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Njeri Muriithi
Njeri Muriithi

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My Journey On How I Landed A Software Developer Job.

When getting started with learning how to code, most probably your goal is to land a software developer job.

However, the first challenge you face as a beginner is choosing the right road map that you need to follow to get a job.

After finding the right road map, the second challenge you will face is landing a job as a beginner with no prior experience.

Another challenge you will face after landing a job is not feeling good enough to do what is expected of you.

I faced all these challenges but I am happy that I was able to overcome them.

In this article, you will learn how I landed a software developer job and how I was able to overcome the challenges I faced.

My Background

After completing my high school studies, I got the results that qualified me to join a university.

However, I didn't have good guidance on what courses to choose from during my university application process.

The only thing I was sure about was that I didn’t want to enroll in a course that involved chemistry and biology😊.

I got a placement to study ICT at one of the universities in Kenya, where during my studies, I didn’t take the program seriously. My main intention was to pass exams and graduate.

After graduation I ended up taking a different path, putting my software development journey on hold.

In 2021, a year after graduation, As I was working as a retail manager, I started feeling lost and empty without a sense of purpose in my life😒😒.

That is when I decided to pursue a career as a software developer. I started looking for boot camps to join, tech communities, and mentors to increase my knowledge and skills.

I joined communities such as Andela, Zindua Africa Koding, and kahawa. During these boot camps, I connected with amazing mentors and friends.

An picture showing the successful invitation of Andela Bootcamp

One of my biggest challenges during these boot camps was abandoning projects once they started getting complex which was a huge setback on my side.

One of my biggest goals this year was to venture into a career in the tech industry as a software developer.

I started applying for jobs as an intern or entry-level openings via LinkedIn with the few skills I had learned in the boot camps.

I was successful in one of my applications, I got a chance to sit on my first interview.

The experience of the interview was nerve-wracking and challenging.

However, as a beginner with no prior experience, the interview was based on confidence and my communication skills and I qualified for the job 😃😃.

My First Job.

After getting my first job, I experienced a few challenges in the first few months.

First I started doubting my ability to learn and understand concepts.

Due to this, I spent long hours in the office, getting to a point where I started working on non working days to make sure the projects were perfect.

The pressure I had put on myself took a toll on my mind and body, resulting in anxiety, procrastination, and lack of sleep especially if I was stuck on a project.

This challenges affected my productivity in the job and my well-being.

However, I was able to overcome the challenges by doing the following;

I started taking breaks as well as getting enough rest and sleep which helped me cope with my anxiety.

Asking for help from my team members helped me learn and make a progress in my projects.

I stopped comparing my self with other developers and decided to focus on building my confidence by learning and practicing more in programming.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Right now I am happy that I got to reach my goal of getting a job as a software developer.

I am still working on being better each day, what matters is being consistent and never giving up.

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