Your Path from Learner to Employed Developer

Welcome to the Career & Employability lesson. This is different from the other lessons you have completed so far. There are no code editors here, no exercises to run, and no syntax to memorize. Instead, this lesson is about something equally important: turning your coding skills into a career. You have already proven that you can learn hard things. Now it is time to learn how to present yourself, find opportunities, and walk into interviews with confidence. Let us get started.

1. The Value of Your Own Site

If you have completed the Web Basics track, you already know how to build a website with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. That might not sound like a big deal to you yet, but here is the truth: most people in the world cannot do that. The ability to create something from nothing and publish it on the internet is a genuine, valuable skill. And the single best way to prove you have that skill is to have your own personal website, live on the internet, for anyone to visit.

Think about it from an employer's perspective. They receive dozens, sometimes hundreds, of applications for a single junior developer position. Most of those applications are a resume and maybe a cover letter. Now imagine one applicant includes a link to their own personal website — a site they designed and built themselves. That applicant instantly stands out. They did not just say they can code. They showed it.

Your personal site does not need to be fancy. It does not need animations, complex layouts, or cutting-edge design. A clean, well-organized site with your name, a short bio, a list of your skills, and links to your projects is more than enough. What matters is that it exists, that it works, and that you built it yourself.

Here is another reason your site matters: it is a living portfolio that grows with you. Right now, you might showcase a simple HTML page and a styled CSS layout. In a few months, you might add a JavaScript project. Later, you might add a full-stack application with a Java backend. Every new project you build becomes a new piece of evidence that you are growing, learning, and capable.

Your website also gives you something to talk about in interviews. When an interviewer asks, "Tell me about a project you have worked on," you can pull up your site on your laptop and walk them through it. You can explain the decisions you made, the problems you ran into, and how you solved them. That kind of conversation is far more impressive than reciting memorized answers.

Some developers with incredible technical skills never get hired because they do not present themselves well. They have no website, no GitHub profile, and no way for an employer to see what they can do. Do not let that be you. Your skills deserve to be seen, and your personal site is the window that lets employers look in.

There are several free ways to host a personal site. GitHub Pages is one of the most popular — you push your code to a GitHub repository, enable GitHub Pages in the settings, and your site is live at yourusername.github.io. Netlify and Vercel are two other excellent free options that make deployment simple. We covered deployment in earlier lessons, so you already have the knowledge to do this.

"The best time to publish your personal website was when you started learning to code. The second best time is right now."

If you do not have a personal site yet, make that your next project after finishing this lesson. It does not have to be perfect. It just has to exist. You can always improve it later. The important thing is to get something live on the internet with your name on it. That one action will put you ahead of a surprising number of people who are also trying to break into tech.

2. Where You Are on the Zero-to-Employable Journey

Let us take an honest look at where you are right now. When you started this curriculum, you may have never written a line of code in your life. You may not have known what HTML stood for, or that websites were built with text files, or that a browser reads instructions and turns them into the pages you see every day. You started at zero, and that is nothing to be embarrassed about — every working developer in the world started at zero, too.

Now look at where you are. You understand HTML well enough to structure a complete web page with headings, paragraphs, links, images, lists, tables, and forms. You can write CSS to control how that page looks — colors, fonts, spacing, layouts with Flexbox. You have written JavaScript that makes pages interactive, with functions, conditionals, and DOM manipulation. You can build a multi-page website and deploy it to the internet. That is a real skill set.

