The Scrimba Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Treat Learning to Code Like an RPG (and You Might Get a Job in Three Business Days), with Scrimba student Tomáš Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

🎙 About the episode

Meet Tomáš Lukeš 🇨🇿! Tomáš is an audio engineer turned primary school teacher turned developer! In only nine months, he learned to code alongside a full-time job, created an awesome portfolio, and then landed a job in three business days. What?!

In this episode, you'll discover exactly how he did it! Tomáš will reveal why he approached learning to code as if it were an RPG, how he selected his projects, why going the extra mile while crafting your portfolio is a must, and how you can transform code-alongs into something of your own. You'll also learn the definitive answer to the question of how many hours it truly takes to reach a hireable level of coding proficiency. Tomáš and Alex also discuss job hunting strategies, the power of persistence, self-discovery,and the importance of knowing the exact industries you want to work in.

🔗 Connect with Tomáš

⏰ Timestamps

How Tomáš went from audio engineering to learning development (01:25)
Why sound technicians make good develoeprs (02:10)
Tomáš had always been interested in coding (03:15)
How Tomáš learned to code alongside a full-time job, and how long did it take? (04:39)
What courses did Tomáš use? (06:35)
Learning coding during the AI boom (07:06)
Community break with Jan the Producer (08:19)
How Tomáš approached projects - by taking course projects and making them his own (10:53)
Why you need good projects to impress HR people (13:59)
Tomáš learned to code at a hireable level in this many hours! (15:12)
How Tomáš approached job hunting, and landed a job in three business days (15:30)
Why Tomáš only applied for local jobs (17:53)
Startups hire quicker than bigger and older companies (19:26)
Why you should say "I don't know" during an interview (21:17)
Quick-fire questions: Tailwind, Josh Tried Coding, and Steve Lacy (23:47)
How to learn to code: persistence and self-discovery (25:54)
Advice for building portfolios (28:44)
Localized job search (33:18)
Trust the process! (34:53)

🧰 Resources Mentioned

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If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review here and tell us who you want to see on the next podcast.
You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so that he can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏 Or tell Jan he's butchered your name here.

What Are the Most Common React Mistakes? Inside a React Job Simulator with Johannes Kettmann Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

🎙 About the episode

Meet Johannes Kettmann 🇩🇪! Johannes is a Fullstack JavaScript Developer from Germany who's also the mastermind behind profy.dev - it’s a React Job Simulator program for aspiring Junior React developers. Originally, Johannes studied physics before transitioning into coding, and he's been working as a freelancer or contractor ever since!

In this episode, dive into Johannes's coding journey and discover why he's all about React. Get ready for tales of his first freelancing gig - it wasn't a walk in the park, but it taught him loads and gave him a taste of freedom. That's why Johannes never considered a 9-to-5 job and embraced contracting. Tune in for the lowdown on why React rocks and the rookie mistakes even experienced developers stumble upon. Curious about a React Job Simulator? You'll learn what it is and why we needed one. Plus, hear what are the skills that aspiring junior developers usually don't have, that can really make you stand out.

✅ 👨‍💻Sign up for profy.dev with 10% discount using coupon code SCRIMBA at checkout!

🔗 Connect with Johannes

⏰ Timestamps

How Johannes went from experimenal physics to software development (01:36)
Johannes started from Android development, but the first steps were shaky (04:51)
Johannes worked on a project for six months... and didn't get paid (07:31)
What Johannes learned from his first freelance experiences, and why he never considered getting a full-time job (08:22)
Freelancing vs. contract work (11:20)
Community break with Jan the Producer (13:06)
Is contracting a good way to get your first job in tech? (15:09)
Is freelancing a good way to get your first job in tech? (16:12)
How Johannes eventually focused on React (17:06)
What is profy.dev? (22:09)
Why code rewiews are cool, and what are the most common React mistakes (26:37)
Quick-fire questions and Kent C. Dodds (31:33)
How can junior developers stand out during job interview process, from the perspective of someone who interviews a lot (37:05)
Should a junior learn TypeScript? (39:19)
Why your personality is important (40:26)

🧰 Resources Mentioned

Podcast: Intentional career building with Kent C. Dodds

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How Mohamed Landed a Dev Job Through Instagram Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

🎙 About the episode

Meet Mohamed Amine Hachemi! Mohamed is a full-stack developer who recently landed his first dev job! But that's not the most amazing part of his story. He actually found that job through Instagram! In a world where everyone is applying through LinkedIn, Mohamed decided to take a different approach and utilize social media. In this episode, you'll discover exactly how he did it. And no, it doesn't involve cold DMing.

