marc Grabanski speaks with Paul Boag, a veteran web designer with over 20 years of experience. We talk about the early days of podcasting with the Boagworld podcast. Marc explores Paul’s transition from traditional web design to modern practices, focusing on CSS adoption and the impact of web standards. Paul also shares insights from his shift away from agency life towards a more flexible, travel-oriented work style. The discussion covers technical evolutions in web design, the critical importance of accessibility, and practical challenges faced by web professionals today.

Check out Paul’s Frontend Masters courses here: 

https://frontendmasters.com/teachers/paul-boag/

Find Frontend Masters Online:

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About Us:

Advance your skills with in-depth, modern front-end engineering courses — our 150+ high-quality courses and 18 curated learning paths will guide you from mid-level to senior developer! https://frontendmasters.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=home_link&utm_campaign=podcastepisode15

In this episode, we talk with Melkey, a popular Twitch streamer (and Twitch employee) with a unique background in robotics, machine learning, and a wide range of sports. We talk about the technical challenges of machine learning, wrestling to rugby, his first job fixing go-karts, and eventually getting into software dev and landing at Twitch. Expect tech and career advice mixed with lighthearted banter as Melkey shares his experiences and insights, significantly impacting tech and streaming content. 

Check out Melkey’s Frontend Masters courses here: https://frontendmasters.com/teachers/melkey/

Find Frontend Masters Online:

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frontend-masters/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrontendMasters

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About Us:

Advance your skills with in-depth, modern front-end engineering courses — our 150+ high-quality courses and 18 curated learning paths will guide you from mid-level to senior developer! https://frontendmasters.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=home_link&utm_campaign=podcastepisode14

(Video Podcast available on Spotify and Youtube)

In Episode 12, Lydia Hallie takes us through her tech journey, from early coding experiments to becoming a prominent figure in the developer community as a Staff Developer Relations Engineer for Vercel. Lydia shares her unique approach to tech talks, emphasizing authenticity and leveraging visual storytelling to make complex concepts accessible. She discusses the challenges of public speaking, her collaboration with Addy Osmani on patterns.dev, and her strategies for engaging with her audience beyond conventional presentation styles. Lydia also opens up about her personal struggles with burnout, highlighting the critical need for balance between work intensity and self-care. Her story is not just about her technical achievements but also about her insights into maintaining passion and productivity in tech. Lydia's reflections offer valuable lessons on the importance of self-awareness and the courage to prioritize well-being alongside professional growth.

Check out Lydia Hallie’s Frontend Master’s courses here: https://frontendmasters.com/teachers/lydia-hallie/

Find Frontend Masters Online: Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/FrontendMasters⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/frontend-masters/⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/FrontendMasters⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/FrontendMasters⁠

About Us: Advance your skills with in-depth, modern front-end engineering courses — our 150+ high-quality courses and 18 curated learning paths will guide you from mid-level to senior developer! ⁠https://frontendmasters.com/