Any tips for a budding web developer?
Stay curious! Pay attention to news regarding the tools/languages you use and the dev community.
Contribute to open-source projects. (My caveat is that when you’re starting out it can be hard to know where to start, but you can try helping with documentation OR focus more on my next point.)
Work on a small project for yourself that’s a mix of things you know how to do AND provides an opportunity to try something new. (Aim for a balance so it won’t be TOO challenging that you get frustrated and give up, but still will push you to do something new.) Some example ideas: build a portfolio site in a new framework, build a bot, a tool, an interface that pulls from an API, etc. Look at what other people are doing for ideas, but make sure it’s something you’re actually excited about working on.
Join the community! Local meetups and online communities are great for meeting people – both potential friends and mentors. You can also learn about job openings through these networks, get help on your projects, guidance on what to learn next, and more.
Here’s a few tips for applying to jobs:
Actually put effort into any application questions. (”Why do you want to work here?” and the like.) I’d rather you BS an answer than just put “idk” or “company seems cool”. I know people are applying to a ton of jobs, but at least be specific – why does the company seem “cool”? What sounded appealing to you? What about what we do excited you? I’ve had to help weed through applications, and one-word answers just always come across like you don’t care.
Have code samples easily available; a link to a git repo is fine.
Treat items in your portfolio like case studies. This makes it really easy for people reviewing your work know what they’re looking at and where to focus their attention, especially on work where you were part of a team. Be clear and answer: What was the goal of the project? What on the project where you in charge of doing? What languages did you use? What were some of the challenges and how did you overcome them? What was the outcome?
Be honest about what you know and your experience. I see a lot of people put every framework and language under the sun on their resumes. Odds are there are only a few you prefer and want to keep doing over others – that’s more important to know to be sure where you want to grow is aligned with the position you applied for. Those things might change too, and if so, communicate your interest in doing something new.
And once you’re no longer “budding” and have more experience under your belt…don’t forget to give back to your juniors. :)
