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7 Life Lessons I Learned in the Past Year as a Software Engineer
7 Life Lessons I Learned in the Past Year as a Software Engineer
Early last year I began my career as a software engineer and it has been one of the most transformative periods of my…
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Andrew Ngo shared thisDay 2 of building a business so I can one day work for myself. I want to share what I’m using for the frontend and how I’m building the UI. I’m using React Native so I can ship to both iOS and Android from one codebase, and Cursor as my IDE. As a backend engineer, frontend and design used to feel like a huge blocker for me. My projects prior to using AI looked like it was made by a child. Now I just prompt in Cusor or v0 on what I want the UI should look like and it usually comes out even better than I imagined. All this frontend and UI work is outside my area of expertise so if I can do it, you can do it too. Follow along for Day 3.
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Andrew Ngo shared thisDay 1 of building a business so I can one day work for myself. I’m developing my first mobile app, a habit & routine tracker with a minimal, dark theme focused design. The goal is to go beyond simple to-do lists and add real structure and intention, so it’s easier to stay consistent. Even though I’m a software engineer, this is my first time building a mobile app. So I’m learning from the ground up and using AI heavily to help move faster. I’ll share my tech stack and tools in the next update. Follow along for Day 2
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Andrew Ngo shared thisBuilding my own opportunity. I’ve always wanted to create something for myself, but I kept making excuses. “I’m waiting for the right idea.” “There’s not enough time.” Years went by until I realized: Without change, nothing changes. So I finally took action. This month, I’m launching my first mobile app Elevate. It might work. It might flop. Either way, I’m committing to the process. If you’re curious on how this all unfolds, then follow along. — Andrew
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Andrew Ngo posted thisIt’s that time of year. A fresh start and new beginnings. Motivation is at an all-time high. Ambitious goals are set. But without change, nothing changes. A few weeks pass, motivation fades and those ambitious goals get abandoned. Motivation comes and goes, but systems keep you consistent. It’s the small, consistent actions that turn into long-term results. Having a routine will build discipline and keep you on track with your goals. So apply to your dream job. Build that app. Start that business. Don’t put it off until next year. Time to lock in. -Andrew
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Andrew Ngo shared thisI built an app to fix my procrastination. Let me explain. For years, I knew I wanted to make something of myself. I’d talk with friends about app ideas, startups, and being a “builder”. But I would always make excuses like “I didn’t have the right idea yet” or “there wasn’t enough time in the day.” In reality, I just kept pushing it for tomorrow. There’s a James Clear quote that stuck with me when I first heard it. “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” It was a tough pill to swallow. Here I was with many goals and ambition, but nothing to show for it. I wasn’t seeing any progress because I never made the time in my routine to work towards my goals. After this realization, I only started seeing progress once I blocked off a specific period of time each day for my goals. Without the intention of taking action, it just ends up on an endless to-do list that never gets completed. So I built an app to better track my routines and keep me accountable. I’d get reminders based on my routine schedule, so there was no excuse for not showing up. I added visualizations and streaks to stay engaged and get insights on my progress. Lastly, I wanted a sleek and minimal aesthetic so I can focus on what really matters, my routine and goals. Every successful day compounds into weeks and years, so you want to make each one count. If you had one thing to take away from this, you need a solid system if you want consistent results. If you ever thought of building something, you have to take the first step and start. Don’t wait for the perfect idea or the perfect plan, just take action. Don’t wait for tomorrow or until the new year. I waited too long to pursue my goals, but now that I’ve started making progress towards them, I’m excited for what’s ahead. You got this. -Andrew
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Andrew Ngo shared thisMy job search in this market has been the most difficult I've ever faced. Even with experience from well known companies like Meta and Atlassian, I still faced rejection after rejection. I would either get automated rejection emails or make it all the way to the final rounds, only to be informed they went with another candidate a week later. I had multiple offers during my last job search and now I was constantly getting rejections from every company I applied to. I really began to question my career, self worth, and everything I worked so hard for. Despite all the setbacks, I knew that as long as I stayed determined and persevered, that all my hard work would pay off. Starting back from ground zero with nothing in my job search pipeline, I applied to EVERY company I came across. There would be days where I would be speaking with five different companies and my calendar was completely booked. If I were to get a rejection, I wouldn’t get disappointed because I always had other companies lined up. This allowed me to take a systematic approach in my job search and performed my best regardless of the results. After five long grueling months of job searching, I finally accepted a senior software engineer role at Instacart! It feels surreal I started my first software engineering role four years ago and now I’m here. For anyone else struggling with their job search in this tough market, just know that there is always a company hiring and an opportunity waiting. You just need to stay determined, keep on applying, and give it your best shot! #jobsearch #softwareengineering #yougotthis
