Quick Context: Hi, I’m Jarvis, a fullstack developer who’s been publicly documenting my 6-month career transformation journey. Five months ago, I planned to work 15 hours daily split between coding, job applications, and building on Twitter. That plan lasted exactly 0 days.
Instead, I pivoted to focusing on ONE thing: mastering Java and backend development. This is blog #6 in that journey, and for the first time in my career, I haven’t missed a single day of progress in 5 months straight.
If you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been following along, you know what’s up. Let’s dive in.
The Uncomfortable Truth: I’m Behind Schedule
Soooo, it’s been 2 months since my last blog update. Am I proud of this? Hell no! 😂
You might think I made double the progress I promised 2 months ago. Plot twist: I barely made enough progress worth speaking of. The work I completed in 2 months? I could’ve done it in one month, maybe even less if I’m being brutally honest.
I didn’t even finish what I planned for one month. But here’s the thing - I MADE PROGRESS. And at the end of the day, that’s all that matters 😊. What I did is way better than doing nothing at all.
Scanning my brain for what I actually happened, the only feeling I can find is: I’m not as good as I thought, and definitely not as skilled as I need to be to actually make a difference 💔.
While writing this blog, I took a break and had a realization: I actually made some decent progress. Really good progress, in fact. But since I’m human (just the cute one 😂), I keep comparing my progress from where I currently am to where I want to go, instead of looking back at where I started.
Get this from me: doing it that way can make you think there’s no progress when really, progress HAS been made. And you should be proud of it.
Idk, do you ever experience this feeling? That you aren’t doing as much as you know you can? Drop a comment. I’d love to hear your experience.
What I Actually Accomplished (The Real Talk)
Two months ago I told myself to learn Hibernate, JSP, Servlets, and JDBC. Well, I did. I covered my entire “Foundational Back-end” path.
Oh, what I did on the side you ask? Design patterns revision. You might notice I’m taking my sweet time (3 months now) exploring design patterns.
Here’s why:
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OOP Mastery - Since I’m new to OOP, I get a solid chance to explore OOP principles. How things connect, where, how, and why
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SOLID Principles - Just between me and you, I only knew about these the other day 😂
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Junior to Mid-Level Bridge - I saw online that design patterns are part of what actually make difference between junior and mid-senior devs
So it’s like hitting 6 birds with no stones 😉
The Job Application Reality Check
In my last blog, I promised myself to start applying for jobs after month 4 with “Master Advanced Java + Backend Foundations” checked off.
I’m pleased to inform you that it’s now happening in my 6th month. And no, don’t feel inspired 😂.
I’ll be on the lookout for gigs and making applications on sight. If I bookmark them for “when I’m more prepared,” the slots will already be filled then.
My Accountability System
For accountability, I’m creating a spreadsheet to be updated daily. I’m doing it coz I did this in the past and it worked great, so why not do it again?
Without tracking, chances are high I’ll feel frustrated or even give up, thinking I lack god-tier skills when what actually happened is self marketing inadequacy or should I say applying to less gigs.
Job application is a numbers game. The more, the polished, the better. I’m saying this because I have ZERO “connections” or godfathers. I’m purely relying on numbers.
And you know the saying, numbers don’t lie. Maybe they do but that fact is hidden from us, lol.
Having a spreadsheet is a good motivation boost, as numbers can be tracked, and the more you track, the more your motivation and discipline comes along. At least in my case.
🤝 Want to Be Accountability Partners?
Something tells me I should share my job application spreadsheet publicly for extra accountability. Not just me holding myself accountable, but having someone/anyone help with the accountability aspect.
What’s in for you?
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Access to verified, updated job listings (no dead ends. The research alone is priceless). I do the heavy lifting
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A mutual accountability partner for job applications or learning to code
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Resume and cover letter feedback: We get to polish each other’s applications
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Someone who genuinely cares about your progress
What I’m looking for: Someone who’s also applying for jobs or learning to code and needs an accountability buddy.
Heads up: Hey, I only need one or 2 people tops (A managable number)
How to join: Drop a 👍 in the comments or DM me by clicking the 💬 (It’s floating on the right side). Then drop that thumbs up 👍. Sign in if you haven’t yet
I know you’re about to procrastinate this like everything else, so do it NOW before you forget. I’ll wait. Still waiting...
