I have gained incredible experience this week as I took another step closer to landing my first job in web development. I’m not entirely sure how things will play out but, I do know I have learned more about myself and the area’s I need to develop.
Earlier this week, I was fortunate enough to receive a face to face interview. After scheduling a time to meet, I jumped right into preparation. Searching for information about the company, going over the position requirements, and reviewing the “nice to have” section to see what skills I could highlight. I also looked for practice whiteboard challenges to improve an area that stumbled on during a previous interview with another company. I was confident and ready to go when I walked through those doors.
But something changed once the interview started. I did fine with the “tell me a little bit about yourself” question. I had rehearsed my answer several times in my preparation. And there were a few curveball questions scattered throughout the interview, but I thought aloud while reasoning and gave the best answer I could. However, my uncertainty came during the interview’s technical portion. When asked a seemingly simple question related to a corresponding line of code, I tripped and fell. Luckily, my interviewers sensed I was struggling and provided a bit more information, a hint so to speak, to guide me along to an answer. The interviewer guided my reasoning through several technical questions. Fortunately, the interviewers were very encouraging and helped me through, but I was no longer confident in how well I knew my craft.
I spent a lot of time going over the questions in my head, wondering why I wasn’t as prepared as I thought before entering the interview. I reasoned that I know how to figure out how to do things. I can figure out how to build an application, connect a database, or build a website. But I can’t succinctly describe how to do it. I’m not as familiar with the nuts and bolts as I am with the general concepts and learning how to solve the problem. And this problem is the core of my confidence issue. When I work on a new project, I learn just enough to solve my problem and move on to the next.
I was able to validate my hunch at a recent PHP Meetup where the guest speaker was presenting on how to improve your coding skills. After the presentation, I asked a question about applying for jobs outside of your technical expertise. My takeaway from the communal answer was to focus on improving my knowledge of one or two languages. Focus on the concepts and building confidence and understanding. Know why it works and what will break it.
After self-reflection and the great conversation at the Meetup, I started to understand why I felt so unprepared. Even better, I feel I have a new path to explore.