Re:Ask HN: Former engineers, how did you transition your car...
by schwartzworld on Tuesday December 15, 2020 @09:39PM
(#25438386)
It took me about 3 years of self-study to feel confident enough to really apply for jobs. I'd had a couple of embarrassing interviews when I first started, and it spooked me.
When I finally got serious about changing careers, it just came down to a numbers game. Recruiters are the gatekeepers to most jobs, and they don't speak GitHub. I got lucky to apply to a job that had someone who knew JavaScript looking at the resume. They sent me a coding challenge which I later learned I was the only candidate to really complete. I wrote my first JavaScript tests for that challenge.
Ultimately I think my long runway allowed me to hit the ground running. That first job was at a small shop where I got to handle a lot of diverse tasks, including backend work (I mainly do front end). I would have stayed there much longer, but they paid the very low end of the salary range and I have two children to think about. My 16 months there bought me a much better paying, albeit less satisfying position.
I think bootcamps used to be better than they are. They won't teach you anything you can't learn on your own, and you arent going to be a dev in 3 months anyway. It takes a long time to really grok it, and I spend a lot of time on personal development.
When I finally got serious about changing careers, it just came down to a numbers game. Recruiters are the gatekeepers to most jobs, and they don't speak GitHub. I got lucky to apply to a job that had someone who knew JavaScript looking at the resume. They sent me a coding challenge which I later learned I was the only candidate to really complete. I wrote my first JavaScript tests for that challenge.
Ultimately I think my long runway allowed me to hit the ground running. That first job was at a small shop where I got to handle a lot of diverse tasks, including backend work (I mainly do front end). I would have stayed there much longer, but they paid the very low end of the salary range and I have two children to think about. My 16 months there bought me a much better paying, albeit less satisfying position.
I think bootcamps used to be better than they are. They won't teach you anything you can't learn on your own, and you arent going to be a dev in 3 months anyway. It takes a long time to really grok it, and I spend a lot of time on personal development.