The Scrimba Podcast

🎙 About the episode

Tony is a successful Scrimba student from Los Angeles who was recently got their first Junior Developer job at Activision! Tony used to work in finance but hated it. He knew he wanted to find meaningful work that allowed him to prioritize his mental health but couldn't afford to quit outright. For months on end, Tony learned to code alongside his full-time job. Despite many setbacks, he managed to come out on top by niching down and becoming an expert at creating email templates. In this episode, you'll learn all about it!

🔗 Connect with Tony

• 👨🏻‍💼 LinkedIn
• 👩‍🚀 GitHub
• 🤖 tonymoreno86#6931 on the Scrimba Discord

⏰ Timestamps

• Introduction (0:00)
• Tony transitioned from the world of finance to coding (01:04)
• Learning to code alongside a full time job (02:33)
• The role of community and friendships in Tony's success (04:00)
• How to make your Dad proud (05:02)
• Joining Activision! (07:30)
• Finding riches in niches by coding email templates (08:29)
• Working 400+ hours on UpWork to earn reputation (12:33)
• How Tony discovered their niche for email templates (14:31)
• Activision reached out to Tony on LinkedIn (16:45)
• Perks of the job (18:03)
• Moving around in the company a little (18:49)
• What do you think were the most significant contributors to landing this job based on what you experienced during the interview process? (21:23)
• What would you do differently? (22:23)

🧰 Resources mentioned

• Ask an Expert: CV review with Jermaine Jupiter 1
• Ask an Expert: CV review with Jermaine Jupiter 2

⭐️ 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

Claire Ramming is a successful Scrimba student from New York City 🇺🇸, who recently got their first full-time developer job 🎉! Before learning to code, Claire studied Data Science and received mentorship on how to choose projects that standout and navigate the job market without a degree. Claire joins us today to share the tactics she learned and how specifically they helped her land this awesome new opportunity. Stay tuned for the end where Alex asks Claire a mock job interview question.

🔗 Connect with Claire

• 👨🏻‍💼 LinkedIn
• 🌐 Website
• 👩‍🚀 GitHub
• 🤖 clay2k#2840 on the Scrimba Discord

⏰ Timestamps

• Introduction (0:00)
• Claire's first lines of code (01:30)
• Building a standout portfolio full of projects (03:55)
• Can you use Scrimba projects in your portfolio? (05:23)
• Changing companies without your boss knowing 🤫 (06:45)
• Claire's clever idea to apply to Asana by cloning their app (08:50)
• Finding success on Hired (09:07)
• How to successfully answer "Tell us about yourself" (14:23)
• Do. Your. Homework. (15:41)
• How to answer "Do you like to work alone or as part of a team?" (16;08)
• In-depth account of Claire's interview process and how long it took for them to get back  (17:17)
• What would Claire do differently if they did it again? (24:42)
• Mock interview question: "What is the hardest thing you've ever done?" (26:35)

🧰 Resources mentioned

• Hired
• Mapbox (SDK for adding maps to apps like Uber Eats)
• The data science bootcamp Claire attended (Springboard)

⭐️ 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 🙏

Christopher Kühn is a Scrimba student from Cologne, Germany 🇩🇪, who recently got their first Developer job 🎉! At the ripe age of 35 and after 3 arduous years learning to code alongside a full-time job and 70 job applications, this is the interview about how Christopher finally completed the transition from Photographer to Developer. In the conversation, Alex from Scrimba and Christopher talk about changing careers later in life, keeping motivated, and what the job interview process specifically looked like.

