What do you like most about your current role?
In terms of working as a developer in general, the joy of it for me is in creating and solving problems – it feels like one of the few careers where you get paid to tinker around all day solving puzzles.
I also really enjoy the tech community and culture – there is a ton of camaraderie in the tech field, the open source community is fun (and a revolutionary concept), and it’s a constantly evolving, exciting field to be a part of.
What advice would you give someone interested in web development?
The beginning can feel stressful. If you don’t know anyone or anything about the field, I’d suggest connecting with other developers.
When I was first starting out, I went to as many meetups as I could. When you’re stuck on a bug or a problem and Google isn’t proving to be helpful anymore, popping into a meetup and getting another set of eyes on the problem can be extremely helpful. Through meetups, you’ll get to meet and pair with other newbies, as well as more experienced developers, and also get to see what they’re currently working on – it’s a huge learning opportunity.
You can also come across interesting conferences, workshops, and potential job offers and connections through meetups. It’s a great way to get to know more about the field and all that is available, and for getting the inspiration and encouragement that is quite helpful in the beginning.
