Forem: Beyond Code

Coding Challenge: Can You Spot the Bug? 🔎🐛

David Thurman @ BeyondCode.app — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 20:47:56 +0000

At Beyond Code, we’re all about helping new devs get job-ready and ace their interviews.

So here’s a quick one for you: Can you spot the bug?

Drop your answer in the comments. First correct one gets bragging rights 😎

Want more practice challenges and interview prep resources?
👉 https://www.beyondcode.app

How to Learn Faster Than 90% of Other New Developers

David Thurman @ BeyondCode.app — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 22:17:35 +0000

A lot of beginners measure their progress by hours. The more tutorials you watch, the faster you’ll improve, right?

Not exactly.

Two people can both spend 100 hours learning to code. One will be job-ready. The other will still be stuck in tutorial hell. The difference isn’t intelligence. It’s how they practice.

And to see why, let’s head to France.

Learning a Language

Meet Sarah and James. Both want to learn French.

• Sarah spends four years in a classroom. She memorizes verb charts, aces every quiz, and can rattle off colors and days of the week.
• James spends six months in Paris. He stumbles through conversations, mispronounces words, and embarrasses himself daily.

Who do you think learns faster?

Sarah has knowledge, but freezes in a real conversation. James? By month six, he’s chatting with locals over coffee.

Why? Because there’s a critical difference between learning about something and actually doing it.

Sarah studies French. James uses French.

Most people fall into Sarah’s trap because it feels safer. You don’t have to embarrass yourself or make mistakes. You can sit in a classroom, memorize rules, and feel a sense of progress.

James doesn’t get that safety net. He mispronounces words, stumbles through sentences, and gets corrected constantly. But in the process, he’s building real skill. He’s actually speaking French.

Learning to code works the same way. Tutorials are the classroom. Building projects, debugging errors, and asking “why didn’t this work?”… that’s Paris.

Why “Doing” Beats “Learning About”

1. Struggle builds memory
Following along with a tutorial feels good because everything works. But the lessons that stick are the ones you had to wrestle with. Just like language immersion, the awkward, broken attempts are what turn into fluency later.

2. Feedback is faster
In a classroom, feedback is delayed. In the real world, it’s immediate. Every bug you hit is the equivalent of someone correcting your pronunciation on the spot. It stings, but you learn from it and grow.

3. Confidence comes from use, not knowledge
You don’t gain confidence by knowing the rules. You gain it by surviving messy, unpredictable situations. Every small project finished, every error solved, builds trust in your own ability.

4 Ways to Put This Into Practice

1. Watch fewer tutorials
Tutorials are a great starting point, but you need to go beyond them. If you just finished a tutorial on building a Twitter clone iOS app, add your own features or recreate the app without any help.

2. Take time to understand problems
When you hit an error, don’t copy-paste the solution. Slow down and figure out why it happened. Even when you get answers from AI tools or Stack Overflow, make sure you actually understand the fix before moving on.

Want More Coding Career Advice?
Get courses, mock coding interviews, and real career advice — all in one place.
👉 Explore Beyond Code

3. Stay in the sweet spot
Always aim to push yourself slightly past your comfort zone. The goal should feel just out of reach. That discomfort is where real growth happens.

4. Create feedback loops
As you build, get feedback quickly. Ask developer friends, upload code to GPT for critique, or share with the community at BeyondCode.app. Build → show → get feedback → adjust → repeat.

Final Thoughts

The real difference between beginners who level up quickly and those who stay stuck isn’t hours. It’s whether those hours were spent learning about coding or actually coding.

One path feels safe. The other feels messy and uncomfortable.

But if you want fluency, you need Paris.

Want More Coding Career Advice?
Get courses, mock coding interviews, and real career advice — all in one place.
👉 Explore Beyond Code

5 Keys to Acing Your Coding Interview (That Have Nothing to Do With Code)

David Thurman @ BeyondCode.app — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 00:34:57 +0000

A lot of new developers think coding interviews are about one thing: writing flawless code on the spot.

The truth is, most interviewers aren’t just looking at whether your solution compiles. In many cases, that’s the least important part.

As someone who has conducted 100+ interviews, here are 5 keys to passing your interview...

