How I Landed My Dream
Software Job in 12 Months
Matt Woods - @matopher
Slide 2
Slide 2 text
From "What is
an Array?"
Pairing with my co-
founder & tackling
real code
! "
➡
Slide 3
Slide 3 text
Leveraged LinkedIn to connect with 25 growth
professionals from great companies in ~24 hours
Slide 4
Slide 4 text
Opportunities to meet
founders & CEOs
from Hubspot, Drift,
Shareaholic & more
Slide 5
Slide 5 text
3 Key Habits Opened the Door to
My Dream Job in Software
1) Become an automatic learning machine
2) Build a 3 circle network
3) Share your byproducts
Slide 6
Slide 6 text
Hi, I’m
Matt Woods.
Marketer + Developer
mattwoods.io
@matopher
Slide 7
Slide 7 text
Become an Automatic
Learning Machine
Slide 8
Slide 8 text
"Why am I feeling apprehensive
towards getting involved in new
projects involving software
development?"
Slide 9
Slide 9 text
A: You need more wins.
How do you get wins?
Ship more.
Slide 10
Slide 10 text
Start small & consistent
Slide 11
Slide 11 text
"When you want the absolute
best chance to succeed at
anything you want, your
approach should always be the
same. Go small.”
- Gary Keller
Slide 12
Slide 12 text
Healthy inputs & outputs
Input: Tutorials, Classes, Podcasts,
Events, Blog Posts
Output: Create a Forcing Function
for yourself to SHIP
Slide 13
Slide 13 text
What worked for me )
Input: OK Coders, Tutorials,
Podcasts, Events
Output: Mentors & Work Projects
Slide 14
Slide 14 text
Always Be Shipping
- Habit Tracking App
- Search Tool
- Simple API
- Blog
- Personal Website
- Random quote generator
Slide 15
Slide 15 text
How to Ship MORE
- Pair with someone who ships
- Copy on "easy mode"
- The Airbnb 10-to-1 exercise
- FreeCodeCamp, Javascript 30
- Build something to learn something cool
- Get paid to make things
Slide 16
Slide 16 text
What to Learn?
- How you learn is often more important
than a specific tech stack
- https://codeburst.io/the-2018-web-
developer-roadmap-826b1b806e8d
Slide 17
Slide 17 text
No content
Slide 18
Slide 18 text
Build a Three-
Circle Network
Slide 19
Slide 19 text
MATTWOODS.US
Inner
Circle
Professional
Network
The Crowd
Start with
your Inner
Circle and
grow naturally
Slide 20
Slide 20 text
Inner Circle
Prioritize Mentors, role models 1-level above
you, best-in-class peers, and mentees
“Who can I learn from for 10x growth and tough
decisions?”
Slide 21
Slide 21 text
Professional Network
Professional groups, “superconnectors,”
classmates, family friends, relatives, former
coworkers
“Who can I ask a favor from with a quick
message?”
Slide 22
Slide 22 text
The Crowd
Social media followers, email subscribers,
website visitors, blog post readers
“Who can I meaningfully help today?”
Slide 23
Slide 23 text
Surround yourself with the right people
Introduced me to new new ideas
✅ Gave feedback on my podcasts, videos, and side
project ideas
Keep me accountable to actually ship work — whether
it’s a blog post like this or a quick-and-dirty API.
Slide 24
Slide 24 text
Endless follow-up = your new default.
Don’t attribute to hostility what can be
easily blamed on busyness.
Slide 25
Slide 25 text
Once I followed
up with an
investor 48
times until I got
a meeting.
-Steli Efti, CEO
@ Close.io
“ “No,” can mean
“not right now.”
Slide 26
Slide 26 text
General Follow-Up Schedule
Day 1: First follow-up (+2)
Day 3: Follow-up (+4)
Day 7: Follow-up (+7)
Day 14: Follow-up (+14)
Day 28: Follow-up (+30)
Day 58: Follow-up (+30)
… (from there on once a month).
Slide 27
Slide 27 text
Share Your Byproducts
Slide 28
Slide 28 text
Why share your byproducts?
Help others, help yourself.
Create opportunities.
Always Say “Yes” to Public Speaking (Even
When It’s Scary)
Slide 31
Slide 31 text
Pick 1 primary channel
(and stick to it.)
Slide 32
Slide 32 text
Two contrasting specialties = your superpower
MATTWOODS.US
Software
Development
Marketing
(Skill #1)
Your
Superpower
(Skill #2)
Slide 33
Slide 33 text
1) Discover new pain points
2) Validate ideas quickly
Tap your community for on-
the-fly insights
Slide 34
Slide 34 text
Social Post -> 1:1
Follow-up
Slide 35
Slide 35 text
Matt Woods - @matopher
3 Key Habits Opened the Door
to My Dream Job in Software
1) Become an automatic learning
machine
2) Build a 3 circle network
3) Share your byproducts