In January 2022 I started 100Devs hoping to someday have a nice solid career in the software development industry.
A few months into my journey we were given the task to find a freelance client, in hopes that when we went searching for future employers at some point, the work we had done for a freelance client, would be a nice showcase of our abilities to that said employer.

I had trouble at first finding a client, but after posting to the subreddit /r/forhire, and showing off my portfolio there, along with what I was capable of doing, I was fortunate enough to land a contractor role for a small company. It taught me a lot. I used JavaScript, TypeScript, Vue, Backbone.js, jQuery, CSS, SASS/SCSS, Gulp, and many others.

However, hours became nonexistent after a year and three months of working there. So during that time, I searched around. I did a lot of networking and filled out almost 900 applications, mostly using the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn.

I had some interviews, some good, some bad, and some weird. Every time I thought "Oh yeah this is it", some weird stuff would happen where the company suddenly wasn't hiring for that position anymore, or they would just ghost me after the first round. Fortunately, and oddly enough, I only had to do LeetCode one time for one of the companies, and that was a manufacturing company that felt stuck in 1984.

Fortunately this week I was hired by a company that I had talked to a few weeks ago, and honestly, I didn't think I was going to get this job. They had asked me questions about mobile development, and I was honest that I had done some work with Cordova, but I haven't started an Android application using it from start to finish. I never had to do a CodeWars/LeetCode problem with them. Only asked about my past work, and my resume.
I felt great about my answer when they asked what I was passionate about in the industry, and about programming.

Apparently, it was great enough because it was the reason I landed this job. I received an email a week or so ago telling me that I had gotten the job. Later, I received a phone call from one of the owners, and they told me it was my passion, and how much I loved programming, that made me stand out over the 20+ other candidates they had interviewed, and why I got the job.

I'm ecstatic and pumped to be starting this new position. I will be making six figures, at a great company, just a few years into my journey. Absolutely happy. It's hard to find words.