Why Every Aspiring Developer Needs a Mentor: Insights from ${DarkMode} Devs Founder & CEO

Introduction

Currently, aspiring developers have more learning options than ever - universities, coding bootcamps, and even self-paced online courses. But there’s one resource that often gets overlooked: "Mentorship". At ${DarkMode} Devs, we believe that having a mentor can be the most effective way to grow as a developer. This article explores the key differences between traditional learning routes and personalized mentorship, and why every aspiring developer can benefit from one-on-one guidance.

The Backstory

The typical path to becoming a developer often involves attending a university or signing up for a coding bootcamp. Universities provide a broad foundation in computer science, offering in-depth theoretical knowledge over several years. Coding bootcamps, on the other hand, focus on intense, short-term learning with the promise of getting you ready for a job in tech in a matter of months. But both routes have their limitations - rigid curriculums and a one-size-fits-all approach. That’s where mentorship fills the gap.

As you may know, I’ve gone down the 4 paths into tech as an absolute beginner – self-taught, university, coding bootcamp, and mentorship. What I discovered was that it was my collective experience that made me who I am today, but it was the one-on-one mentorship with senior software engineers that took me to the next level.

The Turning Point

Through my experience being mentored, the turning point for me came when I realized that most aspiring developers needed more than just structured lessons. They needed real-world guidance, someone to answer specific questions, help with roadblocks, and provide feedback in “real time”. That’s when I knew that my decision to develop ${DarkMode} Devs' mentorship program was the right move. As I enrolled mentees, I saw firsthand how much faster students progressed when they received personalized attention that addressed their individual needs and goals – just like I did when I was mentored. That’s when it became clear mentorship isn’t just helpful, it’s essential.

Impact on Aspiring Developers

Mentorship has a profound impact on aspiring developers compared to traditional learning methods:

• University vs. Mentorship: Universities provide a strong theoretical background but can be slow to adapt to the rapid changes in tech. With a mentor, you gain current, industry-relevant knowledge tailored to your career goals.
• Bootcamp vs. Mentorship: Coding bootcamps offer fast-track learning, but the pace can overwhelm students who struggle to keep up. Mentors, however, adjust their teaching style and pace to fit your strengths and weaknesses, ensuring deep comprehension rather than just surface-level knowledge.

What Can Be Done

If you’re an aspiring developer, consider supplementing your formal education with mentorship. The beauty of mentorship lies in its flexibility and adaptability. Here’s what you can do:

• Seek mentorship early on: Don’t wait until you’re stuck or feeling lost in a bootcamp or university. Start looking for a mentor early in your coding journey to avoid common pitfalls.
• Combine structured learning with personal guidance: Use your university or bootcamp education to cover broad topics but rely on a mentor to dive deeper into software engineering principles and concepts.
• Invest in long-term growth: A mentor helps you beyond your initial learning phase, offering career advice, networking opportunities, and project-based learning tailored to your needs.

Reflections on the Experience

At ${DarkMode} Devs, we’ve seen students flourish under mentorship in ways that traditional educational models simply can’t replicate. Our one-on-one approach ensures that no two learning experiences are the same. Whether it’s working on real-world projects, solving tough coding problems, or offering career advice, a mentor gives you customized attention that accelerates your growth.

Advice for Others

If you’re an aspiring developer, don’t view mentorship as a luxury or an optional add-on to your education - it’s a necessity. The right mentor will help you avoid common mistakes, push you to think critically, and provide feedback that is specific to your learning style. And remember, mentorship doesn’t have to replace formal education; it can complement it in ways that make your learning more effective.

Conclusion

While universities and coding bootcamps are valuable, they often fall short of providing the personalized, real-time guidance that aspiring developers truly need. A mentor fills that gap, offering individualized support that accelerates learning and prepares you for real-world challenges. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your skills to the next level, a mentor can make all the difference.

Side Notes:

There's more to come - personal and technical.

