Develop Yourself #291 - Open Source + Hard Work: A CTO’s Roadmap for Junior Developers
Dec 1, 2025
Amber Adamson, a former English teacher turned CTO and software developer, shares invaluable insights for junior developers. She emphasizes that true hireability stems from real experience rather than mere coding skills. Contributing to medium-complexity open-source projects is her recommended fast track to job readiness. Amber critiques the misleading nature of toxic positivity on platforms like LinkedIn and stresses the importance of actionable proof-of-work. Finally, she urges budding developers to focus on fundamentals and seek honest feedback to stand out in a competitive job market.
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First Job As An Email Developer
- Amber landed her first role as an email developer by passing an HTML/CSS challenge and doing organizational work.
- The role taught A/B testing but didn't advance modern full-stack skills, so she intentionally built real projects afterward.
Get Job-Ready By Contributing To Open Source
- Contribute to medium-complexity open-source projects and treat them like real jobs to become job-ready.
- Show up consistently and produce proof-of-work that mirrors professional development workflows.
Start Small With Accessible Open Source
- Start with accessible personal or community open-source projects, not massive libraries like Next.js or VS Code.
- Find collaborative projects on LinkedIn/communities and treat them as professional apps to gain real dev experience.