The Scrimba Podcast

🎙 About the episode

Meet Nadia Zhuk 🇧🇾! Nadia made a switch to coding from journalism at the age of 25. That decision has got her moving countries not once but twice! Nowadays, she lives in London, works at Intercom, and helps aspiring developers. She's also written a book, Crossing the Rubycon, filled with practical advice and insider tips on learning to code and building a programming career.

In this episode, Nadia shares her story and many things she's learned along the way! You'll get to know what's it like to learn to code without a technical background, how to manage your mindset and mental health during the process, and what's Nadia's take on choosing your first programming language. Nadia and Alex also discuss common stereotypes about programming,  gatekeeping within the industry, and what are the critical but often overlooked factors in choosing what to learn. 

🔗 Connect with Nadia

• 👨🏻‍💼 LinkedIn
• 🌐 Dev.to
• 🐦 Twitter
• 📹 YouTube

⏰ Timestamps

• Nadia's journey into coding and move to Poland (01:41)
• Can you learn to code with no computer education whatsoever? (06:48)
• Why Nadia chose the self-taught route (08:16)
• How and why Nadia chose to learn Ruby (11:17)
• What influences your choice of a programming language (13:33)
• How to choose your first coding language if you're not technical (14:43)
• What to do (and what not to do) if you're learning to code on your own (17:03)
• Is coding creative? (23:17)
• The biggest stereotypes about being a programmer... and why they're wrong
• Can anyone learn to code? (28:26)
• Gatekeeping in the industry - and gatekeeping that's self-imposed (29:50)
• Quick-fire questions: favorite programming language, JavaScript, frameworks, chatbots, caffeinated beverages, London, and cats! (32:54)

🧰 Resources mentioned

• Nadia's book, Crossing the Rubycon: How to Learn to Code and Build a Programming Career
• Women Who Code

⭐️ Leave a Review

If you enjoy this episode, please leave a 5-star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.

You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

🎙 About the episode

Meet Ollie Church 🇬🇧! Ollie started out as an actor. He took up coding as a hobby during a lockdown and made a puzzle game partially inspired by an escape room where he worked at the time. Now he works in fintech!

This episode is about lockdowns, hobbies, motivation, and having fun. Ollie talks about his career change and approach to goal-setting. He also shares advice on choosing portfolio projects, as well as dealing with rejection - something that actors are maybe even more familiar with than new developers.

You'll find out how an online game he made for fun brought Ollie some income even before he landed his firs junior developer role, and what it's like to accidentally be interviewed for a senior role when you're applying for a junior position. Spoiler: Ollie did get the job in the end!

You'll also get an inside scoop on working as an actor, and how the pandemic has impacted the world of performing arts and in-person experiences.

🔗 Connect with Ollie

• 👨🏻‍💼 LinkedIn
• 🌐 Website
• 👩‍🚀 GitHub
• 🐦 Twitter
• 🎥 Acting reel

⏰ Timestamps

• What is's like being an actor (01:59)
• Theater, in-person experiences, and performing arts during the COVID-19 pandemic (03:18)
• How Ollie took up coding (07:55)
• Front-end development as a hobby (09:34)
• How Ollie and his partner created their first online puzzle game (11:43)
• How to make learning to code playful, and how to choose portfolio projects (14:17)
• Ollie's puzzle game became a work project! Here's how that happened. (17:13)
• Should you apply before you're ready? How Ollie navigated changing careers and defined his goals and deadlines (20:53)
• Ollie's job hunt stats (25:51)
• An interview process from hell (16:15)
• How Ollie got his current job - it started with a rejection (30:13)
• How to deal with rejection and when is the common advice about it actually useful (31:03)
• The interview that got Ollie his current job... and how it went wrong (33:30)
• First months on the job and imposter syndrome (38:33)
• Ollie's closing advice for new developers: do the projects you think are fun and focus on showing up. It's a marathon, not a sprint!

🧰 Resources mentioned

• The Frontend Developer Career Path
• "Happy", by Derren Brown

⭐️ Leave a Review

If you enjoy this episode, please leave a 5-star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.

