How to Figure Out What You Want to Do, with Scrimba Student Amy

Mar 5, 2024

From veterinary technician to front-end engineer, Amy shares her career transition journey. She discusses the importance of networking, gaps in knowledge post-bootcamp, and making coding less lonely. Amy explains why she loves JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, and how she found success in her job hunt with a new approach. The podcast also covers using generative AI tools for job interviews and self-directed study planning tips.

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Introduction

00:00 • 3min

Navigating Career Evolution: From Veterinary Medicine to Coding

02:33 • 9min

Exploring Social Connections and Learning Experiences in a Virtual Bootcamp

11:06 • 3min

Exploring Social Interaction in Coding and Community Support

14:11 • 3min

Exploration of Coding Journey and Falling in Love with JavaScript

17:17 • 3min

Navigating Coding Education and Transitioning to Teaching Roles

19:49 • 20min

Exploring AI Tools for Coding and Interview Preparation

40:01 • 4min

Meet Amy Posten 🇺🇸! Amy was a veterinary technician for fifteen years before she decided to switch careers. First, she discovered freeCodeCamp while on maternity leave. Later, she joined a premium bootcamp but didn't feel quite ready to apply for coding jobs afterward, so she turned to Scrimba to polish her skills. Nowadays, she's a front-end engineer and instructor.

In this episode, you'll learn how to figure out what kind of job you want and what was a small change in her job-hunting approach that brought Amy immediate results. You'll discover what are the gaps in knowledge one might have after a bootcamp, and how you can make learning to code less lonely. Finally, Amy and Alex discuss generative AI tools and how you can use them in your job hunt.

🔗 Connect with Amy

👩‍💼 Linkedin

⏰ Timestamps

How Amy became a Veterinary Technician (01:32)
Maternity leave on freeCodeCamp, and a career change brought up by the pandemic (04:38)
Why Amy likes JavaScript, HTML, and CSS (06:59)
Why Amy decided to join a bootcamp (08:56)
The importance of getting to connect with people (11:16)
Social media break with Jan the Producer (12:43)
How to make learning to code less lonely (14:12)
Joining a bootcamp is like drinking from a fire hose (16:27)
Amy discovered Scrimba through her bootcamp! (18:31)
After the bootcamp, Amy also joined the Scrimba bootcamp (19:37)
Why Amy decided to start from scratch on Scrimba (21:35)
How Amy found her north star and became a teacher (24:48)
Amy changed her approach to job applications and got immediate results! (28:26)
Amy's reach-out strategy and how she got a job interview at the company she currently works at (31:52)
How to figure out what kind of job you want (35:11)
Amy's job interview (36:04)
How to use AI tools in your job hunt (40:22)

🧰 Resources Mentioned

Scrimba podcast: The State of React (and Should You Still Learn It in 2024), with Dev Agrawal
Scrimba podcast: An expert guide to technical interviews with Ian Douglas
Scrimba podcast: This Is How You Onboard: Actionable Tips for Developers On a New Job from Ian Douglas
Learn React for free!
Scrimba Bootcamp
Scrimba's Discord community

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