After completing his law studies, Mohamed realized that a career in law wasn't what he truly desired for the next few decades. He reflected on his childhood interests and rediscovered his passion for coding. With some prior experience in HTML and CSS from editing Blogger templates as a teenager, he immersed himself in front-end development. Eventually, he expanded his skills to backend development when he joined his current company. Tune in to hear more about his coding journey.

🔗 Connect with Mohamed

👨‍💼 LinkedIn

⏰ Timestamps

Mohamed was always interested in tech, but he studied law (01:29)
Why Mohamed decided to switch careers (02:21)
How Mohamed learned to code and did editing Blogger templates in his teen years help (04:24)
Why is JavaScript more challenging than HTML and CSS, and how did Mohamed learn it (on YouTube, of all places)? (07:34)
Community break with Jan the Producer (10:26)
How long did it take Mohamed to learn enough to start applying for jobs (12:33)
How Mohamed try the typical job-hunting strategy (applying on LinkedIn) and then decided to pivot to social media (14:06)
Can you land a job on Instagram, and how?! (15:02)
Mohamed's new job, and learning back-end (19:06)
Why you need an internship (20:49)
Working remotely vs. a saturated job market (21:09)
What did Mohamed's interview process look like (22:38)
Quick-fire questions: Friends, not followers (23:14)
What happens if you get an internship that doesn't turn into a job afterward? (24:14)
What does an employee want to see from an intern? (25:50)
Mohamed blogged about his learning progress on LinkedIn, but didn't care how many people saw that (27:31)
Was it difficult to decide to switch careers? (32:40)
Don't truest everything you see on YouTube (33:52)

🧰 Resources Mentioned

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Are You a New Developer? Follow This One Tip! (With Scrimba Student Danny) Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

🎙 About the episode

Meet Danny Vogel 🇩🇪🇪🇸! Danny is a lawyer-turned-developer who decided to switch careers after ten years in law! In high school, he thought he could never do maths and picked a different path. It was meeting his wife, who is a software developer, that made him stop seeing coding as something unachievable, and the search for a better work-life balance that made him start learning. When he quit his job, he focused on coding. But nobody was responding to his job applications. Danny then went to a developer meetup in Barcelona, where somebody gave him wise advice...

In this episode, Danny shares about his coding journey and the struggles along the way. You'll learn how to approach projects, why a "shotgun" approach might work for you, and why it's better not to work remotely if you're just starting out. Danny also talks about his experience with Chingu.io, a platform that pairs you with other developers to create group coding projects, and how he's benefited from joining it. Ultimately, you'll find out how Danny landed his first dev job, even though the company didn't advertise the job he's doing now as a junior position!

🔗 Connect with Danny

👨‍💼 LinkedIn

⏰ Timestamps

Danny always liked computers but never saw himself as a coder (02:26)
Is coding more about letters or numbers? (03:03)
Danny went into law, studying in Barcelona and New York. How did it feel to switch careers after ten years? (03:45)
What made Danny learn to code? (05:22)
Did Danny’s wife, a developer, play a part in his decision to learn to code? (06:10)
Coding and law are often misrepresented in movies and on TV (07:20)
How Danny learned to code (07:45)
Frontend vs backend (08:43)
Was learning to code hard? (09:14)
Community break with Jan the Producer (10:35)
How Danny knew it was time to quit his job in law (12:21)
What was Danny’s approach to looking for dev jobs (13:47)
Danny went on a meetup and got a great piece of advice (15:09)
Danny also joined Chingu.io - what is it? (20:38)
Group projects vs. solo projects (21:49)
How Danny’s projects helped him land the job he now has (22:26)
Shotgun approach! (23:06)
People often talk themselves out of applying for jobs not classified as junior (24:07)
Give yourself options! (25:35)
Quick-fire questions: Danny’s wife, coding to Muse, and videogames! (27:07)
Danny’s interview process (30:12)
What’s HackerRank, and why you should be prepared for it (32:45)
How Danny felt when he got the job (37:01)
Does Danny’s experience in law help in his new role? (39:13)
Should new developers work remotely or at the office? (41:43)

🧰 Resources Mentioned

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From Lab Coat to Code: Vanessa's Path from Lab Scientist to Developing Lab Software Aug 01, 2023

Show notes

🎙 About the episode

Meet Vanessa Vun 🇺🇸! Vanessa is a long-time listener of the Scrimba podcast. She's also a career changer who has spent a decade working as a lab scientist before realizing she would be happier coding. She started learning front-end in April 2022. By September, she started applying for jobs. In June this year, she landed a job at a startup making lab software!