(Okay, I’ll stop being pushy, but seriously if this resonates with you, reach out. It’s a genuine offer.)
Context: Where I’m Starting From
Is 6 months enough for someone with no/close to no backend knowledge to:
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Learn
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Get skilled
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Feel confident enough to apply for gigs (let alone land one)
My short answer: Noooohhhhh!!!
Personally, 6 months in. I’m not prepared. I don’t feel confident. My skills aren’t that good. I’m still struggling. I still have loads of concepts to learn; Spring Boot framework, microservices, Docker, all that stuff.
But hey, I’ll be applying to gigs anyway.
As long as I keep applying AND take loads of time to upskill alongside, I’m safe and sound.
For anyone on the same boat, here are two stolen quotes to give us that spark:
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“Apply now. Apply often and let the job market tell you when you’re ready.”
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“Apply anyway because action beats perfection.”
(Okay, That’ll be $2 each quote. No PayPal accepted 😂)
Just for context: I had (and still do have) backend knowledge in Django Python with of course dubious backend projects before starting this challenge 🙄.
The challenge is to learn Java Spring Boot (way more complex in syntax), build solid projects(production ready), and land a better-paying job than where I currently am.
Facing the “Saturated” Job Market
I hear the job market is “saturated” and becoming more difficult. Well, I guess it’s time to wear my big boy pants and find out for myself.
This is actually my 3rd time job hunting in a span of 2 years:
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First attempt: Landed my current job
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Second attempt: Nothing. Zilch. Gone just like that.
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Third attempt: We’re about to find out...
To make myself feel better about my second attempt. After that failed job search, it became crystal clear that I just needed to freaking learn java for the job market still needs it.
Holy smokes, I should start by updating my resume too before I start reapplying... It never gets any better 😂
The Big Reality Shift: 6 Months Becomes 9 Months
When I began this 6-month career transformation, I had just one plan: to “make it” within the 6 months timeframe. I mean, learn as much backend as possible, build polished projects, apply for remote/higher-paying onsite gigs, smash interviews, land the best offer.
Thank goodness it was a pipe dream because in reality, I’m a slow learner. I need time to digest new concepts better, especially in this wild new tech stack I haven’t dived into before.
This aspect alone changes everything about the 6-month timeline.
I’ve switched to a more flexible mindset and admitted the fact: I cannot get it all done in 6 months. At least not for me.
The new plan: Add 3 more months (total of 9 months) with more realistic and achievable goals. This way I avoid loads of frustrations along the line, especially the unseen and emotionally intense ones coz trust me, they are real.
To make it more lively, I’ll intentionally push myself harder to see if I’ll stretch past my 6-month productivity threshold. I wanna outshine my past 6 months productivity in the next 3 months. Above all, I want it to be more fun and enjoyable than before.
Let me catch you up to speed…
The 62-Hour Challenge: Turning Guilt into Rewards
I’ll confess something: I do take breaks during daily my deep learning sessions, say an hour, 5 hours, 30 minutes, 2 hours. What gets me back in the game mostly is the guilt of “wasting time.”🤫
During breaks I watch movies (currently Billions - someone was boasting about it, so I stole it 😂), YouTube videos and shorts (this is my TikTok version), football streaming, online window shopping, sleep...
I also do experience involuntarily brain shuts down sometimes, especially on weekends or mid-week. At this point, I don’t wanna do or think of anything other than staring into the abyss.
What sucks most? The feeling of being unproductive and the guilt from taking breaks, even when my brain genuinely shuts down to rest.
But, I have a solution
The Solution: My 62-Hour Reward System
Weekly Target:
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5 weekdays: 10 hours of deep work each = 50 hours
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2 weekend days: 6 hours each = 12 hours
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Total: 62 hours per week
The Fun part: Hit 62 hours, and I book myself a good meal at a nice, chill place or coffee at a café. Anywhere silent and cool just outside my workdesk cube.
In this cool place, I’ll bring my phone (for internet), laptop, and headphones for low-volume background music. This way I enjoy working for hours without feeling exhausted, not just long hours, but productive hours in an exciting environment.
Yes, it’s still skilling up in my hard-earned reward place, what did you think? (Rest is for heaven and for the weak. Just kidding 😂)
Bonus: I’ll be open to network with whoever I find in the cafés and kinda vibe with. Might add them to my best friends list, probably close a deal (even though I don’t know what I’ll be selling 🤔 I should try x-mas stories 😂).
