title
Guide To Becoming A Self-Taught Software Developer

description
In this video I will go through my 9 suggested steps for becoming a software developer of any type without going to college or bootcamp. 70+ Developer Job Websites https://medium.com/@traversymedia/70-job-find-websites-for-developers-other-tech-professionals-34cdb45518be 💖 Become a Patron: Show support & get perks! http://www.patreon.com/traversymedia Website & Udemy Course Links: https://www.traversymedia.com Follow Traversy Media: https://www.twitter.com/traversymedia https://www.instagram.com/traversymedia https://www.facebook.com/traversymedia

detail
{'title': 'Guide To Becoming A Self-Taught Software Developer', 'heatmap': [{'end': 160.016, 'start': 117.791, 'weight': 0.735}], 'summary': 'Provides a step-by-step guide for becoming a self-taught software developer, emphasizing the importance of defining goals, choosing the right programming language, and mastering fundamentals before using frameworks. it also covers various learning resources and outlines nine essential steps, including creating personal projects and joining developer communities.', 'chapters': [{'end': 117.131, 'segs': [{'end': 39.731, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 7.489, 'weight': 0, 'content': [{'end': 8.27, 'text': "What's going on, guys?", 'start': 7.489, 'duration': 0.781}, {'end': 15.955, 'text': 'So this is a step by step guide on what I would suggest doing to go from knowing pretty much nothing to being a self-taught software developer.', 'start': 8.33, 'duration': 7.625}, {'end': 19.197, 'text': "Now, I want to stress that there's no magical path to success.", 'start': 16.335, 'duration': 2.862}, {'end': 24.38, 'text': "These are just some basic steps that I would suggest, and I'm not going to just ramble them off.", 'start': 19.517, 'duration': 4.863}, {'end': 26.182, 'text': "I don't think that's of much help.", 'start': 24.42, 'duration': 1.762}, {'end': 28.923, 'text': "I'm going to elaborate and talk about each one,", 'start': 26.242, 'duration': 2.681}, {'end': 35.188, 'text': 'and hopefully it can help some people find their path to successfully becoming a software developer of any kind.', 'start': 28.923, 'duration': 6.265}, {'end': 39.731, 'text': 'So the first step is to find your end goal.', 'start': 36.048, 'duration': 3.683}], 'summary': 'Guide to self-taught software development, emphasizing no magical path, and finding end goal', 'duration': 32.242, 'max_score': 7.489, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/J6rVaFzOEP8/pics/J6rVaFzOEP87489.jpg'}, {'end': 77.94, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 48.638, 'weight': 2, 'content': [{'end': 50.86, 'text': 'Do you want to freelance and run your own business?', 'start': 48.638, 'duration': 2.222}, {'end': 54.543, 'text': 'or maybe you just want to create software to license out and sell?', 'start': 51.34, 'duration': 3.203}, {'end': 56.104, 'text': "There's a lot of things you can do.", 'start': 54.803, 'duration': 1.301}, {'end': 61.109, 'text': 'So figure out which one of them you can really see yourself doing and and what you would like to do.', 'start': 56.184, 'duration': 4.925}, {'end': 65.272, 'text': 'Some people like the security and benefits of working for a company,', 'start': 62.11, 'duration': 3.162}, {'end': 71.198, 'text': 'and some people like the freedom to build something of their own and freelance or start their own business.', 'start': 65.272, 'duration': 5.926}, {'end': 74.799, 'text': "Also, there's many different paths in programming and technology.", 'start': 71.738, 'duration': 3.061}, {'end': 77.94, 'text': 'What do you want to do as far as as coding?', 'start': 75.239, 'duration': 2.701}], 'summary': 'Choose between freelancing or creating software to sell, decide on a career path in programming and technology.', 'duration': 29.302, 'max_score': 48.638, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/J6rVaFzOEP8/pics/J6rVaFzOEP848638.jpg'}, {'end': 112.709, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 84.101, 'weight': 1, 'content': [{'end': 87.362, 'text': "I would encourage you to really look at what you're naturally good at.", 'start': 84.101, 'duration': 3.261}, {'end': 94.323, 'text': "For instance, if you're really good with math, you might want to look into data science or possibly some low level programming.", 'start': 87.682, 'duration': 6.641}, {'end': 100.545, 'text': "If you're more visual, then you might want to go into web development or mobile development or desktop applications.", 'start': 94.644, 