But let us also be honest about where you are going. To be employable as a web developer, you need more than just HTML, CSS, and basic JavaScript. The journey from "I can build a static website" to "I can build a complete web application" involves learning several more skills. Here is a realistic picture of what that path looks like:

Stage	What You Can Do	Where You Are
Stage 1: Foundations	Build and style static web pages with HTML, CSS, and basic JS	You are here now
Stage 2: Interactivity	Build dynamic front-end applications, work with APIs, use frameworks	Coming soon
Stage 3: Backend	Build servers, work with databases, create APIs (Java & Spring Boot track)	Coming soon
Stage 4: Full Stack	Build complete web applications from front to back, deploy to production	Your goal

So what does "employable" actually look like? When companies hire junior developers, they are not expecting you to know everything. They know you are early in your career. But they do expect certain things. Here is what most employers look for when hiring someone at the entry level:

• A portfolio of projects. Not dozens — even two or three solid projects that you can explain in detail are enough. They want to see that you can build things, not just follow tutorials.
• Version control with Git. Every professional development team uses Git. You do not need to be an expert, but you should know how to create repositories, make commits, push code, and work with branches. If you have a GitHub profile with your projects, that checks this box.
• The ability to learn independently. Technology changes constantly. Employers need to know that you can pick up new tools, languages, and frameworks on your own. Completing a self-directed curriculum like Coders Farm is actually strong evidence of this.
• Problem-solving skills. When something breaks — and it will — can you debug it? Can you Google the error message, read the documentation, and figure out a solution? That matters more than memorizing syntax.
• Communication skills. Can you explain your code to someone else? Can you ask clear questions when you are stuck? Can you work on a team? These soft skills are just as important as technical ability, especially for junior roles.
• Enthusiasm and willingness to grow. Employers hiring juniors are investing in your future. They want to see that you are genuinely excited about coding and committed to getting better every day.

Here is a timeline that is honest and realistic. If you study and build projects consistently — meaning several hours a day, most days of the week — you can be ready to apply for entry-level developer jobs in 6 to 12 months from when you first started learning. Some people do it faster, some take longer, and both are completely fine. The key word is consistent. Coding for 2 hours every day is far more effective than coding for 14 hours one day and then nothing for the rest of the week.

The Coders Farm curriculum is designed to take you through these stages step by step. After this Career lesson, you will move into the Java & Spring Boot track, where you will learn backend development, databases, and APIs. By the time you finish that track and build a couple of full-stack projects, you will have a portfolio that is strong enough to start applying for real jobs.

Right now, you are in a great position. You have proven you can learn hard things. You have a foundation in web fundamentals. And you are part of a community of people in Lansing who are on the same journey. That community — the people you learn alongside, the mentors who help you, the connections you make at meetups — is going to be one of your most valuable assets as you move forward.

"You do not need to be great to start. But you need to start to be great." — Zig Ziglar

3. Building Your Resume

Let us talk about the document that most people dread creating: the resume. If you have never had a tech job before, you might feel like you have nothing to put on a developer resume. That is not true. You have more to work with than you think, and this section will show you exactly how to present it.

Your resume has one job: to get you an interview. It is not supposed to tell your entire life story. It is a focused, one-page document that convinces a hiring manager to spend 30 minutes talking to you. Every line on your resume should serve that goal.

Resume Structure for Aspiring Developers

Here is the structure that works best for people who are new to tech. We will walk through each section in detail.

Header

Your header goes at the very top. It should include your full name (large and bold), your email address, your phone number, and — this is critical — your personal website URL and GitHub profile link. Many candidates forget to include their website and GitHub links. Do not make that mistake. Those links are what set you apart from every other applicant who just lists skills without proof.

Keep your email professional. If your current email is something like coolskater99@yahoo.com, create a new one. firstname.lastname@gmail.com is perfectly fine. Small details like this make a difference in first impressions.

Summary

Your summary is two to three sentences at the top of your resume, right below the header. It should communicate three things: what you are (an aspiring or junior web developer), what you know (your key skills), and what you are looking for (an entry-level position where you can grow). Here is an example:

"Aspiring web developer with hands-on experience building responsive websites using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Completed the Coders Farm Web Development Curriculum and built multiple projects from scratch. Seeking an entry-level development role where I can contribute to a team while continuing to grow my skills."

