On any journey, it is good to look around and figure out where you are.When I set out on this voyage towards web development, all I really knew was that I wanted to start coding for a living.I had the idea of getting into App Academy, and going from there.
Now, I realize that App Academy may have been the catalyst that got me started, but it wasn't the end goal.The end goal was a lifestyle.I want to code for a living, ideally in an energetic, innovative work culture.I'd like to find something Silicon Valley-esque.I want those yoga classes, dammit, and a pool table in the break room.
It's not the perks really, its working around the people who would be drawn to that sort of place.I'd like to surround myself with bright, laid back, yet driven people who are unified by the desire to create cool stuff.
So that's the goal.That's where I want to end up.That's one end of the trail.The other end is, of course, the beginning.
I really started this journey while in college.After spending my twenties and early thirties doing adventurous work such as military service and running a martial arts school, I eventually decided it was time to leave that sort of work behind and attend to my education.I picked an information technology major because technical things have always come easily to me, and it's a lucrative field.
As part of my IT major, I had to take a beginning programming class, featuring the Java language.It was without a doubt the hardest class I took during the pursuit of my bachelor's degree (which I did eventually get, btw.)
It was also by far my favorite class.I was going to school online via Colorado State University's Global Campus program, and if they'd had a software development major I would have switched on the spot.I even looked around at other regionally accredited schools for a program like that, but couldn't find one.So, I finished my IT degree with the idea that as soon as I was done I would look to move into development of some kind.
While in school I played around with JavaScript and Visual Studio a bit.The only thing I really built was a web based calculator.I just jumped right in, dragging out enough buttons in Visual Studio to look like a calculator.I then started banging together functions with what I knew of Java (not that related to JavaScript as it turns out) and what I could find via a Google search.It took me a week to get the damn thing working, but it eventually did work in exactly the same way as the $5 calculator I had on my desk - the one I based its functionality on.
I didn't build much after that, being a bit overwhelmed by how much their was to learn about web development.I tinkered a bit, and read more.I got very confused.Should I be working on JavaScript?C# and .Net?Ruby on Rails?I was running a Google search on it when I learned about a New York City program called Hacker School.Enthralled at the idea of an intense, hands on learning environment, I started searching for California programs like Hacker School.I ended up finding App Academy, and if you've been following my blog you know the rest.
After failing to come up with the tuition for Hack Reactor, I applied myself towards self study in my spare time.Sometimes I had less spare time that others - I had to finish my degree after all - but web development was always on my mind.I decided to focus on JavaScript - mostly because that's what Hack Reactor does - and off I went.
I've come to learn that building is the best school in the world, and that no amount of reading you can do in a month with beat out a week of just diving into a project and getting something built.You need a balance, of course, I'm not advocating a lack of study.It's just that without practical experience in coding, you don't have a context to put your lessons into.You have to build stuff.Failing to do that would be like studying a language without ever trying to speak it.
That lesson right there - experience over study - is why I think Hack Reactor grads are successfully competing for jobs right alongside CS majors.Development "bootcamps" cut the BS and jump right into the skill set that employers are looking for - the skill set you need when it comes time to actually build something.
I've also learned that I have a real passion for this stuff.I love coding.I love the combination of creativity and logic that goes into it.I love that someone hacking away at their laptop could build a multimillion dollar company without investing much of anything other than their time and intellect.Even if money isn't a good motivator for you (it actually isn't for me either) I love that you can build something that can add value to other people's lives.The Internet is the ultimate playground for entrepreneurs.
So how far have I come?How far do I have to go?It's hard to say.Ultimately, I feel the journey is more important than the destination and I'm not only comfortable with the idea of life long learning, I require it in order to be happy.I'm endlessly curious about many things, and development is definitely one of them.
More objectively, I started at zero.When I took that Java class at CSU I didn't know the first thing about programming.If you take that as zero and a Silicon Valley Software Engineer as the end point, I feel like I'm maybe 25% of the way there.I can build some cool stuff.I'm getting to the point where I can see even more cool stuff on the horizon, but I'm not there yet.I still have a lot to learn.
But can I get a job in development?Well... not in San Francisco I couldn't.The San Francisco Bay Area is where the big boys (and sexy nerd girls) go play in the software world, and I don't know if I could actually find enough resources to compete at that level via self teaching.That being said, I may be able to land something in a smaller pond like my home area of San Luis Obispo.
I've decided to try to find out.I've put in a couple of applications to local companies, and I've included links to my portfolio site.Maybe its too early, I don't know.Without trying there is no way to tell.
If I get rejected... I'm not worried.I have Hack Reactor off in the distance and anything I learn will just help me in their new technical review process (as I have to redo it, I can't use my previous acceptance in a new cohort.)After all, it is the journey not the destination, and I'm enjoying that journey quite a bit.
That being said, getting into Hack Reactor would be like taking this journey from one on foot to one on a Hayabusa.I have my new technical interview coming up on September 27th, so if you're reading this blog be sure to take a moment and wish me luck!
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