1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,058 [MUSIC] 2 00:00:04,058 --> 00:00:09,435 Hello, everyone and welcome to the Alumni Spotlight Session. 3 00:00:09,435 --> 00:00:12,930 This session was chosen earlier in the year by users who 4 00:00:12,930 --> 00:00:17,570 wanted to vote on what session they wanted to see during the conference. 5 00:00:17,570 --> 00:00:22,271 Folks decided they wanted to see a Treehouse Alum discuss their experience 6 00:00:22,271 --> 00:00:25,194 using Treehouse and entering the workforce. 7 00:00:25,194 --> 00:00:26,487 Thank you to everyone who voted. 8 00:00:26,487 --> 00:00:31,320 Before we start, I want to reiterate the mission of Treehouse, 9 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:34,461 which is to diversify the tech industry. 10 00:00:34,461 --> 00:00:39,255 Equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the core of our work at Treehouse. 11 00:00:39,255 --> 00:00:43,662 Inclusion in tech is something we will always be working toward, and 12 00:00:43,662 --> 00:00:46,329 we take this commitment very seriously. 13 00:00:46,329 --> 00:00:49,330 That being said, I would like to remind everyone that there 14 00:00:49,330 --> 00:00:52,106 is a code of conduct posted in the event's reception. 15 00:00:52,106 --> 00:00:56,943 Please take just a minute to review that if you have not already done so. 16 00:00:56,943 --> 00:01:02,743 I'm happy to present today with the bone as the guest speaker for this session. 17 00:01:02,743 --> 00:01:06,924 Whitley made the transition to tech after completing the Treehouse front 18 00:01:06,924 --> 00:01:11,714 end web development tech degree, they had previously taught middle school math and 19 00:01:11,714 --> 00:01:13,611 social studies for eight years. 20 00:01:13,611 --> 00:01:19,434 Since making the switch to tech, Whitley has since gained proficiency in HTML, 21 00:01:19,434 --> 00:01:23,986 CSS, JavaScript, Bootstrap, React, MySQL, and jQuery. 22 00:01:23,986 --> 00:01:29,160 They are well versed in the entire world of web development process from design and 23 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:31,789 development to testing and deployment. 24 00:01:31,789 --> 00:01:37,359 Currently, Whitley is a web developer for Alert Media in Austin, Texas. 25 00:01:37,359 --> 00:01:39,514 Please join me in welcoming Whitey. 26 00:01:39,514 --> 00:01:40,074 Hey, Whitey. 27 00:01:40,074 --> 00:01:41,722 >> Hello, how are you? 28 00:01:41,722 --> 00:01:43,814 >> So good to have you here and you brought your dog. 29 00:01:43,814 --> 00:01:47,232 >> Yeah, well, he wasn't gonna give me a choice with that. 30 00:01:47,232 --> 00:01:50,685 [LAUGH] >> I understand that, we'll see if my kids 31 00:01:50,685 --> 00:01:55,156 give me a choice about whether I can be by myself, [LAUGH] so cute. 32 00:01:55,156 --> 00:01:56,736 That's like sums up 2020 right there. 33 00:01:56,736 --> 00:01:58,686 >> Yeah, exactly. 34 00:01:58,686 --> 00:02:02,816 With all my Zoom meetings and stuff, he gets jealous, always wants join. 35 00:02:02,816 --> 00:02:05,369 >> Hey, to pay attention to me. 36 00:02:05,369 --> 00:02:06,356 Well, lovely to meet you. 37 00:02:06,356 --> 00:02:09,414 Let's start off talking about your career transition. 38 00:02:09,414 --> 00:02:15,217 When did you first decide you wanted to pursue up development? 39 00:02:15,217 --> 00:02:16,881 >> So I was, 40 00:02:21,125 --> 00:02:25,772 My six year where I started feeling like I didn't 41 00:02:25,772 --> 00:02:30,654 wanna make the 30-year career out of teaching. 42 00:02:30,654 --> 00:02:33,555 And although, I loved my students and I loved what I did. 43 00:02:33,555 --> 00:02:36,708 I knew there is another way I wanted to go, 44 00:02:36,708 --> 00:02:40,143 another path I wanted to take with my career. 45 00:02:40,143 --> 00:02:45,650 And yeah, so with that kind of tug starting to happen, 46 00:02:45,650 --> 00:02:53,576 I started kind of answering that call that I've always had about technology. 47 00:02:53,576 --> 00:02:56,855 I've always been interested in that and whether it be video games or 48 00:02:56,855 --> 00:03:00,202 just the internet in general, I always wanted to dig deeper in that. 49 00:03:00,202 --> 00:03:06,335 And so I knew it was time to kind of dive into that environment, so I did. 50 00:03:06,335 --> 00:03:08,830 >> So it was time for you to make the jump. 51 00:03:08,830 --> 00:03:13,673 So it's cool that you're talking about that first moment because a lot of folks 52 00:03:13,673 --> 00:03:18,448 that are at the festival are thinking about using Treehouse are contemplating 53 00:03:18,448 --> 00:03:22,373 and it feels like a really scary decision to kind of pursue that. 54 00:03:22,373 --> 00:03:24,434 So I appreciate you talking about that, 55 00:03:24,434 --> 00:03:26,868 I'm sure that will come out more as we discuss. 56 00:03:26,868 --> 00:03:34,718 What was your first step when you knew you wanted to rescale then as a web developer? 57 00:03:34,718 --> 00:03:36,338 >> Like my first stepping in kind of-. 58 00:03:36,338 --> 00:03:39,438 >> Once you decide that, what happened then? 59 00:03:39,438 --> 00:03:43,934 >> Yeah, so once I knew that the tech world is where I 60 00:03:43,934 --> 00:03:48,102 wanted to kind of move into, I started with, 61 00:03:48,102 --> 00:03:52,380 although I'd always been around computers or 62 00:03:52,380 --> 00:03:57,537 I'd always been around technology in some way coding, 63 00:03:57,537 --> 00:04:01,291 and that kind of thing, I hadn't been. 64 00:04:01,291 --> 00:04:03,457 And so I got into Free Code Camp, 65 00:04:03,457 --> 00:04:07,805 and decided to start there to see if that was something I will -. 66 00:04:07,805 --> 00:04:08,875 >> I love the Free Code Camp. 67 00:04:08,875 --> 00:04:09,380 >> Yeah. 68 00:04:09,380 --> 00:04:13,416 And so I started there to see if I would like it, 69 00:04:13,416 --> 00:04:19,952 if this is something that I could be good at, and just a few lessons into it. 70 00:04:19,952 --> 00:04:25,581 I was like, okay, I wanna kind of make the investment in this and 71 00:04:25,581 --> 00:04:27,992 get my education and this. 72 00:04:27,992 --> 00:04:32,698 So that was probably my first little jumping off 73 00:04:32,698 --> 00:04:36,001 point was Free Code Camp, okay? 74 00:04:36,001 --> 00:04:38,215 >> Awesome. >> Okay, [LAUGH] 75 00:04:38,215 --> 00:04:39,723 >> What's its name of your pup? 76 00:04:39,723 --> 00:04:40,503 >> Fender. 77 00:04:40,503 --> 00:04:41,564 >> Fender. 78 00:04:41,564 --> 00:04:42,195 >> Yeah. 79 00:04:42,195 --> 00:04:44,045 >> Can you hear me, Fender? 80 00:04:44,045 --> 00:04:50,985 >> [LAUGH] >> He has to love that. 81 00:04:50,985 --> 00:04:53,888 So and by the way, I just wanna thank you for 82 00:04:53,888 --> 00:04:58,087 your hard work as a teacher before you ended up being developer 83 00:04:58,087 --> 00:05:02,307 because I'm teaching my kids math now at home and it's hard. 84 00:05:02,307 --> 00:05:03,141 >> Yeah, its -. 85 00:05:03,141 --> 00:05:04,485 >> I appreciate your work. 86 00:05:04,485 --> 00:05:07,734 [LAUGH] >> I'm pretty thankful that, I mean, 87 00:05:07,734 --> 00:05:09,302 I dodged the bullet, 88 00:05:09,302 --> 00:05:14,280 my timing was impeccable that I didn't have to teach in a pandemic. 89 00:05:14,280 --> 00:05:17,581 But I feel for you, man I know [LAUGH] >> I know it's stuff right now. 90 00:05:17,581 --> 00:05:20,383 >> I appreciate y'all teachers even more. 91 00:05:20,383 --> 00:05:23,405 So we would love to hear about your experience 92 00:05:23,405 --> 00:05:28,348 going through the tech degree and how it prepared you for that first role. 93 00:05:28,348 --> 00:05:32,488 >> The tech degree was amazing, so after Free Code Camp, 94 00:05:32,488 --> 00:05:37,167 actually my first step was through another boot camp that I was 95 00:05:37,167 --> 00:05:40,595 probably involved in for a couple of months. 96 00:05:40,595 --> 00:05:47,496 And it just wasn't sticking, it wasn't really the way the lessons were taught and 97 00:05:47,496 --> 00:05:52,143 how the projects were laid out, it just wasn't for me. 98 00:05:52,143 --> 00:05:55,416 And so after a few months, I decided to look for another one, and 99 00:05:55,416 --> 00:05:57,126 that's when I found Treehouse. 100 00:05:57,126 --> 00:06:03,765 And I pretty much knew right away just with the videos, the quizzes, 101 00:06:03,765 --> 00:06:09,042 the community, it was 100% for me from the get go. 102 00:06:09,042 --> 00:06:14,542 So I'm a big fan of the tech degree, I just I felt equipped, 103 00:06:14,542 --> 00:06:18,502 and prepared every single step of the way. 104 00:06:18,502 --> 00:06:24,786 And if there was ever a time where I was confused about a lesson or a topic, 105 00:06:24,786 --> 00:06:29,949 I mean, I had dozens of people ready and willing to help me. 106 00:06:29,949 --> 00:06:33,430 So I loved it, it was worth every penny, and 107 00:06:33,430 --> 00:06:37,586 I'm excited to get more tech degrees under my belt. 108 00:06:37,586 --> 00:06:38,892 >> Awesome. We appreciate you being 109 00:06:38,892 --> 00:06:39,744 a student enrolling. 110 00:06:39,744 --> 00:06:42,113 What kind of tips do you have for 111 00:06:42,113 --> 00:06:47,231 folks that are going through the tech degree or thinking about it? 112 00:06:47,231 --> 00:06:48,088 >> Going through a Tech degree? 113 00:06:48,088 --> 00:06:53,309 I think two things come to mind. 114 00:06:53,309 --> 00:06:58,690 Firstly, is that it's not something you don't have 115 00:06:58,690 --> 00:07:04,199 to dedicate hours every day in order to be successful. 