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.
From Air Conditioning Technician to Junior Developer in 6 months
Meet Dan (35) from Australia 🇦🇺🦘. After working as an Air Conditioning Technician for 9 years, Dan enrolled in Scrimba's Frontend Developer Career Path to become a hireable web developer. 6 months later, here we are!
Success found Dan much quicker than he expected - not because he was the absolute best coder (Dan admits he stumbled through the technical interview) but instead because Dan successfully demonstrated his teachability and potential. Now Dan is earning to learn. If you follow Dan's advice, you could too!
Timestamps
- Introduction (00:00)
- How Dan became a Junior Developer in 7 months (01:32)
- How Dan managed to stand out to an employer and get a callback (06:45)
- Dan assumed his test questions were JavaScript but they were actually PHP 😧 (09:44)
- Instead of idly waiting for a decision Dan improved his skills (14:06)
- Dan continued to follow-up and sell himself after the interview (15:57)
- Dan think he stumbled through the on-site interview but the employer reassured him (17:07)
- Dan got the job 🎉 (19:06)
- How Dan's experience talking to customers surprisingly helped him land a a Junior Developer job (20:16)
Links
- A screenshot of the cover letter that earned Dan his interview
- Dan wrote about his whole experience in more detail here: Changed career from HVAC-R tech to junior web dev at 35. Here’s my story...
- Follow Alex from Scrimba on Twitter