How to learn to code and get your first developer job

gistfile1.md

How to learn to code and get your first developer job

By Quincy Larson (@ossia)

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In order to get a good developer job, you need to build your:

- Skills

- Reputation

- Network

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Building your skills

5 things you should to do learn how to code

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1: Code Everyday

jQuery Creator John Resig on the importance of coding every day

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2: Hang Out With Other Coders

There are tons of Tech Meetups near OKC

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3: Don't overthink tools

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4: Focus on how to build, not what to build

There are tons of lists of project ideas. Here's a good one.

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5: Contributing to Open Source

How to get started

Also, Hacktoberfest.

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Building your reputation

Resume items:

- Internships

- Freelance work

- Pro bono work

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Creating social proof:

LinkedIn

- Make your LinkedIn spotless

freeCodeCamp's LinkedIn Alumni Network

A good example of a LinkedIn profile

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Twitter

Why Twitter is such a powerful tool:

- A convenient way to keep your name out there (tweeting good stuff a few times a week)

- You can message almost anyone on there, and there's a decent chance they will message you back

- You never know when you might want to publicize something

- Having a lot of followers will lend you credibility

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Create your own content

- Buy a good domain (preferably yourname.com)

- If you don't have much time, just blog

- If you have more time

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Focus on a few key platforms, like YouTube or Instagram.

Good Instagram example

Good YouTube example

Good podcast example

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Building your network

- Your peers

- Your professors

- Employers themselves (events)

- Messaging people on Twitter works

Actually getting the job

How to find and identify jobs

- The best way is through your network

- But don't let that stop you from applying directly to employers

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Developer Interviews

Three styles of technical interview

- Whiteboard interview

- Take-home assignment

- Pair programming

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Tips

- Only talk about yourself in terms of what you can do for them.

- Salary negotiation - yes you should do it - even for your first job. Here's a great article on salary negotation by a guy who got a $250,000 starting salary at Airbnb.

- Yes, you do need to practice algorithms and data structures.

And yes, there are a lot of good open jobs - you just have to find them, apply, then convince them they don't really need someone with 10 years of Swift experience.

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Some resources for preparing:

- Developer university

- Interview prep section

- Cracking the Coding Interview

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Thanks for your time!

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