I graduated with a Masters degree in Aerospace engineering, having done some mathematical programming on my course. I got a job at a huge engineering company but found that it was very slow paced. It felt as if no-one cared what you were actually doing unless you were working on the same project as your supervisor. I new I needed a change.
I decided that the quickest way to get out was to learn web development. I had considered machine learning, which was much cooler but it looked like it would take at least a year to get good enough to get a job.
Now I knew what I wanted to do, I had to find a way to get there. I used code academy, Youtube videos but finally found FreeCodeCamp. It was brilliant! It provided a structured way to progress whilst feeling like I accomplished something every time I did a new challenge. I worked relentlessly through the challenges in any free time I had (even in my lunch break).
I got to the point where I had completed almost all of the advanced projects and wanted to do more. I did a few other little projects but wanted to continue my learning.
Then I found You Don't Know JS by Kyle Simpson. What a series of books! It hurts your brain but once you get it, you begin to really understand JavaScript, not just be able to use it.
Around this time I was applying for jobs, anything web based that may take me. After a LOT of "You are exactly what we want but we need 1 year commercial experience" I finally got a call from a company who didn't mind that I had no experience. They had been really impressed by the logic I'd used in my JS Calculator (Free Code Camp Project).
I went for an interview and tried to talk up everything that I knew. It somehow worked. They thought I had a really good grasp on the workings of JS and I had received an offer before I got home. It even came with a pay rise, and after having been self taught for free for just 4 months.
I graduated with a Masters degree in Aerospace engineering, having done some mathematical programming on my course. I got a job at a huge engineering company but found that it was very slow paced. It felt as if no-one cared what you were actually doing unless you were working on the same project as your supervisor. I new I needed a change.
I decided that the quickest way to get out was to learn web development. I had considered machine learning, which was much cooler but it looked like it would take at least a year to get good enough to get a job.
Now I knew what I wanted to do, I had to find a way to get there. I used code academy, Youtube videos but finally found FreeCodeCamp. It was brilliant! It provided a structured way to progress whilst feeling like I accomplished something every time I did a new challenge. I worked relentlessly through the challenges in any free time I had (even in my lunch break).
I got to the point where I had completed almost all of the advanced projects and wanted to do more. I did a few other little projects but wanted to continue my learning.
Then I found You Don't Know JS by Kyle Simpson. What a series of books! It hurts your brain but once you get it, you begin to really understand JavaScript, not just be able to use it.
Around this time I was applying for jobs, anything web based that may take me. After a LOT of "You are exactly what we want but we need 1 year commercial experience" I finally got a call from a company who didn't mind that I had no experience. They had been really impressed by the logic I'd used in my JS Calculator (Free Code Camp Project).
I went for an interview and tried to talk up everything that I knew. It somehow worked. They thought I had a really good grasp on the workings of JS and I had received an offer before I got home. It even came with a pay rise, and after having been self taught for free for just 4 months.
Nice !