You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

🎙 About the episode

Meet Guil Hernandez 🇺🇸! You've heard of a learning curve, but what about the forgetting curve? Don't worry, Guil can help you not get overwhelmed. He is a developer and educator with over 15 years of experience in tech, and in this episode, he teaches you how to get better at learning. Guil and Alex also talk about Scrimba Bootcamp, a brand new study program that Guil has been working on.

Guil has developed over one hundred coding courses and workshops and comes from a teaching environment, so he also answers the dreaded question of what makes a good teacher. You'll also learn different learning techniques that might work for you, what's the Ebbinghaus' forgetting curve, and what it was like to make stuff for the web back in the early days of Web 2.0. Alex and Guil also discuss scopes, structure, and the importance of storytelling in teaching, as well as why you won't vibe with every YouTube tutorial out there... but you might still want to learn from multiple sources.

🔗 Connect with Guil

• 🐦 Twitter
• 🌐  Website
• 👩‍🚀 Github
• 🤖 Guil from Scrimba#6455 on the Scrimba Discord

⏰ Timestamps

• How Guil got into coding (01:18)
• Web development in the early days of Web 2.0 (03:02)
• Do you need a computer science degree to consider yourself a developer? (04:50)
• How Guil became a teacher (06:17)
• What makes a good teacher (07:18)
• The science of learning (10:38)
• What's the forgetting curve, and what you can do about it (11:54)
• How to not make a learning process overwhelming (14:07)
• Learning techniques that work for Guil: Scheduling study time, Pomodoro technique, Keeping a study log (16:15)
• Scrimba now has Solo projects: What are they, and how can they help you learn better? (20:32)
• What is Scrimba Bootcamp and the benefits of code reviews and getting feedback (25:24)
• Quick-fire questions: Code editors, coding music, Web 3.0, and Puerto Rico (27:48)
• Closing advice: be a librarian, not an encyclopedia 

🧰 Resources mentioned

• Scrimba Bootcamp
• Comparing Scrimba Pro and Scrimba Bootcamp plans

⭐️ Leave a Review

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review here and tell us who you want to see on the next podcast.

You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

🎙 About the episode

Meet Yin Chu Rijnaard 🇳🇱! Yin Chu is a new developer who landed a job offer after only seven months of learning to code! In the meantime, he also became a Scrimba Community Hero.

In this episode, Yin Chu shares his approach to learning to code, why he chose front-end development and some of the struggles he encountered along the way. He also talks about his involvement in the Scrimba Discord community and how he became our Community Hero. On Scrimba's Discord, you can award karma points to other users, and Yin is currently on top of the leaderboard. You'll learn more about online communities, their unexpected benefits, and Yin Chu's approach to helping other newbie developers online.

Plus: Alex shares Scrimba's origin story!

🔗 Connect with Yin Chu

• 👨🏻‍💼 LinkedIn
• 🌐 Website
• 👩‍🚀 GitHub
• 🐦 Twitter
• 🤖 YinChuRijnaard#2266 on the Scrimba Discord

⏰ Timestamps

• Yin Chu got into coding by way of business school (01:27)
• Front-end development for visual learners (02:40)
• How Yin Chu learned to code while at work (04:11)
• Yin's approach to learning (05:11)
• Learning to code when English is not your first language (09:04)
• How to become a Scrimba community hero (11:39)
• A surprising benefit of being in Scrimba's Discord community (15:10)
• Why you should help people (16:20)
• Yin Chu's new job... and LinkedIn's Easy Apply (17:23)
• Good LinkedIn profile strategies (19:29)
• Yin Chu's interview process (21:24)
• You have to play the long game (24:50)

🧰 Resources mentioned

• Free JavaScript course
• Scrimba's Discord Server

⭐️ Leave a Review

If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5-star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.

You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

🎙 About the episode

Meet Cameron 🇬🇧! Cameron is a full-stack software engineer, podcaster, and co-founder of The Coder Career. But before learning to code, he studied business... and worked as a tech recruiter! This episode is all about networking. How to do it? What to say? And... To whom? Do you have to be an extrovert to become good at it?

Cameron will teach you why networking is important and how to go about it. He will also give you scripts for different situations - from reaching out to a recruiter on LinkedIn to starting a conversation with somebody at a meetup. Alex and Cameron discuss how to stand out when applying for a job and how recruiters operate. There are more junior developers than junior positions, and we hope this episode will help you get your foot in the door! Or, at least, nurture your professional relationships - you never know when can they come in handy.

