On Bootcamps, Networking, and Job Hunting During a Recession, with Don the Developer

Meet Don Hansen 🇺🇸! Don is a software engineer and developer mentor who helps aspiring juniors land their first opportunity. He's also a Youtuber, podcaster, and streamer who met his first boss on Twitch!

In this episode, Don and Alex talk about career changes, leaving a good first impression, and the state of the job market right now. You'll learn whether you should consider attending a coding bootcamp or stick to a self-directed path, how to see past the marketing copy on a coding bootcamp's website, and how to actually look at networking (especially if you're bad at it). Don also shares valuable insights on all the things you might be doing wrong if you're just starting your job search.

🔗 Connect with Don

⏰ Timestamps

Don always coded as a hobby (01:19)
Bridging the gap between a hobbyist and a professional: it's a shift in mindset (02:56)
How to keep coding playful while maintaining discipline (05:02)
How did Don go about getting his first coding job? (06:23)
Don met his first boss on Twitch! (07:20)
Why is providing transparency very powerful + are you curious about coding? (09:01)
What Don learned from failed job applications (11:21)
How you should think about networking (13:10)
Ad break! Next week, it's Marleigh Morgan! (14:52)
Fight shyness with exposure (16:21)
How James Mariott fought his insecurities by streaming, and why streaming can be a great strategy for you (19:03)
On imposter syndrome: it never goes away (20:32)
Why you should train yourself to be a problem solver (23:25)
Don put stuff you don't know (or senior developers, for that matter) on a pedestal (25:47)
Short-term vs long-term goals (26:19)
How to pick your area of expertise, and why Don picked CSS (30:10)
Should you sign up for a bootcamp or choose a self-directed route? (34:32)
Can you pick a bootcamp based on their success rate? (38:24)
What to do if you're applying for junior developer jobs but never hearing back? (42:39)
Coding ability vs. soft skills, and why it's important to learn presentation skills (45:58)
What's the motivation behind Don's YouTube channel? (48:13)
How to look for jobs during a recession (51:05)
The only surefire way to fail is to quit (55:47)

🧰 Resources Mentioned

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You can also Tweet Alex from Scrimba at @bookercodes and tell them what lessons you learned from the episode so they can thank you personally for tuning in 🙏