(Just) FYI, this is all based on my own tracked data over the past 5 months.
The Journey vs. The Destination
After 5 months, I’m coming to believe the journey should be truly more important than the destination. I mean you take forever in the journey phase and only a moment in the destination. In my case my destination is landing a better-paying gig, so why not ensure the process of securing the job makes me feel present?
This way, I don’t just enjoy the success at the end. Instead I enjoy everything along the way. The hype, the energy, the excitement, the adrenaline rush, the slow heartbeat pump, the pinks, the lows and highs. I need to be present and feel the whole thing.
The planned 3-month journey will be hard, that’s for sure. It’ll feel uncomfortable. I’ll beat myself up a lot. Doubts will arise as usual. But the most important part: the rewards and satisfaction that comes from it will always be worth it.
I didn’t forget, I’ve accounted for nature scenarios. Work stuff, emergencies, meetings, nature calls, unpreventable circumstances, or just my brain braining for whatever reason. I’m open to any possibilities while also being real with myself, pushing to my limit, and relaxing when mind and body needs to.
The Revision vs. New Skills Dilemma
Have you ever spent time reading something and towards the end realize that you can’t remember what’s on the front page?
It’s kinda my case. I’m discovering that I’ve learned loads of concepts (both new and old) but since I haven’t revisited them for the longest time, especially core Java concepts. I’m starting to question my skills again.
I know what I need to do but it’s too chaotic:
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Part of me wants to spend month 6 revisiting and sealing off all the skills I’ve learned before adding more
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Another part wants me to just keep learning more skills, since my goal has always been learning as much backend as possible from day one
Just thinking out loud: if I tell myself to revisit concepts after month 6, chances are I’ll have another skill waiting to be learned. Before I realize it, I’ll end up with 10 skills checked as “done” but no actual skill to talk about in interviews if asked of me.
At the same time, I’ve already spent loads of time learning these concepts. Time is catching up and really cutting me short. Since I promised myself to learn as much backend as possible. It only makes sense to seal them by revision rather than leaving them open and unrevised (which makes them as good as not having learn them in the first place.)
Wait, what!!! What am I even saying?! I’m now more lost than when I started thinking about these 2 things 😂.
Snap! Decision time.
Month 6 Plan: Learn + Revise
For my 6th month, I’ll be learning Spring Boot and databases (SQL) alongside it. I hope this a good starting point towards something greater and satisfying.
I WILL do revisions too, they’re just as important as learning new skills. Else, it’s a big waste of time.
The plan:
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2 full days of revisions every week (Wednesday and Saturday maybe 🤷)
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5 days of learning something new
Why not just weekend revisions? Remember my 62 hours plan, possibilities of having only 6 hours on weekends are high, meaning I’d be limiting myself by far for revision sessions.
Hopefully by my next blog, I’ll have something concrete to share on this topic.
Birthday Gifts & The Laptop Revelation
Big news: I get to celebrate my birthday this month on the 19th. Don’t mark your calendar 😂.
It’ll be my second time celebrating my own birthday (yeah, I know it’s weird). To make it weirder, I’ll be getting myself gifts I truly need: a brand new laptop and phone.
BTW, I know you didn’t ask but. My issue isn’t growing older; it’s NOT growing richer 😂.
The Tool vs. Polished Procrastination Realization
Here’s a little secret: I really thought I needed a laptop 6 months ago to begin this career transformation journey. Well, I didn’t need it then I wanted it.
I proved this point because so far, I haven’t been in a situation where I desperately “needed” it. Okay! Okay! Okay!!! I’m lying, I’ve only cussed out maybe 16 or 22 times for not having a better laptop or phone. See!!! Not a lot of times 😂.
The Real lesson: Not starting because I was waiting for the right tools was a perfect and polished version of procrastination. Currently, I’m at that position where I truly need a faster laptop, everything I do is under a productivity flop threat. I’ll explain.
I need that powerful laptop to run IntelliJ IDEA (just as heavy as Android Studio), open multiple browser tabs for zee internet research, VS Code for frontend work, Postman for testing my APIs, Docker to containerize everything... You get the point. It’s loads of desktop apps that need to run concurrently.
Maybe this is my excuse version to getting the laptop, idk, lol.
