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End of Season One, and a Message from Alex Booker16 Jan 202500:08:42

So this is goodbye. But do not unsubscribe!

It's the end of what will now be known as Season One of the Scrimba podcast! And Alex Booker is stepping down as its host.

Over the past 160+ episodes, we have helped you learn to code and land your first job in tech. If you've missed any episodes, now is the time to go and listen to them. If you're new to the show, just start listening from the very beginning! The archive isn't going anywhere, and we aimed to create an evergreen podcast where you can find useful takeaways and inspiring stories for years to come.

Stay tuned for Season Two! And in the meantime, browse through our past shows, or:

🔗 Connect with Alex

👋 Say hi to Jan The Producer


See you :)


Why Open Source Can Be the Perfect Place for New Developers – and How to Get Started, with Deb Goodkin from the FreeBSD Foundation19 Sep 202400:43:12

Meet Deb Goodkin! Deb is the Executive Director of the FreeBSD Foundation. The Foundation supports the FreeBSD project and community. FreeBSD is a powerful open-source operating system known for its reliability and security and used by companies like Netflix to power their servers and networks.

With a strong background in engineering, Deb is passionate about open-source technology, and after this episode, you might become passionate about it, too! In this episode of the Scrimba podcast, you'll learn how a complex project like FreeBSD works from an organizational standpoint, why open-source is a great place for even newer developers, what are the key differences between community-driven projects and working for a corporation, and where should you start if you're looking to get into open-source.

🔗 Connect with Deb

⏰ Timestamps

  • What is FreeBSD? (01:19)
  • What is the FreeBSD Foundation? (02:49)
  • Open-source projects vs. commercial projects (04:04)
  • Open source is a nourishing place (07:04)
  • Some original BSD developers are still working on the project decades later! (07:46)
  • Open source is a community (09:35)
  • How can contributing to open source help a newer developer advance their career? (11:25)
  • Community break! (14:08)
  • What skills do you need to join an open-source project? (16:23)
  • Start with documentation! (18:42)
  • How do you interact with others working on an open-source project? (21:20)
  • Are people more likely to help others who help themselves? (24:05)
  • Quick-fire questions! (27:26)
  • How does an open-source project like FreeBSD run?
  • If you're listening and want to get into open source, do this! (38:13)

🧰 Resources mentioned

⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review here and tell us who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

Senior Software Engineer at Netflix, Shaundai Person: Here's How to Sell Yourself (and Believe in the Product 😉)16 May 202400:50:27

Meet Shaundai Person 🇺🇸! Shaundai is a senior software engineer at Netflix, but she hasn't always been a coder. She studied entrepreneurship and had a long, successful career in sales. After a decade in sales and running her own business, Shaundai discovered coding through customizing her business's Shopify website.

Shaundai realized she was ready for a career change to something she felt more passionate about. She also learned that you don't have to go back to school to become a software engineer and that much of engineering isn't NASA-level stuff. In fact, it's about listening to customers' needs and offering them solutions—just like in sales!


In this episode, you'll learn how Shaundai transitioned into the tech team of the company she was already working at. She leveraged her extensive sales experience and her passion for coding to create a personal brand within the company, building a reputation that preceded her. The key to a successful sale is believing in your product, and if you're learning to sell yourself, you are the product! Shaundai will teach you how to do just that while remembering that you're still human. Shaundai and Alex also discuss the often non-linear path to career change and why coding skills are nowadays a commodity (so you need to find a different way to stand out).


🔗 Connect with Shaundai

Timestamps

  • How Shaundai chose to study entrepreneurship (01:53)
  • "I had never been in a position where I loved the thing that I was doing" (04:41)
  • Selling software made Shaundai fascinated with software engineering (05:49)
  • How Shaundai eventually taught herself to code on Codecademy (10:17)
  • How Shaundai organized her studying... and went overtime (12:58)
  • "I could make money AND be happy with that I'm doing" (13:25)
  • "In this case, I'm selling myself!" (14:36)
  • There are always more decision-makers involved in hiring, and here's what to do about them (16:57)
  • Shaundai's strategy to win over her company's engineering team (18:31)
  • You're always in a more powerful position when people think that something was their idea (20:07)
  • Never start conversations with what YOU need (20:54)
  • Shaundai started submitting projects to the engineering team's personal development form... and getting challenges (23:50)
  • Put yourself in the shoes of the customer (26:02)
  • Managers can't go through every single line of code of everybody who's applied. Here's how to tackle that! (26:21)
  • Your coding skills are a commodity! Provide value instead. (27:31)
  • What's a commodity? (28:16)
  • If you're a career changer, you're a superset of a developer! (29:18)
  • How Shaundai eventually got to switch teams (30:19)
  • Shaundai started interviewing with Netflix less than a year into her new career, and it all started with a podcast (32:01)
  • "In order to stand out, I need to show that I'm a human" (36:27)
  • How to be human (38:10)
  • How to get outside of the goal (while still keeping the goal in sight) (38:55)
  • Sometimes we pick the more tangible thing, but ultimately you don't know what can help you in the long run (42:04)
  • How to cultivate self-belief? (45:07)

🧰 Resources mentioned 


⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review here and tell us who you want to see on the next podcast.
You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so that he can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏 Or tell Jan he's butchered your name here.

Nadia Zhuk: Anybody Can Code, and Your Background Doesn't Define You05 Jul 202200:35:38

🎙 About the episode


Meet Nadia Zhuk 🇧🇾! Nadia made a switch to coding from journalism at the age of 25. That decision has got her moving countries not once but twice! Nowadays, she lives in London, works at Intercom, and helps aspiring developers. She's also written a book, Crossing the Rubycon, filled with practical advice and insider tips on learning to code and building a programming career.

In this episode, Nadia shares her story and many things she's learned along the way! You'll get to know what's it like to learn to code without a technical background, how to manage your mindset and mental health during the process, and what's Nadia's take on choosing your first programming language. Nadia and Alex also discuss common stereotypes about programming,  gatekeeping within the industry, and what are the critical but often overlooked factors in choosing what to learn. 


🔗 Connect with Nadia

⏰ Timestamps

  • Nadia's journey into coding and move to Poland (01:41)
  • Can you learn to code with no computer education whatsoever? (06:48)
  • Why Nadia chose the self-taught route (08:16)
  • How and why Nadia chose to learn Ruby (11:17)
  • What influences your choice of a programming language (13:33)
  • How to choose your first coding language if you're not technical (14:43)
  • What to do (and what not to do) if you're learning to code on your own (17:03)
  • Is coding creative? (23:17)
  • The biggest stereotypes about being a programmer... and why they're wrong
  • Can anyone learn to code? (28:26)
  • Gatekeeping in the industry - and gatekeeping that's self-imposed (29:50)
  • Quick-fire questions: favorite programming language, JavaScript, frameworks, chatbots, caffeinated beverages, London, and cats! (32:54)

🧰 Resources mentioned

⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoy this episode, please leave a 5-star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

Do the Projects You Find Fun and Take Time To Process Rejection: Actor-Turned-Developer Ollie Church28 Jun 202200:43:05

🎙 About the episode


Meet Ollie Church 🇬🇧! Ollie started out as an actor. He took up coding as a hobby during a lockdown and made a puzzle game partially inspired by an escape room where he worked at the time. Now he works in fintech!

This episode is about lockdowns, hobbies, motivation, and having fun. Ollie talks about his career change and approach to goal-setting. He also shares advice on choosing portfolio projects, as well as dealing with rejection - something that actors are maybe even more familiar with than new developers.

You'll find out how an online game he made for fun brought Ollie some income even before he landed his firs junior developer role, and what it's like to accidentally be interviewed for a senior role when you're applying for a junior position. Spoiler: Ollie did get the job in the end!

You'll also get an inside scoop on working as an actor, and how the pandemic has impacted the world of performing arts and in-person experiences.