🔗 Connect with Cameron

• 🐦 Twitter
• 🌐  The Coder Career
• 🔈 The Coder Career podcast episode with Simon Barker

🧰 Resources mentioned

• Never Eat Alone

⭐️ Leave a Review

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5-star review here and tell us who you want to see on the next podcast.

You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

🎙 About the episode

Meet Ansub Khan 🇮🇳! Ansub has always been drawn to front-end development, but he took a couple of detours: he studied computer science and tried to learn C, C++, Java, and Python. In the end, he got a job by creating a website for a self-sustaining AI, while chatting to his now CEO about robots and quantum mechanics.

In this episode, you'll learn how to know when to go back to the basics of what you're learning, why rushing to get a job isn't always a good idea, and how a sprinkle of stoic philosophy can help you on your journey. Ansub shares details of his pretty unconventional job interview, as well as his approach to figuring out which jobs to apply to. He also talks about all of his failed job applications and what he learned from them.

🔗 Connect with Ansub

• 👨🏻‍💼 LinkedIn
• 🌐 Website
• 👩‍🚀 GitHub
• 🐦 Twitter

🧰 Resources mentioned

• Scrimba's Front End Career Path
• Bob's React course (FREE!)
• Maya Labs

⭐️ Leave a Review

If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5 star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.

You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

🎙 About the episode

Meet Shannon Brown 🇺🇸! Shannon is an experienced tech recruiter in a company known for diversity. In this interview, she will teach you how to get your foot in the door even if you're coming from an unconventional background. A good recruiter should know how to recognize an overlap between your skills and job requirements, but there are also things you can do to make your application stand out. 

In this episode, we're talking about the dreaded ATS, the importance of storytelling, and cover letters (which might not be as crucial as you'd think... unless they're required)! You will learn how recruiters operate and what they're looking for, and why both recruiters and job applicants should be in it for the long game. You'll also find out when is the right time to apply for a job and how to troubleshoot an unsuccessful application. Plus: photos on CVs, font preferences, free resume reviews, and tough coffees. 

⏰ Timestamps

• Shannon's work as a technical recruiter (01:02)
• The importance of domain knowledge (03:57)
• What recruiters do, what they should do, and why some of them have a bad reputation (05:54)
• Why both recruiters and job-seekers should focus more on building relationships (10:21)
• How to contact a recruiter, and what's the ideal first message (12:31) 
• Should you be afraid of an ATS (application tracking system)? (14:39)
• When is the best time to apply for a job? (16:29)
• What is a well-optimized resume? (19:01)
• Are cover letters necessary? (22:48)
• Cover letters as a tool to provide additional information (24:50)
• Storytelling on your resume (28:34)
• How to know when not to use job-hunting advice from influencers (30:00)
• Setting career goals helps you write a better job application (31:17)
• How to get free feedback on your resume (32:46)
• Quick-fire questions: fonts and photos on a resume, practicing self-care during a job search, debugging your job application
• What is the most important thing to do when looking for a job? (38:21)

🔗 Connect with Shannon

• 🐦 Twitter
• 👨🏻‍💼 LinkedIn

⭐️ Leave a Review

If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5-star review here and tell us who you want to see on the next podcast.

You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

🎙 About the episode

Meet Kynnedy 🇺🇸! She recently made history as the first student who found a job through Scrimba's Discord! She originally wanted to be an air traffic controller, but ended up working in hospitality. After she became a mom, Kynnedy decided on a career change. And she succeeded! 🎉

In this episode, you'll get handy tips on how to learn better and make whatever you're learning stick. Kynnedy shares what she did right, but also what she did wrong, as well as her approach to creating a more memorable developer portfolio. You'll hear her story about learning enough about front-end development to go from zero to becoming a code reviewer on Scrimba in only a few months. Plus: how to know you're ready to apply for jobs, and how how to code with a baby. :)