If there is something you’re interested in that you would like us to write about contact us through the contact form on this blog and let us know.

Are you ready to take your coding skills to the next level? At ${DarkMode} Devs, we offer personalized one-on-one mentorship designed to help you reach your full potential. While you're learning full stack JavaScript development, our mentors are here to guide you every step of the way. Sign up for our mentorship program today and start coding with confidence!

The Problem of Outsourcing

Intro:

Outsourcing has quickly spread through the tech industry. What started as outsourcing simple IT tasks has grown into companies shifting full-scale software development projects to countries with lower labor costs. This has been particularly hard on American developers, who now find themselves facing shrinking job opportunities and competing not only with their peers locally but also with offshore developers at a fraction of the cost. In this article, we’ll dive into how outsourcing is taking jobs away from American developers and, more importantly, what we can do.

The backstory:

I recently acquired a client who outsourced to Indian developers who took $60,000.00+ from him and his investors and left him with a trash mobile app while also failing to get the app approved by Apple's App Store review team. The client came to me in a rut, and my team and I had to pick up the pieces of a badly written program and make some magic happen for our client. The point I'd like to highlight is that he spent a hell of a lot more money outsourcing than he would have if he found me to begin with and on top of that, we would have gotten the job done right the first time.

Impact on American Developers:

The direct impact of outsourcing on American developers has been significant. First, wages have stagnated, as companies are reluctant to pay higher salaries when they can outsource for less. Second, many mid-level and entry-level jobs have disappeared, with junior developers particularly vulnerable. The result is that many American developers either struggle to find work or are forced to accept lower-paying jobs that don’t reflect their skill level.

What Can Be Done:

While outsourcing isn’t going away, there are proactive steps that American developers can take to stay competitive:

• Focus on communication and client relations: U.S. based developers have an edge in their ability to communicate directly and work in the same time zone with clients, which can lead to more collaborative and efficient projects.
• Encourage local hiring initiatives: Companies should invest in local talent through apprenticeships, mentorships, and long-term hiring strategies rather than seeking short-term savings through outsourcing.
• Advocate for fair labor policies: Developers can get involved in lobbying efforts or discussions that encourage the creation of policies protecting U.S. jobs, ensuring fair competition.
• Vote to elect better leadership: Developers can exercise their right to vote and elect leaders who support the American economy and workforce.

Reflections:

As someone who runs a web development company, I’ve seen firsthand how outsourcing has affected both clients and developers. It’s true that many companies find cost savings by outsourcing, but they often miss out on the benefits of local collaboration and deep client understanding. For American developers, the key to remaining competitive is focusing on what makes us different: the ability to understand local market needs and deliver high-quality, tailored solutions.

Advice to Others:

To any developer feeling the pressure of outsourcing, my advice is simple: don’t try to compete on price alone. Instead, position yourself as an expert in a specific area or as someone who offers a premium service that offshore developers may not. It’s also crucial to keep learning and building. Tech is always evolving, and the more adaptable you are, the more valuable you become.

Side Notes:

There's more to come - personal and technical.

If there is something you’re interested in that you would like us to write about contact us through the contact form on this blog and let us know.

If you’re a developer looking to strengthen your skills or a company wanting to invest in local talent, let’s connect. ${DarkMode} Devs is committed to helping developers grow and businesses succeed by offering expert-level services and training. Reach out today to learn how we can support your journey in this rapidly changing industry.

The First Client

Intro:

Starting a web & app dev company was a dream I had prior to learning to code, but landing my first client was the moment that made that dream feel real. As the founder of ${DarkMode} Devs, getting that first opportunity not only validated my skills but set the foundation for what my company would become.

When I started this company, I had no idea what I was about to get myself into, I just wanted to succeed and build a great tech company and prosper just like anyone else who believes in the good old "American Dream". I knew client acquisition was a problem that needed to be solved and anyone who knows the industry knows that my competition was fierce. I had to start somewhere, and you wouldn't believe how I landed my first client - a humble experience.

