#2 Getting into the tech industry in 2025

In this episode, Toby and Krisztian tackle one of the most common questions in tech: how do you actually get into the industry in 2025? They cover choosing your first programming language, T-shaped career development, what hiring managers look for in juniors, the impact of AI on junior roles, how to navigate introversion in a collaborative industry, the value of changing companies to broaden perspective, and why your reputation starts mattering from day one. A practical and honest guide for anyone starting out or looking to level up.

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tech-league/id1852602975

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1zx8UIe2EjawuVU3I31fdP

Chapters

0:00 Introduction

1:23 Would you start in tech today?

2:32 Find your motivation first

3:23 How to start learning: courses, books, boot camps

5:57 Pick one language and go deep

8:31 What a junior is actually expected to know

10:21 How AI has changed the junior market

13:54 AI as a tool vs AI as a crutch

17:40 Getting into infrastructure and cloud

21:50 The T-shaped engineer

24:11 What hiring managers look for

31:57 What to do in your first interview

33:17 Communication: the neglected superpower

40:11 How to help juniors grow

44:25 Imposter syndrome and the Dunning-Kruger curve

49:09 Understanding the business from day one

51:30 Managing introversion in a collaborative environment

55:58 Career progression: junior to senior to staff

1:03:49 Individual contributor vs management

1:07:22 When to switch companies

1:12:50 Protecting your reputation from day one

1:15:03 Make yourself redundant, not indispensable

1:22:37 Remote work challenges for juniors

Technologies Mentioned

Python - https://www.python.org

JavaScript - https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript

TypeScript - https://www.typescriptlang.org

Linux - https://www.kernel.org

Terraform - https://www.terraform.io

AWS - https://aws.amazon.com