Karina Macancela

I hear a lot of stories about how people break into tech these days. My story is a little different. I'll set the scene. It's 2008. I'm studying print design in college at The College of Staten Island, City University of New York. A friend of mine said a professor of his was starting a no-fee bootcamp with 5 other students. (This was a couple of years before coding bootcamps were a thing. He was ahead of his time.) I met with the professor to discuss the details. He said something the effect of "Print is dead, come with me if you want to live...comfortably." Fast forward a few weeks later and we were working out of an art and tech center called Eyebeam in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York. A few months later, we became an agency and I officially swapped Pantone swatches for a keyboard. We made minimum wage while gaining experience building sites for clients. At the same time, I was completing an internship with Spike TV for college credit then got my first job at Marvel as a front-end developer in 2009. 16 years and an appetizer combo platter of companies later and I haven't left the field. I've gained more skills, worked for fortune 500 companies, agencies, and startups, managed teams, saved and earned companies hundreds of thousands of dollars by implementing WCAG standards, work flow procedures, streamlining processes for faster delivery times, and mentored new devs. I've been in tech a long time and have no immediate plans to leave. A few years ago, a study was conducted by Accenture and tech education organization, Girls Who Code. The report indicated half of young women who go into tech leave by age 35. (https://lnkd.in/dxHMm7HS) I love this field too much and have come too far in my career to become a statistic. I'm currently expanding my skill set to become full stack by taking courses, contributing to open source, and freelancing. I don't know if it's sheer stubbornness, grit, or passion for building and maintaining products that's keeping me in this field but whatever the reason, I know I can be invaluable to an organization. I've done it before countless times and I can do it again.

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Check out this treasure trove of resources By Arvind Telharkar! Perfect for leveling up skills.

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It’s official: landing a software engineering job is tougher now than it was just a few years ago. With many startups shutting down and big companies laying off employees, candidates with 0-5 years of experience are feeling the pinch. What can you do? Shift your storytelling from tools and languages to the impact you've made. Highlight who your users were, how you improved their lives, and any recognition you received. Remember, outcomes matter more than just the technologies you used!

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I have had several people reach out to me lately inquiring about coding bootcamps, from here and my YouTube. Here is how I would decide on which bootcamp you should attend: 1. Think about what technology you want to use. No point in doing a data bootcamp if you want to be a developer. 2. Understand that bootcamps are a hell of a lot to take on. There is a lot of information being thrown at you in a relatively short period. 3. We all learn differently. Reach out to the bootcamp and ask about their teaching styles and ask about any reservations you have. 4. Inquire about their career services. Most are quite lacking here so it is worth digging in and seeing what they offer. 5. Think about how much time you have to dedicate, as most are full-time. IF you have a family or other commitments you may need more support from them. What would you add?

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Jr. Devs, When you are sitting in that interview chair trying not to say the wrong thing and trying to remember all the stuff you’ve been told about how to interview well, don’t forget this one thing that should give you at least a little more confidence. You're not the only one being interviewed. You may think… duh, there are tons of candidates for this job. However, that’s not what I’m talking about. You are interviewing the company. Most Jr. Devs don’t think like this because, frankly, most Jr. Devs are just trying to get a job and they often don’t care or don’t consider the company or the culture they end up in. I’ve spent a lot of time on the DevMentorDave YouTube channel recently talking about mentoring and the need for it in our organizations. But that’s only one part of finding the right fit. The company is looking for candidates they think will fit what they need. Notice I said, ‘NEED”. They don’t just hire because it’s fun (it’s not). They need someone and you need to make sure they are a good fit for YOU before accepting an offer or before leaving the interview. Don’t just ask questions you found on a website or were given by a recruiter. Think about what matters to you as an employee and as an individual and ask questions that will impact how you work and impact your success and future. That level of confidence and interaction in the interview may just set you apart from the pack, even if your dev skills are the same as all the other candidates. #juniordeveloper #mentoring #interview 

