Well I finally did it. After 6 months of applying to jobs, going to Tech Meetups, doing Hackerrank and Codewars challenges, making projects, networking, and drinking lots of Chai Tea – I got a job as a QA Software Analyst. It’s absolutely amazing! Yes, I pushed myself hard to accomplish my dream.
It took me 10 interviews and some phone screens. I had to fail lots of tech interviews and learn from each one. I had to learn to really sell myself during interviews because to be honest, I used to be unclear when I spoke during interviews. Now I feel confident about answering questions from employers especially behavior interview questions. In the past I was not bad, but I was never great. I think in a way you have to be great or at least have something that sets you apart from the rest. Not all of us are extroverted or love talking, but there is probably something about you that is unique. Tap into what makes you awesome.
There’s tons of advice on interviewing and learning to code, but I think it all comes down to persistence and patience. I still would not call myself the best coder in the world, but I know the basics and I can figure things out when I put in the time.
This journey took help from others. My career coach helped me immensely. She gave me great feedback when it came to job searching / interviewing strategies. I think that’s probably a thing that gets overlooked when you do a bootcamp. I think career guidance is crucial. Going to Meetups and doing coding challenges helps a lot too. I went to a Meetup in Irvine, CA (It took me almost an hour to get there!) called “Whiteboard Warriors” and this helped me get comfortable doing algorithmic problems. I never got to do an algorithmic problem at my last interview, but the Meetup did help me feel prepared and ultimately I got the job.
I can say Trilogy’s program at UCSD extension helped me get my job. I put in the work, but they gave me the opportunity to learn coding skills and job interviewing skills.
The other point I want to make is, well… take a break! You need to visit the outside world once in awhile. Give yourself time to learn. I know I love to push myself to the limit and sometimes I go too far. We need to remind ourselves to go outside and see that life is not all about coding. Your brain will probably work better in the long run. Remember the goal is not to be the best coder in the world, but to get a job!