1. Problem-Solving Process

Interviewers care far more about how you approach a problem than whether you nail it perfectly.

• Do you break it down step by step?
• Do you identify edge cases?
• Do you simplify a messy problem into something manageable?

A candidate who doesn’t finish but shows a solid process often does better than someone who rushes to a wrong answer.

2. Communication

Coding ability matters, but your communication is just as crucial.

• Do you explain your thought process out loud?
• Do you ask clarifying questions instead of making assumptions?
• Can you take feedback well and adjust?

Good communication can save you when your code isn’t perfect.

3. Adaptability

Sometimes interviewers will throw you some curveballs:

• “What if the input is 10x larger?”
• "What if you also need to support potentially null values?"

They want to see if you freeze or if you can adapt. Even a rough idea of how you’d pivot shows you’re flexible and resourceful.

Want More Coding Career Advice?
Get free courses, mock coding interviews, and real career advice — all in one place.
👉 Explore Beyond Code

4. Debugging Skills

Bugs happen. Even in interviews. Especially in interviews.

The question isn’t “Did you mess up?” It’s “What do you do when you mess up?”

• Do you panic and delete everything?
• Or do you calmly walk through your code and reason out the issue?

Debugging live shows you can handle pressure, which is huge in real jobs.

5. Vibe Check

Companies aren’t just hiring someone who can code. They’re hiring someone they want to work with daily.

If I interview two candidates:

• Candidate A: 9/10 coder with 6/10 people skills
• Candidate B: 6/10 coder with 9/10 people skills

I’m hiring candidate B every time. I can teach someone coding skills, but I can't teach someone people skills.

Final Thoughts

If you walk into a coding interview thinking it’s just about writing perfect code, you’re setting yourself up for unnecessary stress.

Yes, you should still practice white boarding and using some basic algorithms/data structures. But remember: the real evaluation is much broader.

Show your process. Communicate clearly. Adapt when things change. Debug without panicking. Be someone others want to work with.

If you do all that, you’ll stand out (even when your code doesn't).

Want More Coding Career Advice?
Get free courses, mock coding interviews, and real career advice — all in one place.
👉 Explore Beyond Code

5 Signs You’re Ready to Apply for Coding Jobs (Even if You Don’t Feel Ready)

David Thurman @ BeyondCode.app — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 00:34:39 +0000

A lot of new developers wait way too long before applying for jobs.

They think they need to master every framework, build a dozen “perfect” portfolio projects, and know every algorithm ever written before they even click “Apply.”

The reality? Most people who get hired aren’t 100% ready, and you won't be either. So stop aiming for “perfect” and aim for “ready enough.”

It’s almost always better to apply a little too early than way too late. Early applications give you interview experience, show you where your gaps are, and get your name out there.

Yes, you’ll face rejection at first. That’s normal. But you’ll learn more from applying and improving than from hiding in “learning mode” forever.

Here are 5 signs you’re ready to start hitting that apply button.

1. You’ve Built Multiple Projects You Can Showcase

You don’t need a 50-project portfolio, but you do need enough work to show a range of skills.

Think 3–5 solid projects — preferably with at least one larger “main” project — that you can confidently explain in an interview.

Your portfolio doesn’t need to look like a Silicon Valley startup’s homepage, but it should be public (GitHub + a simple portfolio site is perfect) and reflect the skills you’re advertising.

2. You Can Explain Your Work (Not Just Show It)

Employers aren’t just hiring code — they’re hiring problem solvers.

If you can walk through a project, explain why you built it the way you did, and talk about challenges you faced (and how you solved them), you’re already in the game.

Pro tip: Practice explaining your projects to a non-technical friend. If they understand it, you’re ready to explain it to a recruiter.

3. You’re Comfortable Debugging and Googling Through Problems

You don’t need to know everything (nobody does).

But if you can encounter an error, research the cause, and fix it without needing step-by-step instructions from a tutorial, you have one of the most important skills in tech: self-sufficiency.

4. You Have a Core Tech Stack You Can Build With

Don’t wait until you’ve mastered every language and framework in existence.

If you’re confident in one main programming language and its related tools — enough to build functional apps on your own — that’s enough to start applying.

