ALTERNATE UNIVERSE DEV

The Scrimba Podcast

How Justin got his first developer job at 33

Meet Justin Lowen (Justin Lowen#3893 on Discord) from San Antonio πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ.
Justin lost his job in the oil industry because of COVID-19. Less than one year later (and after 163 job applications) he was recruited as a professional developer!Being recruited isn't something that happens by accident.Β 

After 163 applications and several failed interviews, Justin managed to progressively optimise his LinkedIn, polish his resume and used Scrimba to close skills gaps revealed in previous interviews. I spoke to Justin so YOU can learn from his experience.

In this interview, I also spoke to Justin about:

  • Justin's shotgun approach wherein he applied to more than 160 jobs
  • Changing career later in life - going from senior petroleum engineer to junior software engineer
  • Who should you listen to when it comes to CV/resume advice?
  • How to be humble and prove you don't think you're "over-qualified" while still highlighting your potential to transfer skills from your previous, more senior role
  • How to compete with young computer science and traditional bootcamp graduates

Episode source