#buildInPublic is all the rage at the moment in the IndieHackers scene and I think it is a great thing for new developers looking for a job to do as well. Basically keep your side project code in a public GitHub repo and tell people about it. Talk about what you are making, the choices you made and what you are finding tricky.
This idea is probably mortifying to you, that’s ok. Putting our code out into the world is scary, you will make mistakes and have some questionable design decisions BUT, it will give you one thing that is vital when you are coding in a job and that is the experience of knowing other people can, and will, view your code.
In any good software team, your code will be reviewed by a team member before it is merged into the main codebase. This is an opportunity to catch mistakes, make sure one other person knows what you are doing and for them to make constructive comments on how to improve it.
Coding in public means you can ask other people to look at your code to simulate this- ask other coders on Reddit, Instagram, Slack/Discord, StackExchange etc. if they can take a look. Start with a small specific function and if you build a rapport you can ask them to look wider at the repo. Don’t expect masses of depth but even 5 minutes of a senior developer looking at your code can really improve your skills.
Getting used to this sooner rather than later ticks this off and makes it a complete non issue at the interview. I have been asked a number of times, “a team member has made a suggestion on your code, how would you handle this?” If you have had your code in public for a while you will have this question sorted and won’t be phased by it.
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