Scott and Wes give their best advice for beginners, including tech skills, applying for jobs, focus, imposter syndrome, and more… Coffeecup’s CSS Grid Builder Tool — Sponsor Check out Coffeecup’s CSS Grid.cc builder tool and resources to learn, prototype and build next gen layouts with CSS Grid! Freshbooks - Sponsor Get a 30 day free trial of Freshbooks at freshbooks.com/syntax and put SYNTAX in the “How did you hear about us?” section. Show Notes 4:46 - Advice for gaining new skills Patience and momentum are key You likely won’t get anywhere significant in two months Think about where you want to be in five years Start small Start with was excites you and let that drive your exploration Start writing code ASAP. Don’t worry about the right way, just get started. 17:15 - Advice for applying to jobs Apply for everything. Failing an interview is no big deal. Each interview is an opportunity to gain experience Putting yourself out there is huge - one blog post, YouTube video, or open source project will put you miles ahead Have an entrepreneurial mindset - you can negotiate money, hardware, vacation time, flexible schedule, etc. Don’t just google “average salary” Negotiate salaries and perks. 29:32 - Advice for knowing what to focus on What gets you jazzed? Find something cool and figure out how to recreate it. Find a problem and figure out how to solve it - build real things. Don’t focus on tech - tech is just a tool. 38:32 - Advice for impostor syndrome Listen to this podcast! ;) Almost everyone has it. Don’t worry about other people’s progress. You don’t need to know how to do everything, but you should be able to figure out how to learn. 46:45 - Misc advice Evaluate things for yourself - don’t blindly follow the loudest voices on the internet Focus on soft skills as well - time management, communication Get a mentor Health and Hobbies - don’t let yourself burnout Links Ep 044 - How to Learn New Things Quickly Javascript30 ××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ××× Scott: Sony A7iii Wes: Zevia Shameless Plugs Scott’s Level Up Tuts Pro Wes’ Stickers Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets