DEV Community: JordanDickow

Failure is not Optional

JordanDickow — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 19:28:05 +0000

I've been hard at work in my job search for almost 3 months now. As I said in my Job Search article, I've had more rejections throughout the process and it's come in different stages of the application process. It's been discouraging knowing what position I'm applying for and it feels like I'm being put through the wringer for the entry-level/junior developer position that I'm applying for. My job search for my first tech job has made me realize how much failure comes with getting what you want.

As this is a tech blog, I can't help but point out the truth that comes before any technical skill you learn being a software engineer, which is how much we depend and thrive off of failure. As software engineers, we depend on error-driven development. We fix error after error until we get a functional application, and then we refactor our code to optimize our app and make it run more smoothly. Which leads to even more errors.

I wear my heart on my sleeve, which makes me a very open and honest person. When I fail my colleagues know it and when I succeed I like to share it with my colleagues as well. What you see is what you get with me but that doesn't mean I don't change. The pain that I worked through at my boot camp in the General Assembly was getting used to failure itself. Failure early on to becoming a Software Engineer was getting used to errors. I had to work through was I felt I was the only one open to talking about my failures. Everyone was better at hiding their struggles, where I was open about it.

My point of this article is to start talking about failure in a more positive light. More importantly, it needs to be talked about in a more positive light because you have no choice in any career, especially the tech field, but to fail if you want to get better. Failure is mandatory in order to get better and I want more people to be open about there failures.

The Job Search

JordanDickow — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 17:40:27 +0000

As someone who is a little over a month into his job search for his first tech job - I have noticed that there are multiple moving parts, and perhaps should be treated more like guidelines, to put yourself in a good position to find a job: networking, a portfolio, and a solid online presence. The others which are universally true are having a solid resume. All these pieces are variables to an equation that should result in getting a job, so we're told.

I have seen early success where I got an in-person interview but ended up not getting the job - pretty deflating. As I am back to putting in resumes and getting no response after no response, it's hard to evaluate what's worked and what hasn't. What did that first company find attractive that other companies do not? What am I lacking (besides 10 years of experience) that I can't be getting consistent responses from entry-level roles and furthermore, why is it so hard find clear cut entry-level roles when I'm finding more senior-level positions with the exact experience I have spent three months being trained with? It's an endless recursive loop that just does not end.

My job search:

int jobsearch(experience) {
if(experience <= 1)
return (experience - 1)
}

I do however believe that in addition to the job search being a numbers game, the two other ideas I keep in mind are: it'll happen if I'm good enough, and if companies have an opening they are looking to fill a need. So for me, it's a matter of getting past that unwelcoming, but all too common rejection email that immediately stops any promise of getting a job. Believe me, I am writing this last paragraph with a grain of optimism. I do believe in the law of attraction, so as long as I keep putting my effort into a job search, it will happen.

Until then it will be a cycle of rejection after rejection, trying to find a home to develop my new skills.

The Power of Problem Solving

JordanDickow — Sun, 04 Aug 2019 22:26:06 +0000

I'm a new member of the Dev community and a junior developer who finished a Bootcamp.

Coming out of that boot camp, I really learned more than any of the technologies that I learned is the importance of problem-solving. Problem-solving, which involves patience is the most important aspect of programming which allows all developers to step back, think about, and break down a problem is the most important aspect of programming before even learning about the syntax of a language.

I really want to document my process of getting better at programming and as I start my job search for my first job. Have a great day everyone!