Am I really "Job Ready"?

Hi Josh,

It is a hard question to answer. Basically I think your next step would be to create a website for yourself (like an online CV) with a portfolio of work.

If you have not had any real jobs yet, then come up with your own set of varied briefs and complete them as projects for your portfolio. You can also look at offering local companies or friends a website for free to help you build your portfolio. At the end of the day gaining skills is valuable but if you can also demonstrate them it is a bonus.

If you were to work for a company then you will need to work your way up but could probably learn a lot from others around you to. If you were to work as a freelancers then you would need a good portfolio and be confident that you have all the skills required to complete a job for a given price. Don't forget to also do the track on becoming a freelancer if that is your plan.

I hope that helps :/

Hi Josh, I'm no expert either but i would say that if you feel you are ready then you are. Think of it this way, your never going to stop learning so if you want to wait till you know everything, then your always going to be waiting. As long as you understand the lessons you're good to go, you will get faster and better over time. Try making a few example sites, if they look good, work well and didn't take a ridiculous amount of time to code then all's good.

There are lots of us here in the exact same boat.

Hi Josh,

If you complete one of our Tracks, you'll definitely be ready for an entry level position. That said, there's always more to learn, no matter how skilled you are. Here are a few ways you can prepare yourself even more:

• Many of our videos have Extra Credit exercises. You don't earn points or badges for these, but if you do them, it will help take your knowledge a few steps further.
• Build a few side projects. Employers are going to want to see examples of your work, whether you're a designer or a developer. A great way to do this is to find members of your community that need websites. You can do them for free or charge a nominal fee that's appropriate for a project where you're still learning.
• Once you have a few side projects, build a portfolio website to showcase your work. Having a digital portfolio will make it easier for you to apply for many jobs, because you'll have a simple URL you can send them towards.

You might also want to see this thread on the forum. Another Treehouse student created a video that shows you how to get the most out of your learning experience. Great stuff!

Nick, First of all, you're the man. Just saying. But anyways, that's what I wanted to know. Since I personally don't have access to a real live designer/developer to assess my skills, It's good to hear it from someone who knows the basic job requirements in today's market. That being said, is there a project or track that exists that will walk me through setting up a professional portfolio for myself? If not, can we make that happen?

Thanks again, and keep up the amazing work! -Josh

Can't wait!! That should be right around the time when I will be finishing all the tracks i'm currently working on, so that should work out perfectly. Keep us posted.

Josh Hicks -

I'd check out these CSS interview questions

Wow, those are great indicators of how much I still suck. thanks for that resource though! lol

Hey Josh, that's a great question so thanks for asking. We believe you need three things to be job-ready:

1. Go to 'school' by unlocking Badges on Treehouse. This is just the first step.
2. Take what you learn and actually build and design things. Show them off in the Forum and get feedback.
3. Go into the Forum and help other Students and get your answers marked as 'Best Answer'. This shows you can also teach the concepts you've learned, which shows a higher level of understanding.

Thanks so much for being a Treehouse Student! We're here to help you.