Thanks for reaching out! Yes, I’d love a mentoring session, whenever is most convenient for you.
A bit of background on me:
I have a b.s. in plastics engineering and an MBA with a concentration in project management. I have been a product development engineer the last 7 years for a medical device manufacturing company. I am making a move to Chicago in a few months and have thought it a good time for a career change. Since June, I have been learning under Treehouse’s Full Stack JS developer program. I am currently about 2/3 through and plan to complete it in Feb.
Then, who knows?!
With this mentoring session, I’d like to get a sense of direction on what’s next, specifically how to take that first step into the world of professional web development. For the last 6 months, I’ve been focused strictly on learning, so any type of insight from someone in the industry will be a major benefit to me!
Discovered web development through a podcast about financial independence. Likes being creative. Likes the instant gratification and tight iteration loop. Will have to deal with a commute in his current job.
Advised Nick to get out of tutorial purgatory and start applying what he knows on real projects. He asked about taking another course. I encouraged him to do real work instead. He wants to get a full-time job. I advised him to keep his eyes open to the possibilities of contract work, even when getting started. You have less support but the expectations are also lower. Gives you an opportunity to get some real experience and get paid. He asked about doing free work. I encouraged him to either find a non-profit to do work for or to work on his own projects instead.