This Jr. Programmer Funneled His Passion for Computers Into a Programming Career

After a stint working in information technology and desk support, James Marion resurrected an initial passion for programming (he's been working with and on computers since high school) and dusted off his skills in DigitalCrafts' Immersive program with a focus on Computer Science.

"I wanted to work in an industry where I can constantly improve rather than treading water," says Marion. Now, that hustle can be seen in his hard work and willingness to learn new languages and processes, including an interest in UX/UI, Vue.js, and AngularJS.

This eager programmer has experience working for corporate giants, but he wouldn't mind trying out a startup for a change. Find out if he's a good fit for your team below.

Why did you decided to enroll in DigitalCrafts?

I did have some experience in computer science. I went to Kennesaw State University for a few years, but got hired out of my IT internship. After a serious back injury, I had some time to think about what I wanted to do. I loved programming, but I was not confident as I didn’t do all that much programming since college. I was out of practice and had little real world web development experience so I decided to check out DigitalCrafts.

What was your work experience before aspiring to become a web developer?

I was always interested in computers and had an internship in high school doing IT work. I became A+ certified and eventually moved on to repair computers at a computer store. I started working level 2 support (desk side support) at an investment firm during college. I enjoyed the work, but it was difficult to move up from that position.

What technology and tools are essential to you as a developer?

I rely on Atom and have been trying out some other text editors like Visual Studio code. Chrome, along with its dev tools, are a huge help as well. Javascript is probably the most powerful ‘tool’ I work with every day, as it seems to be the basis of every new technology and language that is gaining ground.
StackOverflow has been a huge help, as it seems that every question I have had has been asked and answered many times before.

I also use AWS though the bash terminal on my computer to host all my content. As far as working on the UI/UX of my projects, my drawing tablet, Affinity Photo, and Affinity Designer have been very useful in making a good looking project.

How do you stay informed & on top of emerging trends?

A big source of information for me is the web dev forum on Reddit, which is the first place I plan to show off my final project, www.JustSwatch.me. I also read lots of posts on Medium and watch YouTube videos from people in the industry. The FreeCodeCamp channel is very nice for quickly getting an overview of a technology I want to dive in to.

What’s next on your list to learn?

I would like to get into Vue.js and AngularJS. I am pretty comfortable in React, but I would like to get some more experience in its competitors. I also discovered that I enjoy working on the user experience side of web development, so I would like to get a better knowledge in how to make a good user experience. I would also like to implement my new skills with the work I have done in college, like using Java or C#. I wouldn’t mind checking out MongoDB to check out how a non-relational database can work.

Are you interested in working for a startup, agency, mid-sized company, or a corporate giant?

Most companies I have worked for have been corporate giants. While I wouldn’t mind at all working for another, I would like to see how the office culture is in a mid-sized company or a startup. A goal of mine in DigitalCrafts was to become well-rounded and I would like to try to continue that post-bootcamp.

Interested in looking at James’s credentials? Check out his website, GitHub, and LinkedIn.