Post: #401

(07-18-2016 04:21 AM)Travesty Wrote:  Someone had a tip on RN. I knew about React for front end.

I was going to study iOS apps soon. I think I will take a stab at RN because I keep learning Node for backend.

Javascript all the way motherfuckers.

RN is pretty sweet. It's constantly being updated by Facebook with better features. The biggest selling point by far is significantly reducing the resources required to make an Android + iOS app.

Designs/the small things are different between the two platforms but you can still code all of it except some really cutting edge shit in JS.

Post: #402

I really think hybrid is the way to go for the future. Sure there will be particular cases that need native dev work, but RN and Ionic is much more faster to build and ship. Performance should get better with time.

Post: #403

(07-17-2016 01:51 AM)No Habit Wrote:  I've been learning and programming daily since I posted in this thread three months ago. I can really recommend the Treehouse learning platform. I've finished multiple tracks there and am doing the Java Web Dev Techdegree projects there right now for 99$/month. They give you 12 real world projects to complete which are said to represent the skills that employers are looking for. I've finished 6 of the projects so far and am finally going to apply for jobs at the end of the month, no matter my progress. Currently digging into design patterns, too.

What I've learned so far:

1. Java, Spring, Hibernate, Spark
2. HTML5
3. CSS, Bootstrap, SASS
4. JavaScript, Node, Express, Angular
5. SQL, some NoSQL, too
   

It's great that there is so much to learn in programming. I am growing everyday.

Best Regards,
No Habit

Thanks for sharing, I completed the Front End Stack recently and enjoyed it.

Gonna jump in to Javascript fully now; the price of the techdegree has been putting me off.

You mention it is worth it.

What are the differences, apart from the 12 projects and building your portfolio?

I think it's bullshit they don't offer discounts to existing members.

I recently started CS50X (Introduction to Computer Science, Harvard) on Edx to learn the basics and algorithms.

Post: #404

(06-27-2016 10:23 AM)yeppels Wrote:  I work fully remotely. I only applied to remote jobs. Have no interest in ever going back to a standard office environment.

Guys, I completed the front end track on Team Treehouse, got my front end certificate on Free Code Camp, and read several books on coding before joining a full stack boot camp, so if you have any questions on boot camps or self study, or just want to network, feel free to reach out.

At the moment, my stack is HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, JSON/API's, Bootstrap, Firebase, Node.js, and MySQL. I'm getting a better handle on Node.js and Express.js right now, and by the time I graduate I'll also have worked with React, MongoDB, PHP, Laravel, and CodeIgniter.

I graduate in October, but I'm going to aim to specialize in React and start actively searching for full stack remote junior dev gigs, with a focus on the front end, by September 1st. If you guys have any leads, even if it's before then, please forward them over!

Ideally I'd like to work from the Asia Pacific region, but Latin America could work as well.

Also, I say I'll specialize in React because that's in demand right now, but I'm open to specializing in any other tech if it'll land me a remote gig, and I'll always be updating my stack as the market demands.

Good luck to all of you guys, and thanks in advance to any of you that reach out!

Post: #405

Very cool Spaniard... please keep us updated. Would love to hear how the search goes.

Post: #406

Quote:Thanks for sharing, I completed the Front End Stack recently and enjoyed it.

Gonna jump in to Javascript fully now; the price of the techdegree has been putting me off.

You mention it is worth it.

What are the differences, apart from the 12 projects and building your portfolio?

There are three tiers of techdegrees at Treehouse now. I chose the lightweight version for 99$/month because I wanted to have a guidance on building my own portfolio. Other than that you also get a final exam and a Treehouse Techdegree certificate on completion.

Post: #407

Guys, I've been getting interview offers for SQL, PHP work, in fact I've been headhunted for these jobs. I've also had two people call me for a JavaScript developer role, however, I mainly want to go into C#, Java, C++, Python.

A lot of companies need junior developers. If you have projects to show on GitHub, you will get interest from agencies, employers.

If I get an offer in JavaScript, can I potentially get a job in Java if I decide to leave the JavaScript job further down the line?

