The Odin Project - Job Offer Accepted

[@candytt483]

This is great I'm just starting the Odin project so hoping I can have the same luck as you :)

[@self_taught_dev]

Stick to it! I always say luck is where preparedness meets opportunity :)

[@MrPB3N]

Congratulations! I've been watching your videos along my own Odin journey, and seeing your success is incredibly motivating. I hope I can get out of my shell and network like you can.

[@self_taught_dev]

I am glad my videos offer something positive. The networking is a bit of a grind at first, but just stick to it, be genuine and it will fall into a rhythm.

[@EricsWormPlayground]

I think I might be your 1000th sub…. Helpful vid, I am working the foundations of Odin and wanted to make sure the effort is worthwhile

[@self_taught_dev]

Woo! Thank you for subbing. Oh it is a lot of work, but well worth it if you stick to it an are really wanting to make the change.

[@fabiancabrera9772]

No conocía la página de roadmap, me ayudó muchísimo a seguir un camino de aprendizaje. Exelente video

[@williamNshorts]

Everyone from TOP. like

[@samuelodan2376]

💪🏽

[@self_taught_dev]

TOP's a great community.

[@williamNshorts]

@@self_taught_dev Major love and support

[@Seekingtruth-mx3ur]

I'm in TOP. Came from 100devs but each video lesson is like 3+ hrs.

[@JaviTale]

I left everything and grabbed all my savings just for one goal. Finish TOP and land a job. I know it's crazy. I know it was a very bold decision but I want to say to myself in the future that I tried my absolute best :) I hope I can get an internship just like you in two or three months. I am currently at the intermediate HTML and CSS section in the JavaScript Path. (Make sure you guys ask me how I'm doing hehe)

[@Professor-eu1ll]

you can do it!

[@JaviTale]

@@Professor-eu1ll thanks a lot, boss

[@LookingAway359]

@JaviTale How's it going?

[@JaviTale]

@@LookingAway359 I took a small vacation (literally), I'm starting again today. :)

[@self_taught_dev]

Nice one! Keep pushing every day and it will come.

[@gfddgitgud3848]

Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your journey. It’s very brave and helpful.

[@self_taught_dev]

Thank you so much!

[@gentlemankumar7272]

Congratulations 🎉

[@self_taught_dev]

Thank you sir!

[@antoniosimonetti2109]

Congrats brother! Happy to hear that!

[@self_taught_dev]

Thank You!!

[@paulnielson7007]

I would like to hear more about the soup kitchen app, i work in a homeless shelter in the Midwest United States and could use a app to give to our guests in the shelter.

[@self_taught_dev]

Here you go: github.com/HotSoupRepos/HotSoup-frontend

[@paulnielson7007]

@@self_taught_dev thank you, i am starting the thought process for one of my portfolio projects to be an app to help homeless find shelter beds, so this is a great inspiration to help motivate myself to figuring out the code for that app

[@pratikthorat3480]

Congratulations! It is so amazing to hear this.

[@self_taught_dev]

Thank you! It's been quite the journey and continues to be. No regrets at all.

[@pratikthorat3480]

@@self_taught_dev kudos to you man you made it!!

[@jabss7847]

Congratulations ! Just finished the intermediate html and css section yesterday. Currently going strong in javascript. I wish I could find a job around february next year !

[@self_taught_dev]

Nice! Well keep going at it every day...it will come.

[@jabss7847]

@@self_taught_dev Thank you ! Yes, it is my dream. 2023 is lit 🔥🔥

[@sumitnaiyaa]

Can we connect brother

[@jabss7847]

@@self_taught_dev it's done, i made it ! got a job in mid march. learnt a lot for the past 4 months 😊😊

[@willianchiquio]

Your story is very nice. I am also in a career transition and your story motivated me. PS: Sorry for the english, I had to use the translator to write this message.

[@self_taught_dev]

Thank you and keep going!

