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Lucas Rocha
Lucas Rocha

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๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ The Junior Dev Journey: Like an RPG, But With Code

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You wake up in the village of Curiosity, your inventory empty but your will to learn stronger than ever. Welcome, adventurer โ€” your dev journey begins now.

This is your quest map โ€” a practical guide for anyone starting from scratch who wants to become a junior dev in up to 8 months. No magic formulas, just a clear path and lots of XP ahead.


๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ Campaign Setup

  • Duration: up to 8 months
  • Style: solo campaign (co-op mode highly recommended)
  • Play time: 1.5 to 2.5 hours/day on weekdays
  • XP earned: hands-on projects, deploys, and a shiny portfolio

๐Ÿงญ The Journey Map

๐ŸŽ’ Level 1 โ€” The Beginner (Month 1)

Quests:

  • Learn programming logic using JavaScript
  • Master functions, loops, arrays, and objects

Bonus quest: build a calculator or number guessing game

๐Ÿง  XP: Core spellcasting skills unlocked


๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Level 2 โ€” The Web Craftsman (Month 2)

Quests:

  • Learn HTML and CSS
  • Dive into Flexbox and responsive design
  • Get started with Git and GitHub

Bonus quest: design a landing page with a contact form

๐Ÿง  XP: solid UI building blocks + version control magic


๐Ÿ” Level 3 โ€” The DOM Tamer (Month 3)

Quests:

  • DOM manipulation with JS
  • Handle events and use APIs (fetch)

Bonus quest: build a weather app or movie search app

๐Ÿง  XP: dynamic pages + basic API spells


๐Ÿงช Level 4 โ€” The Frontend Alchemist (Month 4)

Quests:

  • Learn project structure with Vite
  • Deploy your first site on Netlify or Vercel

Bonus quest: build a responsive app with error handling

๐Ÿง  XP: build, structure, and deploy your first magical app


โš™๏ธ Level 5 โ€” The Backend Adventurer (Month 5)

Quests:

  • Create APIs using Node.js and Express
  • Understand routes, middlewares, and CRUD
  • Use SQLite or MongoDB

Bonus quest: task manager API

๐Ÿง  XP: backend mastery unlocked


๐Ÿงฉ Level 6 โ€” The Interface Summoner (Month 6)

Quests:

  • Learn React (components, props, useState, useEffect)
  • Work with routes and API integration

Bonus quest: dashboard with filters and routing

๐Ÿง  XP: UI building with modern magic


๐Ÿ—๏ธ Level 7 โ€” Fusion of Realms (Month 7)

Quests:

  • Connect frontend and backend
  • Add login/authentication (JWT)
  • Deploy the full stack app

Bonus quest: full stack task manager with auth

๐Ÿง  XP: mastering both frontend and backend realms


๐Ÿง™โ€โ™‚๏ธ Level 8 โ€” The Junior Dev (Month 8)

Quests:

  • Build your portfolio website
  • Write proper README files
  • Update LinkedIn, rรฉsumรฉ, and practice interviews
  • Apply for your first job(s)

Final Boss: send your rรฉsumรฉ to a real dev job

๐Ÿง  XP: Youโ€™re now a Junior Developer! ๐ŸŽ‰


๐Ÿ“˜ Legendary Loot (Projects)

Artifact Description
๐Ÿ“ Calculator Plain JS project
๐ŸŒ Landing Page HTML/CSS + Form
โ˜๏ธ Weather App JS + DOM + API
๐Ÿ”ง Task API Node/Express + DB
๐ŸŽจ React Dashboard React SPA with filters
๐Ÿ” Full Stack App Auth + Connected Front/Back
โœจ Portfolio Personal site showcasing your journey

๐Ÿง  Tavern Tips

  • Donโ€™t fight alone โ€” ask questions, join a guild (community), share what you learn
  • Write good READMEs โ€” it shows you're leveling up
  • You donโ€™t need to know everything to start โ€” just enough to play
  • Compare your progress to yesterday, not to the level 99 wizards on Twitter/X
  • And the most important; have fun!

Top comments (2)

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anne_pantoja_6034d3c002a7 profile image
Anne Pantoja

This text inspired me to become a developer. Just prefect! โ™ฅ

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_pereirajuliana profile image
Juliana Pereira

๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป