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How I Went From Working at a Call Center to Full-Stack Engineer in 6 Months

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How I Went From Working at a Call Center to Full-Stack Engineer in 6 Months
How I Went From Working at a Call Center to Full-Stack Engineer in 1.5 Years

Learning to code so that you can land a job in tech can feel daunting. That’s why we’re sharing inspiring stories from Codecademy’s community — to show how people like you (yes, you!) can embark on a learning journey and end up with a totally new career. We hope these stories serve as a reminder that there’s no single path to a more fulfilling work life.

Today’s story is from Juan Paredes, a 26-year-old Full-Stack Engineer at healthcare data marketing company TI Health, living in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. Read more stories from Codecademy learners here — and be sure to share your story here.

Why I chose to learn to code

“When I first got to Mexico, I was hired as a Sales Representative in a call center. I was there almost 3 years, and I got promoted to Operations Supervisor. I always loved everything about computers and their technologies. I like to think about how things are made, so I decided to check out free coding courses.

I first started with a free course on a different website, but that website was in Spanish. I was looking for something in English that had all the documents and everything in English. I saw that Codecademy had some free courses, and I liked the way the lessons give you all the documentation — so I’m doing more reading than watching videos.

I did the free JavaScript course and then I decided to pay for the subscription. I started with the Front-End path, and before I ended it, I managed to find my first job as a developer.

Those courses helped me to just do small projects, and I thought, Well, I have so many more ideas for things that I think I can make. That was the crucial moment when I decided that I wanted to be a developer. Me and my wife decided that I should switch careers to something different. I’m currently studying software engineering at the Mexicali Institute of Technology.”  

How I made time to learn

“It was pretty hard to make time, but it was satisfying when I was learning things that I never knew I could have learned. I had moments that I thought coding was never for me, because I felt frustrated. I was working a full-time job, going to college, and then having responsibilities back at home, like paying bills.

I always managed to have at least an hour or two for coding and learning about things. I was working as an Operations Supervisor during the day, I was studying, and then in the evenings, I just took like two hours every day to learn. Sometimes I would wake up earlier so I could check a few more things off; and sometimes I would go to bed later so I could have the time to learn. It helped just having my wife telling me that I can do it.”

How I saved up money to switch careers

“I have my savings, so with that money, I just decided to pay for a Codecademy Pro membership. The other thing that convinced me was that there was a promo for 30% off at the time.

I had to make a difficult decision, because when I was an Operations Supervisor at the call center, I was getting paid well. When I got my first job as a developer, since I didn’t have any experience, I was going to get paid almost half the amount I was getting. And also, I had to go to the office, so I was spending money on gas. I talked with my wife about this and we thought, Well, we’ll have to make a sacrifice at some point in our lives. I knew it was temporary to help me get the experience I needed.”

How long it took me to land a job

“It was in December 2021 that I paid for Codecademy Pro, and by May I got a job, even without finishing the [Front-End Engineer] path. So it was just 5 months. When I came back to finish the Front-End Engineer Path, everything was easier because I had hands-on work experience.”

How I got in the door

“I never felt ready to start applying for jobs, I just went for it. I actually felt pretty confident on the front-end with React. The first developer job position that I applied for was — let’s say it was kind of basic. I applied and they gave me a code challenge that was just to build a simple React app. It was a little bit hard, but I managed to do it, and I got hired. Then, 3 months later, I had enough experience to get the job that I have now.”

How I nailed the interview

“The interview process for this job wasn’t long. I had to go to a first interview, where I just talked with the HR team. Then I got to the technical interview that was with a Product Manager about what technologies I’d be using. Then he told me he was gonna send me a code test to build a full-stack app, but it was on back-end technologies that I didn’t have experience with. So I had to learn [the PHP web application framework] Laravel in like 2 days.

I was a little nervous, because I never had that type of code challenge where I would need to make a full-stack application. I sent it in, and after 9 or 10 days I didn’t get a response*. I thought I didn’t get the position, but then the HR team got in touch with me asking me if I could meet the CEO of the company. I was pretty excited — I wasn’t expecting that honestly.”

*Feel like you’ve been ghosted by a company after an interview? Here’s exactly what to do if you don’t get a response in a reasonable timeframe.

How I evaluated the offer

“When I was working at the call center, I was working from home for 2 years. And when I got my first [developer] job, I had to commute through traffic. Mexicali is a small city, but there’s a lot of people who have to go to school or work on the road in the mornings. It was like a 50-minute ride from my house to the office, and then 50 minutes back. It was very frustrating.