116 00:07:04,199 --> 00:07:07,093 I mean, I did this while I was teaching and so 117 00:07:07,093 --> 00:07:09,686 there was no way I would be in coaching. 118 00:07:09,686 --> 00:07:13,845 And so there was no way I would wanna come home and spend three or 119 00:07:13,845 --> 00:07:16,421 four hours learning something else. 120 00:07:16,421 --> 00:07:23,719 And so even if I want one of the slack, 121 00:07:23,719 --> 00:07:27,726 what do you call it? 122 00:07:27,726 --> 00:07:29,046 >> Channel. 123 00:07:29,046 --> 00:07:30,834 >> Yeah, in the Slack channel, 124 00:07:30,834 --> 00:07:35,419 the really cool guys that are kind of running the show in the Slack channels. 125 00:07:35,419 --> 00:07:37,362 Yeah. Well, there's a couple of, 126 00:07:37,362 --> 00:07:41,339 we have amazing student success specialists which works with Treehouse. 127 00:07:41,339 --> 00:07:45,629 We also have folks that are SOC champions which are students are helping out. 128 00:07:45,629 --> 00:07:47,128 >> Right. >> So it could have been either or both. 129 00:07:47,128 --> 00:07:48,372 >> That sounds right. 130 00:07:48,372 --> 00:07:55,269 They actually gave me this but they were like even just 20 minutes a day, 131 00:07:55,269 --> 00:08:01,065 you'll get through this, the tech degree and in great time. 132 00:08:01,065 --> 00:08:06,248 So I think I don't I would I would advise not to pressure 133 00:08:06,248 --> 00:08:13,478 yourself to just put in to put in hours every day, you know, do what you can. 134 00:08:13,478 --> 00:08:20,500 The tech degree is set up so well and that it can help anybody in any situation. 135 00:08:20,500 --> 00:08:23,383 You can be successful in what you're learning in, and so. 136 00:08:23,383 --> 00:08:28,948 >> So don't discourage yourself by trying to do hours and 137 00:08:28,948 --> 00:08:32,464 hours on top of a full day's work. 138 00:08:32,464 --> 00:08:33,328 >> Yes, exactly. 139 00:08:33,328 --> 00:08:38,801 I think I'm really hard on myself with that, I wanna get in and 140 00:08:38,801 --> 00:08:43,750 if I'm gonna start something, I wanna do a whole unit, 141 00:08:43,750 --> 00:08:48,824 and just to put my all into it, and put hours in every day. 142 00:08:48,824 --> 00:08:53,976 And I just couldn't do that, and it's set up in a way where you can 143 00:08:53,976 --> 00:08:59,444 be successful no matter what you can or can't put in on a daily basis. 144 00:08:59,444 --> 00:09:00,699 >> Absolutely, I appreciate that. 145 00:09:00,699 --> 00:09:03,182 >> Yeah, yeah.- >> For example, 146 00:09:03,182 --> 00:09:06,903 what would a typical day look like for you? 147 00:09:06,903 --> 00:09:10,906 Share as much personal details you can, just be curious, 148 00:09:10,906 --> 00:09:15,252 so people know they're not alone and trying to fit all this in. 149 00:09:15,252 --> 00:09:16,396 Right, when I was teaching? 150 00:09:16,396 --> 00:09:17,192 >> Yeah. 151 00:09:17,192 --> 00:09:18,104 >> Yeah. 152 00:09:18,104 --> 00:09:22,854 So I would have to be at work by 6.30 153 00:09:22,854 --> 00:09:27,609 in the morning, I was a coach as well. 154 00:09:27,609 --> 00:09:31,345 And so we had morning and after school practice, and so 155 00:09:31,345 --> 00:09:35,485 I would have to be at school by 6.30, practice by 7, and 156 00:09:35,485 --> 00:09:40,791 then I would teach, and then after school practice would go until 4.30. 157 00:09:40,791 --> 00:09:45,591 And so I would be home by maybe 5.30 or 6, and so 158 00:09:45,591 --> 00:09:50,057 I would try to put in at least two hours a day, but 159 00:09:50,057 --> 00:09:55,999 a lot of times that would only look like half an hour or one hour. 160 00:09:55,999 --> 00:09:57,380 So. 161 00:09:57,380 --> 00:10:02,605 But yeah, and Saturdays and Sundays were spent at coffee shops or 162 00:10:02,605 --> 00:10:05,840 somewhere just devoting all that time. 163 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:07,906 Which was actually really fun for 164 00:10:07,906 --> 00:10:12,719 me cuz that was my dream to one day have a job where I could work in a coffee shop. 165 00:10:12,719 --> 00:10:16,805 So I was kind of living my dream there. 166 00:10:16,805 --> 00:10:20,115 Yeah, that was really good. 167 00:10:20,115 --> 00:10:25,293 >> When I completed our Python tech degree and one thing that helped me 168 00:10:25,293 --> 00:10:32,030 a lot was I came up with a very primitive simple Python app that I wanted to build. 169 00:10:32,030 --> 00:10:36,150 And so as I went through the projects, I actually tried to build it. 170 00:10:36,150 --> 00:10:40,334 So, it helped me connect what I was learning back to the problems I 171 00:10:40,334 --> 00:10:44,612 was experiencing as I was trying to build my primitive little app. 172 00:10:44,612 --> 00:10:48,427 So well, let's keep asking you a bunch of great questions. 173 00:10:48,427 --> 00:10:53,055 And everyone that's watching, feel free to ask your questions of Whitley. 174 00:10:53,055 --> 00:10:56,262 My amazing team will make sure to capture them and 175 00:10:56,262 --> 00:11:00,180 then they'll feed them back to me at the end of the session. 176 00:11:00,180 --> 00:11:04,493 So please keep them coming, Whitley is gonna try to concentrate on 177 00:11:04,493 --> 00:11:08,048 answering these questions and keeping Fender happy. 178 00:11:08,048 --> 00:11:08,720 >> [LAUGH] Yeah. 179 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:09,911 >> [LAUGH] This far. 180 00:11:09,911 --> 00:11:11,900 >> Okay, so let's keep going. 181 00:11:11,900 --> 00:11:15,308 All right, so let's move on to applying for jobs. 182 00:11:15,308 --> 00:11:15,875 >> Okay. 183 00:11:15,875 --> 00:11:20,509 >> Was there a definitive point where 184 00:11:20,509 --> 00:11:25,474 you felt prepared to apply for jobs? 185 00:11:25,474 --> 00:11:30,492 >> Probably when I finished, especially completed the portfolio, 186 00:11:30,492 --> 00:11:36,775 when I actually had something to show to potential employers, that was big for me. 187 00:11:36,775 --> 00:11:42,010 The projects the app I can't remember what unit it was, but 188 00:11:42,010 --> 00:11:47,320 we had to create a web app, or like a dashboard for a web app. 189 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:50,036 And I remember finishing that and I was like, yeah, 190 00:11:50,036 --> 00:11:51,845 if I can do that I can do this [LAUGH]. 191 00:11:51,845 --> 00:11:52,599 >> That's awesome, that's great. 192 00:11:52,599 --> 00:11:55,357 >> Yeah, but that portfolio was pretty much like, 193 00:11:55,357 --> 00:11:58,938 I have something to hand to somebody and that felt really good. 194 00:11:58,938 --> 00:11:59,438 >> Awesome. 195 00:12:01,870 --> 00:12:06,060 What advice do you have for folks who just completed the tech degree and 196 00:12:06,060 --> 00:12:07,918 are looking to apply for jobs? 197 00:12:11,804 --> 00:12:12,750 >> I'm sorry, can you repeat? 198 00:12:12,750 --> 00:12:14,565 Yeah, I lost you a little bit, can you repeat the question? 199 00:12:14,565 --> 00:12:18,726 >> Yeah, what advice do you have for folks who just completed the tech degree and 200 00:12:18,726 --> 00:12:20,404 are looking to apply for jobs? 201 00:12:24,964 --> 00:12:26,230 >> Do your best to be patient. 202 00:12:26,230 --> 00:12:27,837 I hated it when people told me that. 203 00:12:27,837 --> 00:12:32,964 But there's a lot that you can learn from each interview. 204 00:12:32,964 --> 00:12:38,890 So getting an interview is a celebration in itself. 205 00:12:38,890 --> 00:12:43,849 So I would just encourage you to be patient and 206 00:12:43,849 --> 00:12:49,210 apply for everything, literally everything. 207 00:12:49,210 --> 00:12:51,280 Put your put your name and resume out there. 208 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:53,080 Get on LinkedIn, start networking. 209 00:12:55,030 --> 00:12:57,790 Just don't be too picky [LAUGH]. 210 00:12:57,790 --> 00:12:58,493 >> Yeah. 211 00:12:58,493 --> 00:12:59,510 >> Yeah. 212 00:12:59,510 --> 00:13:05,088 >> We want to prepare students for the reality of the job search, 213 00:13:05,088 --> 00:13:11,860 that it is hard and discouraging and it doesn't happen quickly or easily. 214 00:13:11,860 --> 00:13:17,203 What are some points of advice or expectations you can set for 215 00:13:17,203 --> 00:13:21,200 people who are about to go out on a job search? 216 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:26,410 How many jobs are they gonna have to apply for? 217 00:13:26,410 --> 00:13:28,260 How long is it gonna take? 218 00:13:28,260 --> 00:13:30,340 All that kind of stuff. 219 00:13:30,340 --> 00:13:35,091 >> I made it a goal for myself, once I set my mind I'm like, okay, 220 00:13:35,091 --> 00:13:39,306 I'm applying for jobs now, I made it a personal goal for 221 00:13:39,306 --> 00:13:43,590 myself to apply for seven different jobs a day. 222 00:13:43,590 --> 00:13:48,519 And that just meant even getting on Indeed or LinkedIn and 223 00:13:48,519 --> 00:13:52,590 just quick apply just at least seven. 224 00:13:52,590 --> 00:13:56,119 I ended up doing a lot more than that. 225 00:13:56,119 --> 00:13:59,985 And that was just my personal numerical goal. 226 00:13:59,985 --> 00:14:01,620 >> How many total did you apply for? 227 00:14:02,998 --> 00:14:06,095 >> Man, a lot. 228 00:14:06,095 --> 00:14:10,769 [LAUGH] There was a lot. 229 00:14:10,769 --> 00:14:14,184 I mean once you start getting on Indeed and stuff and 230 00:14:14,184 --> 00:14:18,395 all these networking jobs there's so many different roles out 231 00:14:18,395 --> 00:14:23,150 there that are a lot alike and are also very different from each other. 