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Your new hire might be on their way out sooner than you think: Wondering why? According to SHRM, 20% of new hires leave within the first 45 days. But why? Bonus: Sharing Editable Resume template to get dream jobs Meta Resume Template for Software Engineers Get it here: https://lnkd.in/gU6QZsBu 🍏 Apple Resume Template for Software Engineers Get it here: https://lnkd.in/gW-8ab9z 📦 Amazon Resume Template for Software Engineers Get it here: https://lnkd.in/gP-YZyfD 🍿 Netflix Resume Template for Software Engineers Get it here: https://lnkd.in/g6FWDNZF There are several reasons, including: ➜ Inadequate training ➜ Lack of feedback ➜ Poor integration into the team ➜ Job not meeting expectations You can change this trend. Employers with a well-structured onboarding program see a 69% higher retention rate over three years. (Source: LinkedIn) The secret? Support from day one. Here's a roadmap to take care of your new hires: Days 1-30: ➜ Meet the team. ➜ Complete necessary training. ➜ Set initial goals. ➜ Learn company values. Days 31-60: ➜ Grasp key performance indicators (KPIs). ➜ Discuss performance progress. ➜ Expand your internal network. ➜ Start small projects. Days 61-90: ➜ Propose solutions to problems. ➜ Continue skill development. ➜ Stay organized to meet deadlines. ➜ Keep building trust with the team. Days 91-120: ➜ Review overall performance. ➜ Optimize workflows. ➜ Seek continuous feedback. ➜ Plan for long-term objectives. Don’t just onboard—educate. Don’t just onboard—connect. Don’t just onboard—empower. Credit:- Justin Mecham and Want a PDF of his top infographics? 👇 ▶️ Go Here: https://lnkd.in/g2xbnwhp Please repost to help others! ♻️

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Are colleges/universities failing Computer Science grads in 2024? The vast majority of CS grads end up working as software engineers. But many CS grads are unable to answer basic programming questions during an interview. (We talked about OOP last week). Why should CS grads have to invest in a bootcamp or additional hands-on training to land a job after a pricy college degree? We provide these hands-on skills at no cost at HTD Talent, but we can only help so many. Has this been your experience? What do you think is behind it? Let me know in the comments.

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Aspiring developers may not want to hear this but... Most of you need to change your job search strategy in two ways: 1. You should be willing to work for free to gain professional experience. It should be part-time, and it has to line up with your schedule, allowing you to still work another job and pay the bills. There's absolutely no excuse not to IF you realize that you need to trade the time that you would have invested into building out your portfolio for professional experience. So if you're arguing that you don't have time to work for free, that means you don't have time to work on your portfolio. In that case, you're probably not going to have enough time to grow your skills and land that first developer job. 2. Don't limit yourself to only remote positions. Before the pandemic, it was extremely rare to land a remote position as an entry-level developer. The pandemic gave developers a false sense of confidence that remote jobs would always be widely available to entry-level developers. That was temporary. The sooner you accept that the sooner you can base your job search strategy on the reality of the current job market.

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"How do I get my first job in DE or DS?" I feel horrible when I tell this to people. But look, the market is just really bad for junior engineers and scientists. There are a lot of startups right now and startups need people who can come in and build stuff. It sucks, but junior engineers take additional handholding before they can become independent, which (a) means you're not getting as much work per dollar for the salary you give to a junior, and (b) senior engineers are made temporarily less productive because they need to slow down to mentor juniors I'm not saying this is right or good. But this statement is generally true: the less onboarding you need, the more options you have in where you can work. --- The "bright" side is that in the tech space, you can manufacture your own experience without needing to get a job: building personal projects--ideally 1-2 super deep ones. If you have a family, specifically kids... I don't know. I'm pro family and I believe you're doing something amazing. Similar statement if you're struggling with health issues. The market only cares about output. I think what we're seeing is there are few "true entrylevel jobs". So if you can "make yourself into a mid-level or senior engineer" on your own time, you're suddenly in a new category of applicants and (in my experience) will find that there ARE jobs to be found. There is a simple formula for getting a job in software and DS: Inputs: Pre-onboard yourself. By getting experience and learning. By doing personal projects. And be decent at Leetcode. Outputs: The output is higher *likelihood* of getting accepted and having more options. People who keep the formula going long enough get jobs. But many stop because life pulls them away. Honestly, this outcome is totally fine--especially if they learned they don't find joy in SWE/DS. I'm just here to say that if you STAY and do the formula, it will happen. No guarantees on time, but for reference, I'd bet that a reasonable time frame to expect success is <2 years--potentially much faster or slower depending on your rate of investment. --- I don't have the time I once did to mentor 1:1, but: I'm willing to make Udemy course free for you. It teaches the basics of SWE principles, which are core for both DS- and DE-bound people. It covers the first skills you'd need before you can bring Python to production in any field: git, VS Code, GitHub, CI/CD, packaging, testing, etc. If you're at a point in your life where you can watch 27 hours of videos and another 27 following along with the exercises, I'll gladly send you a code to make it free. Comment or DM and tell me a bit about your situation and I'll send you a link. Happy to accept referrals if you know someone who this would be good for, but I'd like them to message me themselves to indicate that they want this.