Notice how specific that is. It does not say "hard-working and passionate" — everyone says that. Instead, it names concrete technologies and mentions real training. Specificity is what makes a summary effective.

Skills

List the technologies and tools you actually know how to use. Be honest. If you have only written a few lines of Python in a tutorial, do not list Python. If you have built multiple projects with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, absolutely list those. Here is what your skills section might look like right now:

• Languages: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
• Tools: Git, GitHub, VS Code, Chrome DevTools
• Concepts: Responsive design, DOM manipulation, version control, web accessibility basics

As you learn more — Java, Spring Boot, SQL, REST APIs — you will add those to this section. The skills section will grow over time, and that is exactly how it should work.

Projects — The Most Important Section

For a junior developer without professional experience, the Projects section is the most important part of your resume. This is where you prove that you can actually build things. Each project entry should include:

• The project name
• A one-to-two sentence description of what it does
• The technologies used (e.g., "Built with HTML, CSS, JavaScript")
• A link to the live site and a link to the GitHub repository

Even if you only have two or three projects right now, that is enough. Quality matters more than quantity. A hiring manager would rather see two well-built projects that you can explain in detail than ten half-finished tutorials you copied from YouTube.

Education

List any formal education you have — college degrees, community college coursework, certifications. But also include your self-directed learning. You can write something like:

• Coders Farm Web Development Curriculum — Completed full curriculum covering HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and career development
• freeCodeCamp Responsive Web Design Certification — (if you have completed it)

Self-directed learning is respected in the tech industry. Many successful developers are self-taught. The fact that you completed a structured curriculum and built projects shows discipline and initiative.

Experience

If you have had any jobs at all — retail, food service, warehouse, office work, anything — include them. The key is to highlight transferable skills. Every job teaches you something that applies to software development. Customer service teaches communication. Managing a team teaches leadership. Working in a fast-paced environment teaches adaptability. Dealing with problems on the fly teaches troubleshooting.

Frame your experience bullets around skills that matter in tech. Here are some before and after examples:

See the difference? The "after" version uses strong action verbs (processed, managed, resolved, trained), includes numbers to quantify the work, and frames everything in terms of skills that employers value: accuracy, problem-solving, communication, and leadership.

Here are some more before-and-after examples, this time for project descriptions:

Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid

• Listing every technology you have ever heard of. Only list skills you can actually demonstrate. If an interviewer asks you about something on your resume, you need to be able to talk about it.
• Leaving out your website URL and GitHub link. These are the most powerful things on your resume. Make them easy to find — put them right in the header.
• Going over one page. For a junior developer, one page is enough. Hiring managers spend an average of 6 to 10 seconds on an initial resume scan. Keep it tight and focused.
• Using a generic objective statement. "Seeking a challenging position where I can utilize my skills" says nothing. Write a specific summary that names your actual skills and goals.
• Typos and grammar errors. Have someone else read your resume before you send it out. A typo in a developer resume is particularly damaging because attention to detail is a core part of the job.
• Using a complicated design or unusual fonts. Keep it clean and simple. Many companies use automated systems (called ATS — Applicant Tracking Systems) to scan resumes, and fancy layouts can confuse those systems. A clean, well-organized plain document works best.

• My resume is one page
• My header includes email, phone, website URL, and GitHub link
• My summary is specific and mentions actual technologies
• I only list skills I can demonstrate
• Each project has a name, description, tech used, and links
• My experience bullets use strong action verbs and include numbers
• Someone else has proofread my resume for typos

4. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional social networking platform. Think of it as a social media site, but instead of sharing vacation photos, people share their work experience, skills, and professional accomplishments. Recruiters and hiring managers use LinkedIn constantly to find candidates, and many job postings are listed exclusively on LinkedIn. Having a profile there puts you where the opportunities are.

Setting up a basic LinkedIn profile is straightforward. Create an account at linkedin.com, fill in your name, add a professional-looking photo (it does not need to be a studio portrait — a clean, well-lit photo where you look approachable works fine), and write a headline that says something like "Aspiring Web Developer | HTML, CSS, JavaScript." Then fill in the same sections you put on your resume: a summary, your skills, your projects, and your education.

One powerful feature of LinkedIn is the ability to connect with people in your local tech community. Search for software developers, tech recruiters, and companies in the Lansing, Michigan area. Send connection requests with a short, personalized message — something like, "Hi, I am learning web development through Coders Farm in Lansing and would love to connect with other developers in the area." Most people are happy to connect with someone who is genuinely trying to break into the field.

LinkedIn is also a great place to share your progress. When you finish a project, write a short post about it. When you complete a certification, share it. When you learn something new, write about what you learned. This kind of activity shows up in other people's feeds and builds your visibility over time. Some developers have landed jobs simply because a recruiter saw one of their LinkedIn posts.

Finally, be aware that LinkedIn can sometimes feel overwhelming. You might see people posting about landing jobs at Google or building startups, and it can make you feel like you are behind. Remember: people mostly share their highlights, not their struggles. Everyone's path is different. Focus on your own progress and use LinkedIn as a tool, not a source of comparison.

5. How to Find Jobs

One of the most common questions new developers ask is: "Where do I even look for jobs?" The good news is that there are many places to search, and knowing where to look gives you a significant advantage. Let us walk through the major options.

Online Job Boards

These are the most obvious starting point. Here are the platforms you should know about:

• Indeed (indeed.com) — The largest job search engine. Search for titles like "junior web developer," "entry-level software developer," or "front-end developer" and filter by location (Lansing, MI or remote).
• LinkedIn Jobs — Directly integrated with your LinkedIn profile. You can set up job alerts so you get notified when new positions matching your criteria are posted.
• Glassdoor (glassdoor.com) — In addition to job listings, Glassdoor has company reviews and salary information. This helps you research companies before you apply.
• State of Michigan Job Board (michigan.gov/som/employment) — The state government and state agencies regularly hire developers. These jobs often come with excellent benefits and job stability.
• AngelList / Wellfound (wellfound.com) — Focused on startups and smaller tech companies. Startups are often more willing to take a chance on junior developers because they value versatility and eagerness to learn.
• Company career pages — Many companies post jobs on their own websites before (or instead of) listing them on job boards. If there are specific companies in Lansing you would like to work for, check their career pages directly.

What to Search For at Your Current Stage

The job titles in tech can be confusing, especially for beginners. Here are search terms that are most likely to match your current skill level and the level you will reach after completing the full Coders Farm curriculum:

Search Term	What It Usually Means
Junior Web Developer	Entry-level role building websites; a great first target
Junior Front-End Developer	Focused on the user-facing side (HTML, CSS, JS); matches your current skills
Junior Full-Stack Developer	Works on both front-end and back-end; target this after completing the Java track
Entry-Level Software Developer	General development role; requirements vary by company
Web Development Intern	Paid learning opportunity; excellent way to get your foot in the door

The Hidden Job Market

Here is something most job seekers do not realize: a large percentage of jobs are never publicly posted. They are filled through referrals, networking, and word of mouth. This is called the "hidden job market," and tapping into it is one of the most effective ways to find work, especially as a junior developer. Here is how to do it:

• Attend local meetups. Lansing has tech meetups and user groups. Show up, introduce yourself, and tell people you are learning to code and looking for opportunities. You would be amazed at how often someone says, "Actually, my company is hiring."
• Engage with the Coders Farm community. Your fellow learners, mentors, and instructors are a network. As people in your community land jobs and grow in their careers, they become connections who can refer you to opportunities.
• Contribute to open source. Open source projects are publicly available codebases that anyone can contribute to. Even fixing a typo in documentation or reporting a bug is a contribution. It shows employers that you can work with other developers on shared code.
• Tell everyone you know. Tell your family, friends, former coworkers, and neighbors that you are learning to code and looking for developer work. You never know who might have a connection to a hiring manager.

