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Lucas Rocha
Lucas Rocha

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πŸ›‘οΈ 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 β€” your dev journey begins now.

This is your quest map β€” 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.


πŸ—ΊοΈ 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

🧭 The Journey Map

πŸŽ’ Level 1 β€” 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

🧠 XP: Core spellcasting skills unlocked


πŸ› οΈ Level 2 β€” 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

🧠 XP: solid UI building blocks + version control magic


πŸ” Level 3 β€” 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

🧠 XP: dynamic pages + basic API spells


πŸ§ͺ Level 4 β€” 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

🧠 XP: build, structure, and deploy your first magical app


βš™οΈ Level 5 β€” 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

🧠 XP: backend mastery unlocked


🧩 Level 6 β€” 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

🧠 XP: UI building with modern magic


πŸ—οΈ Level 7 β€” 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

🧠 XP: mastering both frontend and backend realms


πŸ§™β€β™‚οΈ Level 8 β€” The Junior Dev (Month 8)

Quests:

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

Final Boss: send your rΓ©sumΓ© to a real dev job

🧠 XP: You’re now a Junior Developer! πŸŽ‰


πŸ“˜ Legendary Loot (Projects)

Artifact Description
πŸ“ Calculator Plain JS project
🌐 Landing Page HTML/CSS + Form
☁️ Weather App JS + DOM + API
πŸ”§ Task API Node/Express + DB
🎨 React Dashboard React SPA with filters
πŸ” Full Stack App Auth + Connected Front/Back
✨ Portfolio Personal site showcasing your journey

🧠 Tavern Tips

  • Don’t fight alone β€” ask questions, join a guild (community), share what you learn
  • Write good READMEs β€” it shows you're leveling up
  • You don’t need to know everything to start β€” 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! β™₯

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_pereirajuliana profile image
Juliana Pereira

πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»