232 00:14:23,150 --> 00:14:29,755 So, man, I think in the hundreds for sure. 233 00:14:29,755 --> 00:14:32,369 [LAUGH] >> Yeah, and that's normal, right? 234 00:14:32,369 --> 00:14:33,720 That's what we hear from everybody. 235 00:14:34,750 --> 00:14:36,782 So congrats on your hard work and not quitting. 236 00:14:36,782 --> 00:14:37,920 >> Thank you. 237 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:42,602 >> Was there a moment when you felt like quitting the job search where it was just 238 00:14:42,602 --> 00:14:45,968 really painful, or was it pretty straightforward and 239 00:14:45,968 --> 00:14:47,670 you just had to keep going? 240 00:14:48,670 --> 00:14:54,918 >> So I had gotten my first job in May, 241 00:14:54,918 --> 00:14:59,453 my first tech job in May. 242 00:14:59,453 --> 00:15:02,790 And that one lasted for about two months until we all got laid off. 243 00:15:02,790 --> 00:15:06,220 And it was then that I was like, man, maybe I made a mistake. 244 00:15:06,220 --> 00:15:09,430 I even started filling out teaching applications again. 245 00:15:09,430 --> 00:15:13,091 But I just knew what I wanted and I knew what I worked for. 246 00:15:13,091 --> 00:15:18,474 And so I was ready to throw in the towel then, but I was like, 247 00:15:18,474 --> 00:15:25,720 no, I didn't come all this way to let one bad experience just ruin everything. 248 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:30,334 So that was a rough time, back in July, but it paid off. 249 00:15:30,334 --> 00:15:32,844 >> Congrats on getting through that. 250 00:15:32,844 --> 00:15:35,497 How did you get through that? 251 00:15:35,497 --> 00:15:40,770 >> Good friends not letting me just dwell. 252 00:15:40,770 --> 00:15:47,772 [LAUGH] Sticking to a routine, 253 00:15:47,772 --> 00:15:54,227 getting back into that mindset, okay, now I'm going to apply for 10 jobs a day. 254 00:15:54,227 --> 00:15:58,668 I basically tried to get back to what I started with. 255 00:15:58,668 --> 00:16:04,960 And just try to stay positive, stay busy and keep learning. 256 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:10,437 I ended up getting back into Treehouse a little bit and learning, 257 00:16:10,437 --> 00:16:16,526 taking some of the smaller courses on there just to stay sharp, so yeah. 258 00:16:16,526 --> 00:16:17,310 >> Congrats. 259 00:16:17,310 --> 00:16:17,821 >> Thank you. 260 00:16:17,821 --> 00:16:21,848 >> That's impressive that you hit that hurdle and got over it again. 261 00:16:21,848 --> 00:16:24,597 >> Thank you. >> And I hope that everybody watching can 262 00:16:24,597 --> 00:16:29,501 see you and say, okay, if Whitley did it then maybe I could do it too. 263 00:16:29,501 --> 00:16:31,407 >> That's really inspiring. 264 00:16:31,407 --> 00:16:32,581 >> You're in the room. 265 00:16:32,581 --> 00:16:33,979 >> It is inspiring. 266 00:16:33,979 --> 00:16:37,570 You have a lot of transferable skills from your previous career. 267 00:16:37,570 --> 00:16:41,517 Did you leverage those experiences when you were applying for jobs, or 268 00:16:41,517 --> 00:16:45,750 how did you talk about your teaching career when you were applying for jobs? 269 00:16:46,870 --> 00:16:51,868 >> I think I, as a teacher, I loved incorporating technology into everything, 270 00:16:51,868 --> 00:16:56,280 because, especially middle school students they love that, too. 271 00:16:57,340 --> 00:17:00,608 So that got brought up a lot. 272 00:17:00,608 --> 00:17:04,205 Just my, I guess, my desire for 273 00:17:04,205 --> 00:17:08,882 technology in anything and everything. 274 00:17:08,882 --> 00:17:13,649 And that and probably just my being able 275 00:17:13,649 --> 00:17:18,133 to work on a team, that came up a lot. 276 00:17:18,133 --> 00:17:25,668 But the literal skills, Teaching didn't go into that as much. 277 00:17:27,278 --> 00:17:31,581 >> Right >> But yeah, now that I'm in the job, 278 00:17:31,581 --> 00:17:36,846 it's interesting to see different things come in that I've already been doing, 279 00:17:36,846 --> 00:17:39,610 that are skills I've already been using. 280 00:17:40,950 --> 00:17:45,370 >> Did they say, well, why are you switching careers? 281 00:17:45,370 --> 00:17:52,176 Did you have any trouble with that or that wasn't a problem as you were applying? 282 00:17:52,176 --> 00:17:56,761 >> It wasn't a problem that got asked every single time. 283 00:17:56,761 --> 00:18:00,110 >> Cool. >> And yeah, I was just real honest. 284 00:18:00,110 --> 00:18:04,383 That's another thing I would advise and suggest, 285 00:18:04,383 --> 00:18:09,561 is to be really honest with who you are and what your goals are. 286 00:18:09,561 --> 00:18:15,864 But yeah, I was happy to say that I wanted to challenge myself and 287 00:18:15,864 --> 00:18:21,491 I knew that my career path was heading in this direction. 288 00:18:21,491 --> 00:18:22,566 >> Yeah, well here we go. 289 00:18:22,566 --> 00:18:23,602 >> Yeah, here we go. 290 00:18:23,602 --> 00:18:27,102 >> So, if you applied for hundreds of jobs, 291 00:18:27,102 --> 00:18:32,704 how many responses did you get and how many interviews did you get? 292 00:18:32,704 --> 00:18:35,538 Walk us through the fun of that. 293 00:18:35,538 --> 00:18:36,842 >> Yeah. 294 00:18:38,448 --> 00:18:40,269 >> Roughly. >> Let's see, 295 00:18:40,269 --> 00:18:44,616 out of hundreds applications, 296 00:18:44,616 --> 00:18:50,895 I probably got responses, like responses for 297 00:18:50,895 --> 00:18:56,372 let's talk about this, maybe 15%. 298 00:18:56,372 --> 00:19:00,019 [LAUGH] Not a lot at all. 299 00:19:00,019 --> 00:19:06,859 Hundreds of applications, hundreds of rejection emails, 300 00:19:06,859 --> 00:19:14,648 which is something one would need to turn into a celebration as well. 301 00:19:14,648 --> 00:19:18,574 I mean, every application, every intro call, 302 00:19:18,574 --> 00:19:23,186 every rejection letter is a step forward in the process. 303 00:19:23,186 --> 00:19:26,600 There's nothing that can push you back except for yourself. 304 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:33,870 So yeah, I would say, the total interviews I can count that on my hands. 305 00:19:33,870 --> 00:19:38,607 And I think I had, out of all those applications I had maybe five or 306 00:19:38,607 --> 00:19:39,910 six interviews. 307 00:19:39,910 --> 00:19:40,620 >> Got it. 308 00:19:40,620 --> 00:19:43,070 And then out of that, how many job offers, one? 309 00:19:44,830 --> 00:19:46,396 >> Two, including one I got laid off from. 310 00:19:46,396 --> 00:19:47,653 [LAUGH] >> Got it. 311 00:19:47,653 --> 00:19:48,338 >> Yeah. 312 00:19:48,338 --> 00:19:52,468 >> All right, so then that's basically less than 313 00:19:52,468 --> 00:19:57,330 half a percent of the total number of job applications. 314 00:19:57,330 --> 00:20:00,020 So, it's just a reminder. 315 00:20:00,020 --> 00:20:03,081 Right, everybody watching that's actually how this works and that's normal. 316 00:20:03,081 --> 00:20:08,016 So you've got to apply hundreds of times before you're 317 00:20:08,016 --> 00:20:11,473 gonna get enough job interviews >> Exactly. 318 00:20:11,473 --> 00:20:12,773 >> Get the interview you want. 319 00:20:12,773 --> 00:20:16,972 I have a couple of tangential questions, so 320 00:20:16,972 --> 00:20:21,963 were you teaching all the way up until the moment that 321 00:20:21,963 --> 00:20:26,745 you accepted your new job or did you take time off? 322 00:20:26,745 --> 00:20:31,689 >> So I taught until May of this year, May 2020, 323 00:20:31,689 --> 00:20:35,218 and I got my first job in may as well, 324 00:20:35,218 --> 00:20:39,956 so there is actually a little bit of an overlap. 325 00:20:39,956 --> 00:20:43,852 Now we were all home, the teachers were home, so 326 00:20:43,852 --> 00:20:49,568 it wasn't it wasn't too difficult but yeah, there was no no time off. 327 00:20:49,568 --> 00:20:51,777 Wow, you must be tired. 328 00:20:51,777 --> 00:20:53,458 [LAUGH] >> Actually, 329 00:20:53,458 --> 00:20:55,544 I feel more rested now than I ever have as a teacher. 330 00:20:55,544 --> 00:20:58,425 [LAUGH] >> [LAUGH] 331 00:20:58,425 --> 00:20:59,359 >> To be honest, I loved it. 332 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:04,951 I've missed my kids so much, but I'm excited for this new life. 333 00:21:04,951 --> 00:21:06,127 >> I'm excited. 334 00:21:06,127 --> 00:21:07,501 Gosh, congrats, it so inspire. 335 00:21:07,501 --> 00:21:08,166 >> Thank you. 336 00:21:08,166 --> 00:21:12,123 >> So tell us a little bit about the technical interviews. 337 00:21:12,123 --> 00:21:16,817 So I think you said you got counterman your hands and how many, tell us more 338 00:21:16,817 --> 00:21:22,134 about what happened in his interviews, and how do they work, and what do they say? 339 00:21:22,134 --> 00:21:24,339 And tell us everything if you can. 340 00:21:24,339 --> 00:21:31,369 >> Yeah, all of these interviews I had, they're a little bit different, 341 00:21:31,369 --> 00:21:36,680 so some of them have written portions or written test. 342 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:42,787 I'm a terrible test taker, so those are never fun and I didn't perform well. 343 00:21:42,787 --> 00:21:47,042 Other ones, the job alert media, 344 00:21:47,042 --> 00:21:52,473 that interview process was an intro call and 345 00:21:52,473 --> 00:21:56,875 then an interview with the CTO, and 346 00:21:56,875 --> 00:22:02,159 then a three parts Zoom call with different 347 00:22:02,159 --> 00:22:07,147 people on the dev team, the CTO again and 348 00:22:07,147 --> 00:22:13,065 more people on different parts of the dev team. 349 00:22:13,065 --> 00:22:18,209 But that was a lot of conversation seeing if we would get along well, 350 00:22:18,209 --> 00:22:23,460 they're really big on their culture and alert media, which I love. 351 00:22:23,460 --> 00:22:29,340 But yeah, and then part of it was they did ask me to show 352 00:22:29,340 --> 00:22:34,699 a project that I had made, which I showed the word 353 00:22:34,699 --> 00:22:40,751 guessing game that we created in the food tech degree. 