5. You’re Learning Consistently (and Open to Feedback)

Employers don’t expect perfection, but they do want people who are actively improving.

If you’re regularly building, reading docs, experimenting with new tools, and taking feedback without defensiveness, that’s a strong sign you’re ready to work in a real dev environment.

Final Thoughts

You’ll never feel completely ready. That’s just how it works.

Start applying once you meet these signs, even if it feels early. Expect rejection in the beginning, but use it as feedback. Keep building, keep learning, and keep applying.

The worst that happens? You gain interview experience and improve your portfolio.

The best? You get hired sooner than you ever thought possible.

Want More Coding Career Advice?
Get free courses, mock coding interviews, and real career advice — all in one place.
👉 Explore Beyond Code

From Tutorial Hell to Coding with Confidence 🔥 ➡️ 😎

David Thurman @ BeyondCode.app — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 16:03:02 +0000

If you’ve been learning to code for a while, you probably know the cycle:

Watch a tutorial.
Follow along line-by-line.
Nod as everything makes sense.
Finish… and realize you couldn’t recreate it without the video.

Welcome to tutorial hell.

I’ve been there. Most developers have. Tutorials are a great starting point, but they can become a trap that keeps you from building the skills you need to be a confident programmer.

Let’s break down why it happens and how to escape.

Why Tutorial Hell Happens

1. Instant progress feels good: When you’re following a video, everything “works.” You feel productive, even if you’re not retaining much.

2. You avoid the scary part: The scariest part of coding is venturing into the unknown. Tutorials conveniently skip that, so you never face it.

3. You never hit real roadblocks: In a tutorial, errors are pre-fixed by the instructor. In real projects, solving problems is the skill you need to develop, but you’re not practicing it.

Step 1: Cut the Cord (Gently)

I’m not saying never watch tutorials again. But start limiting them:

Only use a tutorial when you’re truly stuck.
Skip to the parts you don’t know.
Don’t finish a series unless you need every skill it teaches.

The goal is to stop consuming every video like it’s a Netflix binge.

Step 2: Start Small, Start Messy

Your first self-made project doesn’t need to be “portfolio-ready.” It just needs to exist.

A basic to-do app without styling? Perfect.
A weather app that only works for your city? Great.

Messy code is fine. Ugly UI is fine. The key is to finish something with as little assistance as possible.

Step 3: Build Off the Tutorial

You don’t have to abandon a tutorial cold turkey. You can use it as a launch pad.

For example, if you follow a tutorial that builds a calculator, you could then add extra features yourself:

additional buttons/functionality
keyboard input
a history log of previous calculations

This way, you benefit from the structure of the tutorial while still forcing yourself to think independently.

Step 4: Embrace the Struggle

If you never feel stuck, you’re not learning.

Google errors. Break things. Try again.

Those frustrating hours are how you actually learn to debug, troubleshoot, and think like a developer.

Step 5: Build for Yourself

Pick something you actually want to use.

Are you into Chess? Make a browser based chess app.

You're a big diver? Create a site documenting the best dive spots in the world.

Use your hobbies and interests as jumping off points to build new projects. The motivation to finish skyrockets when the project has personal value.

(Plus it's way more fun to build a project you actually care about)

Final Thoughts

Tutorials are great for getting started, but they’ll never make you a confident developer on their own. Confidence comes from building your own projects, facing problems, and finding solutions without someone holding your hand.

The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll escape tutorial hell and start building a portfolio you’re proud of.

Want More Coding Career Advice?
Get free courses, mock coding interviews, and real career advice — all in one place.
👉 Explore Beyond Code

The Real Way New Developers Should Be Using AI Tools

David Thurman @ BeyondCode.app — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 20:51:48 +0000

AI tools have become a hot topic among developers. Some people treat them as magic wands that will instantly make them better programmers. Others see them as the end of learning altogether.

Like most things in tech, the truth is somewhere in the middle. But before we talk about AI, let’s talk about carpentry...

The Power Tool Paradox

A new carpenter walks into a workshop. The master hands them the most advanced, high-powered saw money can buy.

It cuts perfectly. Fast. Flawless.

But because the carpenter never learned the basics, they can’t fix mistakes, adjust measurements, or work without the tool.

