Full stack development - How To Get Started - Part 2
Just recently some of you asked me how it is to be a full stack developer and how did I get there?
Instead of answering these questions one by one I decided to compile my answers into Q&A-style newsletter issues.
My answers are kind of long so I’m breaking this up into Part 1 and Part 2.
Hope it helps 👋
This is Part 2, you'll find Part 1 here.
Which companies do you think are the best for starting?
I was curious what you think about this on Twitter:
Here’s my experience: in smaller companies, I had the chance to work on all sorts of stuff. Sometimes even without having a clear goal in mind. Specifications were rare, the mindset was: figure it out.
But in bigger companies (200+ people) things are different. Either they told me how things work. Or the application was so vast that I was able to find at least one place where something similar was already done.
Both types of companies reward you:
Smaller companies gave me more practical experience. That’s because I had more stuff to figure out on my own. Because of this I also learned a lot more and it contributed to my problem-solving skills and full-stack career.
In the bigger companies, I usually had more seasoned engineers who would review my code. They gave super constructive comments on how I solved a problem and what can I do better next time.
Is there a good chance to get a job if you are a web developer who has self studied?
When I started in this field (10+ years ago) degrees were a thing and workplaces considered them as kind of mandatory. Things are different today. There’s a ton of free material on course platforms and YouTube. Learning stuff, and building projects over and over can get you very far in this field.
Don't neglect to put the time into building an eye-catching portfolio!
I recently published my first guide on building portfolio projects. If you’re looking to improve your portfolio game to attract new opportunities as I did, don’t forget to check it out:
How to Build Better Portfolio Projects - as a web developer — akoskm.gumroad.com
This guide contains everything you need to know to build an eye-catching developer portfolio.
What advice would you give someone who is just starting out in this field?
Be aware of what you're getting into.
Once you enter this field, be comfortable with the idea of not knowing everything. Sometimes realizing that what you knew once is not like that anymore.
Let’s say if you’re in the steel milling industry, chances are, the thing you knew a year ago, it’s very unlikely that has changed. Or if it has changed, it’ll first go over dozens of committees before it replaces some current standard that’s been in the industry for the last decade. I know nothing about the steel milling industry but you’ve got the point.
In IT things change fast. That thing you mastered last year, if it’s not the best thing anymore, everyone will know that. It doesn’t matter how many hours you put into it.
Learn from my own mistake: by 2016 I kind of mastered Angular 1, but also built some side projects with React. I thought it is going to dominate Angular very soon.
But because I already put dozens of hours into Angular already I kept pushing that. Until I realized nobody uses Angular anymore. Don't be like me.
Be ready to admit that you fall behind instead of pretending that the tech you mastered very well is still relevant.
The sooner you accept it is not, the sooner you can move forward.
I truly hope you found both parts of this newsletter useful 🙌
Hit the reply button if you have further questions, I’m answering all emails 😊
- Akos