Noonies Interview: Meet Juni Nguyen, a Self-taught Web Developer

Hey Hackers!

I’m Juni Nguyen. I’m a self-taught web developer and now working on my BSc Degree in Software Development at Western Governors University (WGU).

First of all, a huge thank you to the HackerNoon community and staff for nominating me for a 2021 Noonies award!

I believe that the most exciting technology of the present is web application development technology because it is growing quickly day by day in response to cutting-edge web browsers for faster digital work. Learn more about my thoughts and opinions on web development and my journey in the tech industry via the interview below.

1. What do you do and why do you do it? (tell us your story)

I started my journey 5 years ago when I came to the USA and settled in San Diego, CA. At that time, I wanted to go back to school but didn’t know which path I should go. Then, I heard about the Computer Science major from an education fair, and I thought it would be cool to know how to program a robot. I have already loved technology but never dared to try before, so I decided to go to the tech field to challenge my limit. Therefore, I enrolled in Palomar College and earned an AS Degree in Computer Science.

At that moment, I recognized that I love to build web applications and web development technologies. After graduating from Palomar, I taught myself to become a full-stack web developer started with freeCodeCamp and some Udemy courses. Although I am still not so confident in this field, I feel like I am on the right track for my passion for growing and shining, so I decided to go back to school to pursue a BSc degree in Software Development at WGU. Hopefully, I will be more confident when I graduate 2 years later and ready for the new challenges.

2. Tell us more about the things you create / write / manage / build!

While teaching myself to build web applications, I want to document what I have learned and want to write tutorials on what I have discovered, so I have built a blogging platform for myself and others to write tech blogs and can share in public mode or keep as a draft in private mode. I know it is not so impressive, but it took me a lot of time to build it as a full-stack web application. Now I can still manage it and will update more in the future.

You can check out this project here in my GitHub profile: https://github.com/juniHub/storybook-app.

3. How did you end up on your current career path? Do you like it?

I think I had already answered this question when you asked me about what I do and why I do it as above :-) Yes, I love my career path now. That is why I want to advance more in this career by going back to school and honing my skills more.

4. What tech are you most excited or passionate about right now and why?

Earlier, my most favorite tech stack was the MERN stack. Although I still like it now, I am starting to learn more about the Jam stack, especially Next.js due to its fast performance.

5. What tech are you most worried about right now and why?

The tech I am most worried about right now is bitcoin because I can’t predict its future and its impact on the finance world. I don’t know much about bitcoin, so I am worried about it. If you know about it and understand what its impact on our life in the future is, please share it with me.

6. If we gave you 10 million dollars to invest in something today, what would you invest in and why?

I would invest in building education applications to teach young children to code and discover their talents because, in traditional schools, especially in developing countries, children do not have many opportunities to learn to code at earlier ages. I myself am an example that I didn’t have a chance to explore what I like or what to do for my future career at a young age.

7. What are you currently learning?

Now I am focusing on studying software development at WGU and still exploring the JAM stack in web application technology.

8. What’s the best advice you’ve ever given someone?

One of my close friends was very upset and almost wanted to give up when she failed in the speech contest. And I encouraged her by saying that “The enemy is yourself, so if you want to win, you have to win yourself first”. She told me she always keeps that in mind whenever she faces any challenge in her life. I think it encourages me also whenever I almost want to give up.

9. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I have ever received is “it’s okay to be not perfect”. We are human, and we can make mistakes, but we can learn from them every time we fail. Another best advice I got from other developers is “learning by doing”. Whenever I start something new, I want to experience it by doing it.

About HackerNoon’s 2021 Noonie Awards

The annual Noonie Awards celebrate the best and brightest of the tech industry, bringing together all who are making the Internet and the world of tech what it is today. Please be sure to check out our award categories, nominate, and vote for the people and companies who you think are making the biggest impact on the tech industry today.

The 2021 Noonies are sponsored by: bybit, Dottech Domains, and Avast. Thank you so much to these sponsors who are helping us celebrate the accomplishments of all our nominees.