[@handmadegamesdev]

Just stumbled on your channel. Great content! I see it has been a while since your last update. No doubt you're quite busy on the job, but it would be great to see you continue 😁

[@self_taught_dev]

Yes yes yes I know! I was literally just thinking about making some more videos now I have a bit of a new rhythm going. I have plenty to share about the job as well as my rails app in production. Thanks for the nudge :)

[@xx-vf3yu]

Really happy to see your videos. Keep it up! I am new to tech and would like to learn more and I would like to know how to join open source work. Thanks!

[@self_taught_dev]

Yeah open source is a great way to gain real experience. I think the more experience you have the more value you can add to a project, but there are projects out there where anyone can contribute providing they show keen interest. Finding them can take some time but check out reddit to start.

[@NikeshKumar-qe6eh]

Hey Ben, thanks for a great video. I was wondering how i would access some of the Opensource projects you mentioned ?

[@self_taught_dev]

If you are interested in Ruby on Rails projects, check out Ruby for Good!

[@jiwooson5297]

Hi Ben, i’ve just started Odin project. I would like to change my career from hospitality industry. Could you tell me why you chose Ruby on Rail than the other? Congrats on your achievement! 🎉

[@self_taught_dev]

Thank you! You can do it. It will be hard, and you will have doubts, but stick to your plan and remain consistent. I chose Ruby on Rails for a few reasons. It has a strong community and the framework is making a comeback, even after sticking around for 20 years, which is a great sign. Companies pay well for Ruby on Rails skills, and everyone else is going for JavaScript or Python...I prefer less competition in a niche area. Also, I really enjoy coding in Ruby. It is clean. That said, it is very hard to find a junior Ruby on Rails role, so you will have to be creative and build something impressive.

[@jiwooson5297]

@@self_taught_dev thanks your the answer and it helps a lot! 🙌🏻🙏🏻

[@OdiakaUche]

Wow, Congratulations 🎉

[@self_taught_dev]

Thank you!

[@moses.muchemi]

awesome job man!

[@self_taught_dev]

Thank you!

[@assassin2968]

The motivation I needed.... out of curiosity how long did it take you to complete TOP?

[@self_taught_dev]

I never completed it, but I got to the end of the rails path in about 7 months and then got my internship.

[@assassin2968]

@@self_taught_dev Wild...sometimes I think we forget or I should say we forget to appreciate that nowadays anyone can learn pretty much anything for free if they have the will and grit to stay on track

[@maynardlim7812]

congratulations!!!

[@self_taught_dev]

Thank you!!

[@boyacosweep]

I just found your channel. Great stuff. How long did it take you from the moment you started learning how to code to getting a developer job?

[@self_taught_dev]

Thank you! I started the foundations of Odin Project in Dec 2021 and took the Ruby/Rails path and landed the internship offer in Aug, 2022. So, about 8-9 months is my timeline. At this point I had no front end framework experience, and the Ruby/Rails path is quite a bit longer. You might do it sooner focusing on JS instead....but everyone is different. I was working about 4-5 hours a day week days and a couple hours on weekends. It was a lot of work!

[@glasscactus4549]

Hi, nice video, how long u took on the course ?

[@self_taught_dev]

It took 8 months from starting to learn to land a job. I treated my learning like a full time job though and was not working for 5 months of that.

[@user-sl4sx6dp4c]

well done!

[@Jackolltradez]

I'm your 43rd subscriber

[@nicolasnunez9913]

Congratulations!! Just one question, how much time did it take you to finish TOP, or at least how much until you reach this job? Thanks in advance!

[@self_taught_dev]

Thank you! So TOP splits into two paths after foundations 1) Ruby on Rails and 2) Javascript. I took the Ruby path, which took longer at the time due to more lessons (JS path may have a similar number now) and was on the final project of Rails when I landed my internship. This meant I had backend experience, but no front end framework experience, just basic javascript. But, doing OOP in Ruby was very helpful to give me a faster learning curve working with javascript. Still a ton to learn, though.