Post: #408

(07-29-2016 01:46 AM)Atom89 Wrote:  Guys, I've been getting interview offers for SQL, PHP work, in fact I've been headhunted for these jobs. I've also had two people call me for a JavaScript developer role, however, I mainly want to go into C#, Java, C++, Python.

A lot of companies need junior developers. If you have projects to show on GitHub, you will get interest from agencies, employers.

If I get an offer in JavaScript, can I potentially get a job in Java if I decide to leave the JavaScript job further down the line?

Not sure exactly what you mean; JS has little to do with Java other than the name, but people do get hired for jobs without knowing the stack the company uses if they have experience. It's not hard to pick up a new language or framework. I suspect it will depend mostly on what you did at the JS job, and how that relates to the Java job in question.

What kind of projects do you have on github, if you don't mind my asking? I'm looking for a full time job so I need a portfolio, but I can't show off the code I've done for freelance work, and I'm trying to figure out what personal projects to move over to github. Most of the stuff I've done seems trivial (CRUD web apps for personal use) or useless (toy stuff for fun) to me, though.

Post: #409

Thank you Weambulance.

At the moment I may not take the interview offers in JavaScript, PHP, SQL, since I'm mainly looking for a job in Java, C#, C++, Python as I feel once I get a job lets say in C#, I can get a job in Java down the line. I know of a C# developer and he last worked as a Java developer.

I've sent you a PM of what projects I have on GitHub.

Post: #410

(07-29-2016 02:37 AM)weambulance Wrote:  What kind of projects do you have on github, if you don't mind my asking? I'm looking for a full time job so I need a portfolio, but I can't show off the code I've done for freelance work, and I'm trying to figure out what personal projects to move over to github. Most of the stuff I've done seems trivial (CRUD web apps for personal use) or useless (toy stuff for fun) to me, though.

If you want interesting stuff to show in your portfolio, add 1 or 2 'cool' features to your CRUD apps. Image uploads to s3. Real time chat with websockets. Take something reddit/pinterest/amazon etc do and make it work in your app. Facebook/google login. Use google maps api. Integrate React into some part of your app/make part of your app a single page JS experience. Make it responsive (mobile friendly). etc etc etc.

Use your freelancing projects as inspiration for 'cool' features as well.

You can use https://wrapbootstrap.com/tag/portfolio to buy a dirt cheap portfolio theme where you can edit in all your projects that are worth linking to along with your contact info. IMO a portfolio website for a web dev is way more legit than just a paper resume.

Post: #411

If you get a JS job that pays well, take it. JS is the future. I'm on MEANstack right now and it's even easier to get a project going than laravel. JS is on the cutting edge of new web/mobile tech, and there is very high demand for people that can do it well.

While the job market for C#, Python, C++, Java isn't going away, the highest demand in the upcoming little while will be in mobile hybrid(Ionic2/Angular, React Native/JSX) and event driven web apps(Node). AKA Javascript.

I too have been headhunted for jobs, ironically I just took a MS stack job that is relative to web dev, writing ancient code. Think ERP systems. But I got a 40% pay increase. Not too shabby for someone out of school < 3 months in a career change. I still keep my skills current by having side web/mobile projects.

Post: #412

At the current market demand, is it better to study Java for Android or JS for full stack?

Post: #413

@dnx: JS. You can use JS for Ionic and React Native is JS-ish. In addition to everything full stack.

Post: #414

(08-08-2016 11:44 AM)jj90 Wrote:  @dnx: JS. You can use JS for Ionic and React Native is JS-ish. In addition to everything full stack.

What is Ionic and React Native? Never heard of it

Post: #415

Someone doing those interviewcake questions? To me they are hard as fuck, I could manage the first one but can barely wrap my head around the ones that follow. Is there any way to practice this stuff?

Besides that I am working on the last Team Treehouse Project for the Java Web Development Techdegree. Also, I haven't applied to any jobs yet as I missed sleep and had too much stress, which brought me into psychiatry again. At least I can do some serious coding here.

No Habit

Post: #416

(08-31-2016 01:15 AM)No Habit Wrote:  Someone doing those interviewcake questions? To me they are hard as fuck, I could manage the first one but can barely wrap my head around the ones that follow. Is there any way to practice this stuff?

Sure, there is. There are many books about algorithm design.
wikipedia: algorithm design

In my opinion the most important concepts are divide and conquer and dynamic programming. After learning about those concepts you should study examples in detail.

