How do I get started?

Four years ago, I had a failed startup. The only company I applied for an internship rejected me. My final semester was coming to an end. And I hadn’t felt more lost.

Today, I am a full-time software developer. I have helped build dozens of products for clients across the globe.

The journey was not an easy one. But it is something anyone can do. Only most people have difficulty starting out.

I know this because a lot of college seniors have asked me, “How do I get started?” You can either spend four years figuring out the journey yourself or spend 5 minutes reading through this article.

So back to me in 2019. I decided I would give it a second try. With enough preparation this time around, I got accepted. I was in for a rigorous 3 month-long internship program.

23 soon-to-graduate students in the same room, all fighting to land a job. I felt an immense sense of competition. No one actually addressed the tension in that room but each one of us wanted to be better than the next person.

Why am I telling you all this? I want you to create the same environment as we had in there.

No, I am not asking you to go internship hunting. While I am sure that will work, it might not be as feasible. Instead, find someone who is as passionate about learning as you are. And hold each other accountable for whatever it is you do. There you go, that’s step one.

I recommend you find a partner because of what I realized in that internship. The power of healthy competition.

In that room, we were all pushing each another to do better. And, if someone looked ahead of you, you pushed yourself more. That’s why finding someone to share your journey is so crucial. Healthy competition keeps you going.

Now you may be wondering, what do I actually do once I have a partner? Good question. That’s step two.

It’s simple. Work on projects you will love. Simple, not easy.

One of my friends in that internship decided to build a game. And not any game. It was Doodle jump. I am sure you loved it as a child.

He was nervous when he chose the game though. There were a lot of unknowns. The sensors, the tunnels, the haptics, the sound, the villains - too complicated for everyone in that room. But it was not the same for him in a few days’ time (btw it’s still complicated for me today).

As days passed by, his project outpaced the rest of ours. Not because he was the best coder in the room. But because he loved the game. He googled his way through any hurdles that came between him and the final version of the game he was so familiar with.

In two weeks, he iterated the game many times. Finally, his version ended up becoming a complete replica of Doodle Jump. I could see the pride on his face and it was well deserved.

Did you notice why he chose that game? It was simply because he loved it. He didn't choose something that was easy or challenging or something that made sense.

I ask you to do the same. Don’t try to make sense of your very first project. Because nothing makes sense at first. Take that one thing you love and begin. You will either succeed or fail but either way, you will learn, and most importantly you will get started.

And you know what? We loved his project. Fellow interns, and mentors. Everyone surrounded him. Everyone wanted to play the game and say something. This brings me to my final point.

Publish your work. It’s not an option. It is non-negotiable. You could build the future of humankind but if it stays in your computer, it does not matter.

What matters is publishing any tiny, embarrassing, unoriginal thing you create. The mistake most people make is they completely ignore this step. They feel like they did the job once they have something on their computer.

But I argue that this is the most important and difficult step of the three. You will feel exposed and vulnerable, but it will pay off.

Remember I told you how my friend’s project went through many iterations? It was only possible because of all the feedback he received.

He got a lot of ideas from his audience and that made his work a lot more desirable, which attracted even more people. This created a positive feedback loop and as a result, his project was better. He learned a lot. And if you consider landing a job a success, he succeeded.

Perform these three steps, and I am confident that you will find yourself getting a hang of things. You will stop feeling lost as I did.

Even better, repeat the process a couple of times. I will guarantee you will find yourself falling in love with software development.

Until next time, happy coding!