'duration': 5.901}, {'end': 102.546, 'text': 'stuff like that.', 'start': 101.065, 'duration': 1.481}, {'end': 109.848, 'text': "if you're interested in in knowing the pay scales and in job security for different positions, glassdoor is a great website.", 'start': 102.546, 'duration': 7.302}, {'end': 112.709, 'text': "there's a lot of different websites that you can look at stuff like that,", 'start': 109.848, 'duration': 2.861}], 'summary': 'Explore career paths based on natural strengths, such as math for data science or low-level programming, and visual skills for web, mobile, or desktop development. use glassdoor for pay scales and job security information.', 'duration': 28.608, 'max_score': 84.101, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/J6rVaFzOEP8/pics/J6rVaFzOEP884101.jpg'}], 'start': 7.489, 'title': 'Becoming a self-taught software developer', 'summary': 'Outlines a step-by-step guide for becoming a self-taught software developer, emphasizing the importance of defining an end goal, exploring different paths in programming, and considering factors such as pay scales and job security.', 'chapters': [{'end': 117.131, 'start': 7.489, 'title': 'Path to self-taught software developer', 'summary': 'Outlines a step-by-step guide for becoming a self-taught software developer, emphasizing the importance of defining an end goal and exploring different paths in programming, along with considering factors such as pay scales and job security.', 'duration': 109.642, 'highlights': ['The first step is to define your end goal, such as working for a large company, a startup, freelance, or creating software to license out and sell.', 'Exploring different paths in programming and technology, considering factors like individual strengths and preferences, such as web development, game development, and data science.', 'Encouraging individuals to assess their natural strengths, like math or visual skills, to determine the most suitable path in programming.', 'Emphasizing the importance of researching pay scales and job security for different positions, with Glassdoor mentioned as a useful resource.']}], 'duration': 109.642, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/J6rVaFzOEP8/pics/J6rVaFzOEP87489.jpg', 'highlights': ['Emphasizing the importance of defining an end goal, such as working for a large company, a startup, freelance, or creating software to license out and sell.', 'Encouraging individuals to assess their natural strengths, like math or visual skills, to determine the most suitable path in programming.', 'Exploring different paths in programming and technology, considering factors like individual strengths and preferences, such as web development, game development, and data science.', 'Emphasizing the importance of researching pay scales and job security for different positions, with Glassdoor mentioned as a useful resource.']}, {'end': 435.724, 'segs': [{'end': 160.016, 'src': 'heatmap', 'start': 117.791, 'weight': 0.735, 'content': [{'end': 124.295, 'text': 'So once you choose what you want to do work for a company freelance, whatever it might be you need to choose a programing language.', 'start': 117.791, 'duration': 6.504}, {'end': 127.317, 'text': "It's definitely the first thing that you want to learn.", 'start': 124.375, 'duration': 2.942}, {'end': 132.16, 'text': 'And different jobs, different types of programmers use different languages.', 'start': 127.738, 'duration': 4.422}, {'end': 139.185, 'text': "For instance, if you're going into data science, machine learning, AI, anything like that, you're going to learn Python most likely.", 'start': 132.561, 'duration': 6.624}, {'end': 144.208, 'text': "For mobile development, you'll probably learn Swift or Java, game dev, maybe C++.", 'start': 139.545, 'duration': 4.663}, {'end': 146.409, 'text': 'web development.', 'start': 145.569, 'duration': 0.84}, {'end': 150.631, 'text': "of course you need to know html and css, which aren't actually programming languages,", 'start': 146.409, 'duration': 4.222}, {'end': 160.016, 'text': "but they're the basically the building blocks of the web and usually the first thing you learn and then you move to like javascript or php or python or almost any,", 'start': 150.631, 'duration': 9.385}], 'summary': 'Choose programming language based on job type: python for data science, swift or java for mobile dev, c++ for game dev, html/css for web dev.', 'duration': 42.225, 'max_score': 117.791, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/J6rVaFzOEP8/pics/J6rVaFzOEP8117791.jpg'}, {'end': 