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I’m a Web Developer based in Adelaide, Australia. Even though I have a Telecommunications Engineering degree and an MBA, coding is my passion and my new professional career focus. Developing applications for the web has become my drive.
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Thanks Ram!
Thanks for the information, I will try to figure it out for more. Keep sharing such informative post.
Thanks Kelly Benton, I'm glad you like it!
Thank you Eleftheria Batsou!
I’m glad you like the article Anastasia Sinokhina!
Really good article Damian Demasi!
I have been going into meetups and seminars from the start of my career and now I'm at the stage where I organize such meetups.
We have our next meetup on the 27th of November on the topic of Databases
Wow! I imagine organizing such meetups must not be easy, but it must be very rewarding.
It's full of challenges, fun and excitement Damian Demasi
Thanks for the article Damian Demasi. I'll start looking for meetups like these from now.
Great! Thanks Tejaswini!
It's great that you pushed yourself into that situation because I know exactly how you would have felt Damian. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your words of encouragement, Kieran Roberts!
Thanks Sabarish Rajamohan! I'm glad you find it useful.
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Damian Demasi's Blog
34 posts
Web Developer - I switched careers in my 40s - Writer of web development blog posts - I love to share Notion templates
Buy me a coffee!Yesterday evening I went to my first software development Meetup. I was hesitating in going because I'm sort of an introvert and going into a room full of strangers is not what I imagine when I think about doing something fun. Fortunately, I pushed myself to go, thinking that, at least, I would listen to what the speakers had to say.
To my surprise, I enjoyed the experience quite much. I didn't do much networking, but I could see and hear about people from different backgrounds trying to start (and continue) their careers in software development. The Meetup was focused on junior developers, so the discussion was focused on how to get jobs and the first steps after getting a job. I was glad to know many recommended a process to land jobs that are very similar to the one I followed to get my first job as a software developer, of which you can read more here
There is a saying that I heard on the Netflix show Luis Miguel (a great show, by the way) in which one of the characters says:
No one regrets being brave
I used that phrase as my mantra, and that is what pushed me beyond my introversion and allowed me to face the uncomfortable situation of facing strangers (in a strange language, as English is not my mother tongue).
I knew I would regret not going more than the regret of going and, potentially, making a fool of myself. In the end, it was a great experience, although I didn't manage to extract all the juice out of it (maybe next time!).
There was a general consensus among speakers and the senior developer to whom I talked to that, for junior developers, culture fit is more important than knowledge. This is something that I experienced myself during the interview I had for my current position.
Having the right mindset, caring about the craftsmanship of building things with your code, and having emotional and social intelligence to become a positive addition to a team, is what companies are looking for, and something they won't be teaching you. On the other hand, knowing the right framework or Git workflow (and other technical skills) is something you can learn on the job.
When it comes to more senior positions, technical knowledge is often more important, as you will have to know your stuff really well.
Junior developers may find it difficult to land their first job because most of the job postings demand too many skills. The speakers at the Meetup agreed that the job posts are sometimes not well written, and they just list, from more to less important, all the skills they wish a junior had for that position. Chances are that, if you don't know all the skills they are asking for, many other juniors will also lack those, so you should apply for the role.
In my case, I applied to a job position that was looking for a senior developer, but I was familiar with, roughly, half the skills they asked for. They ended up hiring me, and continue looking for that senior position later on.
I could see that the Meetup was packed with people from different companies looking for developers. So, if you want to start working in this industry, or change jobs, going to this kind of Meetups could be your best investment.
Someone told me that, in his company, they are actually struggling to find developers. The job market for software developers seems to be in good health, as there is a high demand for developers.
Regarding the interview process, the speakers emphasised that an interview is not only the chance for a company to know more about you but the opportunity for you to know more about the company (research the company before going to the interview!). You should ask about the culture, the professional development plan, salary, what you should be doing to succeed at the position, and any other relevant questions.
Regarding coding challenges, you should be wary of companies that give you a coding challenge to test how intelligent you are. A good company will give you the challenge to see how you work out problems, how you work in teams, and how you react to feedback.
Some companies will offer you a lot of perks, but you shouldn't let that blind you. Instead of chasing shiny objects, chase culture fit and growth opportunities. Are you going to be a better developer if you work at that company?
Things that will help you to land an interview (and a job) are:
None of the speakers said that their companies will prefer a uni graduate over a self-thought developer (or the other way around). Instead, they focus on what is your thinking process, how you tackle problems, and how well you react to feedback.
To succeed in your recent position as a software developer (assuming you landed a job), you should get interested in the different departments the company may have. Try to learn a bit about everything, put yourself in the client's shoes, chat with other coworkers, etc.
By the end of the Meetup, the idea of how a good company looks like was becoming clearer. Cool companies build social relationships in their communities. They host or talk at Meetups. They are interested in how you can become a great software developer. They are more human-like than cold entity-like.
I'm amazed about how much value you can extract from these Meetups. If you have the chance to go to one, do it. Put aside your doubts and anxiety, and just go. We are all humans, we share the same struggles, so you are not alone. Remember: no one regrets being brave.
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