How I changed my career and entered the front-end world
Switching career paths is not easy – and entering the front-end world is equally challenging. My team has asked me to share my experience with doing this, and I’d like to share some insights I gained along the way including tips for making those first steps and why starting an internship is a great investment of time.
How did you start your journey with front-end?
About a year ago I decided to change my career. I enrolled in the Akamai Technical Academy – an immersive program consisting of 5 months of intense technical training with the purpose of preparing 25 participants for entry level positions at Akamai.
The course covered subjects as ITIL, Linux, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, networking, basic programming in Python, shell scripting, database technology, SQL, and more. Upon completion of the course, the graduates were assigned work across many different departments at Akamai, but none of these roles were strictly connected to programming. By this time I had already come to know that I wanted to develop my skills in front-end but there was no possibility to move to a department connected with my goals so I decided to quit my job.
At the end of 2017 I was studying everything I thought I should know to become a front-end developer. I read many books and was practicing what I was learning by making simple web pages. After a few months I started to look for new opportunities and I got into the Web Developer Academy at Motorola. This course was 4 weekends of training. I also attended a Brainly Workshop in hopes of getting into the Brainly Mentorship Program. At the end of the program I received a job offer by Brainly and now I am a happy junior front-end engineer.
What made you decide to do an internship at Brainly?
I really wanted to learn as much as possible and an internship program is a great way to do that. I also really enjoy learning new things and I think Brainly is creating a wonderful space to collaborate and grow, so I was instantly drawn into the idea of working in a company with this culture and atmosphere.
What did you learn during your Brainly Mentorship and what did you enjoy the most ?
During the Brainly Mentorship I learned more that I had anticipated when I was accepted. I deepened my knowledge in how browsers work, HTML, CSS including grid, BEM, SASS, animations, ES6, Node.js, React, Redux, GraphQl, testing and some useful tools like npm, yarn, gulp and git.
I most enjoyed enjoyed great atmosphere and friendly people. Everyone is open for collaboration and exchanging their ideas on everyday basis. You can feel the spirit of doing something that matters.
What was the biggest surprise during your Brainly Mentorship ?
The high engagement of the Brainly front-end developers. Each one of them spent some time with me to help me learn. I am extremely grateful for their time, patience and great attitude.
What advice do you have for those considering internships at Brainly or elsewhere?
I would recommend participating in as many workshops as possible. If you really make an effort to learn new things and you practice what you’ve learned – you can go a long way. Don’t be afraid to try new technology, just go for it, make mistakes and learn from them. With this foundation you have a great chance to get into an internship; which is the most comfortable way to become a developer. During an internship you will have much more time to read, learn and ask questions than any other time in your career.
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