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Episode
289
Interview
Web News

How to Land a Web Development Job w/ James Quick

Recorded:
January 18, 2024
Released:
February 15, 2024
Episode Number:
289

Learn how to land a web development job with this week's guest, James Quick. James is a content creator that focuses on teaching web developers through his YouTube channel and podcast. Our discussion this week focused on landing and keeping a web developer role with our conversation focusing on what you should do before landing the job, immediately after getting into your role, and how to keep your career going into the future. First off, our conversation on what to do before getting a developer job focused on studying, coding practice, and standing out as an applicant. Second, we discussed what to do right after landing the role conversing about whether you should keep learning on/off work hours and whether you should make an effort to learn job-related tech or branch out. Lastly, we discussed what to do once you've had a developer job for a while, touching on whether you should bother having a side hustle, how much learning you should do, and if you should update your portfolio or not. At the end of the interview, we asked James to expand and explain Astro, a web framework for content-driven sites.

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Show Notes

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Show Notes

Before The Job

  • The studying, practicing and learning phase before you land your first job
    - We hear “just code” a lot, but what should a prospective developer be “just coding” in order to be successful in 2024? 
  • Coding is great, but there are a lot of tools out there
    - Should prospective developers be limiting their learning to custom coding? Should they learn tools as well such as WordPress, Astro, or Webflow? 
  • Standing out when you apply
    - There are a lot of guides out there on how to make a professional developer portfolio, is there any concern that following a guide like this step-by-step will make your portfolio not stand out? Should you and how can you stand out? 
    - Is standing out important (especially?) when the job market is struggling?

On The Job

  • Learning on and off the job
    - Once you land your new junior developer role, learning outside of working hours can seem unattractive, or even useless. When you’re a junior developer should you continue your studies outside the workplace? As much as you did before landing the job? 
  • Doubling down or branching out
    - If you decide you’re going to continue learning outside of working hours, should you be doubling down on technologies that you use at work? Or should you be branching out to new things?

Into The Future

  • Once you’ve moved on from junior developer…
    - How much learning should you be doing on/off work hours?
    - Are side projects and side hustles necessary?
    - Should you be updating existing or creating new portfolio projects (as your original ones will become dated)?

Astro Web Framework

  • What is it? Why use it?

Companion Article

  • A written piece accompanying and expanding on some of the concepts covered in this episode (link)


James' Links



Links

  • Michael LaRocca
    - Author of the Self-Taught the X Generation blog, at selftaughttxg.com