The new job offers 100% home office. I also get better pay and more benefits — like life insurance and all those kinds of benefits for the employee.”

How day one and beyond went

“I felt really good. They introduced me to the team, and I had a few meetings with the CTO who is from California. It’s pretty good to be a part of this team — I’m very excited.

I was really nervous on the first day, because I had to go to the office so they could provide me with the computer and all the things that I’m going to need. After I came back home, I had to configure my computer setup. I felt a little bit dumb because I have always been a Windows user, and they provided me with a Mac. So I didn’t even didn’t even know how to copy and paste things! I had my personal laptop and I was Googling everything, like how to copy on a Mac, how to take a screenshot. I was on a video call with one of the team members and I asked them, ‘Hey, how do I find this folder?’ But he told me that he went through that experience too, and now feels that Mac is way easier than Windows.”

What I wish I knew before I started learning

“You’re not going to remember 100% of what you learn, but if you have an idea, you can go back to it. Nowadays I go back to Codecademy documentation, because it’s very organized. Instead of going to Google to find things I always have the Codecademy Docs open.

Sometimes I was frustrated, and I didn’t want to learn — but that feeling is temporary. My advice to other fellow learners is to just try to learn as much as you can. If you learn something today, you might not use it today or tomorrow, but you might use it in a month.”

Learn like Juan

See the courses and paths that helped him most:

Not sure where to start? Check out our personality quiz! We’ll help you find the best programming language to learn based on your strengths and interests.
Want to share your Codecademy learner story? Drop us a line here. And don’t forget to join the discussions in our community.

Full-Stack Engineer – Kick Start Your Career | Codecademy

As a jack of all trades (and master of quite a few), a full-stack engineer can get a project done from start to finish. In this Career Path, you’ll begin with the front-end, move on to the back-end, then learn to connect the two. By the time you’re done, you’ll have the well-rounded skills needed to…

8 Free Christmas Fonts You Must Know

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8 Free Christmas Fonts You Must Know

If you are planning some seasonal crafts and looking for new fonts, I have something for you! Fresh list of 8 cute Christmas fonts that are 100% free for personal and commercial use. In this post, you will find classic scripts, modern shapes, and some cute graphic styles to match any project you are currently starting. Pick your favorite font, or just download them all to expand your font collection.

Free Christmas Fonts

If you are curious about what fonts I picked, check the image below. It displays a quick preview with a font name written next to it. All the download links can be found at the bottom, just under the preview image. If you are browsing this post at work or do not feel crafty right now, pin the image for later use.

8 Best Free Christmas Fonts with download links

Christmas Sounds | White Christmas | Exmouth | Breamcatcher | Kingthings Christmas | Tangerine | Christmas Card | ChristmasgocDani

Show us your work!

I would love to see what you create using those free Christmas fonts. Make sure to let us know in the comments, or share your creation on social media and tag Designer Blogs.

Don’t forget to let us know which font is your favorite. Do you prefer such graphic fonts, or would you rather see something simpler next time?

Are you looking for even more holiday fonts?

Check our list of 10 stylish holiday fonts and add some to your collection.

read more

Film Club: ‘What Happens to the Migrant Workers Who Built the World Cup?’

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Who are the people that made the World Cup possible?

What Role Do Libraries Play in Your Life?

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Do you use the library to borrow or download books? Connect to the internet? Find a quiet place to read, study or work?

Winter Storm

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How do you feel about winter weather?

Word of the Day: dystopia

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This word has appeared in 75 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?

10 Angular Code Challenges For Beginners

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10 Angular Code Challenges For Beginners

When you’re learning a new programming language or framework, like Angular, a fun way to practice your new skills is with code challenges. These bite-sized tasks usually focus on one or two coding concepts, and they’re designed to be solved relatively quickly so you won’t need to block out a big chunk of time to work on them.

Angular, a front-end framework developed by Google, is built entirely on TypeScript, a subset of JavaScript. With it, you can build beautiful, responsive web apps that look good in any modern browser. But before you dive in, you’ll want to practice your new skills so you have a firm grasp on the framework and coding concepts that you’ll use to build more complex web apps. Here are 10 coding challenges to help you practice and learn more about Angular.

Note that while these challenges are designed for beginners, you’ll still need to have a solid foundation in JavaScript since TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript. If you need a refresher, check out our Learn JavaScript course. And if you’re looking for an Angular course to take before you try out these challenges, here’s our Learn AngularJS course.

Also note that you can complete these challenges in your local coding environment or from anywhere, even your phone, using one of many online coding tools that allow you to import Angular and run your code in the browser. Here are two popular options:

1. Build a toolbar component

In this challenge, you’ll build a toolbar like you see on many websites that have the title of the site and navigation links. The title of the site will be passed into the component, and the site links will be nested within it. The title should be on the left side and 3-4 links should go on the right side. You can use popular sites like Google or Gmail for the links. For this challenge, you’ll use `ng-content` and `@Input()`.

2. Build an Angular card component

All sorts of apps use cards to display content that repeats. You often see them on mobile apps and websites. For this challenge, build a card that accepts a title, subtitle, and icon. It should also accept a nested footer and body content. You’ll need to use `ng-content` , `@Input()`, `ngIf`, and dynamic class binding to complete this challenge.

3. Build an accordion

Accordions, components with one or more expandable sections, help save space in UI design. If you’re working on the front-end of an application, you’ll use accordions a lot. For this challenge, your accordion will accept a list and render it. The content in your list will include a title, a body, and an icon to open and close the accordion. You’ll use `ng-content`, `@Input()`, `ngFor`, and dynamic class binding, and you’ll also implement a click handler.

4. Build a credit card formatter

If you’re working with large numbers, like credit cards that have 16 digits, it’s easier for people to read them when they’re formatted. So for this challenge, try creating a pipe in Angular that will take a credit card number as a string and return the number with dashes between each set of characters. Only consider 16-digit numbers as valid and place the dash between every four digits. Your code should return an error if a number was entered that doesn’t have 16 characters. For this challenge, you will use `@Pipe()` and `PipeTransform`.

5. Build a star rating component

In this challenge, you’ll build a star rating component that accepts a value of 0-5, including half values like 4.5. The component should render the correct amount of stars, including empty stars and half stars. You’ll use `@Component()`, `@Input()`, `ngFor`, and `ngIf`.

6. Create an Angular pipe that sorts

Create a pipe that accepts an array of strings and a sort direction value of either `asc` or `desc“. If there isn’t a sort direction value, simply return the original list, and if the value to sort isn’t an array, throw an error. For this challenge, you’ll use `@Pipe()` and `PipeTransform`.

7. Detect a dirty form

The first step in this challenge is to create a form. Then, build a form guard that will ask the user if they want to continue without saving if the form is dirty (i.e., the value of the form has changed). You’ll use `@Injectable()` and `CanDeactivate` to complete this challenge.

8. Create a bottom sheet component

In this challenge, build a bottom sheet component that supports whatever control you choose. Here you’ll be using `@Component()`, `ng-content`, `(click)`, and dynamic class binding.

9. Create a loader

When someone is waiting for data to load on a website, it’s helpful to let them know that the process has started. It’s also good to keep them informed while the process is still happening. The most common way to do this is with a spinning loader. So for this challenge, create a loader that can accept both a graphic for a spinning loader and simple text. You’ll use `@Component()`,` @Input()`, `Enum`, `ngSwitch`, and `ngSwitchCase` to do this.

10. Create a pop-up

Create a basic pop-up in Angular that is displayed by a click on another element, like a button. In this challenge, you’ll be using `@Component()`, `@Input()`, `ng-content`, `fadeInOutAnimation`, `ngIf`, `(click)`, `of()`, `delay()`, `pipe()`, and `unsubscribe()`.

Build your Angular skills

How’d you do with these challenges? Were they a breeze or do you feel like you need a refresher? If it’s time for a review, check out our Learn AngularJS course where you’ll learn how to build single-page web applications. This course requires a strong foundation in JavaScript and HTML, so if you need a refresher on either of those first, take a look at our Learn JavaScript and Learn HTML courses. Then you can dive into the Angular course.

If you enjoyed these challenges and you’d like to check out more, we hold daily and weekly code challenges to help keep your skills sharp. You can find more details on these challenges here. And if you want to explore other JavaScript frameworks, we also have a Learn Vue.js course and a Learn React course, both designed for beginners.

Web Development Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy

Web Development is the practice of developing websites and web apps that live on the internet. Whether you’re interested in front-end, back-end, or going full-stack, our web development courses will help you get there.