🔗 Connect with Ollie

⏰ Timestamps

  • What is's like being an actor (01:59)
  • Theater, in-person experiences, and performing arts during the COVID-19 pandemic (03:18)
  • How Ollie took up coding (07:55)
  • Front-end development as a hobby (09:34)
  • How Ollie and his partner created their first online puzzle game (11:43)
  • How to make learning to code playful, and how to choose portfolio projects (14:17)
  • Ollie's puzzle game became a work project! Here's how that happened. (17:13)
  • Should you apply before you're ready? How Ollie navigated changing careers and defined his goals and deadlines (20:53)
  • Ollie's job hunt stats (25:51)
  • An interview process from hell (16:15)
  • How Ollie got his current job - it started with a rejection (30:13)
  • How to deal with rejection and when is the common advice about it actually useful (31:03)
  • The interview that got Ollie his current job... and how it went wrong (33:30)
  • First months on the job and imposter syndrome (38:33)
  • Ollie's closing advice for new developers: do the projects you think are fun and focus on showing up. It's a marathon, not a sprint!

🧰 Resources mentioned

⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoy this episode, please leave a 5-star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

Be a Librarian, Not an Encyclopedia of Code: How To Learn (and Teach) Better, With Guil Hernandez21 Jun 202200:34:51

🎙 About the episode


Meet Guil Hernandez 🇺🇸! You've heard of a learning curve, but what about the forgetting curve? Don't worry, Guil can help you not get overwhelmed. He is a developer and educator with over 15 years of experience in tech, and in this episode, he teaches you how to get better at learning. Guil and Alex also talk about Scrimba Bootcamp, a brand new study program that Guil has been working on.

Guil has developed over one hundred coding courses and workshops and comes from a teaching environment, so he also answers the dreaded question of what makes a good teacher. You'll also learn different learning techniques that might work for you, what's the Ebbinghaus' forgetting curve, and what it was like to make stuff for the web back in the early days of Web 2.0. Alex and Guil also discuss scopes, structure, and the importance of storytelling in teaching, as well as why you won't vibe with every YouTube tutorial out there... but you might still want to learn from multiple sources.

🔗 Connect with Guil

⏰ Timestamps

  • How Guil got into coding (01:18)
  • Web development in the early days of Web 2.0 (03:02)
  • Do you need a computer science degree to consider yourself a developer? (04:50)
  • How Guil became a teacher (06:17)
  • What makes a good teacher (07:18)
  • The science of learning (10:38)
  • What's the forgetting curve, and what you can do about it (11:54)
  • How to not make a learning process overwhelming (14:07)
  • Learning techniques that work for Guil: Scheduling study time, Pomodoro technique, Keeping a study log (16:15)
  • Scrimba now has Solo projects: What are they, and how can they help you learn better? (20:32)
  • What is Scrimba Bootcamp and the benefits of code reviews and getting feedback (25:24)
  • Quick-fire questions: Code editors, coding music, Web 3.0, and Puerto Rico (27:48)
  • Closing advice: be a librarian, not an encyclopedia 


🧰 Resources mentioned

⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review here and tell us who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

Scrimba Community Hero Yin Chu: Be Consistent, Play the Long Game, and Help Others14 Jun 202200:26:28

🎙 About the episode


Meet Yin Chu Rijnaard 🇳🇱! Yin Chu is a new developer who landed a job offer after only seven months of learning to code! In the meantime, he also became a Scrimba Community Hero.

In this episode, Yin Chu shares his approach to learning to code, why he chose front-end development and some of the struggles he encountered along the way. He also talks about his involvement in the Scrimba Discord community and how he became our Community Hero. On Scrimba's Discord, you can award karma points to other users, and Yin is currently on top of the leaderboard. You'll learn more about online communities, their unexpected benefits, and Yin Chu's approach to helping other newbie developers online.

Plus: Alex shares Scrimba's origin story!

🔗 Connect with Yin Chu

⏰ Timestamps

  • Yin Chu got into coding by way of business school (01:27)
  • Front-end development for visual learners (02:40)
  • How Yin Chu learned to code while at work (04:11)
  • Yin's approach to learning (05:11)
  • Learning to code when English is not your first language (09:04)
  • How to become a Scrimba community hero (11:39)
  • A surprising benefit of being in Scrimba's Discord community (15:10)
  • Why you should help people (16:20)
  • Yin Chu's new job... and LinkedIn's Easy Apply (17:23)
  • Good LinkedIn profile strategies (19:29)
  • Yin Chu's interview process (21:24)
  • You have to play the long game (24:50)

🧰 Resources mentioned


⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5-star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

How to Become Good at Networking, with Recruiter-turned-developer Cameron Blackwood07 Jun 202200:25:41

🎙 About the episode


Meet Cameron 🇬🇧! Cameron is a full-stack software engineer, podcaster, and co-founder of The Coder Career. But before learning to code, he studied business... and worked as a tech recruiter! This episode is all about networking. How to do it? What to say? And... To whom? Do you have to be an extrovert to become good at it?

Cameron will teach you why networking is important and how to go about it. He will also give you scripts for different situations - from reaching out to a recruiter on LinkedIn to starting a conversation with somebody at a meetup. Alex and Cameron discuss how to stand out when applying for a job and how recruiters operate. There are more junior developers than junior positions, and we hope this episode will help you get your foot in the door! Or, at least, nurture your professional relationships - you never know when can they come in handy.

🔗 Connect with Cameron

🧰 Resources mentioned


⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5-star review here and tell us who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

Hurry Up, but Slowly: How Ansub Knew When To Go Back to Basics and Relearn Web Development From Scratch31 May 202200:34:36

🎙 About the episode


Meet Ansub Khan 🇮🇳! Ansub has always been drawn to front-end development, but he took a couple of detours: he studied computer science and tried to learn C, C++, Java, and Python. In the end, he got a job by creating a website for a self-sustaining AI, while chatting to his now CEO about robots and quantum mechanics.

In this episode, you'll learn how to know when to go back to the basics of what you're learning, why rushing to get a job isn't always a good idea, and how a sprinkle of stoic philosophy can help you on your journey. Ansub shares details of his pretty unconventional job interview, as well as his approach to figuring out which jobs to apply to. He also talks about all of his failed job applications and what he learned from them.

🔗 Connect with Ansub

🧰 Resources mentioned

⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5 star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

Shannon Brown: There's a human side of recruiting, and here's how to get onto it!24 May 202200:40:06

🎙 About the episode


Meet Shannon Brown 🇺🇸! Shannon is an experienced tech recruiter in a company known for diversity. In this interview, she will teach you how to get your foot in the door even if you're coming from an unconventional background. A good recruiter should know how to recognize an overlap between your skills and job requirements, but there are also things you can do to make your application stand out. 

In this episode, we're talking about the dreaded ATS, the importance of storytelling, and cover letters (which might not be as crucial as you'd think... unless they're required)! You will learn how recruiters operate and what they're looking for, and why both recruiters and job applicants should be in it for the long game. You'll also find out when is the right time to apply for a job and how to troubleshoot an unsuccessful application. Plus: photos on CVs, font preferences, free resume reviews, and tough coffees. 

⏰ Timestamps

  • Shannon's work as a technical recruiter (01:02)
  • The importance of domain knowledge (03:57)
  • What recruiters do, what they should do, and why some of them have a bad reputation (05:54)
  • Why both recruiters and job-seekers should focus more on building relationships (10:21)
  • How to contact a recruiter, and what's the ideal first message (12:31) 
  • Should you be afraid of an ATS (application tracking system)? (14:39)
  • When is the best time to apply for a job? (16:29)
  • What is a well-optimized resume? (19:01)
  • Are cover letters necessary? (22:48)
  • Cover letters as a tool to provide additional information (24:50)
  • Storytelling on your resume (28:34)
  • How to know when not to use job-hunting advice from influencers (30:00)
  • Setting career goals helps you write a better job application (31:17)
  • How to get free feedback on your resume (32:46)
  • Quick-fire questions: fonts and photos on a resume, practicing self-care during a job search, debugging your job application
  • What is the most important thing to do when looking for a job? (38:21)


🔗 Connect with Shannon


⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoyed this episode please leave a 5-star review here and tell us who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

Career Change on Maternity Leave: How Kynnedy Learned To Code, Became a Code Reviewer, and Landed Her First Developer Job17 May 202200:27:22

🎙 About the episode


Meet Kynnedy 🇺🇸! She recently made history as the first student who found a job through Scrimba's Discord! She originally wanted to be an air traffic controller, but ended up working in hospitality. After she became a mom, Kynnedy decided on a career change. And she succeeded! 🎉

