Becoming a JavaScript Developer
My journey into software development happened about 10 years ago and somewhat by accident. I got my [useless] degree in Musical Theater and traveled the country with my wife directing musical productions for children. While we were on the road, we got pregnant with our first child and determined it was time to come home and settle down in Kansas City.
I got a job as a director of marketing for my father's internet company and eventually discovered that I just didn't have what it took to make such a position profitable. In my desire to be useful, I asked the tech team if there was anything with which I could help them. They told me I would need to learn HTML and directed me to a website where I could engage in some self-study.
For me, that was the beginning of a continual journey of learning and growing in my tech skills. From HTML, I learned CSS, then PHP, then JavaScript, MySQL, and jQuery. I put an ad on Craigslist and started selling my services as a web developer on the side (initially for $15/hr, then $25, $30, $35, and $45/hr).
For some reason, the thought of working full-time for an actual company seemed out of reach. But eventually, I tested the waters by applying for several jobs on CareerBuilder, and to my surprise, there was a great demand! I later learned that there is huge demand for developers all over Kansas City, and this has been relatively constant for over a decade! In the three years (this month) since getting my first real full-time developer job (at Solidify Software), I have learned much more on the job than I learned outside of it.
This leads me to mention what I consider to be the part of this line of work that seems a little too good to be true: Learning on the job. I recognize that everyone can learn things while they work, but there is something amazing to me about just how MUCH valuable information I get to learn while working--and also how many individual meaningful skills I get to grow in this line of work. In some ways, it's like the companies are competing to pay good money for students. In every job I've had, I've gotten a pay raise from the job before and learned many new skills that make me more well-rounded and more employable.
Since becoming a JavaScript developer, I have felt a bit like I'm on a mission to help get other friends and family members into this field. I've helped my brother and another friend to become full-time developers, and I've offered a custom curriculum to several others as well. BTW, if any readers want the software development curriculum, just leave a comment or shoot me an email, and I'm happy to send it.
Anyway, software development is an awesome career. Great pay, lots of job security, lots of growth, and lots of fun.
I got a job as a director of marketing for my father's internet company and eventually discovered that I just didn't have what it took to make such a position profitable. In my desire to be useful, I asked the tech team if there was anything with which I could help them. They told me I would need to learn HTML and directed me to a website where I could engage in some self-study.
For me, that was the beginning of a continual journey of learning and growing in my tech skills. From HTML, I learned CSS, then PHP, then JavaScript, MySQL, and jQuery. I put an ad on Craigslist and started selling my services as a web developer on the side (initially for $15/hr, then $25, $30, $35, and $45/hr).
For some reason, the thought of working full-time for an actual company seemed out of reach. But eventually, I tested the waters by applying for several jobs on CareerBuilder, and to my surprise, there was a great demand! I later learned that there is huge demand for developers all over Kansas City, and this has been relatively constant for over a decade! In the three years (this month) since getting my first real full-time developer job (at Solidify Software), I have learned much more on the job than I learned outside of it.
This leads me to mention what I consider to be the part of this line of work that seems a little too good to be true: Learning on the job. I recognize that everyone can learn things while they work, but there is something amazing to me about just how MUCH valuable information I get to learn while working--and also how many individual meaningful skills I get to grow in this line of work. In some ways, it's like the companies are competing to pay good money for students. In every job I've had, I've gotten a pay raise from the job before and learned many new skills that make me more well-rounded and more employable.
Since becoming a JavaScript developer, I have felt a bit like I'm on a mission to help get other friends and family members into this field. I've helped my brother and another friend to become full-time developers, and I've offered a custom curriculum to several others as well. BTW, if any readers want the software development curriculum, just leave a comment or shoot me an email, and I'm happy to send it.
Anyway, software development is an awesome career. Great pay, lots of job security, lots of growth, and lots of fun.
Comments
Post a Comment