I graduated two weeks ago and starting Monday I was presented the biggest project of my life. It really wasn't that big of a project in terms of complexity, but the people who approached me were some big timers, and I have to say - I freaked out a little.
I'm out here in the Silicon Valley, and anybody who knows Silicon Valley knows just how competitive it can be. Applying for jobs seems as though you're drowning in a pool of applicants, while one lucky survivor is able to make it out alive.
This week I had the chance to put my newfound skills to the test.
I was approached by a big time company - one well known for an extremely famous web browser we are all so familiar with. I was asked to integrate their API with another 3rd Party API and merge a few pieces of data, then present on the front end.
I chose to go with Rails as the Backend and React/Redux on the front. I set up my front end to make asynchronous fetch requests to my self built backend API. It all worked fantastically. Wednesday morning it was presented in front of two VP's of the company.
I later found out the value of the project - and some other quotes from competitors for what I was able to do in 3 days as a bootcamp grad. I was competing against large agencies offering thousands, some in the hundreds(one offer was $125k). I was able to apply my skills, to a real world professional situation - and to be honest, it was not that hard to do.
Many are probably coming here looking for what advice there is to approaching the learning curve - but there is really only one thing I can say.
As you learn, make sure you are understanding what is going on. I sit here now as a grad, quite confident with my skills and abilities as a developer.
I can honestly say, that the 'steep learning curve' really isn't so steep. Be diligent, keep on learning, and be patient with yourself.
Good things are coming.
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