Build skills, not degrees. ft. Madison Kanna | S02 E08
Mar 3, 2025
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In this chat, Madison Kanna, a self-taught software developer and community builder, reveals her unique journey from dropping out of college to creating the thriving Code Book Club. She discusses how bypassing traditional education ignited her passion for coding and the importance of mentorship in tech. Madison highlights the challenges of self-learning, shares insights from her experiences building communities, and emphasizes the vital role of genuine connections in navigating today's tech landscape. Plus, get inspired by her book recommendations!
Madison Kanna's journey illustrates how self-directed learning and practical experience can outweigh traditional education in tech careers.
The launch of the Code Book Club highlights the importance of community and peer accountability for continuous skill development among coders.
Kanna's experiences in team leadership reveal the challenges of balancing managerial responsibilities with personal coding growth and preventing burnout.
Deep dives
The Motivation Behind Coding
A desire to learn coding can stem from personal inspiration and real-world exposure, as evidenced by one individual’s visit to their sister’s coding workplace. Observing developers create a music application instilled a sense of excitement and curiosity in them. Prior to this experience, they had dropped out of college, feeling that traditional education was not providing practical skills necessary for the job market. This pivotal moment led to a commitment to self-directed learning in software development, marking the start of their coding journey.
Real-World Skills vs Education
The individual reflects on their college experience, highlighting a disconnect between academic learning and practical application. They felt that many classes were geared towards test-taking rather than fostering genuine understanding or project-building skills. Influenced by a Paul Graham essay discussing the pitfalls of traditional education, they expressed frustration over being unprepared for real-world challenges. This realization contributed to their decision to leave college, believing hands-on learning and professional experience would better serve their aspirations.
Creative Approaches to Gaining Experience
Facing the common challenge of needing work experience to secure a job, the individual devised a creative solution by offering to work for free at startups. They reached out to several companies, pitching themselves as an unpaid intern for three months in exchange for mentorship and real work experience. While this approach sparked debate regarding exploitation, they emphasized their motivation to gain practical experience over being in a classroom. Ultimately, this scrappy decision landed them their first role, transitioning from unpaid to paid work.
Building Community Through Learning
Recognizing the value of shared learning, the individual launched the Code Book Club to foster accountability among developers. Initially starting with friends, this initiative quickly gained traction and expanded to thousands of members. The club transitioned from mere discussion to collaborative coding, enhancing participant engagement and learning outcomes. The experience highlighted the importance of leveraging community and peer accountability in the pursuit of continuous development and skill enhancement.
Adapting to New Challenges in Tech
As the individual’s career progressed, they took on increasingly responsible roles, including a team lead position, added pressure from unrealistic project deadlines. Despite initial excitement, they experienced burnout due to the burdensome nature of managerial tasks overshadowing coding opportunities. They reflected on the significant learning curve involved in management, realizing the struggle of balancing team productivity with personal development. This narrative emphasizes the need for supportive structures in workplaces to mitigate burnout among new developers.
Today we welcome Madison Kana—a self-taught dev who defied the traditional path. From dropping out and navigating a world of homeschooling to launching the Code Book Club, Madison transformed her unconventional journey into a thriving community of coders. In this episode, she shares how bypassing the typical education route fueled her passion, the real challenges of learning on your own, and the power of mentorship in building a dynamic tech career. If you’re ready to break the mold and carve your own path in software development.
Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev
Listen on your favorite podcast player: https://www.backendbanter.fm
Madison's X: https://x.com/Madisonkanna
Website: https://madisonkanna.com/
Learn out loud: learn0utloud.com
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:30 - Where did it all start?
01:40 - Dropping out
08:42 - How Madison started learning code
22:00 - Team leading
30:30 - Code Book Club
38:50 - Learn out loud
46:20 - AI talk
54:18 - Book recommendations
56:05 - Outro
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