Finding a job takes time and persistence. You might apply to 50 positions before getting your first interview, and that is normal. Do not get discouraged. Every application is practice, every rejection is redirection, and every "no" gets you closer to the "yes" that will launch your career. Keep applying, keep building projects, and keep growing your skills while you search.

6. How to Interview

The interview process is the part that scares most new developers the most. That is completely normal. But here is the thing: interviews are a skill, just like coding. The more you practice, the better you get. And knowing what to expect takes away a lot of the fear. Let us walk through the typical tech interview process step by step.

Stage 1: The Phone Screen

Most interview processes start with a phone screen (or video call). This is usually a 15–30 minute conversation with a recruiter or hiring manager. They are not going to ask you to write code. They want to learn about you as a person: why you are interested in the role, what your background is, and whether you seem like someone they would want on their team. This is your chance to share your story — how you started learning to code, what excites you about it, and what you have built so far.

Common phone screen questions include: "Tell me about yourself," "Why are you interested in this role?", "What do you know about our company?", and "What are you looking for in your next role?" Prepare short, honest answers to these ahead of time. Practice saying them out loud — it makes a bigger difference than you might expect.

Stage 2: The Technical Screen

If you pass the phone screen, the next step is usually a technical screen. This might be a take-home coding challenge, a live coding session over video call, or a series of technical questions. For junior roles, the technical screen is usually not extremely difficult. They might ask you to build a small component, fix a bug in some code, or solve a basic logic problem.

The most important thing during a technical screen is to think out loud. Explain your reasoning as you work through the problem. Interviewers are not just evaluating whether you get the right answer — they are evaluating how you think, how you approach problems, and how you communicate. A candidate who talks through their logic but does not finish the problem can make a better impression than someone who silently arrives at the answer.

Stage 3: The On-Site (or Final Round)

The final stage is typically an on-site interview (or a longer video interview, since many companies now hire remotely). This usually lasts a few hours and includes multiple conversations with different team members. You might have a deeper technical discussion, a "culture fit" conversation, and possibly another coding exercise. Some companies ask you to present a project you have built — which is why having a personal website is so valuable.

How to Prepare

Here is a practical checklist for interview preparation:

• Be ready to explain every project on your resume in detail — what it does, how you built it, what challenges you faced, and what you would improve
• Review the fundamentals: HTML elements, CSS layout, JavaScript functions, conditionals, and DOM manipulation
• Practice coding problems on platforms like HackerRank or LeetCode (start with the "Easy" problems)
• Research the company before every interview — know what they do, who their customers are, and why you want to work there
• Prepare 2–3 questions to ask the interviewer (e.g., "What does a typical day look like for a junior developer on your team?")
• Test your technology: make sure your webcam, microphone, and internet connection work before a video interview
• Have your personal website open on your laptop, ready to show if the conversation goes there

Tips Specifically for Junior Developers

• Show enthusiasm. Employers hiring juniors are investing in your potential. They want someone who is excited about coding and eager to learn. Let your genuine interest show — talk about what you enjoy building, what you are curious about, and what you are learning next.
• Ask thoughtful questions. When the interviewer says, "Do you have any questions for us?" — always say yes. Ask about the team, the tech stack, how they onboard new developers, or what they enjoy about working there. Asking questions shows you are seriously evaluating the role, not just desperate for any job.
• Bring your laptop. If it is an in-person interview, bring your laptop with your personal website and projects loaded. Being able to show your work is powerful. If the interviewer is on the fence, seeing a real project you built can tip the scales in your favor.
• Follow up. After every interview, send a short thank-you email within 24 hours. Thank them for their time, mention something specific from the conversation, and reiterate your interest in the role. This small gesture leaves a positive impression and keeps you on their mind.