In this episode, you'll get handy tips on how to learn better and make whatever you're learning stick. Kynnedy shares what she did right, but also what she did wrong, as well as her approach to creating a more memorable developer portfolio. You'll hear her story about learning enough about front-end development to go from zero to becoming a code reviewer on Scrimba in only a few months. Plus: how to know you're ready to apply for jobs, and how how to code with a baby. :)


🔗 Connect with Kynnedy

⏰ Timestamps

  • How Kynnedy got into coding (02:00)
  • Bootcamp vs a self-directed route (04:03)
  • Learning to code while being a new parent (04:57)
  • Kynnedy's path and learning style with Scrimba (05:49)
  • Dealing with self-doubt when learning to code (06:58)
  • How to choose projects for you developer portfolio? (09:38)
  • How Kynnedy knew she was ready to start applying for jobs (14:22)
  • How Kynnedy put herself out there... and got no results (14:57)
  • Getting an interview through Scrimba's discord (16:00)
  • Kynnedy as a code reviewer on Scrimba (17:42)
  • Kynnedy's interview process (19:50)
  • Coding advice for younger Kynnedy (25:48)

🧰 Resources mentioned

⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5 star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

How not to struggle with CSS, with Kevin Powell10 May 202200:41:24

🎙 About the episode


Meet Kevin Powell 🇨🇦! Kevin is a CSS Evangelist and educator. He makes weekly YouTube videos, streams on twitch, writes articles, and teaches courses. His mission is to show new developers that CSS is fun and teach them how it works... and why it works the way it does.

In this episode, you'll learn how not to get frustrated with CSS, how to debug it, why people struggle with it, and how come we might never see a launch of CSS 4. Kevin also explains why different browsers render CSS differently and how much should you actually care about that. Alex and Kevin also discuss how the web gets made behind the scenes and how you can join the conversation and suggest the features you'd like to see in certain technologies. Plus: Bad design trends, tools and plugins, CSS memes, and tabs vs spaces.


🔗 Connect with Kevin

⏰ Timestamps

  • How Kevin found himself in the world of web design (01:28)
  • Can a new developer focus solely on CSS? (04:26)
  • What is a CSS Evangelist? (07:12)
  • Why do people struggle with CSS? (09:04)
  • Why CSS works the way it does (12:15)
  • CSS tools you should use (14:12)
  • CSS extensions for your editor (16:14)
  • The learning curve of CSS and the importance of experience 18:04
  • Why different browsers render CSS differently (and why it sometimes doesn't work) (21:18)
  • Progressive enhancement and accessibility (25:53)
  • The history of CSS (29:21)
  • Will there ever be a CSS4? (33:11)
  • How to stay in the loop and join the conversation around features (35:18)
  • Quick-fire questions (37:33)

🧰 Resources mentioned

⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5 star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

Career Change in Just a Year: How Anthony Hacked His Productivity and Got Hired Ten Minutes After an Interview!03 May 202200:27:32

🎙 About the episode


Meet Anthony 🇳🇱! Anthony worked as a Guest Experience Teamleader at the Sea Life aquarium in Scheveningen, where he got his feet wet in the world of the web by helping set up and manage the aquarium's new website. Web development enticed him with its unlimited possibilities and he quickly realized he wanted to do it as a job.

In this episode, you'll learn why to set goals, why deadlines are important, how to use the Pareto principle, and how to create consistency in your learning. Anthony also shares his tips for crafting a resume (very important if you're switching careers!) and choosing your portfolio projects.


🔗 Connect with Anthony

⏰ Timestamps

  • How Anthony got started with web development (01:32)
  • How Anthony switched careers in a year (03:36)
  • Keeping a consistent schedule (04:44)
  • How Scrimba provided Anthony with structure (06:48)
  • Anthony's strategy for getting his first junior developer job (11:18) 
  • Putting effort into applications (13:09)
  • How many emails should you send? (14:24)
  • Getting a job within ten minutes from an interview! (16:11)
  • Negotiating an offer when changing careers (19:57)
  • The importance of setting a goal (22:43)
  • The Pareto Principle (23:58)
  • Learning on YouTube, or from documentation (26:05)

🧰 Resources mentioned


⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5 star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

Creator of #100DaysOfCode, Alex Kallaway: Here's How to Embrace Discomfort for Growth08 May 202400:48:27

Meet  Alex Kallaway 🇷🇺🇨🇦! Alex is a Lead Full-Stack Developer, but he hasn't always been a coder. First, he was a violinist; then, he was interested in having a business; he worked in product management and digital marketing. At one point, he was determined to become a developer and was looking for a way to accelerate his learning, and he thought of a coding challenge you might have heard of. Believe it or not, Alex created #100DaysOfCode just for himself - he never thought it would become something that other people would want to do. But then Quincy Larson of freeCodeCamp got an idea...

You can also find Alex at https://www.discomfortacademy.com/, or read his newsletter.

In this interview, you'll learn about the origin story of #100DaysOfCode and Alex's career path. You will also hear everything about the challenge's rules and best practices. What do you do if you can't code for an hour every day? What should you do if you skip a day? How do you set goals? Can you do #100DaysOfCode more than once? How should you measure success?

Alex and Alex also discuss habits, procrastination, and "manifestations of resistance," as well as ways and tactics for overcoming discomfort and reaching goals. Does something really become a habit after a set number of days? Why is mindfulness important, and how do you define consistency? All this, and more, in today's episode.


🔗 Connect with Alex

Timestamps

  • How Alex like coding but became a violin player (02:01)
  • Alex moved to Canada via Japan (05:18)
  • "Codecademy is like Duolingo" (06:59)
  • How a product role turned into a marketing role, and that marketing role lead Alex back into coding (07:59)
  • Breaking out of tutorial hell with freeCodeCamp (11:37)
  • Community break with Jan The Producer (13:25)
  • You have to be frustrated to motivate yourself (15:02)
  • How #100DaysOfCode was born (16:55)
  • The basic rules of #100DaysOfCode (19:50)
  • Alex Booker's GitHub activity streak (20:39)
  • Procrastination, rationalization, and manifestations of resistance (21:32)
  • We are a little bit too addicted to comfort (24:44)
  • There's no quick way to break your own resistance and discomfort (25:45)
  • How to maintain your momentum (27:05)
  • What happens if you break the streak of #100DaysOfCode? (29:22)
  • If in the course of 120 days you've coded for 100 days, it's better than if you gave up on day 30 (30:51)
  • Amateur vs professional mindset (31:50)
  • Top tips for making it to the end of #100DaysOfCode (35:28)
  • How to plan your coding challenge (36:21)
  • Following rules blindly is not the answer (37:29)
  • Create a positive feedback loop (39:24)
  • Tutorials should have to include mistakes (40:09)
  • Managing your willpower: there is no plan B (40:53)
  • What is Discomfort Academy? (45:49)
  • Next week on the show, Shaundai Person! (47:32)

⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review here and tell us who you want to see on the next podcast.
You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so that he can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏 Or tell Jan he's butchered your name here.

How to make your LinkedIn profile standout according to a LinkedIn expert26 Apr 202200:35:37

Meet Austin Henline 🇺🇸! Austin works at LinkedIn and has reviewed more than 1200 LinkedIn profiles. In this episode, Austin teaches you how to make your LinkedIn profile discoverable to companies.

🔗 Connect with Austin

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • Coming soon...

🧰 Resources mentioned

Coming soon...

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From Doctor to Developer19 Apr 202200:25:57

🎙 About the episode


Meet Jefferson Tang 🇦🇺! Being a doctor is one of the most prestigious jobs out there, but Jefferson's coding itch would not go away! Enoramoured with web3 and the unlimited possibilities, Jefferson learned to code using a Web3 Bootcamp and Scrimba's Frontend Developer Career path. Now he works as a full-time developer at a Decentralised finance start-up! In this episode, Alex and Jefferson discuss the challenges of changing careers after 7 years of study. Other topics include staying motivated when learning to code and what Jefferson wished he knew at the beginning that would help him now.


🔗 Connect with Jefferson


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An expert guide to technical interviews with Ian Douglas from Postman12 Apr 202200:50:36

🎙 About the episode

Meet Ian Douglas 🇺🇸🇨🇦! Ian has been in the industry for 26 years and in this episode, imparts his wisdom about how stand out then succeed at technical interviews to you. 

