What did I learn from today’s 5K MDC Meetup?

Code to solve real problems.
We often jump from one tutorial to another and end up stuck in tutorial hell. We rebuild projects we see on YouTube or online, and yes, that helps. But building something that solves your own daily problems teaches you way more. It can be as simple as a to do app customized exactly the way you want it. The real learning happens when you build it yourself, research things on the way, and figure out what to do step by step.

You don’t need to know every tech stack to get started with jobs or internships.
If you know something like Nextjs and Supabase, that is already enough to build a full stack app. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you shouldn’t learn more. But learning while already working in the industry is much better than sitting for years just learning without doing. And Next.js and Supabase are just examples, not the only stack people should use.

Market yourself.
You may have learned a lot, but HR is not going to magically find you and offer you a job. Build your LinkedIn profile. Have a polished portfolio that is deployed properly. A custom domain looks more professional than just a Vercel link. Write blogs about things you truly understand. Build your GitHub profile too.

Network. Network. Network.
Connect with seniors. Connect with people from other departments if you are not already in software. Connect with students from other campuses too. A lot of opportunities come through people, and networking helps you learn things you would never discover alone.

On job applications, don’t be the average applicant.
If you know you can do the job but don’t have a project to show yet, quickly build something and send a Loom video explaining how you would solve the problem. Reach out directly to HRs, CEOs, or talent managers with something that helps you stand out.

On platforms like Upwork, don’t send generic proposals like “I am delighted to apply for this job.” Talk about what the client is actually looking for and connect it with your experience. Also, unless they specifically ask for it, don’t include your graduation year. Just mention your university. Some clients judge students or fresh graduates before even seeing their skills.

For interviews, research the interviewer.
If they have a technical background, be ready to explain your projects deeply instead of just giving a surface level explanation. If they are non technical, explain your projects in simple language and focus on how it solves business problems.

Go with the trend.
That doesn’t mean jumping from one field to another every month. It means finding trends that match the skills you already have or things you can quickly learn. Workflow automation is booming in freelancing right now. If you already have related skills, learning it can open a lot of opportunities. Voice agents are also becoming huge in AI. If you are already in AI, moving into those areas becomes much easier.

Keep learning your core skills, but don’t only prepare for old school jobs. Learn what’s trending too.

Mood swings.
It happens to almost everyone. We start something with motivation and quit a week later feeling unmotivated. The important thing is understanding that motivation should not be the thing running your life. Systems should.

Build routines and systems instead of depending on motivation. Change your environment if needed, sometimes even your friends :) And even when you feel down, don’t let that make you quit for multiple days. Missing one day is okay. Missing two days in a row is where momentum starts breaking.

When you rely on systems instead of emotions, you start seeing the bigger picture better.

I honestly learned so much from the program. I feel bad for people around 5 Kilo who missed it. Hopefully, you’ll make sure to attend the next one.

I’m writing this in one sitting straight from memory, so I’m sure I forgot a lot of points. But I still wanted to share what I remembered. I’ll also share the recording once the organizers upload it.

@abduInTheloop

A single point mutation can cause an entire protein to lose its function.

This is not about protein.

abduinTheLoop

MissCoder has got me a better name 😁.. Thank you for the DNA strands you donated. we are happy to have you in the loop :)

Complete recording of our MDC Meetup held on Monday. Listen to it, share it with others, and benefit from the valuable discussions and experiences shared. Inshaallah, you will learn a lot.

the problem isn’t not studying for a final exam that’s tomorrow.

the problem is NOT panicking when you still have one whole chapter left and the exam is in the morning.

Like where’s the fear? The adrenaline? 😭

Stay panicked, peeps.

— message from your unpanicked unc

Good Night 😴

fr..

I have no beef with PMs, but they always act like this 🤧.

Project Managers and some clients' logic:

Dev: It takes nine months for one woman to deliver a baby.

PM: What if we bring in nine women to deliver it in one month?

Now they say use AI for everything...

The latest iOS version of the CBE app actually comes with a lot of solid fixes. credit where it’s due - they really did a good job this time. I’m convinced the developer refactored the entire codebase, closed their eyes, whispered a prayer, and hit git push origin --force

have u checked it out ? Isn’t it better now

I'm kinda busy with plans; I have to study for finals on Monday and do some work minamn ..., but I ain't feeling the adrenaline yet.

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So why not S.M.A. ? this time, let's make it fun. I am letting you vent, roast, ask, or whatever you want.

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Send it here: https://sma.et/b/mcxbnqkFGVT1

I am just checking the messages and it's so funny.. but remember that I am a tech guy 😅. I will be going to answer the questions anyways...

I have passed the past 6 semester without studying. inshallah, allah won't let me fail this time too.
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Don't ask me about my grade tho.

Noooo, I'm shy to send it on public 😁.

but as I already said before, you can come to any dev events, and I'm sure you will find me if you are that interested to see my face 🙂.

1. be Rich
2. travel
3. die.

ofc, these are not the only ones 🙂

Idk either..

I'm making zero birr this time. actually 3,000ETB (the cost sharing I get from uni). 🙂
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I wouldn't hate if you start a gofundme :)

nooo, I actually hate biology. It's @misscoder101 that gave me that name. I think she saw my hidden talent in biology. 🙂

😁.
I better cry, actually😭 . I don't hv money. buy me one. 😅

I'm sure this question is from a guy, but yeah, I don't mind as long as she's good-looking like me 😁

yes, I do.

I don't know about Hubstaff specifically, but in general, I hate trackers for several reasons. First, I would like to work at any time, such as two hours on Monday and sixteen hours on Sunday. I want this flexibility, but if there is a tracker, the client could see how many hours I am dedicating per day and flag me in red. A second reason is that it would take screenshots, so if I want to do multiple jobs at the same time, it would be hard to do so. A third reason is that some clients pay you hourly. So, if a task that was supposed to take eight hours took only three hours because you have done the same thing before or you used AI, it would be a disadvantage because now you would have to do another task just to fill the hours. I can continue, but this is enough. Yeah, so according to me, I hate it because it highlights my laziness.