When something goes wrong with the tool, they lose all ability to build.

AI tools work the same way. For experienced developers, they can improve productivity, speed up debugging, and accelerate problem-solving.

For new developers, they can do all these things too. But if you use them too soon, they will prevent you from truly learning the skills you are trying to develop.

Why They Can Hurt You Early On

Here’s the problem: if you rely on AI tools before you understand the fundamentals, you’re not really learning to code. You’re learning to copy and paste code.

You skip the struggle that teaches you why something works.
You never build the mental models that help you debug on your own.
You get false confidence because your code “works” but you don’t actually understand it.

The unfortunate thing about creating long term results is that we can only do so by enduring a lot of short term pain.

Just like you have to tear muscle fibers for them to grow back stronger, you have to mentally struggle through the process of learning code to become an effective programmer.

Avoid Them (Mostly) At First

I’m not saying to pretend AI tools don’t exist. That’s like telling a carpenter to ignore power tools because “real” woodworkers only use hand saws.

But in your first few months, limit your usage:

Use them only after you’ve tried solving the problem yourself.
Ask them to explain concepts rather than just write full solutions.
Have them review your code instead of generating it from scratch.

This way, you still do the heavy lifting, but you get a smarter spotter in the gym.

Still Learn Them

While you shouldn’t depend on them early on, you absolutely need to learn how to use AI tools.

The developers who thrive in the next decade will be the ones who can:

Write great prompts.
Use AI for brainstorming, debugging, and refactoring.
Integrate AI directly into their workflows and applications.

Once you have a solid grasp of programming basics, you should start exploring AI tools. Learn and leverage the latest LLMs, try Cursor, experiment with AI App Builders, etc.

But be your own advocate. If you find yourself relying on them too much or not learning properly, take a step back. Wait until you’ve learned more, then start using them again.

Final Thoughts

AI isn’t here to replace developers, but it is certainly changing the way we work.

If you’re brand new, treat AI like a mentor instead of a crutch. Learn the basics yourself, then start using these tools to push your skills further than you could on your own.

If you build a strong foundation without leaning on the tools, you will be a far better programmer once you do begin using them.

Want More Coding Career Advice?
Get free courses, mock coding interviews, and real career advice — all in one place.
👉 Explore Beyond Code

7 Beginner Coding Projects That Instantly Level Up Your Skills 🔥

David Thurman @ BeyondCode.app — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 00:22:03 +0000

Sometimes the hardest thing to do as a new programmer isn't building projects. It's figuring out what projects to even build 🤔

I've created a list of great projects that you can build in any specialty. They get increasingly more complex, so you can continue improving your skills with each one.

And remember, these are just suggestions or starting points rather than strict templates. Experiment freely, add new features, and put your own twist on things.

Project #1 - Hello World

(I mean it wouldn't be a proper list if this wasn't the first one)

What You'll Learn

Core syntax and setup of your development environment.
Printing output and handling basic input (if applicable).

🖥️ Web: A webpage that displays “Hello World” and a simple button alert.

📱 Mobile: A single-screen mobile app that shows “Hello World” in a text label.

🤖 AI/ML: A script that loads a small dataset (like a CSV file) and prints its summary or shape.

🛠️ Backend: A server endpoint that returns “Hello World” as a response to a browser request.

🎮 Gaming: A game scene with a static sprite and a text overlay saying “Hello World.”

Project #2 - Personal Portfolio Page/App

What You'll Learn

Structuring content, basic layout and styling (if applicable).
Showcasing information in a user-friendly manner.

🖥️ Web: A personal web page featuring your bio, skills, and a list of links.

📱 Mobile: A simple mobile app displaying a short bio and images/icons representing your interests.

🤖 AI/ML: A Jupyter notebook presenting a small dataset you worked on and charts summarizing it.

🛠️ Backend: A simple backend service that returns a JSON with your details, ready to be consumed by a frontend.

🎮 Gaming: A "main menu" for a game, providing a future entry point to play and displaying your name as the creator.

Project #3 - Simple Calculator

What You'll Learn

Handling user input and output.
Implementing basic logic and arithmetic operations.