🔗 Connect with Ian

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • Removing the stigma from the interview process (01:39)
  • Why technical interviews are kinda broken (3:16)
  • What the heck does culture fit even mean? (08:57)
  • How to answer “What is your biggest weakness?” in an interview (14:04)
  • More on culture fit  (16:08)
  • The truth behind why companies hide salaries in job descriptions (18:52)
  • Your previous salary has nothing to do with your new one (20:50)
  • Ian’s experience interviewing at 27 companies (23:28)
  • How to increase your callback % when applying to jobs, even if you don’t have much experience yet (27:39)
  • Ian’s LinkedIn #drama (31:15)
  • Rejection isn’t personal and you never know what’s happening internally (36:42)
  • It all works out in the end (39:15)
  • How to practice your interview skills in the real world (40:49)
  • Get your foot in the door and the rest will follow (43:14)
  • How much loyalty should you have to a company? (46:06)
  • How Ian botched an interview at Twilio (46:29)

🧰 Resources mentioned

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How Ineza stood out with a "why you should hire me" video05 Apr 202200:24:55

Meet Ineza Bonté 🇨🇦🇷🇼! After completing #100DaysOfCode and building a beautiful portfolio, Ineza got his foot in the door by recording a charming "why you should hire me" video. As you might expect, it wasn't all smooth sailing. Ineza struggled with rejection in the early days but his persistence paid off when he was finally hired as a Junior Developer. In this episode, you'll learn exactly how he did!

🔗 Connect with Ineza

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (00:00)
  • How Ineza got into coding (01:47)
  • Do you need to do #100DaysOfCode in a row? (04:54)
  • Learning how to learn (06:22)
  • Deciding what projects to build (07:46)
  • Why Ineza prioritised building a portfolio and how it helped him (10:20)
  • Ineza's approach to finding a Junior Developer job (11:44)
  • Why this company chose Ineza (14:13)
  • What the interview process looked like (16:31)
  • Challenges Ineza faced you might be facing too (18:57)
  • Ineza's advice to aspiring Junior Developers (20:17)
  • The importance of community when learning to code (21:59)

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How to become a successful Junior Developer with Scott Hanselman from Microsoft29 Mar 202200:34:52

Meet Scott Hanselman 🇺🇸! Scott has been coding for 30 years, blogging for 20, and podcasting for 16. He helps new developers learn to code and find success in their tech career so they, too, can have long and happy tech careers. In this episode, Scott reflects on his career to share the most important things you should know as an aspiring junior. We discuss if you need to know algorithms and data structures to be successful and explore some interesting ideas around systems thinking and toast!

🔗 Follow Scott

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • Becoming an “old” programmer (02:21)
  • How fast does do tools and technology move? (03:56)
  • Upcoming technology to keep an eye on (08:25)
  • Why coding is just like LEGO (10:17)
  • Responsible AI and Alexa (16:39)
  • Learning to code and social mobility (21:19)
  • Systems thinking and burnt bread 🍞 (22:51)
  • How deep down the technology stack should you go? (25:19)
  • What you should know to be a successful junior (33:12)

🧰 Resources mentioned

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How LinkedIn helped Buse become a Junior Dev in London22 Mar 202200:20:26

🎙 About the episode

Meet Buse Hizarci 🇹🇷🇬🇧! She just got her first Junior Developer role in London. It’s one of the most competitive tech cities in the world, yet the recruiter came to her through LinkedIn. As an extroverted economics graduate, Buse wasn’t sure if coding was for her. After 5 unsuccessful interviews (and one shockingly rude interview experience, which you’ll hear about towards the end of the episode!), she eventually found success at a well-known company in the UK called Vision Direct. In this episode, you’ll learn how Buse utilised LinkedIn to find success and how she wowed her employers with the take-home task..

🔗 Connect with Buse

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • From economics graduate to developer (01:35)
  • Why learning web development is great if you want a job  (03:43)
  • How to make what you learn stick with projects (04:30)
  • Building confidence through early job interviews (06:42)
  • Buse’s best interview advice (08:17)
  • Working as a contractor for experience before finding full-time work (10:32)
  • A recruiter reached out to Buse! (12:02)
  • The take-home task that got Buse the job (12:44)
  • Day in the life of a newly-hired junior web developer (14:19)
  • Kill your ego (15:24)
  • Don’t compare your real life to other people’s highlight reel (15:50)
  • What Buse wish she knew at the beginning (16:18)
  • Overcoming stress and anxiety (17:17)
  • What’s next for Buse (18:35)

🧰 Resources mentioned

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Why nobody hires junior developers anymore according to an engineering manager15 Mar 202200:38:24

Meet Gregory Witek 🇳🇱! Greg is an experienced developer and engineering manager currently working at Booking.com. There, he made an alarming observation:  While the industry is going nuts for experienced Senior developers, it would seem no one is really hiring junior developers. Why?


In this episode, we explore the state of the junior developer job market and how you can maximise your chance for success. Don't worry! Becoming a Junior developer was always going to be tough. Gregory maintains there's room for everyone in this industry and even shares what he would specifically do with the benefit of all his experience breaking into tech and now hiring developers.

🔗 Connect with Gregory


⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (00:00)
  • Becoming an engineering manager (01:24)
  • Why nobody hires juniors anymore (02:20)
  • The tragedy of commons (04:37)
  • Companies who only hire mid-level developers cause problems (08:37)
  • Changing jobs normally yields the most profitable salary bump (11:02)
  • Don't we need more juniors to satisfy the demand for online software and services created during the pandemic? (12:14)
  • Juniors are needed but not right now it seems (14:57)
  • Onboarding junior developers remotely is hard (16:56)
  • You can still find success! (19:07)
  • Companies where you'll have the best chance of success as a junior (19:54)
  • How Gregory found his first tech job (22:58)
  • Even if you lack experience you can contribute to experience or volunteer (24:12)
  • If you don't have a job your job is finding a job (25:25)
  • How to know if you're ready to apply for jobs (26:53)
  • Always ask for feedback and don't be afraid to apply again (28:40)
  • How to impress Gregory as a candidate (30:02)
  • How much time to engineering managers spend per resume or application? (31:45)
  • What Alex learned about finding work from Tinder (33:11)
  • What motivates Gregory to help? (36:12)


🧰 Resources mentioned

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How Robert got his first developer job at 3308 Mar 202200:27:56

Meet Robert Corrado 🇺🇸! Rob tried to become a coder several times, but as a business owner and Dad, it was hard to carve out time and really make it stick! It was during the pandemic, Robert realized his opportunity to double down on his passion and finally learn to code with Scrimba. As his confidence in JavaScript grew, he started to apply for jobs and sending out feelers. In this episode, you'll learn from Rob's experience doing several coding interviews and how he finally found success!

🔗 Connect with Robert

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • From business owner to coder  (01:45)
  • Deciding to finally go for it (04:01)
  • Learning Spanish vs. learning JavaScript (05:01)
  • Robert’s greatest challenges and how he overcame them (06:37)
  • Employers don’t want someone who only knows HTML and CSS? (08:33)
  • As a Junior, you can do the task, you just need a bit more time (10:11)
  • Learning to code and career a little later in life and with kids (11:07)
  • What Rob learned from his unsuccessful interviews (13:18)
  • Self-confidence and the job search (15:54)
  • How Rob got 8 job interviews (17:18)
  • How Rob got his first Junior developer job (18:48)

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How to Actually Use a Web Developer Roadmap: Mike Karan on Better Learning and Must-Have Skills for Junior Developers01 Mar 202200:46:20

🎙 About the episode

Meet Mike Karan 🇨🇦! Mike is a successful web development business owner and a co-host of the HTML All The Things podcast. His podcast and social media platforms have had tremendous growth in 2021, but Mike explains it's not all about the stats: it's about creating value and connecting with people. 

In this episode, we're talking roadmaps! If you're learning to code, it's easier to follow a roadmap that somebody else has made. But, that can also be tricky: it's not always clear when to branch out or move on to another part of a roadmap. You'll learn how to recognize these opportunities, how to figure out if you should quit learning something, and why you should only focus on one framework at a time. Plus, there's a rant about regex.