However, Vanessa's path to success was not without challenges. She started applying for tech jobs during layoffs, facing rejections due to a lack of relevant experience. In this episode, she shares how she tackled that and whether or not unpaid internships and volunteering are a good idea. You'll also learn how Vanessa created her own curriculum by analyzing what people learn at bootcamps, why it's essential to get outside feedback on your coding projects, and how to make the most out of your LinkedIn, mentorships, and the podcasts you listen to.

🔗 Connect with Vanessa

⏰ Timestamps

How Vanessa gave up on coding and became a lab scientist (01:25)
Vanessa was surprised at how analog lab management tends to be (02:55)
Why Vanessa decided to leave her lab career behind (04:17)
How Vanessa learned to code - but this time, for real (05:36)
Vanessa has been a webmaster of Lady Crvsh Crew since 2019. What did she learn making a website with Squarespace? (08:58)
Vanessa started applying for jobs during layoffs! (09:45)
Community break with Jan The Producer (10:22)
How Vanessa stayed motivated during tech layoffs, and tackled her lack of tech experience (12:36)
Why volunteer experience is different to just working by yourself (15:07)
What is SciShield? (17:01)
Vanessa's LinkedIn strategy (18:16)
How Vanessa discovered a position at SciShield (19:18)
The power of domain knowledge: SciShield liked Vanessa being a former scientist! (20:10)
How Vanessa went through six rounds of interviews (21:08)
Quick-fire questions: Learning resources, Javascript superpowers, and people to follow (22:27)
What Vanessa gained from consultations with a mentor (23:56)
Should you go for unpaid internships, or should you always insist on being paid for your time? (25:16)
Careful where you volunteer at! (26:53)
What is Hack for LA? (27:47)
How does domain knowledge help Vanessa at her new job? (29:16)
Should a front-end engineer know databases? (32:24)
The importance of having a good manager (33:37)
Was learning to code worth it? (34:39)

🧰 Resources Mentioned

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How to Create a Personal Brand as a Developer Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

🎙 About the episode

Personal branding is something we often mention on this podcast. However, it is also something many developers don’t prioritize.

In today's job market, having a strong personal brand is vital for success in the tech industry. Personal branding involves crafting a distinctive image and reputation for yourself, setting you apart, and ensuring you get noticed rather than ignored. When others appreciate your work and projects and understand your capabilities, they may approach you with enticing job opportunities or freelance projects. A hiring manager at a company you applied for will, for sure, google you. Wouldn't it be great if you could control what they see?

Also, by maintaining a personal brand, you’ll be more visible to your peers - which will help you create or find community.

In this episode, we’ve compiled advice from multiple experts to help you get started with or further develop your brand as a developer. Get ready for actionable advice from Gary Simon, Cassidy Williams, Josh Comeau, Shawn Wang (Swyx), and Madison Kanna!

⏰ Timestamps

What is a personal brand (02:22)
Why you should have a blog (04:02)
Allow yourself to iterate (04:34)
Why you shouldn’t rely solely on social media (06:27)
What can you do if you’re not good at design? (07:21)
Community break with Jan The Producer (16:40)
Why you should blog about your learning process (18:54)
How to streamline your content production (23:46)
How can you do all this while actually learning without just becoming a content creator? (26:24)
Different ways of learning in public (28:10)
How to organize your portfolio projects and talk about them (30:52)
Putting yourself out there is intimidating, BUT (33:19)
Start small and just write (35:50)

🧰 Resources Mentioned

The Coding Career Handbook by Swyx (30% discount applied when you use this link)
Learn in Public by Swyx
Josh's book, Building an Effective Dev Portfolio (it's FREE!)
xScope
PixelSnap
Fontpair
Podcast: Becoming a six-figure freelancer, with Gary Simon
Podcast: Homeschooler, College Dropout, Developer and Master Networker: Crush Your Career with Madison Kanna
Podcast: How to Create a Web Dev Portfolio That Both HR and Other Developers Will Love, with Josh Comeau
Podcast: Ace the job interview with Cassidy Williams
Podcast: How to make your own luck with Shawn Wang (Swyx)

🔗 Connect with Gary Simon

🔗 Connect with Cassidy Williams

🔗 Connect with Josh Comeau

🔗 Connect with Shawn Wang

🔗 Connect with Madison Kanna

👩🏼‍💼 LinkedIn
🌐 Website

⭐️ Leave a Review
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review here and tell us who you want to see on the next podcast.
You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so that he can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏 Or tell Jan he's butchered your name here.

