Grab a glass of juice and follow me on a ride. I'm not sure how long this is going to be but it's worth mentioning that it might be a lengthy one.

Recommended

Listen to the Podcast version of this. I gave more detail on getting a Job as a Flutter Developer

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2YujGK0GdaE1S9EAaCyCRC

About Me

My name is Temitope and I am a Flutter Developer. I have been building mobile apps in the last 3 years using Flutter. Prior to that, I have been a Web developer building perhaps one of Nigeria's largest loan lending platforms. I eventually got tired of the web and decided to go head-on into mobile app development.

Was this a good decision? You will find out in a bit.

I have made a lot of progress as a developer and a major highlight of this is getting a job as a Flutter developer.

A Timeline

Started the year with a plan - Learn as many Data Structures and Algorithms as possible - so I can confidently apply for Flutter jobs. I do not like to go to an interview unprepared and look like a fool. So January, I started learning and by the end of January, I was a little confident. I knew some C# and JavaScript so I used these two languages to practice some DS and Algo exercises.

The following month, February, I started applying to jobs on LinkedIn.

Applying to jobs on LinkedIn turned out to be a huge time waster. I am not sure how people get jobs from just applying to jobs on LinkedIn. Recruiters never got back to me on LinkedIn.

I think one would have a better chance by sending a message to recruiters directly on LinkedIn rather than wasting time using the job board. Another strategy that could work is to "Show workings".

Show Workings

"Rather than applying for jobs, why not get recruiters to notice you instead"? This was my thought after sending over 50+ applications on LinkedIn. But, how do I get them to notice me?

Show workings.

I believe that no matter how talented/genius you might be, hiding under the bed would make you go hungry and people won't see how good you really are. Or at most, you become underpaid.

I had worked at Sterling at the time and seen a lot of wasted talents in the banking industry getting underpaid because they did not show the world what they can do.

I had an idea. I will build pockets of Demos and POCs in Flutter and post them on Twitter and LinkedIn. The first week I did that on LinkedIn, I had recruiters and CEOs in my Inbox.

It should be noted that you can see a better response from recruiters on Indeed than on LinkedIn when applying for jobs - my opinion.

A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden - Matt. 5:14

A Stream of "Unfortunately"

Yeah! Typical. You apply for a job, go through some series of interviews and bam, you get those emails. Rough. It can mess with your self-esteem.

I was fortunate, I didn't take those emails seriously because I had a job at Sterling. If I didn't, it would have been really hard when those emails came in.

It was a learning process for me and the first thing I learnt was that recruitment for a Flutter role was quite different from what I was used to. I was expecting algorithm questions and the likes.

Imagine preparing a whole week solving challenges on Codility but then you get asked "What is the difference between a Stateless widget and Stateful widget". Hold up. I froze. An interview for another company, same series of questions. confused

I was given a lot of take-home assessments too.

Then I figured, If I am going to land a job, I need to go learn the basics of Flutter in-depth. It was not like I didn't know how to write Flutter, I just never really paid attention to explaining what some concepts are. Some of those things are just big words - "immutability and mutability". Huh? It's simple right? Yes, but that is such a big word. Things that change and things that do not change. Simple.

This is a thread on Twitter that helped me know which questions to expect in Flutter interviews.

Not that I'd advise it, I kept a folder for all the rejection emails. This helped me to reminisce and prepare for the next interview.

A Job Finally

Looks like it's usually the interview you thought you didn't do well in that you'd actually get a job with.

Got a job in October. Yay!

I had wanted to leave banking and fintech and so it's a dream come through. I remember getting an offer from a company in the UK. I turned down the offer because it is Fintech(shhh.. na because of money sha. How I go dey work for company for UK dey collect local rate.).

Key Takeaway(Party Jollof inside)

I am not sure there is a key takeaway from what I have written so far, however, if this article was written by someone else and I was reading, my key takeaways would be:

• Applying for jobs on LinkedIn may be useless. You'd have more success with Indeed.
• Showcase what you are capable of on LinkedIn and Twitter. They are powerful tools to gain exposure.
• Job hunting is a game of numbers.

Is learning Flutter worth it? Yes, it is. Apart from the joy I get to showcase the demos and POCs I built on Twitter and LinkedIn, I get paid as a Flutter Developer.

Will it be worth it if you learn Flutter? Definitely, yes.

In retrospect, I should have started applying for jobs earlier than I did. I thought I really needed DS and Algo in the interviews.

Other than career

Moving away from career update, earlier this year, the Code Clan Nigeria Community, which I founded, moved to Discord. Since then we have grown to over 600+ members learning together. You can join us here.

By the way, if you are interested in volunteering for the community, please send me a DM on Twitter.

Earlier in the year, I also took on 3 Flutter Mentees. Next year, I will do the same.

Life Update

Got engaged to the most beautiful woman in the world. This is the highlight of my 2021.

She loves her ring y'all.

What next?

• Next year, I will keep applying for jobs. I believe the time to apply for jobs is when you currently have a job. You'll be able to confidently do interviews and negotiate your pay.
• Resume Podcasting.
• Upload more videos to my YouTube channel.
• Launch a beginner's Flutter course.
• Organize a meetup for Code Clan Nigeria.
• Write more articles this year.

Is this article long? Is this an article? Well, I hope it was a good read.

Your friend,

Temi(not Timi) Ajiboye