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Starting Over

Cat on January 15, 2020

It's been almost 4 years since I've graduated from college. I studied web design and development -- and I gotta tell you -- I didn't learn sh_t. I...
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Ben Halpern

Really honest post. Great to see you around here again. Seems like you're making a lot of progress.

False starts are incredibly normal and regrouping like this is really normal. I'm not that far removed from being exactly where you are.

@jess is a GA grad πŸŽ‰

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Cat

Thanks, Ben!

I really wish you could detect a false start before it happens lol. But, your journey is your journey-- gotta take it in stride. Β―_(ツ)_/Β―

WHAA that's awesome!

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Jess Lee

Good luck at GA!!! I met some really awesome people through that program :)

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Winston Muller

The majority of fantastic developers I've worked with or hired have had a weird career path. It might not seem like it now but your variety in experience will make you a better developer in the long run. Keep working at it and get over that junior developer stage and you're going to be an excellent developer.

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Chem

Thank you for posting such a reflective piece. I am thankful that pointed out how you started then switch up as needed. Glad to know that I’m not alone in this experience.

I hope to see more updates !

More positivity and clarity flowing your way 🌟

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Victorio Berra

My first job out of college just wanted a cheap code monkey to spit out line of business apps. That job gave me a ton of real world experience that led to many other Good paying jobs. I think it also depends on what kind of jobs you want to go for. Tons of jobs that need full stack developers will never require a whiteboard test.

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La Rosa ✈️

That is all experience under your belt! You will use that to your advantage in your future job search and a smart employer will recognize that. You will also catch those red flags you encountered from your past employer a lot sooner to make sure you receive the experience/recognition you deserve. It is all preparing you for something great..

Best advice I would give is to build and learn for yourself. So you can be a better developer/designer/engineer w.e. So you can do better work and feel good about what you leave on the table. No employer can ever take that away from you.

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Angad Sharma

Best of luck, Cat.

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Cat

Thank you, Angad!

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Victorio Berra

There is this software engineer culture on the internet that makes people feel like if you aren't working at FAANG making 300K TC then you haven't "made it". Meanwhile there are tons of junior dev jobs starting at 70k in the midwest that are just looking for any novice with good work ethic.

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Giuseppe Vetri

Good luck!

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Andy Zhao (he/him)

Damn that's rough, but love the clarity you have on the situation. Rooting for you ✊✊✊

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Vaibhav Khulbe

You'll do good Cat. Good luck with that!

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Caleb Adepitan

How is it that your name is Cat and the cover has a cat?
Anyway good luck, Cat

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Mahmudul Hasan • Edited

My situation is as same as you. After graduation i work hard to develop my developing and technical skill. I love front end. Thanks for sharing your experience. Good luck!