🔗 Connect with Kynnedy

• 👨🏻‍💼 LinkedIn
• 🌐 Website
• 🐦 Twitter

⏰ Timestamps

• How Kynnedy got into coding (02:00)
• Bootcamp vs a self-directed route (04:03)
• Learning to code while being a new parent (04:57)
• Kynnedy's path and learning style with Scrimba (05:49)
• Dealing with self-doubt when learning to code (06:58)
• How to choose projects for you developer portfolio? (09:38)
• How Kynnedy knew she was ready to start applying for jobs (14:22)
• How Kynnedy put herself out there... and got no results (14:57)
• Getting an interview through Scrimba's discord (16:00)
• Kynnedy as a code reviewer on Scrimba (17:42)
• Kynnedy's interview process (19:50)
• Coding advice for younger Kynnedy (25:48)

🧰 Resources mentioned

• Scrimba's Front End Career Path
• Gary Simon on YouTube
• Build and deploy your portfolio with Kevin Powell

⭐️ Leave a Review

If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5 star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.

You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

🎙 About the episode

Meet Kevin Powell 🇨🇦! Kevin is a CSS Evangelist and educator. He makes weekly YouTube videos, streams on twitch, writes articles, and teaches courses. His mission is to show new developers that CSS is fun and teach them how it works... and why it works the way it does.

In this episode, you'll learn how not to get frustrated with CSS, how to debug it, why people struggle with it, and how come we might never see a launch of CSS 4. Kevin also explains why different browsers render CSS differently and how much should you actually care about that. Alex and Kevin also discuss how the web gets made behind the scenes and how you can join the conversation and suggest the features you'd like to see in certain technologies. Plus: Bad design trends, tools and plugins, CSS memes, and tabs vs spaces.

🔗 Connect with Kevin

• 📹 YouTube
• 🐦 Twitter
• 🌐 Website
• 👩‍🚀 GitHub

⏰ Timestamps

• How Kevin found himself in the world of web design (01:28)
• Can a new developer focus solely on CSS? (04:26)
• What is a CSS Evangelist? (07:12)
• Why do people struggle with CSS? (09:04)
• Why CSS works the way it does (12:15)
• CSS tools you should use (14:12)
• CSS extensions for your editor (16:14)
• The learning curve of CSS and the importance of experience 18:04
• Why different browsers render CSS differently (and why it sometimes doesn't work) (21:18)
• Progressive enhancement and accessibility (25:53)
• The history of CSS (29:21)
• Will there ever be a CSS4? (33:11)
• How to stay in the loop and join the conversation around features (35:18)
• Quick-fire questions (37:33)

🧰 Resources mentioned

• Kevin's courses on Scrimba
• Miriam Suzanne
• Adam Argyle
• Modern CSS

⭐️ Leave a Review

If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5 star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.

You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

🎙 About the episode

Meet Anthony 🇳🇱! Anthony worked as a Guest Experience Teamleader at the Sea Life aquarium in Scheveningen, where he got his feet wet in the world of the web by helping set up and manage the aquarium's new website. Web development enticed him with its unlimited possibilities and he quickly realized he wanted to do it as a job.

In this episode, you'll learn why to set goals, why deadlines are important, how to use the Pareto principle, and how to create consistency in your learning. Anthony also shares his tips for crafting a resume (very important if you're switching careers!) and choosing your portfolio projects.

🔗 Connect with Anthony

• 👨🏻‍💼 LinkedIn
• 🌐 Website
• 👩‍🚀 GitHub
• 🤖 Ant Casson#2260 on the Scrimba Discord

⏰ Timestamps

• How Anthony got started with web development (01:32)
• How Anthony switched careers in a year (03:36)
• Keeping a consistent schedule (04:44)
• How Scrimba provided Anthony with structure (06:48)
• Anthony's strategy for getting his first junior developer job (11:18) 
• Putting effort into applications (13:09)
• How many emails should you send? (14:24)
• Getting a job within ten minutes from an interview! (16:11)
• Negotiating an offer when changing careers (19:57)
• The importance of setting a goal (22:43)
• The Pareto Principle (23:58)
• Learning on YouTube, or from documentation (26:05)

🧰 Resources mentioned

• Scrimba's Front End Career Path
• The new React Docs
• MDN Web Docs

⭐️ Leave a Review

If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5 star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.

You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