199.57, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 160.016, 'weight': 1, 'content': [{'end': 162.697, 'text': 'uh any language as far as server-side development goes.', 'start': 160.016, 'duration': 2.681}, {'end': 164.618, 'text': 'so you will have to do some research on that.', 'start': 162.697, 'duration': 1.921}, {'end': 169.823, 'text': 'Now, a big mistake that I see people do is jump right into frameworks and libraries and stuff.', 'start': 165.018, 'duration': 4.805}, {'end': 177.83, 'text': 'I would definitely recommend learning the fundamentals of a language first, learn some, some computer science fundamentals and principles,', 'start': 170.183, 'duration': 7.647}, {'end': 185.417, 'text': "before you go on and learn frameworks and stuff, because you're just going to overwhelm yourself if you try to learn multiple things at once.", 'start': 177.83, 'duration': 7.587}, {'end': 189.236, 'text': "You'll also need to pick a text editor or an IDE.", 'start': 186.492, 'duration': 2.744}, {'end': 193.382, 'text': "I use Visual Studio Code for just about everything, but I'm a web developer.", 'start': 189.637, 'duration': 3.745}, {'end': 199.57, 'text': "If you're using a compiled language like, let's say, Java, you're probably going to want to use some kind of IDE,", 'start': 193.522, 'duration': 6.048}], 'summary': 'Prioritize learning language fundamentals before frameworks and ide selection.', 'duration': 39.554, 'max_score': 160.016, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/J6rVaFzOEP8/pics/J6rVaFzOEP8160016.jpg'}, {'end': 344.253, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 301.77, 'weight': 6, 'content': [{'end': 304.992, 'text': 'It can be difficult to find up to date courses.', 'start': 301.77, 'duration': 3.222}, {'end': 307.374, 'text': 'So you do have to do a little bit of digging.', 'start': 305.453, 'duration': 1.921}, {'end': 312.398, 'text': "But the good news is, just like with books, if you're learning a programming language, they don't update often.", 'start': 307.434, 'duration': 4.964}, {'end': 317.902, 'text': "For instance, my JavaScript course is about two years old and it's just as relevant now as it was then.", 'start': 312.858, 'duration': 5.044}, {'end': 320.943, 'text': 'So as far as options, you have a ton.', 'start': 318.582, 'duration': 2.361}, {'end': 327.046, 'text': 'I mean, YouTube, of course, which is free and great for like shorter videos and fundamentals, small projects.', 'start': 321.183, 'duration': 5.863}, {'end': 330.247, 'text': 'But you probably want to get into some longer form content as well.', 'start': 327.426, 'duration': 2.821}, {'end': 338.291, 'text': 'You have Udemy where you can go through and pick different courses of all types, all different topics for like ten bucks a piece.', 'start': 330.627, 'duration': 7.664}, {'end': 344.253, 'text': 'And then you have membership sites like Pluralsight, Lynda.com, Front End Masters.', 'start': 339.051, 'duration': 5.202}], 'summary': 'Various options available for programming courses, including youtube, udemy, pluralsight, lynda.com, and front end masters, with courses costing around ten bucks and relevant content lasting up to two years.', 'duration': 42.483, 'max_score': 301.77, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/J6rVaFzOEP8/pics/J6rVaFzOEP8301770.jpg'}, {'end': 425.802, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 392.567, 'weight': 0, 'content': [{'end': 399.129, 'text': 'So in addition to these, you have challenge websites like Code Wars, where you can solve algorithms and things like that.', 'start': 392.567, 'duration': 6.562}, {'end': 400.649, 'text': 'And you can use multiple languages.', 'start': 399.169, 'duration': 1.48}, {'end': 404.911, 'text': 'So something to look at after you already learn the fundamentals.', 'start': 400.669, 'duration': 4.242}, {'end': 408.952, 'text': 'This will also kind of prepare you for job interview questions and things like that.', 'start': 404.951, 'duration': 4.001}, {'end': 411.358, 'text': "So there's a lot of different ways to learn online.", 'start': 409.318, 'duration': 2.04}, {'end': 415.819, 'text': 'You just have to kind of find what works for you and find online instructors that you click with.', 'start': 411.398, 'duration': 4.421}, {'end': 425.802, 'text': "If it's not me, you know, look at other instructors like Steven Grinder, Cold Steel, Maximilian, Kent Dodds, West Boss.", 'start': 416.18, 'duration': 9.622}], 'summary': 'Online learning platforms like code wars offer challenges in multiple languages, preparing for