From Unemployed And Struggling, To Becoming An Engineer at Twitter

Are you thinking about becoming a Web Developer but don't have a degree?

Not sure if it's even possible to get that job without bootcamp experience?

Well the good news is, you can get that job if you follow the right path and tick the correct boxes.

Today, I'm going to share an interview with one of our Zero To Mastery students who did just this.

Not only did they get a Web Development job without a degree, but they got it at a huge tech company!

Meet Theo

Theo is a Web Developer and Software Engineer at Twitter.

He helps create support services for Twitter’s advertising customers, while also working on UX for the direct user base.

In today's article, I’m going to share his story with you. From unemployed and struggling with cash flow, to learning to code and earning on the side, to building freelance projects, job applications, and more.

Not only is this a motivational story on its own, but if you’re in a similar situation and have just started to learn to code then you’re going to love this interview.

Why?

Because you'll see how someone just like you with similar struggles was able to have success.

So let’s dive into the interview questions…

What did you do before you got your job now?

I was unemployed, and struggling with my finances due to not having a job. Something needed to change and so I started to Google different career paths on the internet and I discovered Andrei's courses.

I started my Web Developer journey soon after that. It took several months of learning but I could see my potential in this area, and so this gave me the focus to treat the training seriously and get a full-time developer job.

I knew it wouldn't happen overnight, and I also understood that simply learning a language or skill wasn’t as valuable as also applying it and helping people, so I started offering freelance development services so that I could earn while learning to code.

I set up a portfolio on platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr etc and then started offering to build websites for new companies.

Here’s one of them I made for a client:

Why did you want to join the Zero To Mastery Academy?

Initially I just wanted to learn to become a Web Developer for the job and salary.

However, I found that I really just enjoyed the actual process of learning. It was quite fun learning new technologies, but I had to be careful as sometimes I wouldn't sleep because I was having fun trying to solve an issue or adding an extra feature!

I even built my own study app so that I could make sure I was learning effectively.

After you joined ZTM, were there any difficulties? Were you apprehensive for any reason?

Not with the training, but with the business model I was using. The customers were happy with my freelance work and I loved making their sites, but there would often be periods when I was waiting to get a new client which could be stressful.

I didn’t want to do nothing though, so in the downtime between clients, I started applying for full-time Web Developer roles to get a more stable income and take some stress off myself and my family.

The trouble was that most of them required candidates who had graduated with a degree or had come from a coding bootcamp experience.

Editor's note:

There are ways to get around this and get a tech job that you can learn about in this article here.

Theo actually started to use some of the methods from this article on his own, as you’ll see below…

Getting a Web Developer job, without a degree

Sometimes I would get exhausted by receiving rejection letters every day. I know it’s not personal, but I would send around 30+ CVs per week or around 100+ per month.

I got a few interviews but most of them didn’t get past the initial application and I was starting to feel anxious. 😰

Rather than quit, I realized that this application phase was the bottleneck and I needed to learn from these failures and improve the application I was sending.

More interviews would mean more chances to be hired, and I could always improve my interview skills after I got in the door, but I needed to get to that point first!

I started tailoring my CV to each application so that the recruiters could see how my work and experience tied into what they wanted.

I think this was a huge change that helped me finally go from being stuck with no interviews to getting several job offers.

Editor's note:

We highly recommend this approach that Theo used. It's not the only that you can stand out to get past the application process and into the interview but it's an easy way that anyone can do.

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

I feel great 😃! Two years ago I was scrolling Twitter on my bed every day and so it still seems surreal that I now work here.

I had some imposter syndrome when I first started because I didn’t think I was good enough for a large tech company, but the thing I realized is that everyone feels this way.

Not only that, but these companies understand this and so they make sure to have effective onboarding systems in place, as well as providing further training on specific job skills so that you can grow more and move around departments if you want to.

Were there any difficulties once you were hired?

Like any new job in any industry, there’s always a learning curve when starting. Even if you worked in the same industry but for a new company, there’s always something different.

When it came to coding, my biggest adjustment was the processes they used, along with new job-specific information.

I also realized that in a real job environment, they set a lot of standards of how-to, along with specific libraries, and coding styles for the projects, which are often different from your hobby projects, so I spent a lot of time learning the technologies and techniques that they use.

This did mean that I had to deal with a large codebase and trying to understand multiple methods and components within a limited amount of time which could be mentally exhausting. One of my colleagues actually even left due to this.

However, I've found that if you keep asking when you have questions, then you can get past any issues since people are so willing to help.

Was it a big difference in earnings from what you made before, to now with your new job?

I nearly doubled my salary! This has meant that I can provide a far better quality of life for both me and my family, and I feel grateful for everyone that helps me through this journey such as Andrei, the ZTM team, and the discord community.

Thank you for all the support 🤗

Do you want to get started in Web Development?

If you’re like Theo and want to change careers or take your current career track to the next level, then come check out the courses and career paths we have here at the Zero To Mastery Academy.

We have a whole selection from coding, design, security, hacking, blockchain, and much more, as well as advanced advice on how to get hired, even without a degree!

And if you’re not sure where to start or which job or language would be right for you, then check out our custom tech career path quiz to get a personalized step-by-step roadmap.

You answer specific questions about your goals and the life you want and how you want to work, and the quiz will point out the best role for you, as well as where to start learning on a structured path so you can get hired asap!

Then, be sure to check in and let us know YOUR success story! 🙌💰😃