Teenagers in The Times: Fall 2022

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A roundup of the news stories and features about young people that have appeared across sections of NYTimes.com since August.

12 Docker Interview Questions That You Can Practice to Ace Your Technical Interview

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12 Docker Interview Questions That You Can Practice to Ace Your Technical Interview

If you’re applying for jobs that involve managing and deploying applications, chances are you’ll be expected to know Docker, the platform that helps developers build, share, and run applications. Jobs like Software Developer, DevOps Engineer, Python Developer, Data Engineer, and many more all use Docker regularly.

Since this will be an essential skill for you to succeed in your new role, you’ll want to be prepared for any Docker interview questions that might come your way during the interview process. And one of the best ways you can prepare is to set up a mock interview  — particularly when it comes to the technical interview. You can ask someone to help you by playing the role of the interviewer and asking you a series of questions that are likely to come up in your interview. This helps you practice answering questions out loud, and it’ll also help you identify any questions you need to flesh out before your interview.

Tip: If you’re interviewing remotely, consider setting up your mock interview over Zoom. This way, you can practice in a similar way to how your real interview will be conducted. You can also use Zoom on your own and record yourself answering questions. That way, you can play the recording back and see how you did.

To help you practice, here are 12 Docker interview questions and tips on how to answer them.

1. What is a Docker container?

Docker containers are comprised of the applications you create plus their dependencies. They can run as systems that are isolated but are in the host system. They share system resources and kernel resources with other containers.

Docker containers eliminate infrastructure dependency when deploying and running applications. This enables these applications to run on any platform regardless of the supporting infrastructure.

2. What are Docker images?

Docker images are executable packages that are bundled with the code and dependencies of an application. Their purpose is to create containers, and you can deploy them to any Docker environment. The containers can then be used to run the application.

3. What is a Docker file?

A docker file is a text file containing all the commands that need to be run to build a particular image. Docker automatically builds images by reading the instructions from this file.

4. What’s the functionality of a hypervisor?

A hypervisor is software that enables virtualization to occur. This is sometimes called a virtual machine monitor, and it divides the host resources and allocates them to each installed guest environment.

Hypervisors allow multiple operating systems to be installed on one host system. There are two types of hypervisors — native and hosted.

A native hypervisor, also referred to as a bare-metal hypervisor, runs on the underlying host system. This ensures it has direct access to the host hardware, so a base operating system is not required.

A hosted hypervisor uses the underlying host operating system, which contains the existing operating system.

5. What is Docker Compose?

Docker Compose is a tool that uses YAML files to configure all the details of the services needed to set up a Docker-based application. It also includes a number of commands that can be used to manage an instance, such as checking the status of a service, outputting logs, or canceling and rebuilding a service.

6. What is Docker Namespace?

A Namespace is a feature of Linux for partitioning operating system resources in a manner that’s mutually exclusive. Within Docker, namespaces form the isolated workspaces that constitute a container.  Docker namespaces are portable and don’t affect the underlying host.

7. Which Docker command lists the status of all containers?

The command for listing the status of Docker containers is docker ps -a.

8. What would cause you to lose data stored in a container?

This question could catch you off guard since it’s sort of a trick question. But remember that data stored in a container remains there unless the container is deleted.

9. What is Docker Image Registry?

Docker Image Registry is an area where you store Docker images. Rather than converting the applications to containers each time, developers can directly use these images.

The registry can be private or public. Docker Hub is a very popular public registry.

10. What’s a Docker Hub?

A Docker Hub is a service provided by Docker for managing and sharing container images. Much like GitHub, Docker Hub makes it easy to administer and share resources with your team.

11. How many Docker components exist?

There are three Docker components: Docker Client, Docker Host, and Docker Registry.

Docker Client performs operations like build and run when you need to communicate with the Docker Host. It contains the main Docker daemon and hosts containers with their associated images. The daemon connects to the Docker Registry. Docker Registry stores the images and can be private or public.

12. How do you check for the current version of the Docker client and server?

All information about Docker client and server versions can be obtained using the command “docker version” (minus the quotes). You can obtain only the server version by typing docker version –format ‘{{.Server.Version}}’

Get more technical interview prep

If you’re looking for additional resources to prepare for your technical interview, check out our complete guide to the technical interview and our tips on how to ace the whiteboard interview. You may also be asked a series of behavioral questions at some point during the interview process. Behavioral questions can be scenario-based and are designed to demonstrate your critical thinking skills. Check out our advice on answering common behavioral interview questions.