job interviews and helping to find suitable instructors.', 'duration': 33.235, 'max_score': 392.567, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/J6rVaFzOEP8/pics/J6rVaFzOEP8392567.jpg'}], 'start': 117.791, 'title': 'Selecting programming language and learning resources', 'summary': 'Covers the significance of choosing a programming language based on job requirements, mastering fundamentals before using frameworks, and the flexibility of switching languages. it also explores various learning resources such as books, documentation, free websites, videos, online courses, boot camps, and challenge websites, highlighting their relevance and accessibility for learning programming languages and technologies.', 'chapters': [{'end': 240.087, 'start': 117.791, 'title': 'Choosing a programming language', 'summary': 'Discusses the importance of choosing a programming language based on different job requirements, the need to learn fundamentals before diving into frameworks, and the flexibility of switching languages once the basics are mastered.', 'duration': 122.296, 'highlights': ['The importance of choosing a programming language based on different job requirements is emphasized, such as Python for data science, machine learning, and AI, Swift or Java for mobile development, C++ for game development, and HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, or Python for web development.', 'Emphasizing the need to learn fundamentals before diving into frameworks and libraries, as it can lead to overwhelming oneself by trying to learn multiple things at once.', 'Flexibility in switching programming languages is highlighted, indicating that once the basics and fundamentals of programming are known, learning multiple languages becomes easier and quicker.']}, {'end': 435.724, 'start': 240.667, 'title': 'Best resources for learning programming', 'summary': 'Discusses the best resources for learning programming, emphasizing the value of books, documentation, free resource websites, video, online courses, boot camps, and challenge websites, providing insights on their relevance and accessibility for learning programming languages and technologies.', 'duration': 195.057, 'highlights': ['Books are one of the best resources for learning fundamentals of programming languages. Books provide a strong foundation for learning programming languages.', 'Documentation is more for reference than a linear way to learn something. Documentation serves as a reference for learning technology rather than a linear learning method.', "Video is a preferred learning resource, offering relevant content even if not updated frequently. Video content is preferred for learning, especially for programming languages that don't update often.", 'Various online options for learning include free resource websites, membership sites, and online boot camps. There are diverse online platforms like free resource websites, membership sites, and online boot camps for learning programming.', 'Challenge websites like Code Wars prepare learners for job interview questions and provide practice after learning fundamentals. Challenge websites like Code Wars help in preparing for job interviews and provide post-fundamentals practice.']}], 'duration': 317.933, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/J6rVaFzOEP8/pics/J6rVaFzOEP8117791.jpg', 'highlights': ['The importance of choosing a programming language based on different job requirements is emphasized, such as Python for data science, machine learning, and AI, Swift or Java for mobile development, C++ for game development, and HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, or Python for web development.', 'Emphasizing the need to learn fundamentals before diving into frameworks and libraries, as it can lead to overwhelming oneself by trying to learn multiple things at once.', 'Flexibility in switching programming languages is highlighted, indicating that once the basics and fundamentals of programming are known, learning multiple languages becomes easier and quicker.', 'Books are one of the best resources for learning fundamentals of programming languages. Books provide a strong foundation for learning programming languages.', 'Challenge websites like Code Wars prepare learners for job interview questions and provide practice after learning fundamentals.', 'Various online options for learning include free resource websites, membership sites, and online boot camps. There are diverse online platforms like free resource websites, membership sites, and online boot camps for learning programming.', "Video is a preferred learning resource, offering relevant content even if not updated frequently. Video content is preferred for learning, especially for programming languages that don't update often.", 'Documentation is more for reference than a linear way to learn something. Documentation serves as a reference for learning technology rather than a linear learning method.']