354 00:22:40,751 --> 00:22:42,382 And so I talked about that. 355 00:22:42,382 --> 00:22:48,102 They just wanted to look at code, they wanted to see why I did certain things, 356 00:22:48,102 --> 00:22:50,574 why I didn't do certain things. 357 00:22:50,574 --> 00:22:53,993 But yeah, I think I was always so 358 00:22:53,993 --> 00:22:59,441 hard on myself when it came to the technical parts, 359 00:22:59,441 --> 00:23:04,129 but what I found was they're not looking for 360 00:23:04,129 --> 00:23:07,186 completely right answers. 361 00:23:07,186 --> 00:23:12,417 They're not looking for one way because there is no one way of coding, 362 00:23:12,417 --> 00:23:17,750 we all know that, and they're just looking for your thought process. 363 00:23:17,750 --> 00:23:22,077 They're looking for how you go about, how you do what you do, you know what I mean? 364 00:23:22,077 --> 00:23:27,251 And if that will help with their team dynamics and that kind of thing, so. 365 00:23:27,251 --> 00:23:31,744 >> So did they say, hey, share your screen, show us your code, and 366 00:23:31,744 --> 00:23:34,216 then they would ask you questions? 367 00:23:34,216 --> 00:23:35,975 Or why did you write function that way? 368 00:23:35,975 --> 00:23:37,913 Or was that kind of what was happening? 369 00:23:37,913 --> 00:23:39,021 >> Exactly. 370 00:23:39,021 --> 00:23:39,881 >> Gotcha. 371 00:23:39,881 --> 00:23:44,021 Okay, that's a really good point then to everyone watching or listening. 372 00:23:44,021 --> 00:23:48,177 Know why you're writing the code you're writing. 373 00:23:48,177 --> 00:23:51,672 And there's a I know our teachers say this a lot is, 374 00:23:51,672 --> 00:23:55,576 at first it's okay to include libraries and things, but 375 00:23:55,576 --> 00:23:59,662 you need to understand at some point how those things work. 376 00:23:59,662 --> 00:24:04,421 There's a lot of kind of write, hey, write vanilla JavaScript at first, 377 00:24:04,421 --> 00:24:09,343 just so you understand what it's doing before you use the jQuery type thing. 378 00:24:09,343 --> 00:24:14,003 So, that's cool to know just that you're gonna be asked to talk through your code. 379 00:24:14,003 --> 00:24:19,212 >> Yeah, that's the main thing, talk to your code, why you did what you did. 380 00:24:19,212 --> 00:24:22,865 >> Cool, did they ever catch you out or scare you? 381 00:24:22,865 --> 00:24:25,368 Why did you do this, or you didn't know the answer? 382 00:24:25,368 --> 00:24:26,379 >> Yes. 383 00:24:26,379 --> 00:24:30,307 >> What's about that and your outcome? 384 00:24:30,307 --> 00:24:37,682 >> There were a couple interviews where I just literally had to say I don't know. 385 00:24:37,682 --> 00:24:41,368 And honestly from my experience, 386 00:24:41,368 --> 00:24:47,086 they are happier with an I don't know rather than just 387 00:24:47,086 --> 00:24:52,187 talking gibberish just trying to sound smart. 388 00:24:52,187 --> 00:24:54,272 It's okay to not know, and 389 00:24:54,272 --> 00:25:00,085 that's something I learned to going back through the tech degree process. 390 00:25:00,085 --> 00:25:02,922 The I guess coming from teaching or and or 391 00:25:02,922 --> 00:25:07,180 just being a student in general, I always thought coding and 392 00:25:07,180 --> 00:25:11,855 web development was gonna be something that I just needed to know, 393 00:25:11,855 --> 00:25:17,805 like memorization, and just being able to spout off facts if I was asked about them. 394 00:25:17,805 --> 00:25:21,573 And it's just not that kind of learning, and 395 00:25:21,573 --> 00:25:26,232 now being in the job, I have these senior developers and 396 00:25:26,232 --> 00:25:31,210 my managers still answering questions with I don't know. 397 00:25:31,210 --> 00:25:32,027 >> Right. 398 00:25:32,027 --> 00:25:37,132 >> So I think being okay with that in yourself is really important, 399 00:25:37,132 --> 00:25:42,626 but sometimes most of the time the answers are gonna be I don't know. 400 00:25:42,626 --> 00:25:48,552 And so in the interview, it's not a bad thing to say. 401 00:25:48,552 --> 00:25:49,180 >> I love that. 402 00:25:49,180 --> 00:25:49,874 >> Yeah. 403 00:25:49,874 --> 00:25:54,072 >> Did you ever say I don't know, do you mind if I google that really quick and 404 00:25:54,072 --> 00:25:57,790 actually do that in front of them >> Usually, that was encouraged like 405 00:25:57,790 --> 00:26:01,851 that was sent in beforehand, feel free to do your own research if you need to. 406 00:26:01,851 --> 00:26:04,603 [LAUGH] So I googled on interview for sure. 407 00:26:04,603 --> 00:26:05,537 >> That's awesome. 408 00:26:05,537 --> 00:26:10,163 And as someone who's interviewed probably thousands of people over my life, 409 00:26:10,163 --> 00:26:12,204 I would echo what with the saying. 410 00:26:12,204 --> 00:26:15,846 If it's so encouraging and exciting to hear someone say, I don't know, 411 00:26:15,846 --> 00:26:17,917 can I try to figure that out really quick. 412 00:26:17,917 --> 00:26:22,537 Because that that's gonna be 95% of what they're doing, and 413 00:26:22,537 --> 00:26:26,821 then you get to hear, and then you get to watch them Google and 414 00:26:26,821 --> 00:26:30,355 like then just say talk out loud, think out loud. 415 00:26:30,355 --> 00:26:34,172 And it's an awesome thing to see somebody do that. 416 00:26:34,172 --> 00:26:37,655 And even if they don't figure it out, they'll be like, I don't actually know, 417 00:26:37,655 --> 00:26:38,981 I need to spend some more time. 418 00:26:38,981 --> 00:26:39,773 >> Yeah. 419 00:26:39,773 --> 00:26:42,222 >> Thanks for being honest about that with the. 420 00:26:42,222 --> 00:26:45,065 So I've got a couple of other questions for you. 421 00:26:45,065 --> 00:26:49,789 Have you ever felt imposter syndrome? 422 00:26:49,789 --> 00:26:52,986 And how did it go, how did you overcome that? 423 00:26:52,986 --> 00:26:59,226 >> [LAUGH] Every day, I do feel it even after I got the job, 424 00:26:59,226 --> 00:27:03,943 I still feel like I don't deserve this, 425 00:27:03,943 --> 00:27:08,521 there's somebody else that can do this 426 00:27:08,521 --> 00:27:13,678 better than me, which is true for all of us. 427 00:27:13,678 --> 00:27:15,900 There's somebody else that can do what we do. 428 00:27:18,799 --> 00:27:23,298 I think what helps me is to 429 00:27:23,298 --> 00:27:28,442 have somebody that you trust 430 00:27:28,442 --> 00:27:32,738 to express that to you. 431 00:27:32,738 --> 00:27:36,554 If that somebody works with you, that's even better. 432 00:27:36,554 --> 00:27:41,603 But I've been able to kind of voice that to 433 00:27:41,603 --> 00:27:46,940 a couple of people that I work with like hey, 434 00:27:46,940 --> 00:27:51,865 I feel like I shouldn't even work here. 435 00:27:51,865 --> 00:27:56,272 And it's amazing just how people are willing and 436 00:27:56,272 --> 00:27:59,506 ready to encourage somebody else. 437 00:27:59,506 --> 00:28:04,616 But I think anytime there's something or 438 00:28:04,616 --> 00:28:09,288 someone saying that you can't do it or 439 00:28:09,288 --> 00:28:12,500 you're not good enough, 440 00:28:12,500 --> 00:28:17,619 that's just a lie, they're just lies. 441 00:28:17,619 --> 00:28:22,446 And so I think if you can learn to see 442 00:28:22,446 --> 00:28:26,443 those things as lies first, 443 00:28:26,443 --> 00:28:31,116 I think that's really helpful. 444 00:28:31,116 --> 00:28:35,310 And so that's been another cool thing about LinkedIn and stuff, there's so 445 00:28:35,310 --> 00:28:37,179 many people that are coming out and 446 00:28:37,179 --> 00:28:40,420 writing about that, like this is what I'm feeling today. 447 00:28:40,420 --> 00:28:45,876 This is how imposter syndrome is setting in for me, and we don't have 448 00:28:45,876 --> 00:28:52,012 to feel like we're the only ones going through this because we're not, so. 449 00:28:52,012 --> 00:28:56,543 >> I mean, yes. >> Yeah, so it's definitely a community, 450 00:28:56,543 --> 00:29:03,625 community is what I have found that helps defeat imposter syndrome. 451 00:29:03,625 --> 00:29:08,476 Yeah, I can't reinforce her saying enough and it's good with Jason, and 452 00:29:08,476 --> 00:29:10,793 the comments that same community. 453 00:29:10,793 --> 00:29:16,506 And one thing, just so he knows, I have imposter syndrome as a CEO. 454 00:29:16,506 --> 00:29:22,162 I mean, everybody I know does, I'm in a group with ten other CEOs and we all. 455 00:29:22,162 --> 00:29:27,507 I mean, the thing is people don't talk about it because they're embarrassed, 456 00:29:27,507 --> 00:29:31,057 but everybody feels it, 100% of people feel it. 457 00:29:31,057 --> 00:29:36,783 And so knowing that is the first step, and then talking about it is the second step. 458 00:29:36,783 --> 00:29:37,781 >> Right. 459 00:29:37,781 --> 00:29:40,217 >> And some people will be not kind, and 460 00:29:40,217 --> 00:29:43,843 won't admit that they're experiencing it, right? 