- Why did you get into the field? What did you focus on at first?
I was a gamer - I started by making websites for my team (we were competing on clanbase.com) and then eventually I branched out into various MMOs and made bots/cheats/etc. I then began selling those and realized it was a better source of income than my job at McDonalds (I was ~17 then) and ended up sticking with it.
- What are you doing at your job? Is it everything you dreamed of and more?
Currently doing a stint as a solutions architect but have been a CTO at a startup and Tech Lead at Twilio launching some pretty cool products since then (still at Twilio). I expect to return to the product side after honing my sales knowledge/skillset/improving soft skills.
- How did you break that first-job barrier?
I did a little contracting via some freelancer website, but I won my first real software job by finding a security vulnerability in sendspace.com. I let them know via their support e-mail and shortly after they asked if I'd want to join to fix it, and more. Then, to break into the US I took a job as a CTO massively below market rate at a YC startup with non-technical founders that were paying huge sums for outsourced development and surprised at the value I could bring quickly.
My offer at Twilio was in part from constantly hounding the team for improvements / changes / suggestions to which they suggested I come and help do it. I was also encouraged to apply at Shopify in 2013 after writing this post https://ma.rtin.so/posts/reverse-engineering-shopify-private...
- What were you doing before this?
Studying / part-time McDonalds
- Any tips for the rest of us?
Side projects. Building tangible software will give you a much softer transition into the professional world and a more practical skillset. Be curious. Don't give up, don't be intimidated, and be willing to take risks to get your foot in the door.
I was a gamer - I started by making websites for my team (we were competing on clanbase.com) and then eventually I branched out into various MMOs and made bots/cheats/etc. I then began selling those and realized it was a better source of income than my job at McDonalds (I was ~17 then) and ended up sticking with it.
- What are you doing at your job? Is it everything you dreamed of and more?
Currently doing a stint as a solutions architect but have been a CTO at a startup and Tech Lead at Twilio launching some pretty cool products since then (still at Twilio). I expect to return to the product side after honing my sales knowledge/skillset/improving soft skills.
- How did you break that first-job barrier?
I did a little contracting via some freelancer website, but I won my first real software job by finding a security vulnerability in sendspace.com. I let them know via their support e-mail and shortly after they asked if I'd want to join to fix it, and more. Then, to break into the US I took a job as a CTO massively below market rate at a YC startup with non-technical founders that were paying huge sums for outsourced development and surprised at the value I could bring quickly.
My offer at Twilio was in part from constantly hounding the team for improvements / changes / suggestions to which they suggested I come and help do it. I was also encouraged to apply at Shopify in 2013 after writing this post https://ma.rtin.so/posts/reverse-engineering-shopify-private...
- What were you doing before this?
Studying / part-time McDonalds
- Any tips for the rest of us?
Side projects. Building tangible software will give you a much softer transition into the professional world and a more practical skillset. Be curious. Don't give up, don't be intimidated, and be willing to take risks to get your foot in the door.