Is This Easy Mode? Breaking into Tech in 400 Hours, with Writer-Turned-Developer Jen-Li Lim Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

🎙 About the episode

Meet Jen-Li Lim 🇲🇾! Jen is a writer-turned-developer who has recently landed her first developer job! Although she had been tech-adjacent in the past (before becoming a full-stack developer, she worked in content marketing) and had always been interested in coding, it wasn't until the lockdowns that Jen started learning to code. She was doing it alongside a full-time job and quickly realized that she shouldn't compare herself to other learners since everybody has different circumstances.

Jen started learning to code as a hobby. But after a couple of years and only about 400 hours of studying later, Jen realized - hey, this could also be an exciting career! She now works at a company offering free, lightweight vector animations for your website and tools to create, edit, and embed them. In this episode, you'll learn about Jen's struggles with coding and how she overcame them. She'll share invaluable insights on selecting portfolio projects, navigating roadmaps, and why learning to code is akin to learning to swim. Get ready to be inspired!

🔗 Connect with Jen-Li

⏰ Timestamps

How Jen got interested in tech back in the days of Neopets but never pursued it (01:40)
Do you need to be good at math to become a developer (02:29)
How Jen became a writer and worked in content marketing (03:32)
Are there any similarities between content marketing and code? (04:21)
What was it about coding that drew Jen in? (05:57)
The hard part of learning web development is that there's no single path, and that's why Jen ultimately learned on Scrimba (07:55)
How Jen structured her studying (08:50)
Community break with Jan The Producer (10:42)
How Jen logged her studying time and learned to code in only 400 hours! (12:48)
Why you should learn to code at your own pace (13:39)
How to get project ideas (15:32)
Did Jen plan to switch careers? (18:18)
Changing careers challenges your identity (19:38)
Jen changed careers by means of an internal transfer. How's that different from applying for a job from the outside? (21:01)
How Jen felt about the competition, and what was her advantage (22:23)
Shortcuts vs. strategies (23:09)
What is LottieFiles? (24:15)
How Jen found out she was getting her first dev job (25:52)
What Jen wishes she knew when she was starting to learn to code (26:51)

🧰 Resources Mentioned

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This Is How You Onboard: Actionable Tips for Developers On a New Job from Ian Douglas Jul 11, 2023

Show notes

🎙 About the episode

Meet Ian Douglas 🇺🇸🇨🇦! The first repeat guest on the Scrimba Podcast and author of The Tech Interview Guide, Ian Douglas, has been coding professionally since 1996. With experience at several notable companies and currently working at Postman, Ian is not only a software engineer but also a mentor, streamer, and career coach.

Whether you're a new developer or aiming for a mid-level or senior position, the onboarding process can feel overwhelming. In this episode, Ian shares his invaluable insights on how to make your onboarding experience truly worthwhile. From essential do's and don'ts to areas where proactive engagement is crucial, Ian covers it all. Discover the importance of taking notes, effectively handling negative feedback, and the significance of asking questions. Worried about asking too many questions? Ian addresses that too. With these insights and more, you'll be equipped to have an amazing first few weeks at your new job.

🔗 Connect with Ian

⏰ Timestamps

Ian's background (02:20)
Last time we spoke, Ian had been "live blogging" his job search on LinkedIn. Why? (03:07)
What is onboarding? (07:38)
How formal is the onboarding process? (08:54)
Onboarding at startups vs. at bigger companies (11:55)
Do this to make your onboarding better (12:58)
What are the expectations from new developers during the onboarding period? (14:06)
Tip 1: Don't rush your onboarding (15:22)
If you're maid to feel you're a drain on someone, that's a sign of bad company culture (19:13)
Be proactive and take time to get to know your coworkers (21:55)
Tip 2: Find a mentor (23:15)
You should also have a mentor OUTSIDE the company (24:01)
How to identify a mentor or a buddy internally (25:41)
When does a coworker become a mentor? (27:16)
Tip 3: Ask lots of questions (30:26)
What are the good questions? (34:09)
Tip 4: Make it easy for people to give you feedback (35:09)
Feedback vs. criticism, and how to deal with the latter (35:54)
Keep track of good feedback, and good track of feedback (40:08)
How to handle feedback you don't agree with (42:51)
In software, there's a lot of ways of accomplishing a goal (48:00)
What are the most improtant traits a developer should have during onboarding? (49:51)

🧰 Resources Mentioned

Our previous show with Ian: An expert guide to technical interviews

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How Kyle Became a Developer and Found His First Dev Job in Just Four Months Jul 04, 2023

Show notes

🎙 About the episode

Meet Kyle Tan 🇵🇭! A business major with an unrelenting passion for coding, Kyle decided he couldn't wait any longer to pursue his dream. Taking a leap of faith, he left his job, discovered Scrimba's Frontend Career Path, and within only four months, he found his first developer job. Talk about lightning speed!