🔗 Connect with Mike

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • Mike's podcast and Twitter growth (02:00)
  • How Mike chose the front-end developer career path (07:08)
  • Step by step guide for learning to become a front-end developer (09:08)
  • What can you achieve with just HTML and CSS? When is the right time to learn JavaScript? (14:00)
  • How should you look at a roadmap? (17:49)
  • Figure out what you hate! (18:48)
  • How to know you've given something enough of a try? (21:34)
  • When to monetize your skills? (24:51)
  • On roadmaps and choosing the right framework (27:21)
  • What does a junior developer have to know? (33:47)
  • Apply your knowledge! (36:45)

🧰 Resources mentioned

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How to market yourself as a developer (according to a marketer turned developer!)22 Feb 202200:37:42

🎙 About the episode

Meet Stefi Rosca 🇷🇴🇪🇸. Stefi worked as a marketer but couldn't ignore her passion for tech anymore! Using Scrimba and other resources, Stefi learned to code online and now works at Adevinta - a company almost everyone in Spain knows. Believe it or not, when she first applied, they ignored her! It was only through her perseverance (following up and connecting with people in the company) that Stefi earned this prestigious opportunity. In this episode, you'll learn how meetups gave Stefi the connections and confidence she needed to find success.

🔗 Connect with Stefi

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • Stefi’s experience doing a mock React interview with Scrimba (01:30)
  • Transitioning from marketing to development (02:46)
  • Working at a company all your friends and family recognise 🤩 (06:41)
  • Recurse center (07:34)
  • Code Bar (09:51)
  • How meetups impacted Stefi’s career success (12:29)
  • Navigating meetups as an introvert (13:45)
  • Challenges transitioning from marketing to coding (15:14)
  • How to market yourself as a developer, according to a developer (20:04)
  • Stefi’s EPIC story about how she got a job at Adevinta (25:49)

🧰 Resources mentioned

What to Do If Nobody's Hiring (and How to Slide Into Their DMs When They Do), with Rachel Nabors01 May 202400:48:41

Meet  Rachel Lee Nabors 🇺🇸🇬🇧! They are an award-winning cartoonist who transitioned to become a developer with a passion for teaching the world how to code. Rachel has worked at major tech companies such as Microsoft, AWS, and Meta. At Meta, they were a pivotal contributor to react.dev, the award-winning version of React documentation.

Rachel is also the author of the Tech Career Survival Guide, a series of Substack essays that may or may not become a book. In these essays, they teach readers about emotional resilience, managing change, and the practical aspects of working in tech. In this episode, Rachel will share their secret for landing high-profile tech jobs, as well as advice for owning your non-linear career path, especially if you're a career changer. You will also discover how to deal with a job market where opportunities may seem scarce and what you can do if nobody seems to be hiring. Plus: why you shouldn't email Dan Abramov, who to reach out to instead, and why collecting feedback from people directly is often better than staring at analytics.

🔗 Connect with Rachel

⏰ Timestamps

  • How Rachel became a developer while being a cartoonist (01:29)
  • How Rachel handled the career shift into professional development (03:08)
  • Code can make things come to life (05:48)
  • Very few people are given jobs just because they're popular (09:22)
  • Break (11:07)
  • How Rachel gets her FAANG roles (12:28)
  • What to do if nobody's hiring (14:48)
  • How can a new developer create value in the community? (16:28)
  • How Alex did the same (18:41)
  • Great Recession was tough, but it brought up some great engineering (21:17)
  • Increase your chance to get lucky later (25:43)
  • What to do if you don't have a linear career path (27:38)
  • When changing career paths, it can feel like starting from scratch (31:26)
  • Developing expertise is not a good thing! (32:14)
  • Are your skills out of date, and how Rachel transferred her old skills into new roles (33:33)
  • Barista engineering (36:52)
  • Don't be ashamed of your previous work experience, however unrelated (38:40)
  • How Rachel adjusts to change and challenges and helps others do the same through The Tech Career Survival Guide (40:56)

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Welcome to The Scrimba Podcast22 Feb 202200:01:52
Career Advice From a Vue Core Team Member15 Feb 202200:34:32

🎙 About the episode

Meet Ben Hong 🇺🇸! Ben is a Senior Staff Developer Experience Engineer at Netlify, Vue Core Team member, Google Developer Expert, and teacher. After studying psychology at school, Ben picked up programming in his own time, making him one of the most successful self-taught programmers on the podcast to date! He joins us to share his best advice about learning to code and the many career benefits of getting involved with open source.

🔗 Connect with Ben

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • Ben’s transition from psychology to programming (01:06)
  • Developer experience and why it matters more than you think (04:26)
  • Developer experience as a profession (05:25)
  • Ben is part of the Vue core team (07:08)
  • How Ben got involved in one of the biggest JavaScript open source projects in the world (07:53)
  • How to start with open source yourself (10:38)
  • Why Ben works so hard (16:21)
  • Passion vs. discipline as a profesional (18:36)
  • How Vue compares to React and other front-end tech (20:56)
  • Should you abandon React to learn Vue?? (23:27)
  • Ben’s best advice for anyone learning to code (25:27)
  • Quick-fire questions (29:36)

🧰 Resources mentioned

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Learning to Code Alongside a Full-Time Job: How Josh Went from Property Manager to Junior Developer in 10 Months with Scrimba08 Feb 202200:21:32

🎙 About the episode

Meet Joshua Smith 🇦🇺! While working full-time as a property manager, Joshua made time after work to learn to code on Scrimba. After just 10 months and, in part, thanks to a referral, Josh was recently hired as a junior web developer 🎉! In this episode, you’ll see how networking and referals don’t have to be complicated. In Josh’s case, he proved his skills to a friend who then vouched for him. From here, it was still up to Josh to crack the coding interview and take-home task.

🔗 Connect with GUEST

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • Why Josh is participating in a bootcamp even though he has a job  (02:56)
  • How bootcamps compare to Scrimba (04:06)
  • A day in the life of a newly-hired junior dev (07:31)
  • How Josh found success by securing a referral (09:24)
  • What the interview process looked like for Josh (11:02)
  • Josh got the job in around 10 months  🎉(12:12)
  • Josh’s advice for anyone else learning to code (14:28)
  • Josh found success quicker than he was planning - does he regret not applying sooner? (16:36)
  • A job is the ultimate learning environment (19:03)
  • Challenges learning to code alongside a full-time job (19:48)

🧰 Resources mentioned

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Lessons Learned Recruiting and Managing Junior Developers for 10 Years 01 Feb 202200:29:21

🎙 About the episode

Jason has been recruiting and supporting Junior Developers for more than a decade! He joins us to share his inspiring story breaking into tech after sustaining a head injury, and what he’s learned about how to find success as a Junior without a degree along the way.

🔗 Connect with Jason

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • How a head injury at 16 influenced Jason’s career path (01:27)
  • Interns vs. juniors (05:07)
  • Job titles matter, but not for the reasons you might think (08:04)
  • Are there more juniors than junior jobs? (10:35)
  • Why recruiters sometimes get it wrong and what that means for you, the candidate (11:38)
  • The job description is not a list of hard requirements (15:44)
  • How to improve your self-awareness (19:05)
  • Coding vs. programming and why it matters (22:04)
  • Justin’s favourite question to ask during interviews: What games do you play? (23:40)
  • Are you born or made a programmer? (24:56)
  • Tech is vast and has many career paths to offer (27:26)

🧰 Resources mentioned

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Advice from a Junior Developer Career Coach25 Jan 202200:34:15

🎙 About the episode

Anna is well-regarded as the Opera singer who turned into a Developer! Before serenading the masses, Anna was a marketer and code-tinkerer. This concoction of marketing know-how, work experience, and an inclination to solve problems enabled Anna to find work as a Junior Developer in the wake of the pandemic in record time. Aside from working full-time, Anna also coaches Junior Developers on her YouTube channel, Twitter, and around the web. In this episode, we peel back the curtain to learn Anna’s streamlined advice for new programmers looking to find their success as a Junior.