🔗 Connect with Christopher

• 👨🏻‍💼 LinkedIn
• 🐦 Twitter
• 🌐 Website
• 👩‍🚀 GitHub
• 🤖 KlarLuCK#1266 on the Scrimba Discord

⏰ Timestamps

• Introduction (00:00)
• Christopher on learning to code at 35  (00:57)
• Christopher's bizarre encounter that made them want to learn React (03:03)
• "The JavaScript Masterplan" (05:49)
• Learning and managing your energy learning to code alongside a full-time job (07:44)
• How to know if you're ready to apply (10:59)
• Christopher worked for free to build a reputation - it worked (14:01)
• Be honest about what you want with recruiters (15:18)
• Remember to subscribe to job alerts by email (16:48)
• How Christopher specifically got this job and what the interview process looked like (19:16)
• Christopher got the job (24:47)

 🧰 Resources mentioned

• "JavaScript Masterplan" spreadsheet
• Xing

Once upon a time, Randall learned the unsettling truth that almost everyone on her team earned more money than her. She mustered the courage to confront her her boss and said, “Hey! Google are interested in me. I could go there or you can give me the fair salary bump I deserve!” They obliged and in that moment, Randall learned just how important it is to advocate yourself.

Randall wants you to have the best possible start to your tech career and joins the podcast to share what she’s learned about how to stand out and thrive in tech. Spoiler: It’s not just about your coding skills.

⏰ Timestamps

• Introduction (0:00)
• How Randall got into tech (01:25)
• How to actually improve your communication and collaboration skills (03:24)
• Make the most of LinkedIn with these tips (04:26)
• How to stand out in tech (11:06)
• Randall and Alex get DEEP (14:34)
• How to write a superb Junior Developer resume (15:39)
• Randall's scariest moment in tech - confronting her employers because she was underpaid (20:18)
• Are you a dark matter developer? (25:41)
• How to structure your learning as a self-taught developer and stay motivated (27:33)
• Your unfair advantage as a self-taught developer (33:57)
• How to genuinely and convincingly answer "why do you want to work here?" (36:10)

Maeling earned a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering before realising her passion for code! After months of practice and with help from her new friends in various communities, she’s now working as a Junior Developer at a remote start-up. In this episode, you’ll learn how Maeling found the job through a virtual career fair and how you, too, can find success.

Timestamps

• Introduction (0:00)
• About Maeling's new job (00:48)
• How Maeling found this opportunity through a virtual job fair (02:30)
• How Maeling used Twitter to lern to code (02:55)
• Community and learning to code (06:35)
• Self-directed learning compared to university (09:33)
• Don't compare yourself to others (11:37)
• Homeschooling while learning to code (14:02)
• Building a homeschooling journal app (15:30)
• What the interview process looked like  (18:59)
• Maeling's top tips for anyone wanting to become a Junior Developer (23:19)

Links

• Follow Maeling on Twitter
• Maeling's homeschool journal web app
• Career Karma
• Virtual Coffee
• Code Connector

Swizec Teller moved from Slovenia to Silicon Valley to work with the best engineers on the most challenging problems. Along the way, he hired and continuous to mentor countless juniors. In this episode, you'll learn what Swizec looks for in Junior Developer in 2021 and how you can crack the coding interview by highlighting your potential.

Timestamps

• Introduction (0:00)
• What employers look for in Juniors (02:32)
• What projects will impress employers? (05:01)
• The difference between front-end engineer and front-end developer (07:28)
• An introduction to JSON bureaucracy (10:57)
• How to measure your own ability and skill (14:39)
• How Google hire Juniors (20:50)
• What Swizec learned from Richard Hamming (23:11)
• Swizec's career vision (25:37)
• An introduction to the Senior Mindset (28:07)
• What Juniors can expect from seniors (29:09)

Links

• Follow Swizec on Twitter
• Follow Alex from Scrimba on Twitter
• Swizec's website
• Your career needs a vision by Swizec
• Senior Mindset series

John Mckay (also known fondly as Johno in the Scrimba community) used to work as a Guitar Teacher. After learning to code on Scrimba, he now works as a full-time trainee developer at one of the UK's largest supermarkets! As a trainee, Johno will spend 20 months working on different real-world parts of the business, while learning from mentors and some dedicated training. In this episode, you will learn how you, too, can earn to learn!