[@Sanyu-Tumusiime]

i think you were too reserved in your choices. just take the role even if you don't think you can do it. work harrd move fast and learn.

[@self_taught_dev]

This is possible. I have heard different opinions on the first role. I wanted somewhere where there is an expectation I am not going to know everything and add value from day 1. It's a lower stress entry point. I have no issue hustling. I am working on my own projects concurrently with my job, and building an office in my yard, and raising a new born. It's more than most people would take on, so I wanted that first couple of months of my job to be more guided and lower stress.

[@Sanyu-Tumusiime]

​@@self_taught_dev This is exactly the point that I was trying to get at. You don't need more time than 9 to 5 and you'll still have enough time outside work. What matters is what you do during work. It doesn't matter if don't know anything about the new tech stack at your company. I want you to take the offer and go for it! People understand that it takes time to ramp up on a new tech stack. Also during work hours you should try and get up to speed, even if it's something you're not familiar with. You're supposed to get out there and learn new things. If you take a look at big tech like Google, KZbin, Facebook, etc. they don't hire based on tech stack, they give you IQ test coding questions. What matter is that you get out of your comfort zone and start delivering on a completely new tech stack. You can always do small bug fixes or small PRs during your time. You can upedate documentation. Contributions can happen from day 1, it's up to you to make it happen. So, I beg you please just take up the best job offer, don't bother with the tech stack. Also, if you end up at one of the WITCH companies, regardless of the tech stack they'll force you to work 7 days a week overtime. So, it depends more on the company, NOT the tech stack. I wish you the best.

[@self_taught_dev]

@@Sanyu-Tumusiime well technically I did that :) I got one offer and accepted it. By default it was my best offer. It's not like I had 5 offers and was refusing any that were appearing too challenging. Getting one offer at all is hard enough as a self-taught dev with less than a year under their belt. This internship is an awesome launching pad for me. I am not afraid of tech stacks and learning. I just was not getting offers for jobs that clearly wanted more experience than I had to offer.

[@Sanyu-Tumusiime]

​@@self_taught_dev Well, that's good! Once your foot is in the door, you're in! Welcome to the tech industry. You can always change your jobs after a while if you don't happen to like it. I joined as an android dev, similar to you, but then I moved to full stack with MERN. I had no formal education I came to the US on a diversity visa and then somehow studied for a year and landed a job. i agree, landing the first job is super difficult and we lack options, but it gets better as you progress. I'm glad you're enjoying the internship. Tech is fun. I hope you have some great experiences!

[@self_taught_dev]

@@Sanyu-Tumusiime thank you. It's going well so far. The people and tools are good. I even get to fly out to an all staff event in Ontario...so I am really grateful for the culture at this company.

[@RR-et6zp]

Hey what did you say in the interview? Towards those questions. Where could I learn and prepare for this ?

[@self_taught_dev]

Technically, I relied on what I had learned up to near the end of the Ruby on Rails module in The Odin Project. But I think most importantly it was a desire to learn, grow and work with others. These are things you can work on developing, but come easily when you genuinely mean what you are saying, as does the enthusiasm.

[@RR-et6zp]

@@self_taught_dev Yeah 100%, thanks for answering. I'm going through all your vids (trying to learn ruby first haha). It means a lot actually cuz I'm struggling but it will go.

[@self_taught_dev]

@@RR-et6zp Stick with it. It is a struggle. I struggled, and I still do! But, slowly, bit by bit, things start to get easier and you can see patterns.

[@RR-et6zp]

@@self_taught_dev Thanks. I'm going through codecademy with ruby and ruby on rails. IMO it's very very well done. Looking forward to your next vids

[@self_taught_dev]

@@RR-et6zp Yeah I will be making more soon to go over the rest of the ruby path and my final project for rails.