🖥️ Web: A web-based calculator with buttons for digits and operations, updating a display area dynamically.

📱 Mobile: A mobile calculator app for basic arithmetic, focusing on layout and user interaction.

🤖 AI/ML: A command-line script for performing calculations on arrays of numbers, possibly adding simple statistical functions.

🛠️ Backend: An API endpoint that takes two numbers and an operation (add, subtract) and returns the result.

🎮 Gaming: A simple “math puzzle” where the player must input the correct sum of given numbers.

Want More Coding Career Advice?
Get free courses, mock coding interviews, and real career advice — all in one place.
👉 Explore Beyond Code

Project #4 - Random Trivia or Quiz Application

What You'll Learn

Presenting questions or prompts.
Handling user choices and providing feedback.

🖥️ Web: A quiz web page that fetches a few trivia questions from a file or simple JSON and displays correct/incorrect feedback.

📱 Mobile: A mobile quiz app with multiple-choice questions and a score counter.

🤖 AI/ML: A script that randomly selects a question from a dataset of Q&A and checks user input for correctness.

🛠️ Backend: An API that returns a random trivia question from a database each time it’s requested.

🎮 Gaming: A mini in-game quiz presented between levels, awarding points for correct answers.

Project #5 - API-Based Weather Application

What You’ll Learn

Fetching and parsing data from external APIs.
Handling asynchronous operations and error cases.

🖥️ Web: A web app that takes a city name as input and fetches the current weather, displaying it on the page.

📱 Mobile: A mobile weather app that uses a public weather API and updates the screen with temperature and conditions.

🤖 AI/ML: A script that retrieves weather data from an API and calculates averages or trends over time.

🛠️ Backend: A backend service that fetches weather data from an external API and returns a customized response, such as a simplified JSON.

🎮 Gaming: A game feature that changes in-game weather conditions based on external real-world data.

Project #6 - CRUD Notes Application (Create, Read, Update, Delete)

What You’ll Learn

Managing data over time.
Storing and retrieving information, handling updates and deletions.

🖥️ Web: A notes web app where users can add, edit, and delete notes saved in local storage or a simple backend.

📱 Mobile: A mobile notes app that stores notes locally on the device.

🤖 AI/ML: A script managing a dataset, allowing you to add new entries, update existing data points, or remove them.

🛠️ Backend: A RESTful API providing endpoints to manage a list of notes stored in a database.

🎮 Gaming: An inventory system where players can add/remove items, and modify their properties.

Project #7 - “Mini Portfolio” Project (Integrating Multiple Features)

What You’ll Learn

Combining several concepts: UI design, data management, external data fetching, and user interaction.
Structuring a multi-feature application or system.

🖥️ Web: A portfolio website that displays your projects (like your calculator, notes app, or quiz) and information fetched from a small JSON file.

📱 Mobile: A mobile app that lists all your completed exercises (quiz, calculator, etc.) as separate modules you can launch.

🤖 AI/ML: A notebook or dashboard integrating multiple datasets and visualizations, showing off different analytical techniques.

🛠️ Backend: A backend that hosts data about your completed projects and can be queried by a frontend interface.

🎮 Gaming: A small “game hub” combining mini-games or demos you’ve built, accessible from a main menu.

Happy Coding! 🙂

Want More Coding Career Advice?
Get free courses, mock coding interviews, and real career advice — all in one place.
👉 Explore Beyond Code

The Truth About AI's Impact on New Developers

David Thurman @ BeyondCode.app — Sat, 09 Aug 2025 01:21:24 +0000

It’s no secret: AI is currently changing our world. And with these changes, I hear one question over and over again..

“Will AI replace software developers?”

In order to answer that, we need to talk horses.

Horses?

The year is 1900. You’ve been happily running your horse carriage business. In fact, your family has been in the field for decades, and everything is great. That is, until this shmuck named Henry comes around.

Henry slaps a few wheels on a metal box and sells his new “automobiles”. At first you scoff at the idea (after all, who doesn’t love a city run on constantly excreting horses). But soon Henry starts getting some traction with his invention. Suddenly you start to worry…

Are horses going to be replaced?