🔗 Connect with Anna

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • From opera singer to developer (01:01)
  • How long does it take to become a developer? (03:36)
  • Born programmer vs. made programmer (07:23)
  • 9 Belbin Team Roles (12:32)
  • Coding in a team and how it differs from solo work (13:30)
  • Answering “what is your biggest weakness?” (16:02)
  • Remember: Rejection is redirection (17:08)
  • How Anna found success as a Junior quicker than she anticipated (18:51)
  • Pitching yourself like a pro (23:46)
  • It’s not enough to be the best coder, sorry! (28:17)
  • Dissecting Anna’s winning video (29:44)
  • Quick-fire questions (30:28)

🧰 Resources mentioned

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3 Months and 600 Job Applications Later: How Fredrik Became a Junior Developer in Record Time with Scrimba18 Jan 202200:29:33

🎙 About the episode


Meet Fredrik Ridderfalk from Sweden 🇸🇪!
He went from not knowing any code to landing a Junior Developer role in just 3 months! Having studied before, Fredrik knew exactly how to structure his learning on Scrimba so that it worked best for him. Thanks to trying some other jobs in the past, he also had a good idea of how to crack the coding interview.  In this episode, Fredrik imparts the knowledge that got him hired in record time to YOU.

🔗 Connect with Fredrik Ridderfalk

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • Creating your own Junior Developer roadmap (03:37)
  • How Fredrik became job-ready in 3 months (06:13)
  • How to remember what you learn better (08:08)
  • Applying to 600 jobs  (11:01)
  • Remember: A job ad is a wish list not a must-have list (12:48)
  • Accidentally being interviewed for Senior roles  (14:18)
  • Fredrik lost faith in tailoring cover letters to the job - is it really necessary? (15:35)
  • Building original projects to stand out (17:18)
  • Expanding on Scrimba Career Path projects (20:49)
  • What the interview process looked like specifically (24:15)
  • What does a Junior Developer do now they’re hired? (26:42)
  • Getting paid to learn (28:22)


🧰 Resources mentioned


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How to become a successful Junior Developer with Danny Thompson11 Jan 202200:39:02

🎙 About the episode


Meet Danny Thompson 🇺🇸! Danny worked in gas stations frying chicken for 10 years before teaching himself how to code. Since then, he’s gone from strength to strength, working at Google for a stint before returning to a company called FrontDoor as a Software Engineer. Along the way, he’s amassed 140k+ followers on Twitter, helping others learn to code and break into tech with measured, actionable advice. He joins the Scrimba Podcast to talk job-hunting strategies and mindset, plus answer quick-fire questions so we can get to know him better.

🔗 Connect with Danny

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • Danny has 141K followers but he doesn’t want you to follow his advice blindly (01:22)
  • Danny’s new role - returning to work at his previous company after working at a FAANG company (03:02)
  • Should Juniors look for work in their local area, remote, or both? (14:59)
  • Transferring skills from your previous non-technical jobs with confidence (17:32)
  • Alex challenges Danny about what to do if you’re sensitive to rejection (21:24)
  • “The best thing that never happened to me” (25:34)
  • Tailor your application to the role or you’re probably going to fail (27:37)
  • Anticipate what employers want to know and prepare an elevator pitch (30:05)
  • Quick-fire questions (32:20)
  • Closing words by Danny (37:16)

🧰 Resources mentioned

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This Scrimba student dropped out of college to learn online instead - now she's a Junior Developer!04 Jan 202200:25:49

🎙 About the episode

Meet Elly! She dropped out from their CompiSci degree to double down on frontend web development with Scrimba. After showing a recruiter their beautifully-presented portfolio, Elly managed to secure their first “real” job: A Junior Developer role at a purpose-driven web agency!

🔗 Connect with Elly

⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • Elly dropped out from their CompSci degree to pursue front end  (02:59)
  • Replacing university with Scrimba’s Frontend Career Path and community (06:00)
  • Did Elly need to know Data Structures and Algorithms? (08:03)
  • Elly’s wonderful HTML resume template (09:05)
  • HTML vs. PDF resume in Elly’s opinion (12:39)
  • All about Elly’s new job at Portable (13:24)
  • Elly’s experience working with an external recruiter (15:20)
  • How Elly stood out and found work so quickly (19:17)
  • The importance of having a good vibe (rapport) with your interviewer (20:24)
  • The interview! (21:25)
  • What would Elly have done differently? (22:51)
  • Elly’s advice to aspiring Developers and closing words (24:34)

🧰 Resources mentioned

⭐️ Leave a Review

If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5 star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet your host, Alex from Scrimba, at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏!


Origin of the name Scrimba, winning the lottery, and our biggest mistakes - Christmas special QnA with Team Scrimba28 Dec 202100:33:22

🎙 About the episode


Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! In this special episode, Scrimba co-founders Per (CEO) and Sindre (CTO), plus Bob, Leanne, Michael, Abdellah, and Matias from Team Scrimba join to answer your questions - some serious ones (like the origin of Scrimba) and some totally random and fun ones (like what we would all do if we won the lottery).


🔗 Connect with Team Scrimba


⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5 star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

Career advice from the maintainer Redux, Mark Erikson21 Dec 202100:26:26

🎙 About the episode


Meet Mark! Mark maintains Redux and is a seasoned developer with more than a decade of professional experience coding and working with Juniors. In this episode, Alex and Mark explore if beginners need to know Redux before delving into Mark's best coding career advice around searching and evaluating online information efficiently and how to find meaningful information on even the most obscure programming errors!


🔗 Connect with Mark


⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • Working at the same company for a decade (01:47)
  • What is Redux and should newer developers bother learning it? (02:38)
  • Where does Redux shine? (06:24)
  • Quick introduction to TodoMVC (09:58)
  • Redux vs Context API (12:12)
  • Does Mark with more than a decade experience need Google anymore?  Yes! (17:40)
  • How to search information efficiently (20:10)
  • How do you search hairy error messages to find meaningful results? (20:44)
  • Why TypeScript errors trip a lot of people up (23:53)
  • Mark's best advice to folks new in their career (25:07)


🧰 Resources mentioned


⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5 star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

This is How Companies Think About Hiring, with Dominik Piątek24 Apr 202400:47:45

Meet Dominik Piątek 🇵🇱🇬🇧! Dominik moved to the UK from Poland in search of career opportunities. He worked odd jobs, acquired a varied set of skills, and became a partner in a digital agency at the age of 23. That's where he got interested in front-end development, and more than a decade later, Dom is still in London. He's a staff developer who has also led cross-functional teams, worked with complex JavaScript applications and multiple times served as a tech lead.

Dominik interviewed Alex for a job in their previous company. Today, the tables have turned, and Alex interviews Dom. In this episode, you'll learn what Dom looks for in a candidate, what's the difference between a senior developer and a tech lead, and whether or not whiteboard interviews can actually be useful. Dominik also talks about company values and explains the notion of a culture fit once and for all. You'll find out if the hiring processes are getting better, what are the current interview trends, and how different companies optimize their interviews so that they select just the candidates that are right for them.


🔗 Connect with Dominik

Timestamps

  • In an interview, you only get one shot (01:34)
  • Sometimes you get nervous, but sometimes you're too relaxed (02:45)
  • How Dominik became a developer (04:19)
  • Why Dominik left Poland (05:21)
  • "This is not like C!" (06:56)
  • It's going to take five years to become comfortable with coding (11:26)
  • Don't be buzzwordy! (12:13)
  • Community break with Jan the Producer (15:50)
  • What do companies want to see in a beginner developer (19:39)
  • If your PR gets destroyed, don't be emotional (23:49)
  • What's a culture fit? (24:39)
  • Can you codify culture? (26:34)
  • A lot of time, values are aspirational (28:13)
  • Why do people tend to hire people like themselves? (29:12)
  • Should you vibe with your job interview? (30:38)
  • Is your ability to interview more important than your coding skills? (32:54)
  • Are whiteboard interviews a culture test? (34:15)
  • Who needs whiteboarding as a skill? (39:33)
  • Do you need computer science fundamentals? (43:54)
  • Closing advice: The job market always ebbs and flows, focus on your own growth! (45:31)
  • Next week on the show: Rachel Lee Nabors (46:45)

⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review here and tell us who you want to see on the next podcast.
You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so that he can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏 Or tell Jan he's butchered your name here.