}, {'end': 1032.997, 'segs': [{'end': 776.765, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 747.924, 'weight': 5, 'content': [{'end': 752.908, 'text': 'So the next step or the next tip is to contribute to open source.', 'start': 747.924, 'duration': 4.984}, {'end': 759.572, 'text': "And this is something that I mean, it's not mandatory, but it's something I would suggest looking into.", 'start': 753.708, 'duration': 5.864}, {'end': 766.057, 'text': 'Go on GitHub, find something that interests you, that you have some knowledge about and check out the issues.', 'start': 760.033, 'duration': 6.024}, {'end': 769.119, 'text': 'See if you can improve on something, add a new feature.', 'start': 766.397, 'duration': 2.722}, {'end': 776.765, 'text': "This will give you some real life experience with a real project, and it'll also give you a little experience collaborating with other developers.", 'start': 769.46, 'duration': 7.305}], 'summary': 'Contribute to open source on github for real-life experience and collaboration with other developers.', 'duration': 28.841, 'max_score': 747.924, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/J6rVaFzOEP8/pics/J6rVaFzOEP8747924.jpg'}, {'end': 912.19, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 873.152, 'weight': 0, 'content': [{'end': 880.919, 'text': 'You should know your end goal, what you want to specialize in, know at least one programing language proficiently and, most likely, a framework,', 'start': 873.152, 'duration': 7.767}, {'end': 884.142, 'text': 'have resources and a community that you can go to if you need help.', 'start': 880.919, 'duration': 3.223}, {'end': 890.324, 'text': 'as well as having some projects under your belt with a nice portfolio and hopefully some kind of online presence.', 'start': 884.602, 'duration': 5.722}, {'end': 898.826, 'text': "Once you have all this, you've pretty much done everything you can to set yourself up to get a job or if you want to freelance, start getting clients.", 'start': 890.764, 'duration': 8.062}, {'end': 906.228, 'text': "If you're looking to get a job with a large company, be sure to practice things like algorithms and whiteboard questions.", 'start': 899.346, 'duration': 6.882}, {'end': 912.19, 'text': 'The interview process can be pretty brutal, so do some reading up on interview prep.', 'start': 906.548, 'duration': 5.642}], 'summary': 'To get a job or freelance, specialize in a programming language, build a portfolio, and prepare for interviews.', 'duration': 39.038, 'max_score': 873.152, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/J6rVaFzOEP8/pics/J6rVaFzOEP8873152.jpg'}, {'end': 1032.997, 'src': 'embed', 'start': 1000.332, 'weight': 2, 'content': [{'end': 1007.06, 'text': "Obviously, everyone's path is different, but I think it's a good foundation or a good map to follow, a good guide to follow.", 'start': 1000.332, 'duration': 6.728}, {'end': 1008.783, 'text': 'Remember, nothing comes easy.', 'start': 1007.421, 'duration': 1.362}, {'end': 1011.947, 'text': 'You really have to put in a lot of hard work to become successful.', 'start': 1008.843, 'duration': 3.104}, {'end': 1015.368, 'text': 'not just in software development, but anything in life.', 'start': 1012.427, 'duration': 2.941}, {'end': 1019.851, 'text': "so just pace yourself and try to keep a positive outlook on what you're doing.", 'start': 1015.368, 'duration': 4.483}, {'end': 1028.034, 'text': "i know programming can be very, very frustrating at times, but if you stick with it and it's truly what you want to do, i think you'll be just fine.", 'start': 1019.851, 'duration': 8.183}, {'end': 1030.095, 'text': "so that's it, guys, thanks for watching.", 'start': 1028.034, 'duration': 2.061}, {'end': 1032.997, 'text': "hopefully this helped you out and i'll see you in the next video.", 'start': 1030.095, 'duration': 2.902}], 'summary': 'Success in software development requires hard work, patience, and a positive outlook.', 'duration': 32.665, 'max_score': 1000.332, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/J6rVaFzOEP8/pics/J6rVaFzOEP81000332.jpg'}], 'start': 437.091, 'title': 'Self-taught development and 9 steps', 'summary': 'Emphasizes joining