Just for my sanity, I tell myself getting the laptop after close to 6 months of grinding without it? That’s not an excuse. It’s a reward for proof of commitment. I earned it. Soo! Kudos to me.
The Mindset Shift That Saved Me 6 Months
Fight me or not, but according to Jarvis (the cute one 😂), the underlying fact remains: I didn’t need the laptop and phone back then. I just wanted them real bad. Read that again and get the difference.
Had I waited for what I really wanted, I’d be starting my career transformation chapter in like a week or so from now. That’s not figuratively 6 months lost, no. It’s literally gushing 6 months into God knows what.
I’m super glad I shifted my mindset and chose to start with whatever I had at hand. That one small decision saved me 6 months of doing something constructive and productive rather.
Yeah, it hasn’t been as productive as I wanted, but it’s really something. One hell of a something. I’ve got to learn my limits and boundaries, and now 6 months later, I can plan something more fine-tuned.
You can decide to make that mindset shift work in your favor too. It’s just a choice you have to make.
Speaking of which.
Wind-Up: Just Do Something
You know the famous quote: Run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. If you can’t crawl, scream. If you can’t scream, breathe. And if you can’t breathe, surrender. I added the last part but you get get idea 😉.
The point: Always do your very best to do anything that gets you somewhere or something. JUST DO SOMETHING. Just ensure the actions you take are good for you and make you better in some way.
From my own experience, this quote is true and real as f**k. Especially during my 4th and 5th months, my laziest, sluggiest, most self-pushing, most self-doubting months of all. It took me longer than expected to get things NOT done, but to get them as close to done as to as I did.
The question that helped me push forward was (I think): Given I have X amount of time left to end the day, what’s the one thing I can do to ensure I move my needle an inch to where it needs to be?
Don’t get me wrong. There were days when I cleared and checked everything that needed to be checked. But most of the time it was: “Holy f**k, just like that I wasted 4 hours searching for a laptop to purchase, or spent 4 hours on YouTube shorts instead of learning, then still afford to take the next 2-3 hours staring at my laptop doodling.”
This has been my journey over the last 58+ days straight, walking, sleeping, running, screaming, crying, all of that. But I’m here, still moving, still breathing. Not feeling as fulfilled as I’d like, but I’m alive, lively and still chasing my dream.
Stuff You Can Steal From My Messy Journey
Look, if you’ve read this far (and I’m honestly shocked you did 😂), here’s some stuff that might help you or at least make you feel less lonely in your struggle:
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Progress isn’t linear, it’s drunk - Stop comparing yourself to where you wanna be. Look back at where you started instead. I promise you’ve moved, even if it feels like you’re stuck
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Action beats perfection every single time - Apply for that job even when you feel like a fraud. Let the job market tell you when you’re ready, not your imposter syndrome
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Track everything or you’ll go insane - Spreadsheets and data give you motivation when your feelings are lying to you (which is like 80% of the time for me)
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Start with whatever trash you have - Don’t wait for the perfect laptop, the perfect course, the perfect time. It almost costed me 6 months
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Bribe yourself, it works - Replace guilt with rewards. My 62-hour challenge? Pure self-bribery. And you know what? I’m excited to try it out
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It’s okay to admit you need more time - Better to succeed in 9 months than burn out in 6 and give up entirely. Ego is expensive, adjust your timeline
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Learn new stuff BUT revise old stuff - In tech especially, new skills mean jack if you forget the old ones. Balance it or you’ll be like me panicking before interviews
Finally! Let’s Connect (For Real This Time)
If you’re on a similar journey. Whether you’re learning to code, switching careers, or just trying to level up. Let’s be accountability partners.
I’m offering:
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Daily job application tracking spreadsheet access
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Resume/cover letter feedback
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Genuine accountability check-ins
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A friend who gets the struggle
You’re offering:
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The same energy back
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Keeping each other honest
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Celebrating little wins and loses together
How to reach me: DM me or Drop a 👍 in the comments via the 💬 button on the right side (check you screen now).
No pressure, but if you feel stuck, or if you relate to anything I’ve shared, reach out. Sometimes knowing someone else is in the trenches with you makes all the difference.
P.S. If you’re reading this instead of working on your project, we’re both procrastinating right now. At least I have an excuse. I already hit publish. 😂
P.P.S: Now go do something, anything that moves your needle forward. 💪
* Jarvis (the cute one 😂)
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