Joshua was a Business Development Manager but knew it wasn’t the career he wanted in the long-term. He had a background in marketing and often found himself with technical ideas, but without the skills to execute them. So he decided to learn to code and make the jump to a career in tech.
Joshua’s first step was to become active in the Orlando tech community and soon he was hooked on all things tech. Inspired by those around him and relying on Treehouse as his learning resource, Joshua’s career rapidly excelled forward. Today he is a Senior Email Designer at Bonnier and runs a web and user experience shop with his wife.
We asked Joshua to share his inspiring story and advice with the Treehouse community.
“[Learning with Treehouse] has been priceless; the bulk of education that has enabled me to break through into the tech industry has been with Treehouse courses.”
What drew you to learn how to code?
I was in marketing at the time and had a lot of ideas that kept getting botched in the development process so I decided I should learn code to better myself and be able to implement my own technical ideas.
What work were you doing when you first joined Treehouse and what encouraged you to learn with us?
I was working at a tech startup after being newly promoted to Business Development Manager and knew it wasn’t something I wanted to do long term. It pushed me to plan to make an industry jump so I did my research and started being active in the Orlando, FL tech community and instantly became hooked on all things tech.
You’re now a web and experience developer. Tell us about how your career has evolved since learning with Treehouse.
My career has moved fast and furious thanks to a great tech community, and my desire to be as well rounded as possible. I am really into email, WordPress and React development. Last month I had the pleasure of attending the React.JS conference, which was hosted by the creator/geniuses of Facebook. Currently, I work for Bonnier on their email design and development team. The company and team are great, and I’m proud to say that I was just promoted to Senior Email Designer. I couldn’t ask for a better team to lead and continue to push the bar with by implementing new strategies and user experience for better conversion rates. Also, my wife and I started a small web and user experience shop at cognificent.tech. Working with our client’s has brought out the best in my abilities and challenged me to continue broadening my skill set using Treehouse.
“Working with our client’s has brought out the best in my abilities and challenged me to continue broadening my skill set using Treehouse.”
What would you describe as the greatest benefits of working in the tech industry?
The greatest benefits in my opinion are:
- Wages
- Community
- Inspiration
You can make enough money to live a comfortable life, the community is welcoming and the inspiration never stops. If you’re bored it’s because you choose to be. There is always something new to get into and ways to improve what you already know.
What has the value of a Treehouse education meant to you?
It has been priceless; the bulk of education that has enabled me to break through into the tech industry has been with Treehouse courses.
What are your go-to resources for inspiration or motivation?
I believe in intrinsic motivation meaning you should be able to learn on your own, and not by external factors such as money or status. When I learn new code and see what I have created from it, it becomes inspiration and motivation to continue learning. An excellent way to be motivated for me is to surround myself with others who know more than I do at local events and meetups. It’s a great way to learn from them and teach others who are just starting out.
When you teach others it affirms your own knowledge while helping someone else which builds the intrinsic motivation piece to continue doing more.
“When I learn new code and see what I have created from it, it becomes inspiration and motivation to continue learning.”
Is there anything you wish you’d known when you started learning to code?
Oh yes! I wish I wouldn’t have been so scatter brained. I think initially you try and learn too much, and now I am going back and filling in the gaps. There is so much hoopla over new JavaScript frameworks and the biggest thing to remember is that it is still JavaScript. It’s better to have a solid understanding of a language than to get trapped in the “flavor of the week.”
What advice would you share with aspiring developers?
Keep going! I am not a seasoned vet, but I do recognize that the more you know, it will become easier to learn new things.
Also, be as hands on as possible. I spent most of my early days with head knowledge, and now I know that I can cut my learning curve in half if I try and do a mini project with whatever code I am trying to learn.
Ready to embark on your own career in tech? Sign up for a Free Trial with Treehouse and join the Front End Web Development Track today.
To read more inspiring student success stories, check out the Treehouse Stories Page.