I had a shower thought about my career this morning (my head has been in the career space a lot recently). What if when you find a job posting you like and are ready to apply for it. Take a moment and write up / imagine your resume as it would probably be after your first year of working at this new job. Write down your new title, the skills used, the projects worked on, the achievements accomplished. A lot of this data may be pulled directly from the job posting, but really focus in on your specific skill set, personality and goals that relate to this job. How will they mesh to create a unique new resume you will be proud of and have confidence when it is time to move on once again.

I believe the origin of this thought started with wanting to keep my Linked In profile up to date as I progress through this new journey. I am very happy with all of the knowledge I have gained so far through the on boarding process and from interacting with talented individuals. This idea came from me trying to foresee how this first year will roll out. I have many ideas of what I’d like to accomplish and how I will provide value back to my new employer.

For context this view point comes during a time of career change. This is a time of uncertainty. Leaving a job is tough, as it rips away the comfort that one has grown accustomed to. Joining a new company has additional concerns. In the early months you want to make sure to prove yourself (you may experience imposter syndrome). This is also a time that you need to socialize correctly and make genuine connections. In the later months/years concern and focus may move towards the company and its sustainability. The software development market is ever changing and skills must be kept fresh and relevant.

Taking the above into consideration. Will you be satisfied with your resume in a year if you take that new job? You can use this thought experiment to filter your job search and guide your career trajectory.

Short example using knowledge I have so far of how this job will go:

  • New Title : Software Developer In Test
  • Skills : Multi platform testing (iOS, OSX, tvOS, Android, FireTV, Xbox One, PS4, Roku and Tizen). Appium Test Automation for React Native, Adobe After Effects, C++, Vagrant
  • Projects : React Native, Product Automation, Build
  • Achievements : Improved Regression Testing Application to reduce difficulties blocking exploratory testing. Develop an Automated Regression Testing Suite to reduce delivery time and improve tester experience. Created Packer and Vagrant scripts to put together developer environments and deploy to Virtualbox and AWS.

I am almost at the one year mark now and this would be my updated version below:

Note: When reading one of these summaries, realize that it is an over simplification of the overall story of what has been achieved.

  • Title : Software Developer In Test
  • Skills :
    • Multi platform testing (Android, Android TV, iOS, OSX, tvOS, PS4, Roku, Tizen, UWP, Vestel, VS2017, WebOS and Xbox One).
    • Vagrant/Packer image building for VirtualBox an AWS.
    • Working on Jenkins (scripting jobs, building nodes and configuring setup).
  • Projects/Teams :
    • React Native(Perform Testing)
    • Build Solutions
  • Achievements :
    • Advocating for a better approach to our Automated Regression Testing Suite to reduce delivery time and improve tester experience.
    • Created Packer and Vagrant scripts to put together developer environments and deploy to Virtualbox and AWS, including Jenkins nodes.
    • Organized weekly tester “guild” meetings for the product team, focused on improving skill set of the testers and their craft.
    • Worked on youi-cli adding/maintaining functionality.