The Scrimba Podcast
The Scrimba Podcast
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Hear from inspiring developers about how they found meaningful and fulfilling work that that also pays them well. On the #StoriesByScrimba Podcast, you'll hear motivational advice and job-hunting strategies from developers who've been exactly where you are now. We talk to developers about their challenges, learnings, and switching industries in the hopes of inspiring YOU. This is the podcast that provides the inspiration, tools, and roadmaps to move from where you are to work that matters to you and uniquely fits your strengths and talents.

What to Do If Nobody's Hiring (and How to Slide Into Their DMs When They Do), with Rachel Nabors

May 01, 2024 0:48:41 93.53 MB Downloads: 0

Meetย  Rachel Lee Nabors ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง! They are an award-winning cartoonist who transitioned to become a developer with a passion for teaching the world how to code. Rachel has worked at major tech companies such as Microsoft, AWS, and Meta. At Meta, they were a pivotal contributor to react.dev, the award-winning version of React documentation.

Rachel is also the author of the Tech Career Survival Guide, a series of Substack essays that may or may not become a book. In these essays, they teach readers about emotional resilience, managing change, and the practical aspects of working in tech. In this episode, Rachel will share their secret for landing high-profile tech jobs, as well as advice for owning your non-linear career path, especially if you're a career changer. You will also discover how to deal with a job market where opportunities may seem scarce and what you can do if nobody seems to be hiring. Plus: why you shouldn't email Dan Abramov, who to reach out to instead, and why collecting feedback from people directly is often better than staring at analytics.

๐Ÿ”— Connect with Rachel

โฐ Timestamps

  • How Rachel became a developer while being a cartoonist (01:29)
  • How Rachel handled the career shift into professional development (03:08)
  • Code can make things come to life (05:48)
  • Very few people are given jobs just because they're popular (09:22)
  • Break (11:07)
  • How Rachel gets her FAANG roles (12:28)
  • What to do if nobody's hiring (14:48)
  • How can a new developer create value in the community? (16:28)
  • How Alex did the same (18:41)
  • Great Recession was tough, but it brought up some great engineering (21:17)
  • Increase your chance to get lucky later (25:43)
  • What to do if you don't have a linear career path (27:38)
  • When changing career paths, it can feel like starting from scratch (31:26)
  • Developing expertise is not a good thing! (32:14)
  • Are your skills out of date, and how Rachel transferred her old skills into new roles (33:33)
  • Barista engineering (36:52)
  • Don't be ashamed of your previous work experience, however unrelated (38:40)
  • How Rachel adjusts to change and challenges and helps others do the same through The Tech Career Survival Guide (40:56)

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