[@samuelodan2376]

I came here to say Congrats once again and to find out what you think of the whole thing, especially starting a non-ruby role. How does it feel? Edit: Okay, you talked about it in the end. Alright, thanks for sharing your journey. It’s really insightful.

[@self_taught_dev]

Thank you! Yeah I was a little apprehensive at first...learning a new language and stack. But, at the end of the day the stacks are all doing similar things in web dev so it should be easier to learn after grasping the fundementals of rails, and I am now excited to gain the experience and add it to the toolkit.

[@samuelodan2376]

@@self_taught_dev awesome, that’s a nice way to look at it. I sure hope I get a Rails job, but if I don’t, I’ll be glad I had the opportunity to learn web dev with Rails. (After feeling a little sad of course, lol).

[@self_taught_dev]

@@samuelodan2376 Yeah I hear that. I think it's certainly possible to get a rails job...but it's just harder to get as a junior. Most companies on rails are smaller, closer to start up, and don't have the capacity to mentor juniors and so their new hires need some experience. But, I could be wrong!

[@samuelodan2376]

@@self_taught_dev You’re right actually. I’ve been listening to Remote Ruby lately and this issue been brought a couple times. Most Rails companies want only Seniors, but they prolly don’t know that they’re hurting the Ruby community. If they keep it up, less and less of us will bother to learn ruby and the language and frameworks will begin to fade away eventually. I just hope more of these companies embrace juniors more.

[@self_taught_dev]

@@samuelodan2376 Yes it is a conundrum for sure. Though, it bodes well for the individual who does crack the nut, with job opportunities and salary. I think that's one of the reasons rails devs are usually the highest paid web devs.

[@Music-sj2xy]

Congratulations 🎉🎉 Please when you have time can you mentor me.

[@self_taught_dev]

the key word there is time :) I think the best way for me to help the most people is to make these videos?

[@abdu5822]

@@self_taught_dev we can have zoom call meetings once in a week (maybe during weekends)

[@self_taught_dev]

@@abdu5822 I wish I had the time! The best way I can help the most people is post videos on here. I will be getting back to these soon.

[@user-sl4sx6dp4c]

can you list your projects that you used in your portfolio? and whats the salary for the internship like? Im wondering what my expectations should be for a junior front end dev role

[@self_taught_dev]

I didn't have a portfolio site, just my GitHub. My resume had two basic rails projects (blog app and an events app, both with CRUD features, styled front ends and live sites on Heroku) and some object oriented programming projects (games) that I had built like tic-tac-toe, mastermind, hangman. My internship is fullstack, mostly back end, and 70k CAD a year. That is pretty good pay in Canada. You can get more with larger companies, especially in the states, but I am happy. For me the experience working with senior devs who are there to mentor you is worth its weight. I see it as getting paid to learn. It's win win...salary at this stage is not as important as experience. I am not sure how relevant my experience is to a front end internship. And a caveat, I had some good transferable skills from another career and a couple businesses that I bought and sold in addition to coding, and a clear desire for growth and commitment. I think these last two things go much further than any single project.

[@user-sl4sx6dp4c]

@@self_taught_dev great response mate, thanks so much

[@rappelzrevival720]

How long did it take you to finish the whole project?

[@self_taught_dev]

The Odin Project is comprised of a load projects. I got up to near the end of the Ruby on Rails path...so not even full stack yet.

[@Allysroadtorecovery]

Guys as a beginner should I do Odin or Freecodeacademy?

[@RaefetOuafiqo]

Do both, start with FCC then speedrun TOP and do top projects they will help you alot

[@self_taught_dev]

Yeah you might look at some intro stuff on free code academy. I think I started learning basics of the web on Khan academy. That said, I can vouch for the odin project being sufficient, and I think it it important to choose something and then stick to it. So from that perspective, choose the odin project :)

[@manivela7230]

Congratulations🎉

[@self_taught_dev]

thank you!