Whenever you encounter one of those questions you can ask yourself:
- Can I solve this problem with D&C?
- Can I solve this problem with dynamic programming?
- Can I solve this problem with ... ?

After some practice you won't need to ask those questions any more. You will instinctively know which concept to apply.

Post: #417

(09-04-2016 07:46 AM)CookieDough Wrote:  

(08-31-2016 01:15 AM)No Habit Wrote:  Someone doing those interviewcake questions? To me they are hard as fuck, I could manage the first one but can barely wrap my head around the ones that follow. Is there any way to practice this stuff?

Sure, there is. There are many books about algorithm design.
wikipedia: algorithm design

In my opinion the most important concepts are divide and conquer and dynamic programming. After learning about those concepts you should study examples in detail.

Whenever you encounter one of those questions you can ask yourself:
- Can I solve this problem with D&C?
- Can I solve this problem with dynamic programming?
- Can I solve this problem with ... ?

After some practice you won't need to ask those questions any more. You will instinctively know which concept to apply.

http://interactivepython.org/runestone/s...index.html

Great resource in Python that explores OOP, data structures, recursion, dynamic programming, and algorithm analysis.

If you can intelligently talk about the concepts covered in this book, you should be able to get a job.

Post: #418

Guys, I see a lot of you just learning to code and aiming for junior developer positions.

Great, but if you ONLY do that you'll become just another code monkey. Code monkeys are replaceable, so common that you don't need to pay them a lot, and nobody will hire them after age 30 (after all, lots of 20 years old will do the same job and whine less about crappy salaries, especially those coming from India).

This is like everything, when everyone learns the same skill (coding), that skill loses a lot of value.

So view coding as part of a wider TOOLKIT, not as the main job itself. Just like a carpenter knows how to use a hammer, but not only the hammer.

Most guys that I know making upper 6 figures from coding are actually quite average programmers, but they are very knowledgeable in another area and use coding as yet another tool to do the job.

Examples:

- PhD in biology that uses python to create genetic models
- Guy with investment background writing C++ secure algorithms for Wall Street
- Software Engineer turned Marketing expert writing software that predicts market trends for consumer goods (I think in Java).
- Math major that writes statistical code to predict Internet traffic so that they know how to improve the speed of the network.
- Physics major using python to analyze experimental data.

You get the idea. If you have no other skills than python, any kid in India can do your job. Sorry to burst your bubble.

Post: #419

(09-09-2016 01:07 PM)Stallion Wrote:  Guys, I see a lot of you just learning to code and aiming for junior developer positions.

Great, but if you ONLY do that you'll become just another code monkey. Code monkeys are replaceable, so common that you don't need to pay them a lot, and nobody will hire them after age 30 (after all, lots of 20 years old will do the same job and whine less about crappy salaries, especially those coming from India).

This is like everything, when everyone learns the same skill (coding), that skill loses a lot of value.

So view coding as part of a wider TOOLKIT, not as the main job itself. Just like a carpenter knows how to use a hammer, but not only the hammer.

Most guys that I know making upper 6 figures from coding are actually quite average programmers, but they are very knowledgeable in another area and use coding as yet another tool to do the job.

Examples:

- PhD in biology that uses python to create genetic models
- Guy with investment background writing C++ secure algorithms for Wall Street
- Software Engineer turned Marketing expert writing software that predicts market trends for consumer goods (I think in Java).
- Math major that writes statistical code to predict Internet traffic so that they know how to improve the speed of the network.
- Physics major using python to analyze experimental data.

You get the idea. If you have no other skills than python, any kid in India can do your job. Sorry to burst your bubble.

Yes and no.

Yes: code monkeys from the developing world are cheaper.
No: said developing world code monkeys usually write shitty code

Yes: the average age for a developer is early-mid 20s.
No: early to mid 20s males usually lack the polish needed to get thru an interview process(read: image and bullshit).

Yes: it is harder to get a job as an older developer.
No: The vast majority of people in my program who have jobs are well past 20, including myself. It's not what you know but who you know and how you sell yourself.

You make valid points but these points are fairly weak:
1)How does one get away from being a junior dev? BY 1ST BEING A JUNIOR DEV.