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A quick list I put together of my least favorite times to be rejected: - 8 minutes after submitting - on my birthday - federal holidays - after work hours - on the weekend - ever (please hire me) #webdevelopment #jokes #softwareengineer #webdev #hireme #helpmeImpoor

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At first I don’t know what’s the difference between being a software engineer, software developer or programmer But later come know that they have some differences 1. A Software programmer is someone who focuses specifically on writing code and taking design and specifications provided by software developer or engineer translate it into line of code. They mainly focused on programming languages 2. Software developer is someone who builds software features and applications. Their main role is to take ideas 💡 or a concept and turn it into functioning software. They may also work with programmers for advanced coding tasks. 3. Software engineer on the other hand take more of a engineering approach to building a systems software. They consider aspects like system architecture, security, performance and scalability etc.. #softwareengineer #softwaredeveloper #softwareprogrammer

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Engineering Managers/Senior Devs, please help us job seekers out. Aside from the obvious (experience with XYZ technology), what skills do you believe new devs are lacking? Code reviews? Testing? Agile practices? What is it? Rejecting people and making blanket statements of not enough experience doesn't help anyone. There are fleets of people dying to improve and meet your demands, but you are not telling us what to work on.

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🔹 Why is LinkedIn Important for Programmers? LinkedIn is a unique platform that can greatly influence your career in the programming world. Regardless of your experience level, it connects you with new opportunities and like-minded professionals. 👉 How LinkedIn Can Support Your Growth: 1️⃣ A Complete Profile is Your First Step to Success Filling out your profile with accurate information about your education, skills, and experience is essential. Your profile is often your first impression on potential employers, so make it clean, complete, and professional. 2️⃣ Post Regularly to Highlight Your Skills Share updates on your projects, new technologies you’re learning, and your experiences in programming. Consistent posting helps you stay visible to HR professionals and industry leaders. Remember, it’s never too late to learn something new, and LinkedIn is a great way to explore opportunities. Share your experiences-how has LinkedIn helped you? #LinkedInTips #CareerGrowth #ProgrammingLife #DeveloperJourney #TechCareers #JobSearch #Networking #TechIndustry #LinkedInSuccess #SoftwareEngineer

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PRACTICE RESPONSE FOR REJECTION There is an aspect of the professional soft skill certification I took last month, specifically under the subsection on building resilience. The section was titled "Practice Response for Rejection." In reality, nobody likes to hear "No," so we often avoid asking others for things. For example, "If I ask him to explain a concept to me, he might say no," or he might think, "How can someone of your age not know that?" Right? Yeah. To build your resilience threshold, this section emphasized asking people for things you're unsure about receiving, things you're likely to receive, and more challenging requests. However, you don't need to ask for outrageous things. The reason practising this is important is that it helps you get used to hearing "No." During this process, it's essential to keep your internal dialogue positive while managing your verbal response. Your internal dialogue will help you respond positively without feeling dejected. You don't need to apologize for asking—it's not a crime! "No" is also an answer, and you shouldn't feel down because you didn't get what you asked for. Building resilience is attractive and not an easy thing to achieve, but it's realistic. Cheers! #resilence

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SWE Industry: Never manipulate strings in Prod if it can be avoided, and if seen in a PR by a staff/principal engineer would immediately be rejected Job Market: Manipulate these strings in weird ways on this assessment so you can get this job... Wild, if you are interviewing software engineers, give them real world problems to solve, not some arbitrary random string manipulation that we would never do in production. You're likely missing out on a lot of talented people.

