Two terms you’ll want to write down for today.
First one: Skill-Stacking.
You know this, but probably haven’t thought of it this way. A lot of developers ask me what they should learn. The real answer: ALL of it. The more skills you stack in your arsenal, the more valuable you’ll be to employers.
And, more importantly, the more adaptable you’ll be when s!@# changes.
And, s!@# changes… a lot.
You shouldn’t be stingy about what you learn in the beginning.
Learn it all.
Stack, stack, stack.
Second term: Credibility-Stacking.
This one I don’t think near as many people think about. A lot of times you’re just desperate to get a job or get paid to do this. But, you need to have discipline. And, patience. Stacking your credentials properly early on will make this WAY easier.
There’s several different “categories” of credibility to stack.
It starts right off the bat with your training.
If you’re going to a college or university, pick one with a prestigious name. Or, clout in the industry you want to get into. Going to the #1 tech school in America sounds way better than going to A school with A tech program.
Think strategic right from the start.
Next companies and clients.
Really think about who you work with.
Pick companies with a brand name or clients who are well-known. Yes, I know… you gotta GET those jobs. But, here’s a simple one. IBM tends to hire like crazy, hires junior developers with little experience and has a good brand name.
So, if all else fails… apply there.
Next is volume.
Saying you’ve built 113 membership sites has a certain ring to it.
An whiff of credibility.
You don’t need to tell anybody that 60 of those were sites you built just to build so you could say you built 113. Actually build them and do the work… but a build is a build is a build is a build.
In any case, hardly anybody thinks about this stuff.
But, the start of your career shouldn’t be about money.
It should be skill-stacking and credibility-stacking.
Do it. Do it aggressively. Do it right.
And, by year 5… things will start getting REAL easy.
AND THEN, the money will come.
Anyway, you know the drill. I’ve got a curriculum of coding courses if you need help learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP or MySQL. CSS Grid, AJAX, CSS transitions, OOP. Whatever. It’s all there.
And, you can take it for nothing on SkillShare.
All the details on how are here: https://johnmorrisonline.com/skillshare
Later,
John
