I recently transitioned from construction to coding and have spent the last six months learning Python, putting in multiple hours each day. I feel like I'm somewhere between a late beginner and early intermediate level, having learned a lot about syntax, object-oriented programming, conditionals, loops, decorators, and async/await. I've also been diving into APIs and databases to aim for a backend development role. Recently, I got a part-time QA job thanks to my brother's connections, and I've been helping out wherever I can. During a development onboarding meeting, I took the initiative to talk to one of the developers about my coding experience, and he was very supportive, providing me with documentation and affirming that there could be tasks for me. Even the CEO was positive about my journey—even though it's only been six months.
Now, I feel a mix of excitement and anxiety about starting to take on actual development tasks. I'm worried that my lack of experience could be a hindrance, and I really want to make a good impression. Any advice on how to conduct myself, learn new languages quickly (since their stack is based on JavaScript while I've mainly focused on Python), and generally how to approach this opportunity?
4 Answers
You're going to do just fine! It sounds like you’ve been doing a great job while staying humble. You’ve been honest about your experience, and that’s the first step. Just keep pushing yourself, and don't hesitate to ask questions when you need to. Everyone has been in your position at some point!
The main thing is to be honest—about what you know, what you can do, and where you need help. It’s okay to say you don’t know something; just own up to it. Transparency builds trust, and you’ll find people are more willing to help you out.
Really good point! Clear communication seems key, and I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks!
Just know that you will likely make mistakes, and that’s perfectly normal. It won’t be the end of the world! Even if things go wrong, you’ll learn and be able to improve for your next role. Don't be scared, everyone has been there.
Totally! I had a similar experience in construction; I messed up plenty before I got good at it! Thanks for the reassurance!
When asking questions, try to batch them together. It’s way easier for a senior developer to answer a few questions at once rather than be pinged all day. And definitely make use of the debugger—it can save you tons of time.
Great advice! I hadn’t thought about batching questions before. And I’m still figuring out the debugger; any tips on that would be appreciated!
Thanks for the encouragement! I really appreciate it.