The Options

So clearly in this metaphor, programmers are the doomed horse carriage owners who now fret over the AI automobiles. We’ve realized our field is about to be permanently changed. At this point, we’ve got two main options:

Give up, shake our fist at the sky, and spend the rest of our days cursing the artificially intelligent Henry Ford
Realize that your experience in the business can be a huge asset. Sure, the industry might be changing, but our experience can set us up for major success if we transition with it.

AI

Alright look, nobody knows how AI is going to transform our next few years (let alone decades).

Will certain jobs become outdated just like our once thriving horse carriage business? Undoubtedly. But that doesn’t mean the industry is doomed. It just means that major shifts will be taking place.

At this point, some people will yell “But I don’t want to change! I’m happy with things as they are.” And for those people, unfortunately, I’ve got to be the bearer of bad news..

This industry doesn’t work like that.

Changing Tides

Tech is a revolving door of changes.

New languages come. “Groundbreaking” frameworks become the latest trend. Old languages become relics. You get the point.

If you learn enough programming to get a job and then decide you don’t want to learn ever again, you’re going to have a rough time. Can it be done? Sure, some people do get by a few decades working with outdated tech at old companies.

But, at the same time, the demand for FORTRAN and Pascal devs hasn’t really been on the rise lately.

The people who find the most success in tech are those who regularly learn and move with the changing tides.

What's Your Point?

Alright, alright. I know that “tech changes” is not some major revelation. But it’s still worth considering this intrinsic nature of our industry.

These new changes with AI shouldn’t be something you dread. If you’re someone considering programming as a career, I still encourage you strongly to do so. And if you’re a current developer worried about future job security, don’t feel like your doom is inevitable.

At the same time, don’t ignore the new breakthroughs in technology coming out. It’s crucial to your career that you pay attention and learn the new trends that arise. If you ignore these major shifts, you’ll undoubtedly get left behind by the industry.

So for the owners of any horse carriage businesses out there, the world isn’t ending.

Will you need to learn, adapt, and pivot with these new breakthroughs? Sure. But that’s honestly the way the world tends to work anyways. As the Italian writer Giuseppe Tomasi once said,

If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.

For more Coding Career advice (including free courses, mock coding interviews, & much more), check out my platform: https://www.beyondcode.app

The Truth About Cover Letters for Coding Jobs 📝

David Thurman @ BeyondCode.app — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 00:35:15 +0000

Let’s be honest. Job searching these days can be awful.

You find a job to apply for.
You upload your resume.
You then manually enter all the information that is already on your resume.
You submit (and probably never hear back).
And then on top of it, they all ask you for a personalized letter.

Seriously?

Are Cover Letters Actually Read?

In my journey to create Beyond Code, I sought advice from a wide range of experts in the industry. Some of the questions involved hiring, interviewing candidates, and cover letters. Their responses can be summed up easily:

Question: Are cover letters required?

Answer: No

Question: Do you read cover letters?

Answer: Yes

According to a recent survey from Resume Genius, 83% of hiring managers read most cover letters they receive.

83%!

Alright, alright, fine – cover letters are usually read.

But are they actually helpful and worth the effort to write?

Standing Out As An Applicant

Let’s think about the application process.

For each job you apply to, you’re actively competing with every other applicant. (Very revolutionary insight, I know.)

But given that we’re constantly competing, we need ways to stand out whenever possible.

Obviously, your resume is the main tool for distinguishing yourself before interviews. The only issue is that resumes usually lack personality.

The cover letter, on the other hand, gives us a brief chance to be personable. We can introduce who we are, why we’re interested in the company, and the value we can bring them.

On top of that, cover letters also show that you care enough about the job to go out of your way and submit one.

If you were equally tied with another candidate based on resumes, a well-written letter might give you the slight edge.

The Secret to Writing Quick Cover Letters

So as I’m sure you can guess, I strongly urge candidates to take the time to submit cover letters (especially if you’re applying to a company you’re really interested in).

Now, I know many of you are ready to scoff and tell me that the application process is bad enough without having to pretend you’re Mark Twain each time.

I agree with you.

While I think you should submit cover letters, I don’t think you should write new ones each time. That’d be an insane ask of someone.