461 00:29:43,843 --> 00:29:47,498 But then a lot of people will, and I'd encourage you all as well, 462 00:29:47,498 --> 00:29:52,015 you can talk about imposter syndrome all day, every day in the Slack channels for 463 00:29:52,015 --> 00:29:56,601 the tech degree in whomever judged, and even after you graduate and your alumni, 464 00:29:56,601 --> 00:29:57,895 you can talk about it. 465 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:00,022 It's okay, yeah. 466 00:30:00,022 --> 00:30:00,715 >> Yeah. 467 00:30:00,715 --> 00:30:03,380 >> For being honest about that. 468 00:30:03,380 --> 00:30:08,485 The next question I have is, what do you think has been 469 00:30:08,485 --> 00:30:13,375 the biggest challenge in your transition to tech? 470 00:30:13,375 --> 00:30:21,002 >> Biggest challenge, probably getting used to just the new vocabulary. 471 00:30:21,002 --> 00:30:25,921 It's just been like learning a new language which essentially 472 00:30:25,921 --> 00:30:30,468 is learning web development is learning a new language but 473 00:30:30,468 --> 00:30:34,180 I've been in the same environment workwise for 474 00:30:34,180 --> 00:30:38,290 the past eight years, I know how to talk to teacher. 475 00:30:38,290 --> 00:30:40,279 I know how to talk to students. 476 00:30:40,279 --> 00:30:45,573 And I know all the acronyms and the numbers for teachers and 477 00:30:45,573 --> 00:30:50,660 stuff, I'm still learning that for web development. 478 00:30:50,660 --> 00:30:56,034 So, just kind of listening in on meetings and asking questions when I need to. 479 00:30:56,034 --> 00:31:02,805 But yeah, I'm learning a new vocabulary here and so that's been a challenge. 480 00:31:02,805 --> 00:31:05,388 >> Yeah, it's like the lingo and feeling like- 481 00:31:05,388 --> 00:31:06,697 >> Yes, yeah lingo. 482 00:31:06,697 --> 00:31:10,046 >> And sometimes I feel that when I talk to like infrastructure developers, 483 00:31:10,046 --> 00:31:13,456 I had to understand what they're talking about like what's a container? 484 00:31:13,456 --> 00:31:15,781 >> [LAUGH] >> What is hot? 485 00:31:15,781 --> 00:31:16,932 What are you saying? 486 00:31:16,932 --> 00:31:18,732 [LAUGH] exactly. 487 00:31:18,732 --> 00:31:19,813 >> It feels dumb thing. 488 00:31:19,813 --> 00:31:22,542 I don't know anything about what your are saying. 489 00:31:22,542 --> 00:31:23,060 >> Yeah. 490 00:31:23,060 --> 00:31:25,813 >> I think you're right learning that the languages. 491 00:31:25,813 --> 00:31:30,452 >> And these developers they abbreviate things and 492 00:31:30,452 --> 00:31:34,077 I don't know what they mean, [LAUGH]. 493 00:31:34,077 --> 00:31:37,107 So I'm the weird one that uses the full word and- 494 00:31:37,107 --> 00:31:37,900 >> [LAUGH] 495 00:31:37,900 --> 00:31:40,033 >> Yeah, like they say prod instead 496 00:31:40,033 --> 00:31:44,993 of product, and I say product and sometimes you remember not to say product. 497 00:31:44,993 --> 00:31:48,186 >> Yeah, that's funny and it's normal. 498 00:31:48,186 --> 00:31:50,868 And what do you when you don't know terms? 499 00:31:50,868 --> 00:31:53,580 When you hear a term in a meeting, what do you do? 500 00:31:55,100 --> 00:31:59,110 >> If we're in a meeting like a Zoom meeting, then I'll type into Slack and 501 00:31:59,110 --> 00:32:02,744 ask somebody else in the meeting like, hey, what did that mean? 502 00:32:02,744 --> 00:32:04,742 [LAUGH] >> But that's awesome. 503 00:32:04,742 --> 00:32:10,787 >> Yeah, if we're just in a meeting with my small little design team, then I 504 00:32:10,787 --> 00:32:15,330 have a problem asking in the meeting but- >> Yeah- 505 00:32:15,330 --> 00:32:16,151 >> If my boss isn't 506 00:32:16,151 --> 00:32:18,620 there I'll probably ask somebody else in Slack. 507 00:32:18,620 --> 00:32:21,760 >> [LAUGH], yeah, I think Google things. 508 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:24,620 >> Yeah, >> Yeah, all right. 509 00:32:24,620 --> 00:32:26,510 And that even happens to me like I'm in meetings. 510 00:32:26,510 --> 00:32:27,714 I'm like, I don't know what that means. 511 00:32:27,714 --> 00:32:28,595 >> Yeah, exactly. 512 00:32:28,595 --> 00:32:30,797 >> Or sometimes I just say, what does that mean? 513 00:32:30,797 --> 00:32:31,562 >> Yeah. 514 00:32:31,562 --> 00:32:39,330 >> Okay, cool, well, those are the primary questions I have lined up for you. 515 00:32:39,330 --> 00:32:43,140 I think we've got a lot of great questions coming in as well. 516 00:32:43,140 --> 00:32:46,511 While my team kinda compiles those and 517 00:32:46,511 --> 00:32:51,257 gets those ready, why don't you sort of freestyle. 518 00:32:51,257 --> 00:32:56,743 Just share a couple things that you would really like people to 519 00:32:56,743 --> 00:33:01,807 know that are thinking about transitioning and attack, 520 00:33:01,807 --> 00:33:08,471 words of encouragement, or pointers, or anything I haven't asked you. 521 00:33:08,471 --> 00:33:13,368 >> Yeah, I think even if it's just an ounce of curiosity or 522 00:33:13,368 --> 00:33:19,221 something, a desire that you've been sitting on for a long time. 523 00:33:19,221 --> 00:33:26,488 But just having taken that next step, I just encourage you to do it, 524 00:33:26,488 --> 00:33:31,208 whether that's getting on freeCodeCamp or 525 00:33:31,208 --> 00:33:37,090 going ahead and taking that free trial for Treehouse. 526 00:33:37,090 --> 00:33:40,479 I think that's another beautiful thing that they do, 527 00:33:40,479 --> 00:33:43,878 they make it so easy just to test out your dreams there. 528 00:33:43,878 --> 00:33:47,200 But take the first step. 529 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:49,520 >> Yeah, take the first step for sure. 530 00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:53,124 Whether it's a new career or just a new hobby, 531 00:33:53,124 --> 00:33:55,380 there's something in tech for everybody. 532 00:33:55,380 --> 00:34:00,672 And so it excites me to think about somebody else 533 00:34:00,672 --> 00:34:07,170 that is kind of starting out where I was a couple years ago. 534 00:34:08,550 --> 00:34:13,700 It excites me so much to know what could be in store for that person. 535 00:34:14,980 --> 00:34:18,240 Whether it's similar story to mine or completely different. 536 00:34:19,580 --> 00:34:22,396 >> Yeah- [CROSSTALK] >> It's just been amazing, yeah. 537 00:34:22,396 --> 00:34:26,655 I'm so thankful for my story and how it's turned out this far. 538 00:34:26,655 --> 00:34:28,926 So- >> That's great advice, thank you. 539 00:34:28,926 --> 00:34:31,631 We've got a couple questions rolling in already, so 540 00:34:31,631 --> 00:34:33,320 I'll just get started on those. 541 00:34:34,580 --> 00:34:35,629 So from Megan, 542 00:34:35,629 --> 00:34:40,972 was there any other training you did after the tech degree before you got a job? 543 00:34:40,972 --> 00:34:45,732 >> After the tech degree before I got a job, 544 00:34:45,732 --> 00:34:51,621 no I hit the job application process pretty hard. 545 00:34:51,621 --> 00:34:56,814 I would still stay fresh with freeCodeCamp exercises, 546 00:34:56,814 --> 00:35:04,007 any exercises I could find, that weren't overwhelmingly too much, I did. 547 00:35:04,007 --> 00:35:08,579 So just anything that kept my mind sharp and 548 00:35:08,579 --> 00:35:14,020 kept me loving what I was doing, I did that. 549 00:35:14,020 --> 00:35:19,351 >> Awesome, did you practice interviews with anybody like friends or 550 00:35:19,351 --> 00:35:21,228 did you just go in cold? 551 00:35:21,228 --> 00:35:25,737 >> I went in cold, I mean, YouTube and stuff but 552 00:35:25,737 --> 00:35:32,550 if I do prepare too much I freaked myself out so I kind of knew not to. 553 00:35:32,550 --> 00:35:34,270 [LAUGH], that's just how I work though. 554 00:35:35,690 --> 00:35:36,350 >> Makes sense. 555 00:35:36,350 --> 00:35:36,860 >> Yeah >> Okay. 556 00:35:36,860 --> 00:35:37,831 >> All right, I went in cold. 557 00:35:37,831 --> 00:35:43,495 >> All right, from another, question for Whitley. 558 00:35:43,495 --> 00:35:46,920 What do you envision your career path to be in tech now that you've made 559 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:48,525 the transition? 560 00:35:48,525 --> 00:35:50,305 Where would you ultimately like to be headed? 561 00:35:50,305 --> 00:35:51,196 Thanks again for being here. 562 00:35:51,196 --> 00:35:53,505 >> That's a great question. 563 00:35:54,965 --> 00:36:00,779 So right now I am mainly doing design stuff with AlertMedia, 564 00:36:00,779 --> 00:36:05,227 just working in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. 565 00:36:05,227 --> 00:36:08,744 And I really like that. 566 00:36:08,744 --> 00:36:12,233 Right now as far as advancing in that, 567 00:36:12,233 --> 00:36:17,138 I don't have too many goals right now because I'm not 568 00:36:17,138 --> 00:36:21,510 exactly sure what those goals would look like. 569 00:36:21,510 --> 00:36:27,422 But I think once I keep going a little further in this job, 570 00:36:27,422 --> 00:36:31,732 and I see what other people have done, and 571 00:36:31,732 --> 00:36:35,460 kind of where this job can take me. 572 00:36:35,460 --> 00:36:37,650 I'll definitely want to grow in it for sure. 573 00:36:37,650 --> 00:36:42,978 So maybe work my way up to some kind of senior level, a new level developer. 574 00:36:42,978 --> 00:36:47,257 >> There must be a quick question, then I'll get right back to your question. 