Rome Bell

I have reviewed 21 resumes in the past month and here are three deal breakers I keep seeing: 1. Listing tools without showing what you did with them I keep seeing candidates list Django with no context. Do this instead: Created and launched a fullstack Django web app for 50 students at Ruvheneko High School to publish their essays. This reduced strain on physical resources at the school. That bullet tells me what you built, how you built it, who it helped, and why it mattered. That’s what we want. 2. Bullet points that do nothing for you Some bullets are just there to take up space. But if they don’t show action or impact, they’re hurting you. Every bullet needs to earn its spot. Use the structure: situation → task → result. If it doesn’t help, cut it. Empty space is better than filler. 3. Dead links Seriously. If your GitHub or portfolio link is broken, remove it. And if you don’t have a GitHub yet, start one now. I’ll be sharing project ideas next. Steal idea 1 and run with it. Any resume questions you’ve been too scared to ask? Drop them below. Let’s fix it together.

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Most junior developers think mastering Git means knowing how to push and pull. But real growth starts when you learn to write clear commit messages and use Git intentionally. This week I reviewed some commits I wrote early in my career. They worked but they told no story. Messages like “fix bug” or “update code” didn’t help anyone (not even me). Reverts were messy, branches unclear, and git blame was my only diary. Now I see what I couldn’t back then. Descriptive commits tell a story. Small, focused changes are easier to review. Rebasing, stashing, and cherry-picking make collaboration smoother. Sometimes progress isn’t about new tools. It’s about using the ones you already know with more care and intention. That’s the kind of growth that makes you a better teammate. #Git #DeveloperJourney #CleanCode

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𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗖𝗦 𝗗𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 💡 No CS degree? That’s not a blocker—it’s an opportunity. The tech world is full of self-taught devs, career changers, and bootcamp grads doing amazing work. Here’s how you can do it too: 1. Project-First Learning Focus on building real, deployable apps (not just following tutorials). Showcase problem-solving—pick projects that solve actual pain points. Pro Tip: Open source contributions and hackathons count double for visibility and credibility. 2. Build an Online Presence Treat your GitHub, LinkedIn, and personal portfolio like your digital resume. Document your learning journey, share your process, and highlight what you’re building. Own your story—“Here’s what I made and why.” 3. Learn to Leverage AI and Tech Tools Stay ahead by using modern tech—AI assistants (like Copilot), cloud platforms, or automation tools. Showcase how you use these to accelerate your work or deliver more impact. 4. Network with Intention Join dev communities (Discord, Slack, Twitter, LinkedIn). Engage, ask for feedback, collaborate, and help others. Opportunities come from conversations, not just applications. 5. Tailor Every Application Read job descriptions closely—reflect their needs in your resume, cover letter, and project portfolio. Highlight transferable skills (problem-solving, design, teamwork, communication) from your past experience. 6. Keep Up with Industry Skills Learn version control (Git), cloud deployment, GitHub Actions, and basic system design. Always be learning—tech isn’t just about degrees. It’s about adaptability. 7. Tell Your “Non-Traditional” Story Boldly When you land the interview, tell your story: Why did you choose tech? What unique edge do you bring? Tech leaders value diverse thinking and initiative. 𝗣𝗥𝗢 𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘: Document your journey in public. One project, one LinkedIn post, or one code commit at a time—you’ll build a “proof of progress” trail recruiters can’t ignore. — Your degree doesn’t define you—your drive, skills, and projects do. Follow these strategies, keep building, and let your work do the talking. Want more tips for breaking into tech? 👉 Follow Ujjwal Chadha for daily insights! #NoCSDegree #breakintotech #careeradvice #programming #projectbasedlearning #github #networking #jobsearch #techjobs #personalbranding

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Coding is dead, yet we just had our best month in 3 years February was one of the best months for Code with Beto in the last 3 years. We made in a single month what used to take me a year or more when I started. I keep seeing the "coding is dead" nonsense everywhere. Yet we're onboarding more Pro members than ever. So what's actually happening? "Why should I learn to build apps if AI can do it for me?" AI makes it easy to build the basic thing. But you don't want to be basic. The reality is there's no demand for average. Most beginners are falling into the trap of trying to ship, market, and maintain a vibe-coded app. Honestly? I think that's a fine learning experience. They'll hit a wall eventually, and at that point they get to decide whether it's worth learning to keep building or quit. This is exactly why we're seeing more mid and senior engineers becoming Pro members. They already know that good, sustainable software starts from having a solid understanding of the underlying tech. If you have even a small amount of software engineering experience, you have a massive edge right now. Shipping a side project is now actually feasible. Remember the running joke that developers have tons of unfinished side projects? As an experienced engineer, you can now actually ship them and maintain them. It's easier than ever. I highly recommend doing this for extra passive income. AI is increasing productivity, and we're already seeing companies start to lay off workers because of it. Shipping your own side projects is the best way to be in a good spot if you ever get affected by that. I built and shipped Inkigo, my AI tattoo app, and it's now generating about $500/month in passive income. To put that in perspective, that's more than what I make from YouTube AdSense every month. Wild, considering I've been making videos for 5 years. An app is a faster path to income. That said, you also want to learn marketing. That's important. But having a good product that people actually use and share? That's the best growth engine, especially for a side project where you don't want to spend all your time making content for the app. Let's build cool stuff.

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Why LeetCode Won’t Get You Hired… ✅LeetCode Practice Correlates with Interview Success, But Only Up to a Point Real interview success depends just as much on your ability to communicate your thought process, handle ambiguity, ask clarifying questions, and adapt to feedback—skills that LeetCode alone doesn’t develop ✅Volume Isn’t Everything—Depth Matters Focusing on understanding key problem-solving patterns and tackling challenging, unfamiliar problems helps you develop the ability to recognise underlying techniques and adapt to new scenarios—exactly what real interviews demand ✅LeetCode Alone Doesn’t Make a Great Engineer Real-world engineering requires system design, collaboration, debugging, and understanding complex codebases—skills rarely tested in algorithmic interviews. ✅Why Companies Still Use LeetCode-Style Questions The main reason is efficiency: with thousands of applicants, companies need a scalable way to filter candidates quickly. LeetCode is a fast, objective filter, even if it means rejecting some strong engineers who aren’t great at this. ✅Blindly Copying the Big Tech Approach Is Problematic Many smaller companies use LeetCode-style interviews simply because big tech does, not because it fits their hiring needs. This can result in missing out on great candidates who would excel in their actual work environment but struggle with algorithmic problems. ✅AI Is Changing the Game With AI tools now able to solve LeetCode problems instantly, these interviews are becoming less effective at measuring genuine problem-solving ability and more about who can game the system. 🎯What Actually Prepares You for Interviews 👉Practice a focused set of LeetCode problems, prioritising quality and difficulty over sheer quantity 👉Develop strong communication skills—explain your thought process clearly during interviews 👉Gain experience with system design, code reviews, and debugging—these are often tested in later interview rounds or on the job. 👉 Work on real-world projects and open-source contributions to demonstrate practical engineering skills. Leetcode is not everything but still it is an important criteria for filtering candidates. So if you’re struggling with DSA, here’s my video with 12 actionable steps to learn DSA in 6 months 🔗https://lnkd.in/gyAMsakE #dsa #maang #techjobs

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