developer communities, creating personal projects, and building a strong portfolio. it also outlines nine steps to becoming a self-taught software developer, including contributing to open source projects and preparing for job applications.', 'chapters': [{'end': 746.438, 'start': 437.091, 'title': 'Self-taught development tips', 'summary': 'Emphasizes the importance of joining online and real-life developer communities, creating personal projects to enhance learning, and building a strong portfolio to showcase skills and attract potential employers or clients.', 'duration': 309.347, 'highlights': ['Joining online and real-life developer communities is crucial for self-taught developers to learn from peers, network, and get immediate help if needed. Interacting with other developers online and in real life can provide valuable learning opportunities, networking, and immediate assistance.', 'Creating personal projects is essential to solidify learning, apply acquired skills, and build unique and diverse coding experiences. Personal projects allow for practical application of skills, problem-solving, and veering away from tutorials, leading to a deeper understanding of coding concepts.', 'Building a strong portfolio with attractive and modern showcases of personal projects is crucial for freelancers and individuals without a degree to demonstrate their skills and knowledge. A well-curated portfolio with live project showcases serves as solid proof of coding abilities, particularly beneficial for individuals without a formal degree.']}, {'end': 1032.997, 'start': 747.924, 'title': 'Becoming a self-taught developer: 9 steps', 'summary': 'Outlines nine steps to becoming a self-taught software developer, emphasizing contributions to open source projects, maintaining an active online presence, and preparing for job applications.', 'duration': 285.073, 'highlights': ['Contribute to open source projects on platforms like GitHub to gain real-life experience and collaborate with other developers, which can be added to the resume. Contributing to open source projects provides real-life experience and collaboration opportunities, enhancing the resume.', 'Maintain an active online presence through platforms like LinkedIn, GitHub, and professional Twitter accounts, as well as creating content like YouTube tutorials, articles, and blog posts to showcase expertise and passion. Active online presence on platforms like LinkedIn, GitHub, professional Twitter, YouTube, and blogs demonstrates expertise and passion, attracting potential employers and clients.', 'Prepare for job applications by specializing in a programming language, building a portfolio, and being proficient in algorithms and whiteboard questions for interviews, while also pursuing job opportunities and not being deterred by minimum degree requirements. Preparation includes specializing in a programming language, building a portfolio, and practicing algorithms, while being open to job opportunities regardless of minimum degree requirements.']}], 'duration': 595.906, 'thumbnail': 'https://coursnap.oss-ap-southeast-1.aliyuncs.com/video-capture/J6rVaFzOEP8/pics/J6rVaFzOEP8437091.jpg', 'highlights': ['Creating personal projects is essential for practical application of skills and problem-solving.', 'Joining online and real-life developer communities is crucial for learning and networking.', 'Building a strong portfolio with live project showcases is crucial for demonstrating coding abilities.', 'Contribute to open source projects to gain real-life experience and enhance the resume.', 'Maintain an active online presence on platforms like LinkedIn, GitHub, and professional Twitter accounts.', 'Prepare for job applications by specializing in a programming language and practicing algorithms.']}], 'highlights': ['Emphasizing the importance of defining an end goal, such as working for a large company, a startup, freelance, or creating software to license out and sell.', 'The importance of choosing a programming language based on different job requirements is emphasized, such as Python for data science, machine learning, and AI, Swift or Java for mobile development, C++ for game development, and HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, or Python for web development.', 'Creating personal projects is essential for practical application of skills and problem-solving.', 'Joining online and real-life developer communities is crucial for learning and networking.', 'Building a strong portfolio with live project showcases is crucial for demonstrating coding abilities.']}