Recruited by Activision to code email templates (best first Developer job ever?)14 Dec 202100:24:08

🎙 About the episode


Tony is a successful Scrimba student from Los Angeles who was recently got their first Junior Developer job at Activision! Tony used to work in finance but hated it. He knew he wanted to find meaningful work that allowed him to prioritize his mental health but couldn't afford to quit outright. For months on end, Tony learned to code alongside his full-time job. Despite many setbacks, he managed to come out on top by niching down and becoming an expert at creating email templates. In this episode, you'll learn all about it!


🔗 Connect with Tony


⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • Tony transitioned from the world of finance to coding (01:04)
  • Learning to code alongside a full time job (02:33)
  • The role of community and friendships in Tony's success (04:00)
  • How to make your Dad proud (05:02)
  • Joining Activision! (07:30)
  • Finding riches in niches by coding email templates (08:29)
  • Working 400+ hours on UpWork to earn reputation (12:33)
  • How Tony discovered their niche for email templates (14:31)
  • Activision reached out to Tony on LinkedIn (16:45)
  • Perks of the job (18:03)
  • Moving around in the company a little (18:49)
  • What do you think were the most significant contributors to landing this job based on what you experienced during the interview process? (21:23)
  • What would you do differently? (22:23)


🧰 Resources mentioned


⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5 star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

How an effective portfolio landed Claire her first remote Junior Developer role07 Dec 202100:29:18

🎙 About the episode


Claire Ramming is a successful Scrimba student from New York City 🇺🇸, who recently got their first full-time developer job 🎉! Before learning to code, Claire studied Data Science and received mentorship on how to choose projects that standout and navigate the job market without a degree. Claire joins us today to share the tactics she learned and how specifically they helped her land this awesome new opportunity. Stay tuned for the end where Alex asks Claire a mock job interview question.


🔗 Connect with Claire


⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • Claire's first lines of code (01:30)
  • Building a standout portfolio full of projects (03:55)
  • Can you use Scrimba projects in your portfolio? (05:23)
  • Changing companies without your boss knowing 🤫 (06:45)
  • Claire's clever idea to apply to Asana by cloning their app (08:50)
  • Finding success on Hired (09:07)
  • How to successfully answer "Tell us about yourself" (14:23)
  • Do. Your. Homework. (15:41)
  • How to answer "Do you like to work alone or as part of a team?" (16;08)
  • In-depth account of Claire's interview process and how long it took for them to get back  (17:17)
  • What would Claire do differently if they did it again? (24:42)
  • Mock interview question: "What is the hardest thing you've ever done?" (26:35)


🧰 Resources mentioned

⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoy this episode please leave a 5 star review here and let us know who you want to see on the next podcast.


You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏

From Photographer to Developer at 3530 Nov 202100:27:22

Christopher Kühn is a Scrimba student from Cologne, Germany 🇩🇪, who recently got their first Developer job 🎉! At the ripe age of 35 and after 3 arduous years learning to code alongside a full-time job and 70 job applications, this is the interview about how Christopher finally completed the transition from Photographer to Developer. In the conversation, Alex from Scrimba and Christopher talk about changing careers later in life, keeping motivated, and what the job interview process specifically looked like.


🔗 Connect with Christopher


⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (00:00)
  • Christopher on learning to code at 35  (00:57)
  • Christopher's bizarre encounter that made them want to learn React (03:03)
  • "The JavaScript Masterplan" (05:49)
  • Learning and managing your energy learning to code alongside a full-time job (07:44)
  • How to know if you're ready to apply (10:59)
  • Christopher worked for free to build a reputation - it worked (14:01)
  • Be honest about what you want with recruiters (15:18)
  • Remember to subscribe to job alerts by email (16:48)
  • How Christopher specifically got this job and what the interview process looked like (19:16)
  • Christopher got the job (24:47)


 🧰 Resources mentioned

Becoming a Standout Developer with Randall Kanna23 Nov 202100:37:35

Once upon a time, Randall learned the unsettling truth that almost everyone on her team earned more money than her. She mustered the courage to confront her her boss and said, “Hey! Google are interested in me. I could go there or you can give me the fair salary bump I deserve!” They obliged and in that moment, Randall learned just how important it is to advocate yourself.


Randall wants you to have the best possible start to your tech career and joins the podcast to share what she’s learned about how to stand out and thrive in tech. Spoiler: It’s not just about your coding skills.


⏰ Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • How Randall got into tech (01:25)
  • How to actually improve your communication and collaboration skills (03:24)
  • Make the most of LinkedIn with these tips (04:26)
  • How to stand out in tech (11:06)
  • Randall and Alex get DEEP (14:34)
  • How to write a superb Junior Developer resume (15:39)
  • Randall's scariest moment in tech - confronting her employers because she was underpaid (20:18)
  • Are you a dark matter developer? (25:41)
  • How to structure your learning as a self-taught developer and stay motivated (27:33)
  • Your unfair advantage as a self-taught developer (33:57)
  • How to genuinely and convincingly answer "why do you want to work here?" (36:10)
From a PhD in Materials Science to Junior Developer with Scrimba16 Nov 202100:25:36

Maeling earned a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering before realising her passion for code! After months of practice and with help from her new friends in various communities, she’s now working as a Junior Developer at a remote start-up. In this episode, you’ll learn how Maeling found the job through a virtual career fair and how you, too, can find success.


Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • About Maeling's new job (00:48)
  • How Maeling found this opportunity through a virtual job fair (02:30)
  • How Maeling used Twitter to lern to code (02:55)
  • Community and learning to code (06:35)
  • Self-directed learning compared to university (09:33)
  • Don't compare yourself to others (11:37)
  • Homeschooling while learning to code (14:02)
  • Building a homeschooling journal app (15:30)
  • What the interview process looked like  (18:59)
  • Maeling's top tips for anyone wanting to become a Junior Developer (23:19)


Links

Advice from a Senior Silicon Valley Engineer09 Nov 202100:32:15

Swizec Teller moved from Slovenia to Silicon Valley to work with the best engineers on the most challenging problems. Along the way, he hired and continuous to mentor countless juniors. In this episode, you'll learn what Swizec looks for in Junior Developer in 2021 and how you can crack the coding interview by highlighting your potential.


Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • What employers look for in Juniors (02:32)
  • What projects will impress employers? (05:01)
  • The difference between front-end engineer and front-end developer (07:28)
  • An introduction to JSON bureaucracy (10:57)
  • How to measure your own ability and skill (14:39)
  • How Google hire Juniors (20:50)
  • What Swizec learned from Richard Hamming (23:11)
  • Swizec's career vision (25:37)
  • An introduction to the Senior Mindset (28:07)
  • What Juniors can expect from seniors (29:09)


Links

From Guitar Teacher to Software Developer after Scrimba02 Nov 202100:31:29

John Mckay (also known fondly as Johno in the Scrimba community) used to work as a Guitar Teacher. After learning to code on Scrimba, he now works as a full-time trainee developer at one of the UK's largest supermarkets! As a trainee, Johno will spend 20 months working on different real-world parts of the business, while learning from mentors and some dedicated training. In this episode, you will learn how you, too, can earn to learn!

Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • How John found a 20 month employee training program (1:24)
  • How John got started programming (03:07)
  • John's experience with procrastination (04:38)
  • Don't just learn to code - learn to market yourself too (09:29)
  • How to write your first developer resume when you have no experience (10:48)
  • Communication skills are key (12:50)
  • What John finds intimidating about their new job (14:08)
  • Competency based interviews deconstructed (17:27)
  • What surprised John now he's on the team (27:11)
  • The role of the Scrimba community in John's success (28:59)
Last-minute guide to Hacktoberfest (there's still time), featuring GitHub Star Of The Year, Eddie Jaoude26 Oct 202100:25:38

The month-long celebration of Hacktoberfest is nearly over but don't threat! There's still time to get involved and potentially earn a Hacktoberfest T-shirt. In this episode, GitHub Star of the Year 2020, Eddie Jaoude shares everything you need to know to get involved in these remaining days.


Who is Eddie? Eddie Jaoude is an open source advocate and leader of the EddieHub open source community. He believes OPEN SOURCE is NOT just about code, it is about people, communication and collaboration.