575 00:36:47,257 --> 00:36:48,308 >> Okay. 576 00:36:48,308 --> 00:36:50,610 >> What job titles did you apply for? 577 00:36:50,610 --> 00:36:55,480 Because I know there's this title where you're not qualified for this. 578 00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:57,131 It says two years of experience, what's going on? 579 00:36:57,131 --> 00:36:58,876 >> Yeah, that's a great question. 580 00:36:58,876 --> 00:37:03,804 Because that's on every single application if I went by the experience they asked for 581 00:37:03,804 --> 00:37:06,140 I wouldn't have applied for anything. 582 00:37:06,140 --> 00:37:10,038 Anything junior level, go for it. 583 00:37:10,038 --> 00:37:15,924 The only ones I stayed away from were the ones that had senior level in the title. 584 00:37:15,924 --> 00:37:20,881 But anything else even if it had like five plus years experience, but 585 00:37:20,881 --> 00:37:24,910 it didn't have senior in the job title I applied for it. 586 00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:30,190 And the worst they could say is that you don't have enough experience. 587 00:37:30,190 --> 00:37:35,851 But this job I got now it was at least two years experience. 588 00:37:35,851 --> 00:37:38,203 >> That's right. >> But luckily they called me, 589 00:37:38,203 --> 00:37:40,163 and got to know me, and yeah. 590 00:37:40,163 --> 00:37:40,864 >> Yeah. 591 00:37:40,864 --> 00:37:45,365 Honestly I wouldn't pay attention to those numbers, [LAUGH]. 592 00:37:45,365 --> 00:37:47,526 Advice it's just- >> Yeah. 593 00:37:47,526 --> 00:37:48,470 >> It's- >> Yeah, 594 00:37:48,470 --> 00:37:50,140 as long as it doesn't say senior, go for it. 595 00:37:50,140 --> 00:37:52,544 >> Yeah. >> And I can say that as someone, 596 00:37:52,544 --> 00:37:57,360 I don't write job descriptions this way nor does my team anymore. 597 00:37:57,360 --> 00:37:59,846 But often you'd say two years of experience cuz it was like what you're 598 00:37:59,846 --> 00:38:01,594 trained to do and it doesn't even mean anything. 599 00:38:01,594 --> 00:38:05,910 You're just trying to say like someone who knows something, right? 600 00:38:05,910 --> 00:38:07,537 >> Yeah. >> For someone who's never done this 601 00:38:07,537 --> 00:38:08,151 before at all. 602 00:38:08,151 --> 00:38:09,469 So- >> Yeah. 603 00:38:09,469 --> 00:38:12,648 >> Okay, cool and I see Andrew, I'm glad I asked her a question. 604 00:38:12,648 --> 00:38:18,150 So, okay, next up from Kevin and Mohammed, Whitley, 605 00:38:18,150 --> 00:38:24,020 what sites or resources did you use to find jobs to apply to? 606 00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:29,600 >> LinkedIn and indeed were the ones I use the most. 607 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:32,052 The job I have now actually got through LinkedIn. 608 00:38:32,052 --> 00:38:34,584 Other than that ZipRecruiter, 609 00:38:34,584 --> 00:38:40,030 I got a couple of my interviews that I got came through ZipRecruiter. 610 00:38:41,470 --> 00:38:44,541 So, yeah, I like those the best, they're really easy, 611 00:38:44,541 --> 00:38:46,746 they had the quick Apply buttons, yeah. 612 00:38:46,746 --> 00:38:53,770 >> How did you fill out your LinkedIn profile? 613 00:38:53,770 --> 00:38:55,638 What did you say about your education or 614 00:38:55,638 --> 00:38:58,970 your previous jobs to help people understand or did that matter? 615 00:38:58,970 --> 00:39:02,970 Did you even pay attention to your LinkedIn profile sort of? 616 00:39:03,970 --> 00:39:04,860 >> I did, yeah. 617 00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:11,085 I had someone help me with 618 00:39:11,085 --> 00:39:15,697 the headline and stuff. 619 00:39:15,697 --> 00:39:21,277 My headline is a quick, former teacher now skilled in blah blah blah and 620 00:39:21,277 --> 00:39:23,888 now looking for this kind of job. 621 00:39:23,888 --> 00:39:25,093 >> Interesting. 622 00:39:25,093 --> 00:39:29,792 Yeah, my resume is pretty. 623 00:39:29,792 --> 00:39:34,147 Since I was looking for a design type job, 624 00:39:34,147 --> 00:39:38,638 my resume is pretty eye catching, [LAUGH]. 625 00:39:38,638 --> 00:39:43,318 I wanted to make it colorful, 626 00:39:43,318 --> 00:39:46,507 yeah, [CROSSTALK]. 627 00:39:46,507 --> 00:39:47,658 >> Scale that got it. 628 00:39:47,658 --> 00:39:48,812 Okay, cool. 629 00:39:48,812 --> 00:39:52,490 And what did you list as your education did? 630 00:39:52,490 --> 00:39:54,409 Cuz a lot of people don't mention Treehouse, which is fine. 631 00:39:54,409 --> 00:39:57,790 A lot of companies don't know what that means. 632 00:39:57,790 --> 00:40:01,820 So did you say anything at all besides your other education? 633 00:40:01,820 --> 00:40:05,046 Yeah, I put treehouse on there, for sure. 634 00:40:05,046 --> 00:40:12,154 And then if it was an online, well, they were all online applications. 635 00:40:12,154 --> 00:40:17,640 But if it allowed me to upload anything, I would upload my certificate. 636 00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:19,989 >> Awesome, okay cool, signed by me? 637 00:40:19,989 --> 00:40:20,716 [LAUGH] >> Yeah. 638 00:40:20,716 --> 00:40:22,135 [LAUGH] >> I had so 639 00:40:22,135 --> 00:40:24,874 much fun when they created that one a few years ago. 640 00:40:24,874 --> 00:40:28,919 Okay, cool, got some more great questions from Shara, 641 00:40:28,919 --> 00:40:33,270 can you describe what it's like working with your team? 642 00:40:33,270 --> 00:40:35,250 Have you found them supportive and 643 00:40:35,250 --> 00:40:38,465 patient while you're adjusting to your new position? 644 00:40:38,465 --> 00:40:44,635 >> So supportive, yeah, being the new girl on the team and 645 00:40:44,635 --> 00:40:50,018 in the industry, [LAUGH] my team, everyone I've 646 00:40:50,018 --> 00:40:55,420 worked with so far has not made me feel that way. 647 00:40:55,420 --> 00:41:00,260 I mean they're so willing to help and to answer any questions. 648 00:41:00,260 --> 00:41:05,531 They want me to feel successful, and 649 00:41:05,531 --> 00:41:11,663 I would hope that's how every company is. 650 00:41:11,663 --> 00:41:16,470 But this is not the first one I've worked for, for a long amount of time. 651 00:41:16,470 --> 00:41:23,570 So, but, yeah, I think that would be another thing I would advise. 652 00:41:26,500 --> 00:41:31,520 Remember when you're interviewing for jobs, you're interviewing them too. 653 00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:37,178 So, I think it's important to kinda get a feel for 654 00:41:37,178 --> 00:41:40,159 the culture of the place. 655 00:41:40,159 --> 00:41:44,941 For example, when I was interviewing with AlertMedia, I noticed that everybody could 656 00:41:44,941 --> 00:41:49,157 not wait to get back into the office together, they're 100% in office. 657 00:41:49,157 --> 00:41:54,379 And so many companies are going to 100% remote and they're so happy about that. 658 00:41:54,379 --> 00:41:57,259 But these guys couldn't wait to get back together, and 659 00:41:57,259 --> 00:42:00,088 so that was really important to me and a good sign to me. 660 00:42:00,088 --> 00:42:02,725 So,- >> Yeah. 661 00:42:02,725 --> 00:42:05,150 >> Yeah, just kind of a side note there. 662 00:42:06,550 --> 00:42:10,583 Don't forget that you're feeling out the companies that you're interviewing 663 00:42:10,583 --> 00:42:11,243 for as well. 664 00:42:11,243 --> 00:42:14,079 >> Yeah, you're interviewing them, Fender's been very good so far. 665 00:42:14,079 --> 00:42:16,139 >> Yeah, I think he got bored of me, he's outside now. 666 00:42:16,139 --> 00:42:19,431 [LAUGH] >> [LAUGH] That's awesome, all right, 667 00:42:19,431 --> 00:42:21,167 next question from Jason, 668 00:42:21,167 --> 00:42:26,395 how long should you generally wait to ask if a company will get back to you? 669 00:42:26,395 --> 00:42:33,158 A week, 10 days, in order to seem anxious to get the job but not overbearing? 670 00:42:33,158 --> 00:42:37,782 >> So, It depended, so 671 00:42:37,782 --> 00:42:41,696 if I had an intro call with the company. 672 00:42:41,696 --> 00:42:46,311 Then I would have, an intro call, if somebody doesn't know what that is, 673 00:42:46,311 --> 00:42:48,510 that's just where the recruiter or 674 00:42:48,510 --> 00:42:53,150 somebody within the company calls to just kind of get a feel for who you are. 675 00:42:53,150 --> 00:42:57,199 And it's not the hardest part of the interview, but 676 00:42:57,199 --> 00:42:59,920 it's just the first part of it. 677 00:42:59,920 --> 00:43:05,638 So if I had an intro call, and I didn't hear anything for 678 00:43:05,638 --> 00:43:08,935 a week, then I would reach out. 679 00:43:08,935 --> 00:43:11,980 But if I just sent an application, and 680 00:43:11,980 --> 00:43:17,464 I actually didn't really reach out- >> Yeah, that makes sense. 681 00:43:17,464 --> 00:43:18,656 >> So yeah. 682 00:43:18,656 --> 00:43:21,962 >> One thing that I would encourage everybody to do, 683 00:43:21,962 --> 00:43:27,249 which we look kindly upon is, if you do do, we call them a screening phone call. 684 00:43:27,249 --> 00:43:29,378 >> Yeah. >> What you're talking about. 685 00:43:29,378 --> 00:43:34,915 What really the HR person or recruiter is looking is just, 686 00:43:34,915 --> 00:43:40,796 did he exhibit any behaviors that were just like off the wall? 687 00:43:40,796 --> 00:43:42,740 Did you swear all the time in the interview? 