2)Companies with almost always hire locally vs overseas unless they have a presence overseas because of code quality management.

3)Not everyone who does a trade is equal. There are shitty doctors, lawyers, plumbers, electricians just as there as developers.

I absolutely agree that code is just something to get the job done.

And BTW, I prefer the term cubicle monkey.

Post: #420

Of course the quality of your code matters a lot.

Of course everyone starts by being a junior.


But my point is: do not focus on coding as your only skill.

Have other skills and use coding as a tool to work on those skills. Even among guys who focus only on software skills, the expert on artificial intelligence who uses C++ is much more employable than the guy who just knows C++ but no other skill. I don't know if I'm expressing my point correctly.



There are many software skills out there that will make your CV look 10 times betters than if you list just programming languages. Signal processing and machine vision are some of my favorites. Others are secure software, multi-threaded computing, embedded, distributed software, etc.
They are not languages, they are skills that require a language to implement.

A boss told me: it takes years of experience for a good engineer to really understand signal processing. If he is worth anything, he can learn any language in a week or two.

Good employers think the same (except maybe in the world of apps and webs, which seem to be very "fashion language of the month" oriented).

Post: #421

@Stallion: Ah, now I understand where you are coming from given your background.

My 2 cents: I'm in the web and mobile world and I see many embedded and lower level guys jumping over to this arena because quite frankly that's where the demand is. In this field, you are expected to know how to build, deploy, scale a mobile/web app in multiple languages. At this level, there's really nothing on the constraint of what language to use.

However, technical chops matter a lot here. Can you build a REST API? Do you have an evented architecture? How will you handle database transactions? Load balancing in the cloud? Not exactly signal processing and genetic algos but a good dev commands just as much as a C++ guru. Apples and oranges.

I agree for the most part nobody really cares if you know C#, Java, PHP, Ruby, Python in the web world anyways because no one builds an app/site on pure native languages. You are almost always using a framework. In that context, the concepts are the same, just the language differs.

Post: #422

(09-10-2016 02:48 AM)jj90 Wrote:  @Stallion:


However, technical chops matter a lot here. Can you build a REST API? Do you have an evented architecture? How will you handle database transactions? Load balancing in the cloud?

Exactly, I don't care what kind of software you are into, that kind of skills are what make you stand out, not JavaScript or Python. I mention it because I see too many beginners focusing on languages and forgetting the rest.






The problem with embedded is that there is a lot of demand, but employers are extremely selective, and it tends to be a niche market where you have to specialize a lot.

Too many guys hack a couple of lines on an arduino and think they are ready for an interview. The problem is that if your code has a bug, you multimillion satellite crashes, or your nuclear plant explodes, or your airplane loses control. So the only way to get in is to be a guru or to be a cheap intern, there is no place for mid-experience engineers, and it sucks.

But if your CV stands out, you are golden. Just as an example, how many guys know how to write firmware that is radiation tolerant in outer space? A hundred in Europe? I know a guy with a PhD on the subject, he is always refusing interview offers from aerospace companies. Read that again: he doesn't apply for jobs, companies contact him and he has to tell them to stop bothering him.

Be that guy! That is his particular skill, nobody cares if he uses VHDL, Verilog or C++.




The mobile/web world is a totally different market, no disrespect for the guys who specialize on it. I self-taught myself a bit when I was at university and it was fascinating. I guess you can also find niche skills that make you stand out. I don't know, I imagine that the guys who make secure apps for banking transactions have triple the salary than a normal developer, for example, but not any guy can do that.

Post: #423

This simply comes back to the timeless principles of "Gettin' Paid™":

-Sell yourself better - grow your personal sales/marketing/branding/negotiation skills
-Develop a rare and valuable specialized skillset
-Do work that's closer to the money, and more obviously perceived as a "profit center"
-Work in a high-growth industry where possible
-Most importantly: build a skillset that utilizes your strengths/passions

IMO that "strengths/passions" part is key. No one even obtains that lucrative math PhD, or radiation tolerant firmware skillset, if they aren't obsessive about their niche.

Post: #424

(09-10-2016 01:41 AM)Stallion Wrote:  Of course the quality of your code matters a lot.

