This document provides an overview of getting started in tech. It discusses how Thinkful helps people become developers or data scientists through mentorship and project-based learning. It explains that every company has become a tech company and how software is disrupting many industries. Common entry-level tech roles like front-end developer, back-end developer, and QA developer are described. The document also discusses career trajectories in tech and how to get started through skills development, networking, and technical interviews.

1. Getting Started in Tech
August 2017
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2. Instructor
Jasjit Singh
Worked in Finance & Tech
Co-founder, Hotspot
Thinkful General Manager
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3. About you
What's your name?
What brought you here today?
What is your programming experience?
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4. About Thinkful
Thinkful helps people become developers or data scientists
through 1-on-1 mentorship and project-based learning
These workshops are built using this approach.These workshops are built using this approach.
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5. What is "tech"?
Tech isn’t just one industry anymore — it’s the new business
model. Every company is now a tech company.
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6. "Software is Eating the World"
“More and more major businesses and
industries are being run on software and
delivered as online services — from movies
to agriculture to national defense. Many of
the winners are Silicon Valley-style
entrepreneurial technology companies that
are invading and overturning established
industry structures. Over the next 10 years, I
expect many more industries to be disrupted
by software, with new world-beating Silicon
Valley companies doing the disruption in
more cases than not.”
- Marc Andreeson, WSJ, 2011
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7. Largest in their areas - all tech based companies
Retail
Public Transportation Media
Entertainment
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8. Goldman Sachs
Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman
Sachs
“Goldman Sachs is a Technology Firm”
9,000 out of 33,000 employees are on
tech team
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9. The good news
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
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10. The implications for jobs
Increased demand in for technical skills
Creation of new “software plus” jobs
Diffusion of tech organizational culture, roles, and processes
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11. One such process — career trajectory
Junior sales
Account
executive
Sales
Manager
VP Sales
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12. In “tech” career trajectories are varied
Front End Developer
Back End Developer
Full Stack Developer
QA Developer
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13. In “tech” career trajectories are varied
Front End Developer
Back End Developer
Full Stack Developer
QA Developer
Manager / team lead
Reliability Engineer
Growth Hacker
Product Developer
Dev Ops
Architect
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14. In “tech” career trajectories are varied
Front End Developer
Back End Developer
Full Stack Developer
QA Developer
Manager / team lead
Reliability Engineer
Growth Hacker
Product Developer
Dev Ops
Architect
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15. Common first jobs
Front End Developer
Back End Developer
Full Stack Developer
QA Developer
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16. Front end developer
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17. Back end developer
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18. Full stack developer
+
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19. QA Developer
Write software tests and conduct manual tests to catch bugs
before they’re shipped
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20. Next step: Senior Developer
Everything that came before with the ability to estimate your
work accurately, handle challenging problems with less
support, and add support for junior colleagues
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21. Coding plus Roles
Coding + Product = Product Manager
Coding + Marketing = Growth Hacker
Coding + Sales = Sales Engineer
Coding + Data = Data Scientist
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22. Product Manager (Coding + Product)
Skills & ToolsSkills & Tools
Customer research
Customer development
User stories
Wireframes
Project management
Analytics
Turn business goals into product requirements. Work with
designers & developers to deliver — measure success
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23. Growth Hacker (Coding + Marketing)
Skills & ToolsSkills & Tools
Rapid prototyping
Analytics
Communication
Design & implement experiments to drive customer
acquisition and engagement
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24. Sales Engineer (Coding + Sales)
Skills & ToolsSkills & Tools
Customer Support
Communication
Sell complex technical product by helping customer
understand how it works and how they’ll use it
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25. Data Scientist (Coding + Data)
Skills & ToolsSkills & Tools
Curiosity
Statistics
Analytics
Machine Learning
Use statistics and programming to find valuable insights
from extremely large datasets
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26. How to get in the door?
Learn the skills
Build a portfolio of high quality work
Develop a relevant network
Prep for technical interviews
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27. Building your portfolio
Find a niche (based on your background)
Build a personal website
Get your portfolio on GitHub
Try and find contract work
Have professionals guide & review your work
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28. Networking the right way
80% of job openings are never advertised
120 average applicants per job posted
20% get an interview
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29. Networking the right way
Cold applications suck!
Figure out what you want (size, industry, role, etc)
Reach out to someone that works at company
Ask them about their work, genuine interest, build a relationship
Eventually (1-2 months in), ask for referral
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30. Tech recruiters
Tech recruiters serve as your agent
Can leverage their relationships to arrange interviews
They are incentivized to find you a job
You might get less say in where, but are helpful
Can be great in getting you feedback
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31. Thinkful students find jobs through connections
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32. The technical interview
Phone screen
Take home tech challenge
In-person interviews
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33. Resources
Prep sites (e.g. Interview Cake)
Books (e.g. Cracking the Coding Interview)
Mock interviews with technical friends
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34. Ways to keep learning
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35. Mentorship enables flexible learning
Learn anywhere,
anytime, & at your own
pace
You don't have to quitYou don't have to quit
your job to startyour job to start
career transitioncareer transition
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36. Our students receive unprecedented support
Your Mentor
Q&A Sessions
Career CoachSlack
Program Manager
YouYou
Local Community
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37. Our results
87%87%job-placement rate + job guarantee
Kaeside IwuagwuKaeside Iwuagwu
Link for the third party audit jobs report:
https://www.thinkful.com/bootcamp-jobs-https://www.thinkful.com/bootcamp-jobs-
statsstats
Frontend Developer
Sierra GreggSierra Gregg
Software Engineer
JP EarnestJP Earnest
Web Developer
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38. Offer to try Thinkful for Two Weeks
Talk to one of us or email jasjit@thinkful.comjasjit@thinkful.com to learn more
Two-week trial (6 sessions) for $50Two-week trial (6 sessions) for $50
Learn HTML, CSS and JavaScript
Option to continue with full bootcamp
Financing & scholarships available
Jasjit SinghJasjit Singh
GM, Atlanta
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