That said, I also don’t think a completely reusable cover letter does much for you. It’s pretty obvious from a hiring manager’s perspective if it’s just a copy-paste letter.

The secret is learning how to create a mostly reusable letter that you can slightly tweak.

You’ll want to spend time creating a base cover letter that is ~80% reusable.

I usually do a small paragraph introducing myself, a small paragraph talking about the company, and a conclusion sentence.

Then, as you apply to different jobs, you can add just a few small details that show you’ve tailored the letter to this specific company.

Real Example

To help demonstrate my point, I’ve taken two sentences from the actual cover letter I used when applying to LinkedIn.

In order to show how it’s reusable, I’ve highlighted parts in the following colors:

🟩 Green: Shouldn’t Change
🟧 Yellow: Might Change
🟥 Red: Should Change

Almost nothing here changes. The only possible thing would be if I apply for a job with a different title.

In this second paragraph, I simply swap out the company’s specific values into the first red block. Then I mention why I align with those values in the second red block.

I might also need to update some parts in yellow (like if they say "Company Values" instead of "Company Mission"), but it's not too often.

All in all, this process of tweaking my cover letter doesn’t take much extra time. I can look up some info on the company, swap out some words, and submit the cover letter in under 5 minutes.

Conclusion

While cover letters aren’t required, I believe applicants should use every opportunity to stand out. Cover letters provide a chance to show more personality and interest in the company.

While writing cover letters from scratch each time would be insane, a mostly reusable cover letter is a quick and effective way to stand out.

For more Coding Career advice (including a full course on writing resumes and cover letters), check out my platform: https://www.beyondcode.app

Why You're Not Landing Interviews

David Thurman @ BeyondCode.app — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 02:06:49 +0000

You ask a group of programmers, “What’s the worst part of job searching?”. What do you think they’ll say?

“Bombing a coding interview”
“Getting passed up for another applicant”
“Receiving an offer and it's a lowball”

Now, I won’t lie. I’ve been there, and these all majorly suck. But there’s another scenario that trumps them all:

“Apply for hundreds of jobs and hear nothing back.”

All those hours spent searching and hardly any responses back. Talk about feeling defeated. And worst of all, it's incredibly common.

But luckily, one simple change can have responses coming in.

Why Does Nobody Respond?

Alright, first things first: why the hell is nobody responding to you?

Is it because you aren’t qualified? Is your resume just getting lost in massive piles of applicants? Or maybe hiring managers are just jerks who don’t value your time.

Well… it’s often none of these.

I’ve found one of the biggest reasons for people not hearing back is that their resume isn’t easy to read.

(I know, I know. You’re probably thinking how simplistic and stupid that sounds. But just bear with me a second.)

The 7 Second Test

Before I dive into my reasoning, let’s do a quick test.

First, take out your resume.

(And yes, you should really take it out right now and do this.)

Pretend you’ve never seen your resume before. You don’t know your experience, your education, etc. You have no idea who you are.

Set a timer on your phone for 7 seconds. When you hit go, start reading your resume with “fresh eyes”.

Genuinely see how much you can learn about yourself in those 7 seconds.

What kind of experience do you have?
What can you offer?

Do this now and then come back.

(Really! It’s worth it, I promise.)

The Results

How’d you do?

If your resume is like most people’s, you probably gathered your name and that your objective is “I’d like a job”. Not exactly the best description of you, huh?

Why does this little “7 Second Test” matter?

Because according to sources like Indeed and Business Insider, that’s how long hiring managers spend looking at your resume before deciding to go forward or not.

You’ve got 7 seconds before they decide to keep learning more or to toss you aside.

While that might seem a bit harsh, the recruiter isn’t brushing you aside out of spite. They often have so many applicants that it’s not reasonable to give each one a thorough look.

That said, how do we make sure you pass the initial 7 seconds?

Tips for Improving Your Resume

Order your resume sections (and bullets in the sections) by relevancy to the job.

Suppose you didn’t go to college but have released several iOS apps. You would have a "Personal Projects" section way higher than your "Education" section.

Let’s say you just graduated with a CS degree, but have no relevant work experience. You put your "Education" section above your "Work Experience" of delivering for Papa John's.
Be concise. Like really concise.

