E165 | From 10 years in a Dead-End Job to Software Engineer–Kevin Johnson

The NoDegree Podcast – No Degree Success Stories for Job Searching, Careers, and Entrepreneurship

He always had a flare for tech; Kevin’s Dad loved tech and, naturally, he followed in his Dad's footsteps.

In high school, Kevin's fascination and proficiency with tech grew even more and he became the 'go-to-guy' for fixing phone and computer issues.

Even though his big break wouldn't come until many years later, Kevin kept his dream alive by gaining more practice and insights about tech.

This is why when the opportunity came, he was ready to take on a position in his dream career field: software engineering.

Timestamps

(02:23) — Kevin's blueprint for success (preamble)

(03:31) — Kevin's blueprint for success

(05:22) — A realistic salary range for a software engineer (Hint: upper end is 6-figures)

(06:53) — Finding his passion and honing his tech skills in high school

(18:04) — Journey to software engineering

(21:26) — Steps to becoming a software engineer

(25:52) — Timeframe from learning to getting interviews

(26:51) — First interview experience (it was like a story out of a sitcom)

(32:09) — First job offer experience

(37:48) — Part-time vs full-time job experience

(44:40) — How connecting with people helped Kevin land his dream job

(47:48) — Golden nuggets/words of wisdom

Support/Contact Kevin:

• X (formerly Twitter) — @kevprodev
• YouTube — KevProDev

Books and resources mentioned in this podcast:

• Resume course: https://bit.ly/podcastpca
• Freecodecamp: www.freecodecamp.com
• Coding Phase: www.codingphase.com

Need career or resume advice? Follow and/or connect with Jonaed Iqbal on LinkedIn.

• LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/JonaedIqbalND

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Thank you for sponsoring our show. If you'd like to support our mission to end the stigma and economic disparity that comes along with not having a college degree, please share with a friend, drop us a review on Apple Podcast and/or subscribe to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nodegree.

Remember, no degree? No problem! Whether you're contemplating college or you're a college dropout, get started with your no-degree job search at nodegree.com.

Need career or resume advice? Follow and/or connect with Jonaed Iqbal on LinkedIn.

- LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/JonaedIqbalND

Connect with us on social media!

- LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/NoDegreeLinkedIn

- Facebook: https://bit.ly/NoDegreeFB

- Instagram: https://bit.ly/NoDegreeIG

- Twitter: https://bit.ly/NoDegreeTW

- TikTok: https://bit.ly/3qfUD2V

Thank you for sponsoring our show. If you'd like to support our mission to end the stigma and economic disparity that comes along with not having a college degree, please share with a friend, drop us a review on Apple Podcast and/or subscribe to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nodegree.

Remember, no degree? No problem! Whether you're contemplating college or you're a college dropout, get started with your no-degree job search at nodegree.com.