In my current coding cohort we've been encouraged to reach out and start networking with professional engineers in the industry. And after some time I have been blessed and privileged to be able to network with engineers from start-up businesses to huge corporations like Amazon, Google, and Disney.

If I could I would write up a summary for each and every individual but I have noticed a pattern of similar advice. So here are a few that I've received:

1. Degrees don't matter!!!

Yeah I know! A culture shock for most of us growing up in America where we've been told our whole lives that we can't achieve true success without a degree. So it surprised me that an engineering field that I thought would require years of math doesn't care if you have a degree or not. I'd say that majority of the engineers I've networked with were self-taught which is very inspiring to me!

2. Don't focus on memorizing!

This one was a huge sigh of relief for me. At the beginning of my journey I was under the impression that most engineers have every sort of function of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript ingrained in their brain (which is A LOT!). The best thing about software engineering is all the open resources that we have to provide us with the pieces of code in times when we get stuck. For example, MDN is pretty much the bible of coding. And if all else fails, you can't go wrong with Google.

3. Build Projects

If you want to get the best practice at coding, it is important that you put what you've been learning to life through coding projects. I can attest that this is how I've been able to get better in my HTML, CSS, & JavaScript skills. Resources such as Front End Mentor are good places to start to sharpen your skills. Building unique projects to make your portfolio stand out will definitely give you an advantage when job hunting.

4. You Are Worthy!

I'll never forget this advice from an engineer, no matter what, YOU are worthy of becoming an software engineer! No it won't be easy, but once you get in, it will be worth the struggle and fight it took to get there. Stay curious, push through, and you got this! 💪🏽

Thank you for reading! ☺️

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