If your resume looks like an essay, it’s not getting read (yes, even if you did it in MLA format).

Each item on your resume (a job, a school, etc) should have around 5 bullets max that briefly describe it.
Don’t waste resume space on generic things.

Don’t put an "Objective" section (I mean, we all know your objective is to get a job).

Don’t waste space describing yourself as “hardworking, a quick learner, etc.” It might be true, but if anyone can put it on their resume, it doesn’t hold much weight.
Keep it one page.

If you’re a newer dev and feel it's hard to keep things one page, you’re not being nearly concise enough.

Once you have ~10 years of experience (or worked at ~5 or so jobs), you can decide on adding a second page.
Unfortunately, Buzzwords matter.

Every tech role has a list of technologies in the job posting. Make sure your resume mentions any relevant ones you have experience with.

A "Skills" section at the bottom can be a great place for developers to list what they’ve worked with. That way, you don’t bloat the rest of your resume with buzzwords.

Conclusion

Now, I can’t solve everyone’s resume in a short article. There’s an endless number of reasons why someone’s resume might not be working.

That said, I certainly think the general tips above can help you. After all, if your resume isn’t easily readable, none of your other potential issues even matter.

Now, if you want a step-by-step guide to making a great resume, I happen to have a course that covers just that! (How convenient, I know 😉).

But even if you don’t take the course, I really hope this article helps you improve your resume and earn more responses from recruiters.

And finally, best of luck on your job search! 🚀

For more Coding Career advice (including a full course on writing resumes), check out my platform https://www.beyondcode.app

Think You Can Complete This Challenge? 🤔🔥

David Thurman @ BeyondCode.app — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 01:56:16 +0000

Hey folks!

I've always been a fan of small but fun programming challenges (I still remember learning w/ Project Euler ~15 years ago).

I wanted to create a similar feature on my site for people to practice both Math based and Algorithm based challenges. They're great for:

Programming Practice
Coding Interview Prep
& just a fun way to challenge yourself :)

You can find all 100 Challenges at: https://www.beyondcode.app/

All the challenges are completely free, and you can easily track your progress as you complete them. I hope people find it helpful and enjoyable!

Having said that, here's your first problem 🙂

First Digit Match

Description

The number 525 starts with 5 and ends with 5 - the first and last digits match.
The number 1231 starts with 1 and ends with 1.
Single digit numbers like 7 also count.

Problem

How many positive integers less than 100000 have matching first and last digits?

Think you have the answer? Comment below or go check at https://www.beyondcode.app/. First one to comment right wins 🔥

Helpful List of APIs for Beginners to Use

David Thurman @ BeyondCode.app — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 02:04:14 +0000

Learning how to use an API is one of best ways to go from beginner projects to really cool/useful apps. But it can be hard to find APIs that have simple auth, good docs, etc.

So heres a helpful resource for any new devs looking for a cool project to make!

API	Description	Tags	URL
Open Trivia DB	Get random trivia questions across many categories to easily add quizzes to your projects	No Auth, Free	Link
Open Meteo Weather	Simple, free weather forecasts for building weather apps without the hassle.	No Auth, Free	Link
PokeAPI	Access Pokémon data to create fun, interactive Pokémon-themed apps or games.	No Auth, Free	Link
Magic: The Gathering - Developers	Access detailed data on MTG cards, sets, and game rules, ideal for building apps or tools for Magic: The Gathering fans.	No Auth, Free	Link
Chess.com	Use real-time and historical data from Chess.com to build chess-related apps, leaderboards, and game analysis tools.	Auth, Freemium	Link
The Dog API	Fetch images and data for hundreds of dog breeds to create fun pet-related apps.	Auth, Free	Link
Coin Gecko	Access up-to-date cryptocurrency prices, market data, and trends for crypto tracking and trading apps.	Auth, Paid	Link
Open Brewery DB	Find information on breweries, beers, and tap lists across the US—great for location-based projects.	No Auth, Free	Link
Jikan API	Unofficial MyAnimeList API that lets you pull anime, manga, and user profile data for otaku-friendly projects.	No Auth, Free	Link

I hope you find this helpful! :)

You can check out the full list for free (along with lots of other helpful resources for new devs) at www.beyondcode.app