In this episode, Kyle shares his approach to learning, unveiling the secrets behind his rapid progress. Discover the invaluable role of downtime and gain insights into the way Kyle chose his portfolio projects: what are the right ones, and why embracing open-source resources is a game-changer. Kyle also takes you through his interview process, when he had to dive into backend technologies for a week so that he could build his take-home project in less than 72 hours.

Kyle also reveals how his business background played a role in landing his dream job, what's the power in having a community, and what's his advice for everybody currently learning to code. Tune in and unlock the secrets to accelerated coding mastery!

🔗 Connect with Kyle

⏰ Timestamps

How Kyle decided to learn to code after getting a degree in business (01:14)
How Kyle discovered Scrimba and chose frontend (02:13)
What challenges did Kyle face, and how did he solve them? (06:03)
Kyle finished the Career path in only three months by doing it full-time (07:04)
The importance of downtime (07:48)
How Kyle branched out of Scrimba (09:47)
Kyle’s portfolio projects (11:21)
Why simple projects rock (13:06)
Community break with Jan The Producer (14:23)
How Kyle started applying for jobs after only four months of learning to code (17:07)
To interview for the job he got, Kyle had to take a week to learn backend! (20:08)
The interview process: Kyle had to build an app in 72 hours (21:38)
Kyle’s tips for presenting your code in job interviews (23:33)
Culture fit interviews (24:39)
How Kyle felt when he got the job (26:55)
Quick-fire questions (27:44)
What motivated Kyle to change careers (29:47)
Did Kyle’s previous experience help him to land a job so quickly? (31:13)
Did working as a developer live up to Kyle’s expectations? (32:40)

🧰 Resources Mentioned

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How Teacher-Turned-Developer Jess Secured a Tech Job Even Before Learning to Code Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

🎙 About the episode

Meet Jess Gilbert 🇬🇧! Jess recently made a career change from being a primary school teacher to becoming a developer. In this episode, we delve into her journey and explore how she successfully transitioned in less than a year!

What was it like being a teacher? Are there any similarities between teaching and coding? How did Jess manage to secure a job offer before diving into her coding education? Jess and Alex also discuss Code First: Girls and why it's worth exploring if you belong to an underrepresented group in the tech industry.

Jess shares why Instagram is her social network of choice, which may surprise you since it's not commonly associated with developers. Plus, find out how she learned to code while working as a full-time school teacher and whether the tech industry lived up to her expectations.

🔗 Connect with Jess

⏰ Timestamps

Jess had never considered a career in tech and became a teacher (01:48)
What made Jess learn to code, and how she found Code First: Girls (03:01)
Why learning to code at her own pace was challenging for Jess, and why in the end, she shouldn't have been as worried (05:42)
Why teachers are sometimes reluctant to work on their personal development (09:03)
Community break! Your Tweets and LinkedIn posts, with Jan The Producer (10:20)
How does Code First: Girls work? (12:57)
How Jess landed a job offer even before learning to code? (14:43)
Why do companies invest in programs like Code First: Girls? (17:51)
What was it like to learn to code while having a full-time job? (20:10)
Why the support of a cohort was important to Jess? (21:17)
Was there variation in the ability level of the people in Jess's cohort, and why do soft skills matter? (22:58)
How do Jess's skills as a teacher transfer to coding? (24:17)
Is there a better work-life balance in coding? (25:55)
Quick-fire questions! Do teachers listen to lo-fi bears? (28:56)
How Jess found a community on Instagram as a developer (31:27)
Why are so many people transitioning from teaching? (33:38)
Learning to code is hard, but there are great resources out there, and you can pick the style of learning that works for you specifically (37:59)
How long did it take for Jess to switch careers? (40:12)
What was her first week on the new job like? (41:18)
Why the size of the codebase is a BIG difference between learning to code and working at a company (42:23)

🧰 Resources Mentioned

Programming with Mosh on YouTube
Web Dev Simplified on YouTube
Katherine Gilligan on Instagram
Learn React for free!
Podcast: What a good developer resume looks like and how to write one, with Gergely Orosz
Podcast: The Power of Domain Knowledge: How Katrina Skipped Junior Roles and Immediately Landed a Senior Developer Job

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