Podcast
Questions and Answers
What motivated the individual to leave their sales job?
What motivated the individual to leave their sales job?
Which programming language did the individual choose to learn first?
Which programming language did the individual choose to learn first?
What was the primary issue the individual faced after the initial coding tutorials?
What was the primary issue the individual faced after the initial coding tutorials?
What significant life change did the individual make to focus on learning coding?
What significant life change did the individual make to focus on learning coding?
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What aspect of problem solving did the individual particularly enjoy about coding?
What aspect of problem solving did the individual particularly enjoy about coding?
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What technique was taught in the 'Learning how to Learn' course to help with pacing studies?
What technique was taught in the 'Learning how to Learn' course to help with pacing studies?
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What motivated the individual to build a full-stack project?
What motivated the individual to build a full-stack project?
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Which tool was used to manage the full-stack project and write out requirements?
Which tool was used to manage the full-stack project and write out requirements?
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What was the initial focus of the person's study sessions after joining the coworking space?
What was the initial focus of the person's study sessions after joining the coworking space?
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What concept did Stephen emphasize during the programming sessions to encourage better coding practices?
What concept did Stephen emphasize during the programming sessions to encourage better coding practices?
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Study Notes
Personal Journey to Coding
- Dropped out of college, faced job dissatisfaction, and debt while working 60 hours weekly.
- Desired career mobility and disliked short-term sales roles, prompting a shift to tech.
- Motivated by high salary prospects in tech, with potential earnings ranging from $180,000 to $400,000 annually.
Learning to Code
- Self-taught coding journey began with a Google search leading to FreeCodeCamp.
- Focused on web development, learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for building web apps.
- Recognized the difference between coding for logic problems and practical programming for building real applications.
Full-Time Learning Commitment
- Quit job to study coding in Korea, aiming to minimize expenses while learning full-time.
- Struggled initially with the study pace, leading to discovering the course "Learning how to Learn" by Barbara Oakley.
- Implemented techniques like the Pomodoro Technique and created a dedicated study space in a co-working environment.
Daily Study Schedule
- Established a structured daily routine focused on consistent study, breaks, and physical activity.
- Engaged in six days a week of intensive coding practice, including project-based learning.
Front-End Development Projects
- Faced challenges in transitioning to building web projects but found support through online tutorials and YouTube.
- Acquired the FreeCodeCamp Front End Developer certificate after completing necessary projects.
- Undertook building a full-stack project inspired by the need for a deeper understanding of programming concepts.
Full-Stack Project Development
- Collaborated with a mentor from YouTube, simulating a junior developer experience with project management tools like Jira.
- Gained practical skills in CRUD operations, database design, API building, and deploying applications on cloud servers.
- Gained confidence and practical expertise, moving beyond tutorial-level learning.
Job Search Strategy
- Defined job criteria focused on remote work within small to medium-sized companies.
- Targeted hiring managers directly rather than relying solely on job applications, offering to work for free as an entry point.
- Successfully received multiple interview opportunities, converting four interviews into three job offers.
Success in the Tech Industry
- Accepted a job with a starting salary of $50,000, later increasing to $65,000 after the probationary period.
- Emphasized that practical experience and problem-solving were more essential than formal credentials.
- Highlighted that persistence and focused effort led to long-term success in a tech career over a decade.
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Description
Explore the transformative journey of a coding enthusiast who shifted from a dissatisfactory career to tech. This quiz highlights their self-taught coding path, commitment to full-time learning, and techniques that aided their success, including the helpful resources they discovered along the way.