688 00:43:42,740 --> 00:43:44,959 >> [LAUGH] >> Or in that conversation- 689 00:43:44,959 --> 00:43:46,245 >> Don't do that. 690 00:43:46,245 --> 00:43:50,089 >> Yeah, don't do that, or did, I don't know, did you have clothes on? 691 00:43:50,089 --> 00:43:52,592 I mean there's actually, you're scared of- >> [LAUGH] 692 00:43:52,592 --> 00:43:53,328 >> During the Zoom call. 693 00:43:53,328 --> 00:43:57,638 I mean this is kinda like, okay, they seem like a fairly normal person, 694 00:43:57,638 --> 00:44:01,396 which is hard, cuz I wanna call out, but there is a lot of bias. 695 00:44:01,396 --> 00:44:05,010 So if you are interviewing and you are a person of color. 696 00:44:05,010 --> 00:44:10,977 Or if you are a person that isn't included in tech as much as you should be, 697 00:44:10,977 --> 00:44:15,044 there could be bias against you, which is scary. 698 00:44:15,044 --> 00:44:16,911 I'm sorry I don't mean, make sure to act white or 699 00:44:16,911 --> 00:44:18,341 make sure to act like a man doing that. 700 00:44:18,341 --> 00:44:19,665 >> Right. [LAUGH] 701 00:44:19,665 --> 00:44:21,200 >> No, that's not what I'm saying. 702 00:44:21,200 --> 00:44:25,165 But, what we would appreciate is, if someone immediately reply on an email, and 703 00:44:25,165 --> 00:44:28,313 say hey, thanks for taking your time to do a quick phone call. 704 00:44:28,313 --> 00:44:29,568 >> Yeah, good point. 705 00:44:29,568 --> 00:44:32,972 >> Cuz then that just sort of showed that they were thoughtful or 706 00:44:32,972 --> 00:44:34,180 took time to do that. 707 00:44:34,180 --> 00:44:40,507 >> Yes, I did do that, I did for jobs that I was really excited for and wanted. 708 00:44:40,507 --> 00:44:45,650 I would reach out either, if I was given their email, their work email, 709 00:44:45,650 --> 00:44:49,538 I did that, or I would even send a message on LinkedIn. 710 00:44:49,538 --> 00:44:50,784 >> Smart, okay. 711 00:44:50,784 --> 00:44:52,697 >> Yeah. >> I've got a lot of great questions here, 712 00:44:52,697 --> 00:44:55,676 some more, appreciate everyone sending these in questions, thank you. 713 00:44:55,676 --> 00:44:56,246 >> Yeah. 714 00:44:56,246 --> 00:45:02,678 >> From Darrell, would you recommend seeking a mentorship of any kind? 715 00:45:02,678 --> 00:45:09,384 >> Absolutely, even if it's like a one to one mentorship, 716 00:45:09,384 --> 00:45:16,800 there's other slack groups that are amazing for mentorship. 717 00:45:18,340 --> 00:45:22,995 I'm involved in a few of those, like Women Who Code and Austin Refresh and 718 00:45:22,995 --> 00:45:24,208 things like that. 719 00:45:24,208 --> 00:45:29,120 But yes, definitely, in any capacity I would definitely encourage mentorship. 720 00:45:30,160 --> 00:45:35,054 >> How do you ask someone to mentor you, or how do you do that? 721 00:45:35,054 --> 00:45:40,112 >> One of my mentors actually, [LAUGH] she's kind of Instafamous, 722 00:45:40,112 --> 00:45:45,559 but I've always been following her throughout this whole journey. 723 00:45:45,559 --> 00:45:49,627 And I would comment on her stuff, and then I just DM'd her and I was, hey, 724 00:45:49,627 --> 00:45:50,557 I need a mentor. 725 00:45:50,557 --> 00:45:55,322 [LAUGH] And she said yes, so that's how I got mine, 726 00:45:55,322 --> 00:45:59,889 that's a little not normal, but- >> It's abnormal. 727 00:45:59,889 --> 00:46:04,627 >> I think most people are wanting to help somebody else, 728 00:46:04,627 --> 00:46:07,930 and they might not know how to do that. 729 00:46:07,930 --> 00:46:14,112 But I think more often than not, somebody's gonna love 730 00:46:14,112 --> 00:46:18,964 to take somebody else under their wing or- >> All right. 731 00:46:18,964 --> 00:46:23,287 >> Tell them their story, how they got to where they are, and to help someone else 732 00:46:23,287 --> 00:46:25,015 feel that success as well- >> And mentor. 733 00:46:25,015 --> 00:46:26,546 >> So- >> Yeah, 734 00:46:26,546 --> 00:46:27,240 it's flattering- >> Yeah. 735 00:46:27,240 --> 00:46:32,216 >> To be asked to mentor somebody, I would encourage everybody, just either you're 736 00:46:32,216 --> 00:46:34,643 going to send a direct message, or- >> Yeah. 737 00:46:34,643 --> 00:46:37,550 [LAUGH] >> Send an email and just say, I'm so 738 00:46:37,550 --> 00:46:38,739 inspired by you. 739 00:46:38,739 --> 00:46:43,279 I'm trying to get into this industry, would you be willing to spend 60 minutes 740 00:46:43,279 --> 00:46:45,964 or 30 minutes with me on a Zoom call some time. 741 00:46:45,964 --> 00:46:46,905 >> Yeah. 742 00:46:46,905 --> 00:46:49,256 >> And make it really easy to say yes to you. 743 00:46:49,256 --> 00:46:50,110 >> Great. 744 00:46:50,110 --> 00:46:52,614 >> And then if they enjoy spending time with you, you could say, 745 00:46:52,614 --> 00:46:53,730 can we do another session? 746 00:46:54,980 --> 00:46:58,447 And like Willie said, people are flattered, actually a lot of people 747 00:46:58,447 --> 00:47:01,644 are waiting for people to say, I respect you, will you help me? 748 00:47:01,644 --> 00:47:04,871 >> Yeah, it's easier to be asked, 749 00:47:04,871 --> 00:47:10,072 I can't imagine somebody asking, can I mentor you? 750 00:47:10,072 --> 00:47:13,887 [LAUGH] I feel like that's harder to ask, hi, I'm really good at what I do, 751 00:47:13,887 --> 00:47:14,809 can I mentor you? 752 00:47:14,809 --> 00:47:15,674 You know what I mean? 753 00:47:15,674 --> 00:47:17,774 So, [LAUGH] >> [LAUGH] Yeah, that's awkward. 754 00:47:17,774 --> 00:47:20,718 >> Yeah, they definitely are waiting to be asked. 755 00:47:20,718 --> 00:47:26,114 >> Okay, great, we've got, let's see, one, two, three, four, five more questions. 756 00:47:26,114 --> 00:47:27,680 >> Yeah. So we'll try to get on them cuz we only 757 00:47:27,680 --> 00:47:28,428 have six minutes. 758 00:47:28,428 --> 00:47:29,569 >> Yeah. 759 00:47:29,569 --> 00:47:30,259 >> All right, 760 00:47:30,259 --> 00:47:34,755 from Elizabeth, Liz is the amazing person that organized this conference. 761 00:47:34,755 --> 00:47:37,375 >> Wow! >> And she asked, how do you maintain 762 00:47:37,375 --> 00:47:42,495 motivation, especially in a time like now, where there's a lot of burnout? 763 00:47:42,495 --> 00:47:45,579 >> In the job or in life, or what? 764 00:47:45,579 --> 00:47:48,454 [LAUGH] >> I think in the job search, 765 00:47:48,454 --> 00:47:52,249 it's in the learning and in the job search. 766 00:47:52,249 --> 00:47:57,238 >> Especially in this time, I really was struggling 767 00:47:57,238 --> 00:48:02,243 in between my first tech job and the one I have now. 768 00:48:02,243 --> 00:48:04,993 And just continually, well, 769 00:48:04,993 --> 00:48:10,179 continually reminding myself that it's all temporary, 770 00:48:10,179 --> 00:48:16,340 that this unknown time, this unfortunate time, it's temporary. 771 00:48:16,340 --> 00:48:20,297 Whatever my story holds in the future is gonna happen, and 772 00:48:20,297 --> 00:48:24,110 this isn't definitive of who I am, or what I'm doing. 773 00:48:24,110 --> 00:48:28,012 So, just remember that it's- >> An OSS mentor. 774 00:48:28,012 --> 00:48:31,499 >> A tough thing to hang on to, but it's true every time. 775 00:48:31,499 --> 00:48:34,087 >> Amen, yeah, it's temporary. 776 00:48:34,087 --> 00:48:35,071 >> Yeah. 777 00:48:35,071 --> 00:48:38,195 >> From Alina, question for Whitley, 778 00:48:38,195 --> 00:48:42,437 what's the most rewarding thing about your job? 779 00:48:42,437 --> 00:48:46,630 >> So far it's been the people and just the culture there. 780 00:48:46,630 --> 00:48:50,874 I just love waking up and getting to work with those people, and 781 00:48:50,874 --> 00:48:53,852 I'm excited to do that in an office one day. 782 00:48:53,852 --> 00:48:58,568 I don't know when that will be, but- >> The people? 783 00:48:58,568 --> 00:49:03,803 >> Yeah just, even the sense of community, I feel through Zoom calls right now. 784 00:49:03,803 --> 00:49:08,010 I'm excited for that, and it's been really rewarding to work with them. 785 00:49:08,010 --> 00:49:09,651 >> Cool, from Leonardo, 786 00:49:09,651 --> 00:49:14,010 when did you realize you were ready to start applying for jobs? 787 00:49:14,010 --> 00:49:16,269 We talked a little bit about that, but 788 00:49:16,269 --> 00:49:19,315 why don't you double-click on that a little bit? 789 00:49:19,315 --> 00:49:24,298 >> Personally I knew I had finished the program, so I knew I was on paper 790 00:49:24,298 --> 00:49:29,295 ready to start applying, but I knew I didn't wanna teach anymore. 791 00:49:29,295 --> 00:49:35,975 So it was now or never, well, in May it was now or never. 792 00:49:35,975 --> 00:49:41,808 And I'm sure there's always gonna be a way that you can make your portfolio better. 793 00:49:41,808 --> 00:49:45,072 Or you can learn something else to bring to an interview, 794 00:49:45,072 --> 00:49:48,065 there's always gonna be something else you can do. 795 00:49:48,065 --> 00:49:55,430 But, I mean, if you're already there, go for it, I mean, you just kinda go for it. 796 00:49:55,430 --> 00:49:59,248 And honestly the more you interview, once you start the job process, 797 00:49:59,248 --> 00:50:02,300 that's when you start learning about the job process. 798 00:50:02,300 --> 00:50:06,492 So, I think if you feel ready, just go for it, dive in. 799 00:50:06,492 --> 00:50:10,237 >> Go for it, yeah, I echo that 100%. 800 00:50:10,237 --> 00:50:10,970 Couple more questions. 801 00:50:10,970 --> 00:50:14,212 I just wanna say it's really fun to see y'all chatting in the question chat. 802 00:50:14,212 --> 00:50:15,272 >> Yeah. 803 00:50:15,272 --> 00:50:17,150 >> Thanks for doing that. 804 00:50:17,150 --> 00:50:18,763 All right, from Miguel. 805 00:50:18,763 --> 00:50:24,741 How do you manage imposter syndrome when you work in the tech industry but 806 00:50:24,741 --> 00:50:27,299 don't have a college degree? 