Johnny Heuser, iOS Developer at Inbox
1. It looks like you’ve got a really fun job – building the iOS instant messaging app for Inbox. We’ve also heard the company raised a significant amount of VC capital and that you’ve been given a lot of responsibilities at Inbox. Tell us a bit about what your day at work looks like.
Inbox has been an awesome experience. We have a great team and a great work environment and the resources are awesome. Every morning we have a daily scrum meeting where everyone on the team explains what they worked on the day before and what they are going to work on today so that the whole team stays in the loop of major changes and/or obstacles. The rest of the day is heads down to the grind. At any given time in the day I could be working on a bug fix for the current version, working on a new feature, or any immediate fix or change that needs to be implemented. There is a lot of dialog between the iOs, Android and back end teams. We have a very efficient system in place.
2. When did you realize that a software engineering career might be appropriate for you?
About 2 years ago. I was working in the music industry and in the physical therapy fields. Things were going slow with music and I really wasn’t happy pursuing a career in physical therapy. I became interested in the massive mobile boom a few years ago and I started to develop an idea for an app of my own. I really wanted to know how to build my app and learn the software behind it in general. The more I read about the field, the more fascinated I became.
3. Why did you choose an iOS bootcamp?
I was looking into Ruby bootcamps, which were very popular, as I had heard and read many good things about them. However, I really wanted to build the front end of a product. Being able to design and build the actual product that goes into the users hand was what I really wanted to do. Until I came across TurnToTech, which wasn’t until the end of my search, there weren’t many programs that exclusively offered an iOS bootcamp.
4. How much of a role did TurnToTech play in preparing you for your current job?
I could have never done it without the excellent mentoring and guidance from TurnToTech. I am pretty sure that I had the least amount of programming experience of anyone, (practically zero) walking through their doors. It was a bootcamp in every sense of the word, but it was structured and designed in a way that allowed for maximized learning. It was like building a house. We learned about the foundation and how to build from the ground up. My internship via TurnToTech was at a messaging start up called Bleepr. Working at a startup was an amazing experience and an excellent learning opportunity.
5. What made you choose TurnToTech? Did you research other places?
I was just about to enroll in a Ruby on Rails bootcamp. I had made it to the final stages of the admissions process having exchanged no more than a few short emails with their office. When I learned about TurnToTech, I stopped in and the CEO and lead instructor sat down with me for a full hour and answered all my questions, as well as gave me insight that I wasn’t even aware of. It was a very welcoming atmosphere. They really gave off the impression that if you want to learn, they will do everything they can to help you. I decided I wanted to join right after the meeting.
6. How was a typical day at the bootcamp? Were you burned out at any point? Or were you always energetic, ready to move on to the next challenge?
A typical day at the bootcamp was fun, exhausting, frustrating, intense, relaxing, and strenuous all wrapped into one. First of all, it was a very friendly environment; students talk to each other and the staff and instructors were always available to answer questions and help out. A large portion of the day was spent learning how to think and solve problems differently than we were used to and how to find the answers you need and use all resources available to you. We had a structured curriculum with guidance and direction but it was up to us to put the pieces together. There were no lectures. It was all hands-on learning while doing, which was a great way to learn programming. There were times where my fellow classmates and myself got burned out a little, but it was nothing that no one could handle. Most of the time everyone, including myself, was energetic and ready to be challenged.
7. How about your confidence level as a software engineer? How would you compare where you were before starting the program to where you are now?
It is a night and day comparison. Starting the program, I was a fish out of water and way out of my league. Now I have the confidence to take on the responsibilities of being a software developer. I am comfortable with my position at Inbox. It is a great company and experience. I would not have been able to get this far this fast had it not been for TurnToTech.
8. What would you say about your cohort? Did you guys interact a lot or did most people mostly keep to themselves?
My cohort was small but we all got along. We talked daily and went out on the town occasionally to grab beers. Even classmates that attended other cohort sessions interacted with one another. We all keep in touch as much as possible to stay connected. It was a great experience to meet a lot of different and interesting people.
9. How was your internship experience? What did you work on? And does that relate to your day-to-day job?
My internship experience was amazing. I was part of the team to build the iOS app from the ground up. It was a messaging app and that experience was very important for me getting a job at Inbox. I created the chat view where users chat with each other, which is the focal point of the app. It was awesome to be a part of that and to have that kind of responsibility. I also worked on some of the features and talked with the CEO and COO about design and layout decisions. The internship was a huge part of preparing me for Inbox. Both are messaging apps and share similarities, and working on both has increased my knowledge base.
10. What are your future plans?
My future plans involve becoming an integral part of the Inbox team and building a great product. I am also in the works of launching my own app soon. I have been working on it for a while and I am excited to see it come to fruition. My plans also involve continuously learning about the software-developing world. It is a fast paced and ever changing field, it is important to stay up to date.
11. Is there anything else you’d like to add for someone considering TurnToTech, especially to those who don’t come from a science or engineering background?
I would say don’t let your past career and experience (or lack there of) to derail your decision. I walked in with zero experience and walked out and into a startup. If you are driven enough and willing to be honest with yourself about the work, attention and dedication necessary, then you can succeed and do great things. Anyone can learn to program software if they really want to.