My name is Mason Ellwood, and I’m currently working on Flatiron School’s Online Full Stack Web Development Program. Each week, I’ll be writing about my experience, what I’m learning, and tips on learning to code.
A few days I was at church with my family, it was like any other service that I have attended to. When I left the building I noticed that my friends dad from a long time ago decided to visit that Sunday. I went over to talk to him a bit, while my mom and dad were visiting and he mentioned that he just got a full-time job with the U of A as a civil engineering professor. He also happened to mention his son just began working at Amazon up in Seattle as a developer. After telling him what I was up to he told me to get into contact with his son again, as well as himself once I was close to finishing up school so they could ask around for me.
The next week we threw a “My mom doesn’t have cancer anymore party!” or some called it “Go to hell mantel cell!” (she had aggressive mantle cell lymphoma). But most did not get the joke so we decided to go with the first. There I met Mindy, a long friend of my family who I have not seen in ages. I asked how her daughter and was doing and she said they just moved to the Tempe area and her husband just got a job at a code academy. After like before, telling her what I was up to, working through The Flatiron School course material, she told me to contact her daughter about the possibility of working with them.
Roughly the same story happened with a few others, over the course of a month.
I guess I am not writing this as a “look at me and my connections” but to show an example of me stepping out of my box and being able to share and be open and willing to share what I am up to with others. You are not alone in this world as a training developer, and people, as well as your community, want to see you succeed.
Showing interest and reaching out as an open ended inquiry was how I landed my first web development job. I interviewed with him knowing absolutely nothing, and because he saw I was driven enough to give it a chance, he trained me. You would be amazed at what will fall into your lap as long as you are open with others about your interest.
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