807 00:50:27,299 --> 00:50:30,230 I'm a UX/UI designer and this is what I struggle with the most. 808 00:50:32,680 --> 00:50:35,930 >> I'm assuming in that department? 809 00:50:35,930 --> 00:50:38,980 >> Yep. >> Yeah, that was a big one. 810 00:50:41,230 --> 00:50:48,075 I think reminding myself that well, first of all, this type of learning, 811 00:50:48,075 --> 00:50:53,085 especially in the tech industry is becoming the norm. 812 00:50:53,085 --> 00:50:58,141 And so not having a college degree in this 813 00:50:58,141 --> 00:51:02,901 particular department is not weird, 814 00:51:02,901 --> 00:51:06,482 is actually pretty normal. 815 00:51:06,482 --> 00:51:07,877 >> It's not weird. 816 00:51:07,877 --> 00:51:09,110 >> Yeah, it's not weird. 817 00:51:09,110 --> 00:51:14,322 And so and actually, we had our little intro videos on my first day at work and 818 00:51:14,322 --> 00:51:17,172 I had so many people reach out like, hey, 819 00:51:17,172 --> 00:51:21,343 I was a teacher too, and now I'm in this and now I'm in this. 820 00:51:21,343 --> 00:51:25,083 And it wasn't all in development roles, it was in other sales roles and 821 00:51:25,083 --> 00:51:26,090 things like that. 822 00:51:26,090 --> 00:51:30,180 But so many people, they hear a calling and they go for it. 823 00:51:30,180 --> 00:51:34,698 And most of the time, another college degree doesn't go on with that, so. 824 00:51:34,698 --> 00:51:37,904 >> Amen, that's a great answer. 825 00:51:37,904 --> 00:51:43,795 >> Yeah, as much as I love college and it helped me in so many ways in teaching, 826 00:51:43,795 --> 00:51:50,265 [LAUGH] you don't need a piece of paper to tell you what you know and what you don't. 827 00:51:50,265 --> 00:51:53,040 >> Yeah, amen. That's a great answer, thank you. 828 00:51:53,040 --> 00:51:58,150 From Brenda, can you give some examples of work you do as an entry level developer? 829 00:51:58,150 --> 00:52:02,153 >> Yeah, so my particular job, I'm on the design side. 830 00:52:02,153 --> 00:52:04,664 I take what I think is the fun part. 831 00:52:04,664 --> 00:52:07,613 I take the design stuff off of the other developers so 832 00:52:07,613 --> 00:52:10,100 they can focus on more of the backend stuff. 833 00:52:10,100 --> 00:52:17,765 So AlertMedia is mass emergency notification software for companies. 834 00:52:17,765 --> 00:52:21,539 And they can design their kinda user interface however they want. 835 00:52:21,539 --> 00:52:28,698 And so the way the messages look when they go out to the employees, things like that. 836 00:52:28,698 --> 00:52:31,479 I make those customizations and requests. 837 00:52:31,479 --> 00:52:36,561 So a client might say, hey, I want the emails that I send 838 00:52:36,561 --> 00:52:42,294 out to my employees to look like this with this kind of header and 839 00:52:42,294 --> 00:52:45,756 with these options and a text input and 840 00:52:45,756 --> 00:52:50,106 a drop down here, and so I do that kind of stuff. 841 00:52:50,106 --> 00:52:51,083 >> From Pick, and 842 00:52:51,083 --> 00:52:55,449 this is our last question unless we have any last minute ones come in. 843 00:52:55,449 --> 00:52:57,720 How was your salary negotiated? 844 00:52:57,720 --> 00:53:02,190 Did they ask you for an expected salary or ask you how much you made as a teacher? 845 00:53:02,190 --> 00:53:04,650 Tell us as much as you can about that, please. 846 00:53:04,650 --> 00:53:10,313 >> They did, every time I got to talk to somebody about a potential job, 847 00:53:10,313 --> 00:53:11,689 that was asked. 848 00:53:11,689 --> 00:53:16,940 Which was weird for me, cuz teachers don't get asked that [LAUGH]. 849 00:53:16,940 --> 00:53:20,880 So, I didn't really know. 850 00:53:20,880 --> 00:53:24,110 When I first started interviewing, I would just say, I don't know, 851 00:53:24,110 --> 00:53:26,044 I don't know what the typical salary is. 852 00:53:26,044 --> 00:53:29,470 This is what I made as a teacher and I heard I get more as a developer. 853 00:53:29,470 --> 00:53:34,645 So yeah, the first job I got, 854 00:53:34,645 --> 00:53:42,410 they gave me a number as an entry level. 855 00:53:42,410 --> 00:53:45,090 As an entry level developer, this is what we'll pay you. 856 00:53:45,090 --> 00:53:46,570 I said, okay, that's great. 857 00:53:46,570 --> 00:53:49,775 And so this time around when I was asked, 858 00:53:49,775 --> 00:53:53,639 I was like, this is what I was given at this job for 859 00:53:53,639 --> 00:53:58,970 an entry level position is this, I think I would like this. 860 00:53:58,970 --> 00:53:59,764 >> Awesome. 861 00:53:59,764 --> 00:54:04,681 Now, I can tell you all that are listening, it's really important that 862 00:54:04,681 --> 00:54:09,990 you don't answer the question, what's your expected salary? 863 00:54:09,990 --> 00:54:15,210 Because that's the way often, especially women or BIPOC folks get underpaid, 864 00:54:15,210 --> 00:54:19,290 because companies will hear what you say and then pay you that. 865 00:54:20,440 --> 00:54:24,299 It's often less than what they would pay. 866 00:54:24,299 --> 00:54:26,830 And that's terrible, but it happens. 867 00:54:26,830 --> 00:54:31,560 So it's better to say, can you tell me the range? 868 00:54:31,560 --> 00:54:38,500 And often companies post it now just so you know what the range is gonna be. 869 00:54:38,500 --> 00:54:42,859 I love that you said, I don't know, would you tell me what is the pay here? 870 00:54:42,859 --> 00:54:47,772 >> [LAUGH] I wasn't quite that sassy, but I pretty much did it that way. 871 00:54:47,772 --> 00:54:50,370 >> [LAUGH] That's awesome. 872 00:54:50,370 --> 00:54:55,070 All right, well, that, I think, is all of the questions. 873 00:54:55,070 --> 00:54:57,570 This has been so much fun, Whitley. 874 00:54:57,570 --> 00:54:59,677 You're so inspiring, you really are. 875 00:54:59,677 --> 00:55:00,262 >> Thank you. 876 00:55:00,262 --> 00:55:03,652 >> And what you've achieved and the fact you didn't give up and 877 00:55:03,652 --> 00:55:07,520 you worked very hard and you pushed through it, is truly inspiring. 878 00:55:07,520 --> 00:55:10,263 And I'm honored that you were a student of ours. 879 00:55:10,263 --> 00:55:11,108 So thank you so much. 880 00:55:11,108 --> 00:55:11,891 >> Thank you. 881 00:55:11,891 --> 00:55:13,560 >> Thank you so much for your time. 882 00:55:13,560 --> 00:55:14,427 >> Yeah, absolutely. 883 00:55:14,427 --> 00:55:19,072 And this is a dream of my now to help anybody else along the way that 884 00:55:19,072 --> 00:55:22,010 wants to do a similar thing such as this. 885 00:55:22,010 --> 00:55:26,079 So, if you're looking for a mentor or just somebody to encourage you a little bit, 886 00:55:26,079 --> 00:55:27,180 please look me up. 887 00:55:27,180 --> 00:55:29,160 I wanna help. 888 00:55:29,160 --> 00:55:30,190 >> Thank you so much, really. 889 00:55:31,220 --> 00:55:33,840 So, you all, we're gonna transition to networking. 890 00:55:35,480 --> 00:55:39,153 This is just a great chance for you all to meet some people that are attending. 891 00:55:39,153 --> 00:55:44,370 Maybe make some connections that will help you, maybe meet mentors or whatever. 892 00:55:44,370 --> 00:55:48,733 So the way that networking works in this software, which is really fun, 893 00:55:48,733 --> 00:55:51,523 you essentially click on the networking tab, 894 00:55:51,523 --> 00:55:55,540 and then you essentially get paired randomly with somebody. 895 00:55:55,540 --> 00:55:57,960 And I know that sounds a little scary, but it's actually really fun. 896 00:55:57,960 --> 00:55:58,490 I've tried it. 897 00:55:59,560 --> 00:56:02,150 So you essentially have a three minute little chat. 898 00:56:03,360 --> 00:56:06,830 And you can chitchat and talk about whatever you want. 899 00:56:06,830 --> 00:56:12,670 And then if you're enjoying that then you can click share details. 900 00:56:12,670 --> 00:56:16,250 And if they also do that, then you get connected. 901 00:56:16,250 --> 00:56:18,630 It's a lot of fun, and I'd encourage you all to do it. 902 00:56:18,630 --> 00:56:21,360 If you're scared about it, like, what in the world am I gonna talking about? 903 00:56:21,360 --> 00:56:24,447 And I don't know if Whitley would agree with this, but you could just say, 904 00:56:24,447 --> 00:56:26,957 hey, tell me something that you're really excited about. 905 00:56:26,957 --> 00:56:27,943 >> Yeah. 906 00:56:27,943 --> 00:56:29,250 >> Does that work? [LAUGH] 907 00:56:29,250 --> 00:56:29,802 >> Yeah, yeah, 908 00:56:29,802 --> 00:56:32,485 that works [LAUGH] >> And then they'll chit chat and 909 00:56:32,485 --> 00:56:34,060 you'll kinda learn more about them. 910 00:56:35,740 --> 00:56:38,487 This hasn't happened yet and hopefully wouldn't happen but 911 00:56:38,487 --> 00:56:41,074 if anybody acts inappropriately you can just flag them and 912 00:56:41,074 --> 00:56:44,170 then we'll be notified and we'll take action. 913 00:56:44,170 --> 00:56:46,608 So everyone, thank you so much for attending. 914 00:56:46,608 --> 00:56:50,263 Again, Whitley, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and being so 915 00:56:50,263 --> 00:56:54,107 open and honest about your experience and answering everyone's questions. 916 00:56:54,107 --> 00:56:56,337 >> Absolutely. 917 00:56:56,337 --> 00:56:59,220 >> Y'all please go networking now, you're gonna love it. 918 00:56:59,220 --> 00:57:03,360 And the rest of you, we'll see you later at the festival. 919 00:57:03,360 --> 00:57:04,847 Thanks for coming. 920 00:57:04,847 --> 00:57:05,680 Take care, everybody. >> Bye, thank you.