Thread by @techieEliot

I committed at the end of 2018 to learn enough web development skills to get a job.

At the end of 2020, I landed my first full-time role as a front-end software engineer.

#DEVCommunity #CodeNewbie #freeCodeCamp

Here's a list of some of the key things I focused on below:

* going all in to invest in me,
* getting buy-in from family,
* committing hours of time consistently to learn,
* learning how to learn and find answers,
* seeking free resources and existing communities,
* befriending others in dev community via Twitter,

* establishing discord community learning groups
* developing friendships with "unofficial" mentors,
* befriending others at meetups and conferences,
* organizing and/or speaking at a meetup
* volunteering my time to teach others at a camp,
* trying a free or low-cost bootcamp,

* building lots of small polished projects to hone my skills,
* paying it forward,
* broadcasting your desire to find work,
* trying client work to create some experience,
* having a significantly larger project,
* leveraging LinkedIn to be found by recruiters,

* learning how to separate good from bad recruiters,
* failing forward with interviews,
* getting mental health support in the hard times,
* telling my story better and faster,
* growing comfortable with interviews, and
* saying "we did it!" (finally!).

It's sooooo hard to land that first job in tech these days, but I believe if you commit to doing the things on this list your chances of success will go up so much.

It's a hard road as a self-taught and/or bootcamper these days. You must hustle to earn it.

I'm rooting for you.