Let's go back to August 2021✨

Back in August 2021, I decided to learn web-dev instead of wandering from language to language. While googling stuff up about web-dev, frontend, backend, blah blah... I read an article titled Top 10 resources to learn web development and that's where I came across FreeCodeCamp. I clicked the link, created an account, looked around a bit and clicked on the very first tutorial Responsive Web Design Certificate .

Learning HTML and CSS⌨

Screenshot of the Responsive Web Design Certificate course on FreeCodeCamp

At the time of starting this course, I barely remembered anything about HTML from high-school. The only things I remembered about CSS were the background-color, font-family, margin and padding properties. So I took the resolve to finish this certificate no matter what and then move on to other things, and that's what I did. No matter how much time it took, I tried to finish at least 4 to 5 units everyday or more if I feel like it (well not exactly everyday, I took days off in between).

How much time did it take?

I won't give you a number and put pressure on you, but it took a long while for me to finish this course. By the time I finished it and completed the assignments (I didn't finish the last one, so I haven't got my certificate yet), I had a good understanding of HTML and CSS and designing, although I didn't remember half of the shit. So I started recreating web page designs from Dribbble and Behance using HTML and CSS. About two weeks later I got really bored and jumped straight into Javascript.

Note - Take the time to recreate some web page designs as a project, each one a little more complex than the previous ones, instead of jumping straight into JS. It'll help you to get a strong base for HTML, CSS and you'll learn many new things, which will help you later. Around 4 to 5 pages would be enough to get a good understanding. Don't overdo it now. The point is to get familiar with the tags, and selectors so that when you create frontend apps, these basic things just click like breathing or blinking where you automatically do it correctly without having to think a lot.

Jumping onto the Javascript train🚂

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash. This is not me!

Now that I was done with the Responsive Web Design certificate course, I started the Data Structures and Algorithms using Javascript certificate on FreeCodeCamp and here's where I got a head start. I already knew the basic concepts of programming, like if...else statements, loops, operators, conditions etc, so it was easy for me to get started. However the rest of the stuff were all new for me and I had absolutely no idea about it. Here are a few things you should focus on while going through this course -

• Arrays and Array methods like sort, map, filter🗺
• Objects and Object methods🍀
• Destructuring Arrays💬
• Destructuring Objects⚽
• Promises and asynchronous functions in JS🤖
• Different loops available in JS➰
• Events and event handling in JS🥳

Understanding these concepts will help you while learning React or some other frontend library😎.

I only finished halfway through the course when I got a major assignment in college to create a full-stack web-app. Having no idea how to build it, I jumped straight into React 😱.

Don't worry if you don't know about any of these concepts, the module is setup perfectly to start from the very basic concepts. It might take you a little more time than me but you'll definitely understand it🥰.

Getting off at the React station😱

Photo by Cookie the Pom on Unsplash. I don't look this cute while coding🐶.

Truth be told, I went through the creating a tic-tac-toe game tutorial on the reactjs site and I learned nothing, so I searched for an easier article to follow. Sometimes you might find it difficult to follow some article or tutorial. So look for one that you find easy of follow or understand. Here's one similar article to help you get started with React - How to Build a React Project with Create React App in 10 Steps.

At first try to build super simple projects, instead of jumping straight into hell.

Here's one super simple project idea to help you get a little familiar with React. Create a button and a text below it that says "You have clicked the button 0 times". Every time you click the button, the count should increase by 1 and the text should get updated to show the current count. This small project will help you understand how to render elements, writing functions, handling events in React and the most important is managing state in React. Good luck. Have fun.

Now comes the Backend🔙

Although you'd be applying for frontend developer position, it is important to have a little knowledge about backend and other concepts such as API, server, HTTP request etc. And since I had to create a full-stack web-app for my assignment, there was no other way than to learn about backend.

I'll be honest with you, learning backend is not easy and I barely remember the basics. But having that little knowledge was an added bonus in the resume and also you can make some really cool projects.