Here's the story of how I secured my first client and the lessons I learned along the way.

The story behind the first client:

In the beginning, I struggled with the typical hurdles—finding leads, building a portfolio, and convincing potential clients to take a chance on me. Despite honing my skills in web & app development, translating that into real business seemed daunting. I started by building my online presence, networking within local developer groups, and sending out cold emails, hoping someone would respond.

Long story short, I was living at my mom's ranch, I was a recent bootcamp grad and a full-time student. One day the power went out in our home, and we knew the bill was paid. We had to have electricity, this isn't the stone age, and I needed the internet. We tried going to the main meter and resetting the switches, but nothing. So, after a night of lighting candles, I started calling professional electricians. After half a day of phone calls, I found only one electrician that was willing to come to our home and give us a free estimate after assessing the damage.

Shortly after he arrived, he showed me the issue, and it was dangerous, our home could have caught on fire and my room was right next to the main meter. He acted in good faith and began repairs so that we could have electricity and not worry about burning alive. While he worked, we spoke about a lot of things, and it turned out his company needed a web presence and some social media management. I offered to help with no upfront costs, just as I was afforded.

Fast forward who knows how long later, a lot has changed, and I hadn't heard a peep from the electrician since he left our home. One day, I decided to reach out, and he wanted to meet up at his house and discuss how I can help his business.

Onboarding:

Before our first meeting, I knew I was taking the job no matter what, money meant nothing to me - I've been rich and poor, as well as everywhere in-between, in my life. What I valued was establishing a real relationship and giving my clients a great and lasting experience.

So, we arrived at his home. He showed me how bad his current website was, and he showed me how a local CMS developer was charging him $7,000.00 a month for a trash website, and now that his business couldn't afford the fees, they left him high and dry with online garbage. The man was left with nothing, and his business was dying slowly. He was willing to give his business one last shot at success, but didn't have the money to pay me. I thanked him for what he did for me and my family and decided I was taking the job for free. But, as excited as he seemed, he said he respectfully had to pay me something, and all he had was an old gaming PC still in the original box. So, I agreed to take the PC as payment for our services, and that was that, or was it....

How it ended:

The man came to my home one day, as I invited him to come and hang out while we put the finishing touches on his website and social profiles. He was going through a lot. He thanked us for our help and stated that he may dissolve his business. It turned out that he was going through a divorce and didn't have the patience or strength any longer to compete in his field.

Fast forward again, sometime later, I reached out to see how he was doing. It turned out his phone was disconnected and when I checked on his website and social media profiles - he took it all down. I was sad for many reasons, not only because I no longer have a project in my company portfolio, but for whatever he was going through, because when my family needed help, he was there, so I tried returning the favor.

Reflections:

Landing my first client was a game-changer. It solidified the importance of being me. In hindsight, my first client was a humble and yet rewarding experience, he wasn't a big time high paying client, he was a hard-working American that had a big family to take care of and little resources to do it. I still think about that trash CMS developer and wonder how he sleeps at night for what he did to that family for months - he is a disgrace of a man in my eyes.

Myself, I was willing to do anything to make my company succeed and establish a good relationship with my clients - no matter who they were. Sometimes in life money is not everything, it's how we take care of one another on a human level.

Advice to Others:

If you’re trying to land your first client, my biggest tip is to leverage your network. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Personalizing your approach to each potential client and showcasing your unique strengths will set you apart. And remember, every interaction is an opportunity, even if it doesn’t result in immediate business.

Stay Blessed.

Side Notes:

There's more to come - personal and technical.

If you’re interested in the Backstory to ${DarkMode} Devs, or If there is something you’re interested in that you would like us to write about, contact us through the contact form on this blog and let us know.

If you're an aspiring web developer or entrepreneur looking to jumpstart your career, don’t hesitate to reach out. Whether you need a website for your business or mentorship to help you land your first client, ${DarkMode} Devs is here to support you. Let’s connect!