Of course everyone starts by being a junior.

But my point is: do not focus on coding as your only skill.

Have other skills and use coding as a tool to work on those skills. Even among guys who focus only on software skills, the expert on artificial intelligence who uses C++ is much more employable than the guy who just knows C++ but no other skill. I don't know if I'm expressing my point correctly.

There are many software skills out there that will make your CV look 10 times betters than if you list just programming languages. Signal processing and machine vision are some of my favorites. Others are secure software, multi-threaded computing, embedded, distributed software, etc.
They are not languages, they are skills that require a language to implement.

A boss told me: it takes years of experience for a good engineer to really understand signal processing. If he is worth anything, he can learn any language in a week or two.

Good employers think the same (except maybe in the world of apps and webs, which seem to be very "fashion language of the month" oriented).

...

The problem with embedded is that there is a lot of demand, but employers are extremely selective, and it tends to be a niche market where you have to specialize a lot.

Too many guys hack a couple of lines on an arduino and think they are ready for an interview. The problem is that if your code has a bug, you multimillion satellite crashes, or your nuclear plant explodes, or your airplane loses control. So the only way to get in is to be a guru or to be a cheap intern, there is no place for mid-experience engineers, and it sucks.

...

Code monkeys are replaceable, so common that you don't need to pay them a lot, and nobody will hire them after age 30..
- PhD in biology that uses python to create genetic models
- Guy with investment background writing C++ secure algorithms for Wall Street
- Software Engineer turned Marketing expert writing software that predicts market trends for consumer goods (I think in Java).
- Math major that writes statistical code to predict Internet traffic so that they know how to improve the speed of the network.
- Physics major using python to analyze experimental data.

But not all of us want to spend 5+ years in grad school for a PhD to become an expert on a subject. While it is possible to have just an MS and get a job that just uses programming, for example as a Data Scientist, I've learned that those kinds of positions prefer PhD's over MS.

One advantage of working in web development vs working as C++ developer in Wall Street or writing statistical code to predict Internet traffic is that I believe its much easier to be allowed to work remotely and find freelance work in web dev

Also, based on my interviews, I've noticed that many of the people who work jobs similar to the Math major predicting Internet traffic person you mentioned are also in their early 20s and I believe companies prefer people under 30 for those roles

(09-10-2016 02:48 AM)jj90 Wrote:  @Stallion: Ah, now I understand where you are coming from given your background.

My 2 cents: I'm in the web and mobile world and I see many embedded and lower level guys jumping over to this arena because quite frankly that's where the demand is. In this field, you are expected to know how to build, deploy, scale a mobile/web app in multiple languages. At this level, there's really nothing on the constraint of what language to use.

However, technical chops matter a lot here. Can you build a REST API? Do you have an evented architecture? How will you handle database transactions? Load balancing in the cloud? Not exactly signal processing and genetic algos but a good dev commands just as much as a C++ guru. Apples and oranges.

Wow, are you serious that many embedded and lower level guys are switching to web dev? I would imagine that if they have experience in embedded and lower level then they should be much more secure and face less competition than in web dev

Web developers may make as much as a C++ guru, but there's also alot more competition I believe. Also, if that C++ guru started working at Wall St, he could make way more than a web dev guru

Post: #425

(09-15-2016 12:51 PM)kongzi Wrote:  Wow, are you serious that many embedded and lower level guys are switching to web dev? I would imagine that if they have experience in embedded and lower level then they should be much more secure and face less competition than in web dev

Web developers may make as much as a C++ guru, but there's also alot more competition I believe. Also, if that C++ guru started working at Wall St, he could make way more than a web dev guru

It's all about demand and shape of demand. Like Finance and Western society, the middle layers are being stripped out. So you have either people on the high end with many years of experience and technical skills making good money or entry level people on the low end doing repetitive relatively lower paying menial coding jobs.

If you aren't 1 of the guys on the high end, you are at risk of being cut. See what Stallion wrote above.

There are more web/mobile devs, but the market is also bigger and also about lifestyle. That C++ guru working for GS getting paid 180-200K USD/year in Manhattan isn't going to have the lifestyle or job flexibility that a 70K USD/year remote web dev in Asia is gonna have.