Handling Rejection

Let us talk about something that nobody enjoys but everyone experiences: rejection. You are going to get rejected. Multiple times. Maybe many times. That does not mean you are not good enough. It means the process is competitive and subjective. A rejection might have nothing to do with your skills — they might have had an internal candidate, or they might have needed someone with a specific framework experience, or the position might have been put on hold.

When you get rejected, allow yourself to feel disappointed for a moment, and then move forward. Ask for feedback if the company offers it. Many will not, but some will give you specific areas to improve. Use that feedback to get better. Every interview you go through — even the ones that do not lead to offers — makes you sharper and more confident for the next one.

"I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work." — Thomas Edison. The same applies to job searching. Every rejection is data, not defeat.

Some of the most successful developers you will ever meet were rejected dozens of times before landing their first role. What made them successful was not that they were more talented — it was that they kept going. Be one of the people who keeps going.

7. Further Reading and Resources

Your learning does not stop when you finish a curriculum. The best developers are lifelong learners who constantly explore new tools, techniques, and ideas. Here are some of the best free and low-cost resources to continue your growth.

Free Learning Resources

• MDN Web Docs (developer.mozilla.org) — The gold standard reference for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Created by Mozilla (the makers of Firefox), MDN is where professional developers look things up every day. Bookmark it and use it constantly.
• freeCodeCamp (freecodecamp.org) — A completely free, project-based coding curriculum with certifications. Their Responsive Web Design and JavaScript Algorithms certifications pair perfectly with what you have learned at Coders Farm.
• The Odin Project (theodinproject.com) — A free, open-source full-stack curriculum. It is thorough, well-structured, and has an active community. Great as a supplement to what you are learning here.
• CS50 (cs50.harvard.edu) — Harvard University's Introduction to Computer Science course, available for free online. It teaches fundamental computer science concepts that will deepen your understanding of how programming works at a deeper level.

Java and Spring Boot Resources (Preview)

The next track in the Coders Farm curriculum covers Java and Spring Boot — the tools you will use to build powerful backend applications. Here are some resources to get a head start or supplement your learning when you reach that track:

• Oracle Java Tutorials (docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial) — The official tutorials from the creators of Java. They are thorough and reliable.
• Baeldung (baeldung.com) — One of the best resources on the internet for learning Java and Spring Boot. Their articles are clear, practical, and regularly updated.
• Spring.io Guides (spring.io/guides) — The official guides from the Spring team. Each guide walks you through building a specific type of application step by step.

Books

• Eloquent JavaScript by Marijn Haverbeke — Available free online at eloquentjavascript.net. This book goes deeper into JavaScript than most online tutorials and is an excellent next step after what you have learned here.
• Head First Java by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates — A beginner-friendly introduction to Java that uses a visual, conversational teaching style. Great preparation for the Java & Spring Boot track.

Community

Learning to code can feel isolating, but it does not have to be. Here are communities that can support you:

• Coders Farm — You are already part of this community. Stay engaged, attend meetups, ask questions, and help others. The connections you build here will be valuable throughout your career.
• Lansing tech meetups — Search for tech meetups in the Lansing area on meetup.com. Groups focused on web development, JavaScript, Java, and general programming can help you meet other developers and potential employers.
• r/learnprogramming on Reddit — A supportive community of people who are learning to code. It is a great place to ask questions, share your progress, and find encouragement.
• Stack Overflow (stackoverflow.com) — The largest Q&A site for developers. When you run into a coding problem, there is a good chance someone has already asked (and answered) the same question here.

Test Your Knowledge

Let us make sure the key ideas from this lesson are sticking. Answer the questions below.

Great work finishing this lesson! You now have a clear roadmap for turning your coding skills into a career. Remember: getting hired as a developer is not just about what you know technically. It is about how you present yourself, how you connect with people, and how you handle the ups and downs of the job search. You have already done the hardest part — learning to code. Now go out there, build your resume, publish your site, and start applying. The Lansing tech community is waiting for you!