Timestamps

  • Introduction (00:00)
  • What is Hacktoberfest (01:13)
  • Is it too late to get involved? (01:50)
  • Open source can catapult your career as it did for Eddie (03:02)
  • Genuinely meaningful ways to contribute to open source that don't even involve writing code (07:10)
  • Where to find your first open source project (09:21)
  • How Hacktoberfest measures your contributions (14:32)
  • "It's always about adding value, not amount of lines that have changed" (15:43)
  • Challenges you might encounter and how to overcome them (18:52)
  • Maintaining your own project and taking part in Hacktoberfest (20:23)
  • Quick-fire questions with Eddie Jaoude (22:35)


Links

How to make money as a developer with Florin Pop19 Oct 202100:33:14

Florin Pop is a JavaScript developer who made $22K in August. After years of experimentation and brand-building, Florin has uncovered several sources of income that enable him to earn good money without a boss and, in some cases, without working at all (Florin earns some passive income). In this episode, Florin and Alex outline several ways to make money if you know how to code and are willing to put in hard work.

From Circus to coding - how Milos turned COVID into an opportunity12 Oct 202100:26:08

At 32 years of age and after 10 years of climbing the ranks in the theatre industry, Milos Dokic from Australia had to start again because of the pandemic.


While many entertainment workers weathered the storm, Milos mustered the discipline to explore his growing interest in programming, enroll in a university course, and get ahead. The university course was fine but when Milos started to look for work he realized he was totally unprepared. There weren't many jobs around C or C++, which he was learning at school, and because Milos hadn't yet graduated, he didn't have any credentials to get in the door.


Around that time, Milos discovered Scrimba and the Front-end Developer career path! He built some exciting front-end projects and developed a stand-out portfolio and LinkedIn page. Along the way, he realized more of his experience was transferrable than he first thought.


Milos joins us to share all the specific details about how he found his job and what the interview process looked like. You will learn more about what to expect and how to succeed yourself!


Links


Timestamps

  • Introduction (0:00)
  • Milos' journey from Cirque du Soleil  to Junior Developer (00:50)
  • When the pandemic hit Cirque du Soleil came to a halt but Milos was determined to turn it around (05:54)
  • How Scrimba compared to Milos' experience at university? (09:31)
  • Milos' experience buying a CV template from Etsy (10:19)
  • Staying focused and on-track even when you experience setbacks (13:28)
  • How learning Linux helped Milos feel comfortable with commands and servers (14:48)
  • How Milos specifically found this job and what the interview process looked like  (15:49)
  • Milos' take-home task and how it went (17:56)
  • Changing carers at 32 and after 10 years in theatre (20:42)
  • How to stand out among thousands of developers according to Milos (22:42)
The Safe Exit: How to Quit Your Job the Right Way, with Ian Douglas17 Apr 202400:46:30

Meet Ian Douglas 🇺🇸🇨🇦! Developer, DevRel, Tech Educator, Career Coach, and author of The Tech Interview Guide, Ian Douglas, has been coding professionally since 1996. During that time, he worked at seventeen different companies! So, he probably knows a thing or two about how to transition companies in the most productive and secure way.


Whether you're a new or more experienced developer, sooner or later, the time will come to change companies. How can you be sure it's time to quit your job? How do you hand in your notice, and what do you even write in a resignation letter? Why is a manager who gets surprised by your leaving the company probably not a good manager? How do you hand off your projects, and when do you tell your coworkers you're moving on from the company? When should you publicize your new role on LinkedIn, why do some recruiters hit you up 90 days after you've changed jobs, and ultimately, how should you navigate all this in today's job market?

If you need help moving on from your role - or at least renegotiating it, listen to this episode!

🔗 Connect with Ian

⏰ Timestamps

  • Alex changed jobs recently! (01:58)
  • "The first thing you really need to understand is why you want to leave the company" (03:16)
  • Have a direction in mind (05:02)
  • It takes six to twelve months to hit your stride at a new job (07:13)
  • With all the info you have currently, could you see yourself being at the new company for at least two years? (09:29)
  • Sometimes the company changes, and that's okay (10:00)
  • Should you feel guilty when quitting your job? (10:49)
  • What you need to know about notice periods (12:46)
  • The risk of resigning (14:42)
  • Get all your paperwork signed first (16:34)
  • What if your current company wants to keep you? (17:31)
  • Even if they manage to keep you, they might not trust in your loyalty (18:59)
  • Always communicate with your manager (21:00)
  • If you leave a job, it shouldn't really surprise your manager (22:29)
  • What if your company can't make the accommodations you need (23:20)
  • You need to be able to trust your manager (25:45)
  • How to communicate your resignation (26:27)
  • How to write your notice letter: it's just a notification email! (28:53)
  • Should you tell the team you're quitting (30:21)
  • Be prepared to lose access to company stuff (31:31)
  • Can you work for a competitor? (32:06)
  • Should you tell your current employer about the new company (33:48)
  • When should you share the news about your new job on LinkedIn? (37:58)

🧰 Resources Mentioned

⭐️ Leave a Review


If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review here and tell us who you want to see on the next podcast.
You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so that he can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏 Or tell Jan he's butchered your name here.

How to stand out as a new developer (and ask amazing questions) with Dan Moore from FusionAuth05 Oct 202100:28:50

What do you wish someone had told you when you were just starting out? If you are a new developer (we’re not using “junior developer” here - listen along to find out why!), there are skills you have, skills you can transfer from somewhere else, and skills you don’t even know you need. You probably also have a lot of assumptions… and not too many people who can tell you whether they’re true. Dan wants to change that!


Who is Dan Moore? He is the author of Letters to a New Developer - a blog and book of advice he wishes he had gotten at the beginning of his career. Dan is a developer with twenty years of experience, currently working as a Solutions Architect at FusionAuth.

Links

Overcoming interview nerves - how this Scrimba student recovered from failure to become a Junior Developer28 Sep 202100:25:36

Scrimba student Serhan almost canceled his interview at Microsoft because he was nervous. Even though it turned out to be an unsuccessful interview, overcoming that initial hurdle set everything into motion for Serhan. The worse thing that could happen had already happened. Turns out, being rejected from a company wasn't that bad.


After that, Serhan was much calmer in interviews now and was offered a job much sooner than he expected! We think the same could happen to you if you adapt Serhan's mindset when teaching yourself to code and applying for Junior Developer jobs.


Timestamps

  • Introduction (00:00)
  • Serhan's transition from Economics to code (01:07)
  • How Serhan taught himself to code (01:59)
  • The most frustrating thing about learning to code (03:14)
  • The importance of community when learning to code (05:41)
  • How Serhan got an interview at Microsoft (06:42)
  • Recovering from a rejection by Microsoft 😪 (10:16)
  • Serhan started doing interviews to get used to hearing "no" (10:36)
  • How Serhan ensured a constant pipeline of job interviews (15:14)
  • What Serhan learned from a consultation with a recruiter (19:19)
  • Serhan got two job offers and finally found success 🎉 (22:32)


Links

What a good developer resume looks like and how to write one - learnings from an Uber Engineering Manager21 Sep 202100:44:32

Your resume determines if you will be called in for an interview or not. It’s an advertisement targeted towards your future boss and it can make or break your application. Yet, most programmers fail to write a good resume! In this episode, you will learn to increases the chances that your resume makes it to the “yes” pile according to an actual Hiring Manager.


Who is Gergely? Gergely is the author of The Tech Resume Inside Out - a highly-rated book about what the hiring process look like inside companies and how to make sure your resume stands out. Before that, he worked as an Engineering Manager at Uber for 3 years.

Timestamps

  • Introduction (00:00)
  • Most resumes suck so Gergely wrote  The Tech Resume Inside Out (01:27)
  • Remember: Your resume is a sales tool (07:52)
  • Create a master resume template (14:26)
  • The problem with using LinkedIn as your resume (15:20)
  • How hiring funnels work from the inside out(18:35)
  • Myth-busting Application Tracking Systems (26:20)
  • Avoid photos on your resume (35:22)
  • Why resumes should look plain Jane (35:25)
  • References  available upon request? Obviously  (36:34)
  • Internships and Computer Science degrees (36:48)
  • Employment travel visa options for new programmers  are few for a reason  (39:12)
  • The dreaded reference check (41:29)


Links

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