The final station

A half finished full-stack app with no idea on how to finish it, no projects to show except the two static pages I created on September, no resume, no social media, no LinkedIn, I thought why not apply for a job, wouldn't harm to get one, by luck.

So, I started reading articles about applying for a job as a frontend developer. There were things mentioned like having a few projects, creating a twitter page, a resume...😐. I didn't have any of these.

I was already working on the college assignment so I decided to stick to it. I created a twitter page and a LinkedIn account and started posting about coding, project updates etc. Also used the resume builder on LinkedIn and barely put together a resume

Time to apply for jobs

November 6th 2021, I started applying for jobs posted on LinkedIn. Didn't matter if I'd got any response from the other side but I kept applying. I applied to 30 different companies, no response from some, some rejected the application, but I received a response from a company and they had sent me an assignment to complete, which I couldn't finish completely and so got rejected.

But then a month later on a quiet evening of December 6th, I got a call from a member of the HR team of my current company for a quick conversation. That went well and they sent me an assignment to complete within the next 48 hours, which was tough, because I haven't made anything like that in React, but I managed to finish it on time, mailed it to them and they replied back😳 saying that they would like to have one last interview as part of their process.

It was my first interview ever and I was scared as shit. Somehow I couldn't stop being me, shared funny stories about myself, and described my pain of learning to code in a way that made them laugh. It was a good interview, I loved it. They loved it, called me for a second interview. And that's how I got the job.

I think the point is to be you, and share your unique stories in your own way and have a little fun. Even if it's an interview, try to have a conversation, talk, get to know them and the company more. Ask questions, explain of failures, add a little bit of humor. You'll be less nervous and they'll love it too.

I'll write another article on how to prepare for your first job better than I did. So stay tuned!

Do it better than I did🥰

I didn't prepared anything properly before applying for job, and that was a good and a bad thing. The good thing was that I didn't force myself to learn everything before applying for a tech job. The bad was that I didn't prepare the basic things before applying. So here's how to do it better than me -

1. After you complete the Responsive Web Design Certificate (complete it till the end😒💕), try recreating page designs from Dribbble or Behance. Around 4 to 5 would be enough✏.
2. After you learn the basics of React (or any frontend framework), don't keep watching tutorials after tutorials. Instead create projects and learn as you go. Every bug, every problem and every solution you come up with, will automatically teach you things you need to learn. I found this the best way to learn development💻.
3. Create at least 3 to 4 beginner friendly frontend projects. It can be easy or a little complex, doesn't matter, just create some projects. This will help you get familiar with the framework and also make you look better in your resume😉.
4. Learn about JSON, Git and Github. Super important🤯
5. If you're learning about backend too, well done. Try creating 1 or 2 simple backend projects, it will help you get basic knowledge about backend, enough to let you mention it in your resume and also talk about it a little in your interview😎.
6. Create a twitter account, and try to post a tweet everyday🐤😤. It can be updates related to your current project, something you learned today, or a good article that you read. Doesn't matter😇!
7. Create a LinkedIn account and post updates about your projects there too😍✌.
8. Create a resume. Look up a simple, clean template. Don't choose the one with crazy fonts and colors and stuff. The more simple it is the better. Here's an example Resume - Brittany Chiang. Also create a cover letter. This is super important😳.
9. Try creating you're very own portfolio website too. It would definitely be super helpful📈.
10. If you're applying for jobs through LinkedIn, connect with the person who posted the Job requirement, and send a message, letting them know you've applied for the job, and that you're excited for the opportunity, and hoping to hear from them soon. Do it for all the jobs you apply👀🦾.
11. One last final piece of advice is do a background check on the person, the company, before applying and also before accepting any offer. If you receive call from a recruiter and they ask for money, avoid them. It's likely a scam caller. Just be aware😨!

And that's a wrap🥰

Thank you everyone for reading this far. I'll be writing some more articles on React, Backend, how I appeared for my interview and other things. Stay healthy and solve some bugs😉😜.

Have questions or want to talk? Tweet me🐤 @Abajit Dey