How One ZTM Student Reinvented His Web Development Career

After over a decade at a company, it would be very easy to just stay there until retirement.

The work gets easier, you know everyone, and you find a groove.

However, it can be hard to grow further in situations like this. Either there’s no room for advancement, or you simply don’t need to learn the hottest new skills, because they’re not used in your company.

Some people are happy with this and that’s totally fine. They skilled up already for their role, and are reaping the rewards.

Sometimes though, you need to shake everything up and take the next step - no matter how scary it is. This is exactly what one ZTM student did, and what I want to share with you today…

Meet Kyle

Hi, my name is Kyle O’Brien, I’m a Front End Web Developer at Magnetic Mobile and a proud cat dad.

(The image above was from their announcement post on LinkedIn after I joined the team!)

I’ve been working here for around 3 months now.

Before that, I was a Web Developer and Designer at Wright State University for almost 11 years.

What was the goal or outcome you were hoping for from joining ZTM?

After working in the Web Development industry for over a decade, I had a gut feeling that I just wasn’t where I should be in my career.

I wanted a change, and to get a position with more income that focused solely on Front End Web development.

I have a BFA in Digital Art, and I self-taught myself web development back in 2011, so I’m used to picking up new skills. However, I had been mainly using very specific web dev tools that only really exist in Higher Education web development. This meant that if I wanted to change roles, I needed to focus on much more modern tools that would be required for positions outside of Higher Ed.

I had a look around and ZTM fit the bill very well and helped me pick up multiple different frameworks.

Editor’s note: We have 93 courses now at the time of writing, with 40+ that are relevant to web developers!

I took both the Full-Stack Web Developer, and Complete React Developer courses.

Spoiler alert, but I haven’t actually totally 100% completed either of these courses. I got the foundation I needed from them and then created my own projects and learned at my own pace.

Following along with tutorials is great, but actually developing something on your own is the best way to learn.

Editor’s note: We totally agree with this approach, as you’re applying what you learn and also creating standout projects.

Often we’ll suggest new devs build the projects in our courses, but then further customize them or use that experience to create unique projects for themselves - all for this same reason.

With my knowledge from these courses, I was able to create an ISS (International Space Station) tracking React app and showcase it in my portfolio, which then became a talking piece in all my interviews.

Did you check out any other platforms or learning options before joining?

I weighed up a few other options, but I knew that an online platform was the best choice for me, thanks to my previous experience and my goals.

I already had a decade of web development experience - I just needed to fill in the gaps in the best way possible.

Also:

• Bootcamps are insanely expensive, and having helped run some at WSU, I knew they might not be the best option for me personally
• I could have gotten a Computer Science degree through WSU, but it's way too much math. I much preferred the application to the broader knowledge

I knew that what I ideally wanted was an education platform with a community without too much overhead for additional classrooms and grading, etc. I also wanted to skip around and focus on frameworks and tools that interested me

I had used Team TreeHouse before, back when I first got started, and loved it. My plan was to revisit my education there, but there was a buyout that happened in 2021 with a lot of messy consequences, and it didn’t seem like the best bet anymore.

I saw that you guys at ZTM are always updating your content, the price was great, and there was a fantastic community around this platform, so I signed up almost immediately.

I figured if there were any issues or if it wasn’t a great fit, the price was good enough and I could try something else. There haven’t been any difficulties at all though. I’ve learned a lot, and I’m already putting those skills I learned earlier in the year to work in my professional career.

I really enjoyed being able to skip around. Having 10 years of web development experience already, I was able to focus solely on the frameworks used in the industry. The discord is great. I like seeing what my peers are working on and learning about.

What do you think differentiates ZTM from other resources you’ve used?

The community and Andrei. The Discord is great, and seeing Andrei active every day is pretty refreshing.

It feels like the team making the content really cares. There is a dedication to education that is very transparent when the educators themselves are so involved in the community.

What has been the biggest challenge in your journey from learning to code to getting hired?

Imposter Syndrome, for sure!

I’ve been coding and designing for over a decade now, and only in the past 2 years have I been comfortable saying, “I don’t know that”. I would just do my own research instead and spend far too much time on something.

When in reality, I could have asked a co-worker for help and saved a bunch of time. For some reason though, I couldn’t let my co-workers or peers know that I am not a 100% expert in every single platform they hand to me to develop in.

I’m much better at this now though!

What steps did you take to get hired, and what helped you the most actually to get your job offer?

I did a few things.

• Obviously, I updated my skills and built some custom projects for my portfolio
• I also took it a step further and developed a brand guide for myself. I choose my colors, icons, fonts, etc, and then applied them to my personal portfolio, resume, CV, and anywhere my professional online presence is online. This helped give me a more professional aesthetic.

As for the job applications, I applied to around 7 companies. I got interviews with 2 and ended up with offers for both.

Honestly though, I feel that what worked the best was networking. I had past co-workers at both locations that I got offers from, so that helped me get a foot in the door.

Now that you have your new position, how do you feel?

Great!

I am a little bit nervous about what the future holds for me in this position, but it's more of an excited nervousness and something I haven’t felt in a long time!

Is there a big difference in earnings in this new role from what you made before?

Yes.

In the end, I had a total of three offers, two at other locations, and then a counteroffer at WSU to keep me on board. I actually took the lowest-paid offer, simply because I loved the environment and team so much.

That being said, I still ended up with a 47% pay bump which I’m very happy about!

What advice would you give other students who may have been in your position and are now considering joining the ZTM Academy?

1. No one knows everything, and that's ok
2. Lots of people have been in your situation and started from where you are now. You might not be a beginner, but others have started in the same place as you are and achieved what you want, so you can do it too
3. Get your foundation through ZTM and then look at what your peers are making and get inspired through them
4. Just build - whatever it is you want to build. Apply what you’re learning
5. Get involved in your community and just be around the industry, and you will absorb knowledge and confidence by just being in the community
6. Don’t wait to start!

So what are you waiting for? Be like Kyle and change your career

Thinking of starting a career in Web Development, or even upgrading your current skills for a new role, but not sure where to start?

Well, why not take the exact same courses?

Once you join, you have access to every course in the Zero To Mastery Academy library, so that’s every course in this article and many more.

Not only that, but you’ll get access to the ZTM private Discord community, where you can ask questions from your course teachers, as well as chat with other students and working Web Development professionals and freelancers!

There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain, so get started today.

It doesn’t matter if it's your first step to a new career or the next step - we’ve got you covered.