A New Chapter
Getting a New Job Offer
What a monumental week! I’ve finally received a full-time developer job offer in the software industry. I had an in-person interview on Tuesday and got the job offer letter on today which is Monday—yahoo! :) I can’t even explain how stoked I am and how much I’m looking forward to this new opportunity. Since 2019, I’ve been coding by myself while working a full-time job that wasn’t coding-related. Finally stepping into the industry as a full-time developer feels surreal and thrilling.
Always Work on Something
Working on small projects or having a side project has been an ongoing agenda throughout my programming journey. Even though they weren’t perfect, I’ve always tried to build something when learning a new tech stack or skill. Staying interested and engaged in the industry has consistently opened doors for me. Meeting Simon—my current senior developer at Clubfunders—at the Christmas party of Docketbook gave me an opportunity to work as a junior developer in a startup. When I first met him, I started talking about Next.js and Prisma, which I was learning at the time. Two weeks later, Simon offered me a job. Showing genuine interest in industry skills and talking about them demonstrates how passionate and serious you are about software development. I want to stay curious and positive, without getting trapped in mannerisms.
Networking Is Always Key
Not only skill but the network you build in the industry has a big impact on your career. Reflecting on my first interview experience in the industry, I realized that nothing came without a network. I met Liam, a good climbing friend, at 9 Degrees gym, and he introduced me to a grad job at his software company. My coffee customer, Mike, also introduced me to his company for a role. Both interviews went well, but I didn’t end up getting either position. The recent opportunity I got with Disrupt Digital also came through a connection—my good friend, Walid. Despite sending hundreds of resumes, it was hard to hear back from even one company. However, having genuine connections and friends in the industry has led to great opportunities, whether or not they resulted in a job offer. I plan to continue building good friendships in the industry and reaching out.
I Will Continue to Study and Grow
This new chapter is just the beginning of my official career. I want to invest more time and effort in developing my technical skills from now on. Here’s what I plan to do:
- Start rewriting TIL (Today I Learned) entries daily. Even if I don’t code, I’ll write about something I read or learned.
- Complete one code challenge daily.
- Post a dev blog weekly.