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General Discussion

Matthew Rigdon
Matthew Rigdon
8,223 Points
Posted by Matthew Rigdon
Matthew Rigdon
8,223 Points

When are you ready to apply for jobs? (Front End Dev.)

I want to apply for a position as a Front End Developer, but I am not sure when I am "ready" enough to be looked at seriously by employers. I do currently hold a bachelors degree (in a non-related field) and I have been coding for about 9+ months. I'd like to have the following completed, which should be a few more weeks:

  • A portfolio website with a resume attached. I wanted to use the website to show my ability to code HTML/CSS/JS. I plan to make it look as fancy and functional as possible.

  • I updated my LinkedIn profile to reflect my skills.

  • I plan to make an additional website to further showcase my abilities.

  • I will continue learning on Treehouse until I am hired and afterwards.

  • Perhaps a few codepen.io JS tricks etc.

Will having each of these completed be enough where I can begin to be looked at seriously? If not, when is a skill set good enough for an entry level position?

What else might be important to have/show?

Any random suggestions from people who have already done this?

Thanks!

3 Answers

Jason Curry
Jason Curry
5,915 Points
Jason Curry
Jason Curry
5,915 Points

I think you're ready when you have a substantial amount of relevant experience to demonstrate to an employer. To freelance I'd say you could have 3 solid projects (entire web sites or apps) completed. If you're going to get hired I'd say, just my opinion, you should have 1 year of experience or if less, then demonstrate a superb level of work. If don't have a ton of paid work in your portfolio (maybe you do...) I'd suggest going on upwork, charging a lower hourly rate and just build up a ton of successful projects you can showcase.

Regarding your website, I'd suggest keeping things very simple. And it's better to show fewer great projects you've done vs many OK projects you've done. I'm someone is unsure of your qualifications the worse example shown tends to stick.

I started as a freelancer in 2005, and grew from that to a company with 50 employees in NYC and sold it in 2013, so I'm confident in what I think works.

P.S. Sure you want to get a job? You could freelance forever!

Matthew Rigdon
Matthew Rigdon
8,223 Points
Matthew Rigdon
Matthew Rigdon
8,223 Points

Freelancing does intrigue me at well, but I feel like there is a benefit to having other developers around to learn from, especially while I am still learning. Can you make a living freelancing?

Jason Curry
Jason Curry
5,915 Points
Jason Curry
Jason Curry
5,915 Points

Yep, you can definitely make a living freelancing.

Igor Yamshchykov
Igor Yamshchykov
24,397 Points
Igor Yamshchykov
Igor Yamshchykov
24,397 Points

Hello Matthew, I think your ready, for sure. The best think you could do to check this is actualy apply for a job and go ahead, take an technical interview. You shouldn't be worried in case you wont pass, it's normal, but in case of failure you'll find out what you need to increase. And in case of success you're done. So I think you must try and apply for one, there's nothink to be afraid of.

Jason Curry
Jason Curry
5,915 Points
Jason Curry
Jason Curry
5,915 Points

Good point, nothing is will tell you more accurately if you're ready or not than actually applying for jobs.

programmer2021
seal-mask
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programmer2021
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Student 23,052 Points
programmer2021
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programmer2021
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Student 23,052 Points

Hey Matthew,

It took me about 6-8 months of studying at treehouse to land a full time front end developer job.

I took a few programming and web dev classes in college, but Treehouse + code academy gave me enough knowledge to apply for a full time job. Of course, that's not to say that I didn't freelance while studying. I worked for free to get experience and spent a lot of time working on my own side projects and played around on codepen.io

If you can create a decent website from scratch I think you are ready. Also remember that skills are not the only thing that employers are looking for. They also look at your personality and eagerness to learn. At my interview I told them right away that I am looking forward to challenging projects and I am ready to learn everyday. Just be yourself. Also if you don't know something say it .Employers like authenticity and honesty.

Matthew Rigdon
Matthew Rigdon
8,223 Points
Matthew Rigdon
Matthew Rigdon
8,223 Points

Did you create your own websites/projects, or did you make them for other people? Just curious.

programmer2021
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
programmer2021
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Student 23,052 Points

Both. At first I was just getting free psd templates (Google it) and tried to replicate them by coding from scratch and not using any frameworks. It's great because you don't have to worry how your website looks so you can focus on development alone. After I was confident enough to start making them for others.

Hope that answers your question.