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𝙈𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠👩🏻‍💻 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙁𝘼𝘼𝙉𝙂 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮🏢, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙨🚀 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙🍃. Unlocking Success⚡: The Attitude👨🏻‍💻 Traits That Define a Top Programmer👩‍💻 So, one📌 thing that creates a big difference⚡ among crowds🧑🏻‍🤝‍🧑 i.e., attitude. For success📌, attitude is as much important🍃 as ability📚👩🏻‍💻. In the ever-evolving world🌏 of technology👩🏻‍💻, being a top🔝 programmer👩🏻‍💻 isn't just about mastering languages👨🏻‍💻 and frameworks👨🏻‍💻—it's about cultivating the right attitude👨🏻‍💻. Here are a few key traits🪜 that set exceptional programmers apart🍃: 💎ᴄᴜʀɪᴏꜱɪᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴏᴜꜱ ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ📚 The best programmers never stop learning. They're driven by curiosity and constantly seek to expand their knowledge and skills. 💎𝓡𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓫𝓵𝓮𝓶-𝓢𝓸𝓵𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰🔍 Challenges are opportunities in disguise. Top programmers face bugs and setbacks head-on, turning obstacles into learning experiences. 💎𝕮𝖔𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕮𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖚𝖓𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 🤝 Great code isn’t written in isolation. They understand the value of teamwork and communicate effectively to bring ideas to life. 💎𝓐𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓓𝓮𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓵 🔬 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼. They write clean, efficient code and understand that the small things can make a big difference. 💎𝓟𝓪𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓔𝓷𝓽𝓱𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓪𝓼𝓶 ❤️ Their love for coding goes beyond a job. It’s a passion that fuels their drive and creativity every day. 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐞! 🚀 #Programming #TechLife #ContinuousLearning #Resilience #Teamwork #AttentionToDetail #PassionForCoding #FAANG #softwareengineers #softwaredeveloper

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From "tunnel rat" to senior engineer with FAANG on the resume - a TL;DR of my salary journey in tech: 2005-2015: Worked for the MTA in NYC as a Track Worker. I was literally swinging hammers on the rails, laying down tracks. 2015: Attended General Assembly, a 3-month bootcamp, and learned how to code. Quickly resonated with Front End development. Was the 1st in my class to get a job offer and by the summer I was working at Accenture. This represented an $11k raise from the MTA. 2016: Gave myself a $22k raise and accepted a job at L2 Inc. My first startup! I learned React here as well. Good times. 2017: Gave myself a $24k raise and accepted a job at Transfix. To this day, this was one my my favorite companies to work for. This was a hard company to leave, but I was early in my career making up for lost time in the tunnels. I also spit a verse over a dope beat as my farewell email and sent it to the whole company. 2018: Gave myself a $48k raise - welcome to Bloomberg! At this point I thought I plateaued. I was now making more than 2.5x what I was at Transit. Talk about a life change! God is good. I had no plans of leaving until drastic internal changes happened. 2019-2021: Took a 3k base pay cut but... joined Meta and give myself a significant overall raise due to those sweet, sweet RSUs. God, is this real?! Some of the best working experiences I've ever had. What a ride. 2021-2023: Base pay bump of 30k - now I'm at Coinbase. And still, those sweet, sweet RSUs. Liquid cash is always the best! This would be the company that made me realize I had the "golden handcuffs" on. It's SO hard to walk away from RSUs, but my family would ultimately help me realize there's more to life than money. 2023 - present: 30k base pay bump as I joined the good ship Docker, Inc. Pretty much at the top level (financially) of being a senior engineer but the golden handcuffs are finally off. Join me and 🌻 Anna Miller this Thursday as we continue our conversations about my career journey. The whole point is to give people insight and encouragement on theirs. 🫡

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