What if it took you years to reach your goal? Not because you couldn't do it, but because the path changed as you went.
So you had to try a few things to find out what you didn’t want, until you figured out what you actually wanted.
That's exactly what happened with one ZTM student:
They posted their story over in our private Discord, and I just knew I had to reach out and learn more.
Because let’s be honest: Everyone's situation is different, and it’s not always easy. Sometimes we need to pivot and push through. And I don’t know about you, but this is possibly more motivating than stories of getting what you want right away.
Because if they can keep on going, then so can you.
Anyways, this is their story…
Meet Cosmin
Hi, my name is Cosmin Gombos, and I’m currently working as a Fullstack AI Engineer for a fast-growing startup in the GEO industry based in Vienna called RankScale.
We help companies measure and improve how they show up in AI Search results:
I’ve been here for 2 months now, and I’m loving it. Outside of work, I spend my time on side projects, mostly creative web development, as well as training, running, and writing. I also have my own blog where I share what I’ve been working on:
What did you do before you got your current job?
So many things! It’s been a 3 year journey to get to where I am now.
The TL;DR version is I spent the last couple of years trying to build different startups and completing internships in the IT sector across various roles, while still adding to my skills.
More specifically though:
I started learning and attending deep learning meetups in Vienna, barely understanding anything at first, but AI was becoming a thing and I wanted to understand how it works, even though my main interest was initially in Fintech
I then joined a hackathon from NASA where I was the sole developer; I built a quick website presenting our idea and pitched, which got us first place. There I met some cool people who recommended this programming university called 42
I wasn't planning on actually joining, but in January of the next year, (after another interview for a fullstack position where I was refused), I decided to give it a try. There we focused more on C programming and the grounds of programming, understanding the concepts and slowly building a foundation
At the same time, I joined an innovation lab to try to build a tech idea I had. I learnt a lot about innovation and collaboration in the process, as well as programming standards, architectural thinking, and a lot of other cool stuff. After seven months, our idea got stuck and the team fell apart
I decided to also leave 42 as I didn't enjoy it anymore and felt it didn't bring me the value I was looking for. That was really a difficult choice looking back, but I wanted to go build stuff (and earn money, as I was broke and still technically unemployed)
Soon after, I joined an internship at a big corporate in IT strategy, where I learnt and grew a lot, focusing on GenAI, Enterprise Architecture, and strategy
The first month in that new internship, I sat down with one of my friends from 42 and decided to build a startup in the proptech industry. Things moved pretty fast; we joined the innovation program where I was previously, and grew the team to 5 people, developing in Flutter. A lot of things happened there, but mainly I learnt and grew, especially how to think about technology and how to adapt to rapid changes, to AI, to development hell and so on. Fast forward one year of hard work, we decide to close our little startup
I went unemployed again and during the summer started working on some web AI projects with my friends, while being stuck in my parents' house. We had no money but lots of hope! We ended up creating a prototype in the architecture industry, and things quickly escalated from there
When did you first realize you needed something like ZTM Academy?
It’s a funny story, but I actually studied programming at an intensive level in high school. However, I almost always failed the classes because I had no real interest in pursuing it further at the time. (Although, I must admit that it helped provide some fundamental knowledge to build upon years later).
Even so, relearning it was quite a challenge and I knew I needed something to help me. There is so much out there on the internet that choosing a path can feel overwhelming.
That’s when my brother recommended ZTM, so I decided to check it out.
What ZTM courses have you taken?
I started out by taking the Complete Web Developer course by Andrei, because it seemed the most approachable, offering a great mix of practical theory and hands-on projects.
I did that alongside the 100 days of code challenge. It was quite tough in the beginning with a lot of life things going on, but I managed to do the whole 100 days challenge!
It took me about 5–6 months to fully complete the Web Developer course, as I was simultaneously pursuing my Master’s degree. I was also constantly trying to build things on the side and review my notes, which extended the timeline.
After that, I explored parts of the Junior to Senior web developer course, as well as some React, Python, and Cybersecurity courses.
In the end, I finished the React course and made the final project in React with an API for facial analysis:
After you joined, were there any difficulties?
Likely the same difficulties everyone else faces: staying disciplined, handling the constant feeling of being overwhelmed, and later on, navigating the interview process to find a job.
It was tough, as all new things are, but staying curious and consistent really helped me push through.
The community really helped also because I was able to reach out and ask questions, as well as be a part of the "100 Days of Code" challenge alongside others. Seeing other people learn in my same situation was super inspiring.
What has been the biggest challenge in your journey from learning to code to getting hired?
Staying consistent and managing the lingering feeling of "not knowing enough".
I can still remember how overwhelming it felt when I finished my React project, and how it always felt that I might not be good enough for this, or smart enough.
I worked through the fear though and that summer I started applying to jobs.I had one interview that went quite nicely, which was my first technical interview. In the end, they rejected me but told me I'm on the right path and if I learn just a couple more things I will definitely get a job.
I figured this was probably why I wasn’t getting a lot of replies which is why I continued to skill up. (As well as attending the AI and Machine Learning meetups and doing the internships etc).
I kept applying to roles while I was learning, and must have applied to dozens of companies and went through many interviews for various technical roles.
It’s worth mentioning that I almost gave up on applying for development roles at the end of the summer of 2025; after many refusals, I told myself that if this final interview didn't work out, I would pivot to something else, especially given how rapidly AI is changing the market.
Luckily, they offered me a position on the AI pre-sales team, which is more of a consulting role. It is a tough market currently, I had multiple conversations with companies telling me they simply don't hire juniors anymore.
Editor's note: This is why Andrei recommends you add in a few essential skills so that you’re not positioned as a junior when you apply.
He also covers this more in his course:
How do you feel after getting your new job?
I feel lucky and grateful that after all these years, I get to work on something I enjoy, with a great team and a great product.
I couldn't really believe it when they told me they want me on the team, and felt completely like an impostor. (Which is apparently a common thing in the tech industry). I've just started but already can tell how crazy the last two months have been and how much I already learnt.
Looking back, it’s funny how the things I’ve learned, like using a terminal, once seemed like magic to me!
What advice would you give other students?
This is not strictly related only to coding, but to anything you want to do in life. If you really want to make a change, you will have to go through a heck ton of challenges, failures, and hopeless nights, so make sure you understand why you're doing what you're doing.
This is why I recommend:
Start by defining your "Why": You need to understand the reasons why you are choosing this path if you want to achieve it
Discipline over Motivation: Create a strict schedule, even if it’s just one hour a day where you focus and learn
Build and Share: The most important thing is to start building and sharing your work. You learn more from doing than from passive watching
Embrace the Unknown: If you feel like you don't know enough, know that this is normal; almost everyone feels the same. As long as you stay curious, you can always pick up a new language or technology.
Soft Skills: Learn to communicate technical concepts to non-technical people. From my perspective, this is a skill many developers currently lack.
Leverage AI: Take advantage of existing AI tools to bring your vision to life. I honestly believe this is the best time in history to build whatever you want and perhaps help others along the way
No matter what anyone tells you, no matter how many times you fail, if you keep trying, if you keep throwing shots at the universe, at one point you will hit something. So don't give up, you will get there one day. Try your best and see what happens.
Also try to surround yourself with cool people, don't stay lonely. It will drive you crazy! I can’t recommend the ZTM community enough to help with this:
I hope my story helps you, as the journey can be quite difficult and not as fast as you'd expect, or hear usually online. Sure, sometimes it’s fast. But the main thing is you keep going and get there!
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