Would you hire me with these skills?  An honest assessment of my skills as a web developer.
Tags: discuss
Published: 2019-03-02 22:10:18

---
title: Would you hire me with these skills?  An honest assessment of my skills as a web developer.
published: true
tags: discuss
---

First off, no, I am not asking anyone for a job.  I just want some honest opinions and answers.

I have attempting to self-teach myself web development for almost 2 years and I am pretty confident with my skills.  However, since I am a 33-year-old career maintenance man, I feel like I have to go the extra mile and have other skills that can set me apart from the 22-year-olds with CS degrees.  With that in mind, I would like to present a list to you.  This list includes my web dev skills as well as my "other" skills.  This list will also be written in a resume or portfolio type fashion as though I am attempting to "sell" myself to you.

Any feedback, negative or positive, is GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

Now, ON TO THE LIST

1. Would consider myself fluent with HTML and CSS.

2. Adequate with JavaScript, but there is room for improvement.

3. Have worked with Python, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Vue, and React, but would not say I am proficient with them.  However, given a good mentor, feel like I could pick them all up quickly.

4. To go along with the previous entry, I feel like I have learned enough about "Programming" to be able to pick up many of the common languages quickly, given a good mentor or a bit of guidance.

Working in maintenance for the last decade in Alzheimers and Dementia Health Care Facilities has given me, what I consider, some transferable skills as well. Skills like,

5. Ability to look at a large problem and break it down into smaller more manageable problems.

6. Very good at thinking of "outside the box" solutions to problems.

7. Ability to look at a problem and visualize all the different components and functions it is supposed to have in order to work properly, thus allowing me to find the part that is malfunctioning much quicker.

8. I have GREAT communication skills.  People who have Alzheimers and Dementia, sometimes cannot understand what it is that I need to do, or may not be able to properly communicate what they need.  So, top-notch communication skills are a must in my current field.  This includes non-verbal communication as well as the ability to explain something, that we as developers think is a simple concept, to someone that may not be tech-savvy in a way that doesn't make them feel like I think they are dumb.

9. I know how to ask a good question. This may sound a little odd, but I believe it is a great asset. Asking good questions can get me to the solution much faster.

10. Dedication and willingness to learn.  Since making the decision to learn web development, I have treated my learning as though I am in an actual college class.  I have to practice every single day, NO EXCEPTIONS!  I will bring the same dedication with me to your company.

11. Last but not least, let us not forget that I have been in maintenance for a long time and have done well enough to rise through the ranks and become Director of Maintenance over 2 skilled nursing centers at the same time at the age of only 33.  This would mean you are getting someone with the knowledge and skills to be able to fix anything around the office.  If you were to give me the career that I have dreamed of I would be more than happy to show my appreciation by saving you money in repair bills and fixing what needs fixing.

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And that it!  As I said before, any feedback at all is appreciated.