Congrats on getting through your coding bootcamp! Navigating that high-pressure, high-stakes learning process during a global pandemic is no mean feat. I hope you can give yourself the credit you deserve and take enough pause for a deep breath before throwing yourself into the job hunt. Seriously.

So, you've gained these skills and now it's time to put yourself out there. Perhaps you're switching careers mid-adulthood, without much idea about what lays ahead. Here are some useful tips to help you with this next big step.

Believe In Yourself

As cliché as it sounds, this is a vital component to coming across as a strong candidate in interviews. As humans, we are hard-coded to sense the self-deprecation in others, and while this can be charming in social situations, it's important that we learn to validate ourselves as professionals navigating the often cut-throat world of tech. The question is, how?

Most bootcamps are split into two halves: getting those coding fundamentals into your brain, AND getting you career ready. Lean into the resources you have. Do you have a career coach through your bootcamp? Make sure that if you do, you're taking the initiative to coordinate with them and utilize their know-how. If you don't have access to that resource, then lean into your network. Maybe you made friends with classmates in your cohort -- and if so -- utilize them! Make sure it's mutual of course, and look over one another's resumes, portfolio websites and endorse one another on LinkedIn.

Just the act of getting your resume in shape and updating your online presence can be a huge self-esteem boost. Once you've done this, give yourself the afternoon to validate your work. How you present yourself online is how recruiters and hiring managers will see you. Pat yourself on the back, because you're like, a professional now!

Fake It Till You Make It

Maybe there is a well of self-doubt or existential dread in the pit of your stomach at the thought of "putting yourself out there". Perhaps there is a high of anxiety ("Can I really do this?") or a low of depression ("I'll never be able to do this!") running through your nervous system. Welcome to Imposter Syndrome.

Say hello to it. Welcome it in. It's not going anywhere, even after you get a job. With time you will get better at choosing your own knowledge over its nasty voice. If you can breathe through its machinations, then perhaps you can find the thrill in it, and allow it to work for you as part of what drives you forward. You're a sovereign human being. You are the boss of you. Tell that thing to get back to work when it starts its daily torture regimen.

After all, as a wise senior dev once told me, "It's not the smartest people who make the best devs. It's the ones who keep going through the inevitable frustration and disappointment."

After graduation, there may be a lot of pressure to learn a million new languages, libraries and frameworks. If you already have good comprehension of the stack taught in bootcamp, then go ahead and dive into something new. But my recommendation is to gently ease up on the gas pedal. Bootcamps cram a metric crap-ton of learning into a few months, and going back through the stack, revising tricky concepts, and practicing the fundamentals by building or refactoring small projects will do wonders for confidence. Especially if you're coming from a non-technical background.

Can you articulate what is happening in your code? Do you know the correct terminology, and can you break concepts down for non-coders? Speaking with confidence about what you've built is a skill that interviewers will pick up on. It's also helpful to think about the context of the interview. If it's a screening interview with a recruiter or HR person, it's best to leave the programming lingo for the technical interview.

Showcase Your Skills

I'd hazard a guess that in this day and age most bootcamp grads have a social media presence. Those same social networking skills can be applied to one's career. Coming from a non-technical background might seem like a hindrance at first, but leaning into the skills gained from past careers can help you to stand out.

Leveraging your abilities in a brand statement that gets published on LinkedIn and/or on a portfolio website can look good to potential recruiters and hiring managers. Don't be afraid to get creative! Examples are always useful, so I'll use myself here:

I spent my twenties managing bars and restaurants, and during that time, I also became a certified counselor. Both bartending and counseling gave me the ability to work closely with people both one-on-one and as part of a team. Working in a busy bar environment taught me how to communicate well under stress and de-escalate situations caused by heightened emotion. Managing a team gave me the skills to break down large tasks and delegate to others.

A brand statement I could craft from the above paragraph is this:

Full-stack developer and tech educator with a background in counseling and management. Skilled at balancing functionality and accessibility in the pursuit of engaging development and design. Recognized for excellent communication and leadership within the team environment.

How can you leverage your past career to showcase the talents and skills gained along the way? Think creatively, ask old coworkers and friends, and make a list. Try drafting a brand statement that shows what you can do and how that applies to your career as a developer. Then slap that bad boy on your resume, professional networking profiles, and portfolio.

Again, well done on getting through the ordeal of a coding bootcamp. So many folks drop from bootcamps, whether due to extenuating circumstances or the fact that learning to code is HARD. But you did it! You made it. And now you're here, on the precipice of the big next step.

I assume I'm talking to other nerds here, so I'll close with the Litany Against Fear from Dune:

"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."