Hey everyone! 👋 It's been a year since I last shared my thoughts on Hashnode, and a lot has happened in my career journey in 2023. Let me walk you through my journey from accounting to front-end development — the downs and ups!
To give you some background, I completed a degree in accountancy. During my final semester, I came across the word "programming" during a group project. Excited by the potential, I began a self-guided path to learn programming. Little did I know, this would mark the start of a significant career change in my life.
Diversifying Skills
My initial opportunity in the real-world tech industry was as a System Engineering Intern at an AI startup while enrolled in TalentLabs' intermediate-level Front End Development training program. During the program, I didn't just stick to the coursework.
I explored AI Midjourney for image creation and even applied for an internship in the tech industry. I learned a lot about software development, artificial intelligence (AI), quality assurance (QA) testing, UI/UX feedback, and even copywriting, all of which became part of my daily tasks.
LinkedIn became my platform for copywriting, and my posts received a staggering 476% increase in impressions. Balancing internship responsibilities with front-end development projects was difficult, but the experience proved invaluable as I gained a lot of connections thru networking.
Continuous Learning
Post-internship, I focused on completing my front-end development course, building projects like the News Search App and Food Order App. The next phase was job hunting which led me to the build of my portfolio website using ReactJS and MUI. Libraries that I learned when I was in the program. This portfolio aims to show my projects and writings which led me to learn about GraphQL for integration with the Hashnode API.
Then there was one concern — to have my own project database. Though, I had hardcoded the data in JSON format which is not good practice. This led me to sign up for the TalentLabs Beta Program, Back-End with ExpressJS and MySQL, where I learned how to setup and manage databases efficiently. This completes my skill set.
Portfolio Power
Surprisingly, my portfolio drew the attention of multiple recruiters. A year later, I snagged my dream job as a Front End Developer after a recruiter notice my works, proving that the effort put into my portfolio and public contributions paid off.
Reflecting on this experience, I've realized the value of showing one's skills and sharing knowledge with the community.
Top 10 Malaysian GitHub Users By Public Contributions
One unexpected recognition came my way on 2023, when my friends mentioned that I made it to the Top 10 GitHub Users By Public Contributions in Malaysia. Just to let you all know, I made public repositories on GitHub for all of my courses and projects to contribute to the learning experiences of others.
This acknowledgement is more than simply a personal accomplishment; it proves the power of sharing and learning in the digital community.
So, that's it. Thank you for sticking with me and reading my article. Continue shipping, don't give up and fly high! 🚀
p/s: still in progress to improve my portfolio