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General Discussion

Cameron Raw
Cameron Raw
15,473 Points
Posted by Cameron Raw
Cameron Raw
15,473 Points

Going from Treehouse to a career

So, I've just finished the JavaFX course, and I have a working version of Craig's timer. I'm also trying to put together a reservation system for hostels using these skills. It's not done, and it's driving me crazy, but I'll get it done sometime.

So where do I go from here? My end goal is a job in the industry. Realistically, will I need to be equally good at other languages to even be considered?

I guess my question is, if I were to apply for a junior Java position at Treehouse, what would you expect from me before I even walked into the interview?

2 Answers

RJ McLain
RJ McLain
16,380 Points
RJ McLain
RJ McLain
16,380 Points

To go from Treehouse to your first real gig, I would start putting anything and everything that looks remotely decent on GitHub or something similar. Most places will want to see samples of your work, since you might not have a ton of work experience in the field yet, they can't exactly reference past employers, but if they can see your work directly it's a solid way to start.

Also, expect code challenges, many places that I've interviewed at gave me some sort of code challenge either with simple things like "this doesn't work, how would you fix it" or something slightly deeper like "write a bit of code that will turned inputted values into X" many times it will be a challenge where they have you do it at home, but sometimes they even try to put you on the spot in the interview (talk about high anxiety). The most important thing is to show your process and keep good notation, even if you do it incorrectly, showing how you went about it, can still work in your favor. They just want to make sure you know your stuff to some extent, and every place will be a bit different.

Getting your first gig is the hardest part, once you have experience it's WAY easier to get later gigs, so just try to keep in mind that it will get easier throughout your career. No matter what, never stop learning, always keep up with technologies, the more you know, the more you're needed.

Otherwise, practice, practice, practice, give yourself real world type challenges to keep sharp, and just start applying anywhere possible.

-- Been a front end developer for a few years now, and that's been my experience so far

Cameron Raw
Cameron Raw
15,473 Points
Cameron Raw
Cameron Raw
15,473 Points

This is a great answer, thanks so much! I guess the thing about learning independently is not having as much of a clear path to follow... and I need someone to tell me whether my work is good or terrible.

So, did you just learn from Treehouse or did you join having already been working in the field?

RJ McLain
RJ McLain
16,380 Points
RJ McLain
RJ McLain
16,380 Points

I had some tech titled jobs on my resume, but most of them weren't very technical in reality, majority of what I've learned came from treehouse. I didn't take it quite as seriously when I started off, but once it really kick started my career, I realized it was an insanely good resource. I now work for a tech marketing solutions company, making web apps for tons of different types of companies, and I went from the newbie to the go to person for front-end, it's been one hell of a journey.