TL;DR
Build a shit ton of projects (and you can skip this article or any other).
The Reflection
- I was chilling in my 8th sem (in Ranchi) with literally no work and a paid internship 😂
- Those months gave me enough time to reflect on all my interests and push me in the right direction. After many experiments (done since I started college) and reflections, I realised my interest was in software development, building products. So I decided to get started there.
- I started 2022 with only knowing the basics of HTML, CSS, and Java
What I did
Months 1 and 2 (Revision)
- I started by revising Java, as the last Java program I had written was in 10th Grade (6 years ago). That took about a week.
- And For the next 7 weeks,
- I spent my time learning DSA from Mosh - Code With Mosh DSA (80% of the time) and revising HTML and,
- CSS and building mini projects using them (20% of the time).
Months 3 and 4 (Basics Of JS)
- My next step was to learn JavaScript and how it can be used to manipulate the DOM, which I did from FCC, which took me about 10 days
- After which I created projects every 2–3 days. The point of each project was to learn or practise JS concepts. I made a ton of projects, including a few original ones as well.
- During this time I also had to shift to Hyderabad for my full time role @ Deloitte, which was pretty chill for the most part and gave me ample time to prepare.
The L-table helped me in working my day job and learning side-by-side, practical af.
Months 5, 6 and 7 (Projects++)
- I had learnt JS, jQuery, and DOM Manipulation at this point and made a couple of projects to show for it. Now it was time to learn a framework which would help me build scalable web apps. I picked React) since it is the most used framework and the demand for it is huge.
- After going through the series above and learning the core concepts of React, it was time to build some projects. I started building a project every week and hosting them on firebase. I built apps such as chat apps (with compete for backend in firebase), an exercise directory app (using APIs) and a Dashboard using Material UI. It was by far the most period of my coding journey.
Month 8 (Aggressive Apply and Outreach)
- I applied to 5 – 7 jobs on various platforms (95% via LinkedIn) daily for that month, heard back from 14 companies, interviewed for all and was finally offered a role by 4 companies.
- 2 were in remote startups, one was in a remote Services startup and one was in Bengaluru. I wanted my first proper software role to be an in-person role (massive learning and fun) + I really liked vibe of the manager who interview/hired me (story for another time), so I accepted Bengaluru as my new base.
- After I accepted an offer, I spent all my time exploring Hyderabad, all the historical sites and famous eateries.
Key Pointers
- Learn the basics of language of choice (Java/ Python/ JavaScript) and practises DSA.
- Keep in touch with DSA even after you are done with its theory of it. Practice a question or 2 daily.
- Learn the skill you wish to learn in the shortest time possible (by watching some free YouTube courses). After that, spend a ton of time making multiple projects (again, search for the project you want on YouTube or a blog website). Projects are what will give you the depth needed in any subject.
- Rinse and repeat, and you will be skilled in any area you want.
- Bonus – Always learn in public. After you build a project, learn a new skill or publish a blog post on Twitter/LinkedIn. Do this not for the followers, but to build credibility and document your journey. (This is something I missed out on)
Trust the process.
What's Next?
- I am getting started with learning more about backend development and Next.js.
- I am looking at good first issues at the moment and looking forward to contributing to open-source.