Timestamps

• Introduction (0:00)
• How John found a 20 month employee training program (1:24)
• How John got started programming (03:07)
• John's experience with procrastination (04:38)
• Don't just learn to code - learn to market yourself too (09:29)
• How to write your first developer resume when you have no experience (10:48)
• Communication skills are key (12:50)
• What John finds intimidating about their new job (14:08)
• Competency based interviews deconstructed (17:27)
• What surprised John now he's on the team (27:11)
• The role of the Scrimba community in John's success (28:59)

The month-long celebration of Hacktoberfest is nearly over but don't threat! There's still time to get involved and potentially earn a Hacktoberfest T-shirt. In this episode, GitHub Star of the Year 2020, Eddie Jaoude shares everything you need to know to get involved in these remaining days.

Who is Eddie? Eddie Jaoude is an open source advocate and leader of the EddieHub open source community. He believes OPEN SOURCE is NOT just about code, it is about people, communication and collaboration.

Timestamps

• Introduction (00:00)
• What is Hacktoberfest (01:13)
• Is it too late to get involved? (01:50)
• Open source can catapult your career as it did for Eddie (03:02)
• Genuinely meaningful ways to contribute to open source that don't even involve writing code (07:10)
• Where to find your first open source project (09:21)
• How Hacktoberfest measures your contributions (14:32)
• "It's always about adding value, not amount of lines that have changed" (15:43)
• Challenges you might encounter and how to overcome them (18:52)
• Maintaining your own project and taking part in Hacktoberfest (20:23)
• Quick-fire questions with Eddie Jaoude (22:35)

Links

• Follow Eddie Jaoude on Twitter
• Follow Alex (host) on Twitter
• Check out the EddieHub inclusive open source community
• Contribute to Scrimba's Weekly Web Dev Challenge page

Florin Pop is a JavaScript developer who made $22K in August. After years of experimentation and brand-building, Florin has uncovered several sources of income that enable him to earn good money without a boss and, in some cases, without working at all (Florin earns some passive income). In this episode, Florin and Alex outline several ways to make money if you know how to code and are willing to put in hard work.

At 32 years of age and after 10 years of climbing the ranks in the theatre industry, Milos Dokic from Australia had to start again because of the pandemic.

While many entertainment workers weathered the storm, Milos mustered the discipline to explore his growing interest in programming, enroll in a university course, and get ahead. The university course was fine but when Milos started to look for work he realized he was totally unprepared. There weren't many jobs around C or C++, which he was learning at school, and because Milos hadn't yet graduated, he didn't have any credentials to get in the door.

Around that time, Milos discovered Scrimba and the Front-end Developer career path! He built some exciting front-end projects and developed a stand-out portfolio and LinkedIn page. Along the way, he realized more of his experience was transferrable than he first thought.

Milos joins us to share all the specific details about how he found his job and what the interview process looked like. You will learn more about what to expect and how to succeed yourself!

Links

• Guest
  • Connect with Milos Dokic on LinkedIn
  • Join the Scrimba Discord and message Milos (their username is Samurai#3301)
• Host
  • Follow Alex Booker from Scrimba on Twitter

Timestamps

• Introduction (0:00)
• Milos' journey from Cirque du Soleil  to Junior Developer (00:50)
• When the pandemic hit Cirque du Soleil came to a halt but Milos was determined to turn it around (05:54)
• How Scrimba compared to Milos' experience at university? (09:31)
• Milos' experience buying a CV template from Etsy (10:19)
• Staying focused and on-track even when you experience setbacks (13:28)
• How learning Linux helped Milos feel comfortable with commands and servers (14:48)
• How Milos specifically found this job and what the interview process looked like  (15:49)
• Milos' take-home task and how it went (17:56)
• Changing carers at 32 and after 10 years in theatre (20:42)
• How to stand out among thousands of developers according to Milos (22:42)