For even more interview support or job-hunting advice, check out our Career Center for resume and portfolio tips and more interview resources.

If you’re interested in learning a new skill, check out our course catalog for a list of courses that can help you take your career to the next level.

DevOps Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy

DevOps combines the words “development” and “operations,” and it refers to a collaborative approach to building applications. The goal of DevOps is to help a team work more efficiently by using the right tools and software development processes for the situation.

Web Development Courses & Tutorials | Codecademy

Web Development is the practice of developing websites and web apps that live on the internet. Whether you’re interested in front-end, back-end, or going full-stack, our web development courses will help you get there.

15 Real-World Coding Projects You Can Finish In Under 1 Hour

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15 Real-World Coding Projects You Can Finish In Under 1 Hour
15 Real-World Coding Projects You Can Finish In Under 1 Hour

When you’re adding learning to code to your already busy life, it can be tough to carve out the time you need to pick up new information and practice your skills. The good news? If you only have an hour a day to commit to coding, projects are a hands-on way to review what you’ve learned in Codecademy courses and paths.

Codecademy practice projects are ideal when you’re short on time and just want to quickly brush up on a particular coding concept. The projects are based on real-world scenarios (though the names and companies in the projects are totally fictional), so you’ll get to explore the creative ways that developers use code to solve problems in our daily lives.

As you browse the Codecademy project library, you’ll notice a time estimate that tells you how long it should take you to complete a project, plus the level of guidance that you’ll get along the way. There are projects that take you 20-plus hours to complete and can be used in a professional portfolio, and ones that are just for practice that you can breeze through in 15 minutes.

Before you jump in, it’s important to remember that everyone works at a different pace. You might need a little extra time to complete a project if you’re brand new to a language or concept, and that’s no problem. Codecademy courses, paths, and projects are designed for self-guided learning, so you get to determine the speed that works best for your life, and you can pause and take a break whenever you need.

To help get you started, here are some Codecademy practice projects for our most popular programming languages that you can complete in under an hour.

Python projects that take less than 1 hour

Honey Production

How much time you need: 42 minutes

Try linear regression using NumPy or Pandas to investigate the population of honeybees.

Block Letters

How much time you need: 40 minutes

Experiment with the graphic design technique ASCII art by writing a Python program that prints your initials.

Gradebook

How much time you need: 24 minutes

Organize subjects and grades with Python lists.

JavaScript projects that take less than 1 hour

Kelvin Weather

How much time you need: 39 minutes

Convert temperature forecasts on a weather website from Kelvin to Farenheit using JavaScript variables.

Animal Fun Facts

How much time you need: 30 minutes

Build an interactive program with JavaScript React that will display a variety of facts about animals.

Video Player

How much time you need: 33 minutes

Make a responsive video player using JavaScript React components.

HTML/CSS projects that take less than 1 hour

Wine Festival Schedule

How much time you need: 33 minutes

Use your HTML chops to build a table that displays an event schedule on a web page.

Reel Good Reviews

How much time you need: 36 minutes

A movie review website needs help improving its readability and navigation on mobile devices.

Healthy Recipes

How much time you need: 24 minutes

Give a recipe website a makeover with CSS selectors.

Java projects that take less than 1 hour

Java Variables: Mad Libs

How much time you need: 30 minutes

Create Java variables for a fill-in-the-blank word game.

The Prime Directive

How much time you need: 40 minutes

Use Java loops to identify prime numbers in a sequence (BTW, this is a common technical challenge in programming interviews).

Planting a Tree

How much time you need: 17 minutes

Write a Java program from scratch that “plants” virtual trees.

SQL projects that take less than 1 hour

Lyft Trip Data

How much time you need: 33 minutes

Combine data from different rows using SQL table joins.

New York Restaurants

How much time you need: 36 minutes

Write the most common SQL queries to answer questions about NYC restaurants.

Calculating Churn Rates

How much time you need: 30 minutes

Use SQL to compare subscription churn rates for two segments of users.

Get more coding practice

If you’re looking for other ways to test your programming knowledge, try a coding challenge, like these beginner-friendly challenges for Python, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, Java, and SQL. You could also stretch your creativity and make your own project inspired by a problem in your own life.

Check out the entire Codecademy project library for even more opportunities to sharpen your skills and apply what you learn to real-life coding projects. And don’t forget to share your finished projects with other learners in Codecademy forums.  

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