Content Creator or Web Developer? | w/ Dylan Israel

Interview Questions

• Let’s jump right into your content creation side, as I know you’ve created a tonne of YouTube videos, used to have your own podcast, made courses, maintained popular sites (ie W3Schools TypeScript section)
  • You used to have your own podcast called “Self Taught or Not” which eventually ended as you and your co-host got jobs at Amazon - did you create the podcast with the goal of both being hired? Did you have plans to keep the podcast going that didn’t end up working out after being hired?
  • Content creation is something that a lot of people do for a living, you did a lot of it - was it ever something that you wanted to do full time, or was it always a vehicle to getting a job?
  • Pick one and why:
    • Job
    • Content Creator
• Kickstarting your career as a web developer these days is not easy, but it wasn’t exactly super easy back in the day either (other than maybe the COVID job boom).
  • What advice do you have for someone that’s looking to get their first job as a web developer?
    • Is there any different advice for someone self-taught vs traditionally taught (ie in school)?
  • Dedication is something that always comes up when the job market gets tough - Mike and I frequently have conversations on what it means to “be a web developer” in terms of treating at just a job, or something that you are at all times (ie you code at night on personal projects, then do a full time coding job all day).
    • What’s your thoughts on this for someone trying to get their first job? Do they need to be a developer as their identity (coding all the time)? Or is coding all the time a recipe for burnout?
• What are your thoughts on AI in general when it comes to web development and learning how to code?
  • Are junior developers going to be replaced by agents? We’re already seeing chatter about agents being better and cheaper than juniors.

Dylan's Links

• Mentoring on Mentor Cruise
• Persevere: Second chance hiring starts here