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Andrew Ngo shared thisAnd just like that, my time at Meta has come to an end. Unfortunately my role was impacted by the Meta layoffs. It still feels surreal to me, but you can’t really change things outside of your control. Coming from a non-traditional background, getting this role meant a lot to me and was a huge milestone in my career. I loved my team and the impactful work I was doing. My experience was nothing but great and wouldn’t ask for anything different. Going back into the job search in this market won’t be easy, but I’ve faced many other adversities in the past so I’m confident my hard work will pay off. If you know of anyone hiring for backend / full-stack software engineers, I’d love to get in touch! My email is andrewtruongngo@gmail.com and I'm always happy to connect! I know this role wasn’t the end, but a stepping stone to much bigger and brighter things! #metalayoff #layoffs #layoff #softwareengineer #softwareengineerjobs #jobsearch #opentowork
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Andrew Ngo shared thisIt feels surreal that 4 years ago, I decided to transition into tech and pursue software engineering. I didn’t take any CS courses during college because people said it was too hard and didn’t learn how to code earlier because I thought it was too late for me. My path to becoming a software engineer was certainly not linear. There are times where I felt like I would take one step forward and ten steps back. But if you are consistent with the time and effort in bettering your skills, you are bound to improve and see positive results. This past year I really buckled down and focused on the direction of my #career. After many months of preparation, I’m happy to announce that today I will be joining my dream company at Meta! So much can happen in just a year so don’t let time pass you by. Take this time to reinvent yourself and I’m excited to see what this new year has in store for us!
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Andrew Ngo shared thisWith so many different programming languages, I remember being so intimidated and didn’t know where to begin. In this video, I go into my top recommendation for any beginner looking to start. Don’t let fear and doubt get in the way of your goals, take the first steps today to overcome them. https://lnkd.in/d8gEtQU #softwareengineering
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Andrew Ngo reacted on thisAndrew Ngo reacted on this3 years ago, I quit my job at Meta to build my own tech company. For the next 1.5 years, I went all-in as a solopreneur building SplitMyExpenses: a modern bill-splitting app. This mini documentary captures that chapter and the origin story: the excitement, the doubt, the lonely moments, the small wins, and everything in between. Spoiler: it's raw and honest, with nothing held back. It was one of the hardest and most fulfilling things I’ve ever done. I learned more than I expected, grew more than I realized, and wouldn’t trade the experience for anything! Huge shoutout to my wife Ellen for filming and editing this. She captured the journey with so much honesty, realism, and heart :) Please let me know what you think! https://lnkd.in/g4SUrp88I quit my job to build a bill splitting app: SplitMyExpensesI quit my job to build a bill splitting app: SplitMyExpenses
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Andrew Ngo reacted on thisAndrew Ngo reacted on thisAfter 3 years in Ads Privacy at Meta, I've decided to be one of the founding members of Meta's new Applied AI org. The last 3 years have been the highlight of my career thus far and I will seriously miss the team I built there. However I'm energized by Maher Saba and Zuck's vision for how Applied AI can help Meta Superintelligence Labs pioneer new SotA innovations in AI. This will be a period of discomfort and learning for me and I'm thrilled to jump in.
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Andrew Ngo liked thisAndrew Ngo liked thisIf you were just laid off from Meta, Snap, or Amazon, this moment does not define you. But I want to say something that might land differently than the usual “you’ve got this” post. You no longer have the excuse. The one that sounded like: “I wish I could take the risk of joining a startup, but I have stability here.” That stability just proved it was never really yours. So now you have 3 real choices. 1. Go back into FAANG. Great comp, strong brand, real benefits. Also a real chance you’re in this exact seat again in 18 months for reasons that have nothing to do with your performance. 2. Build your own company. Not a bad idea, but you’re starting from scratch. Why not join a startup to accelerate the learning curve and know what not to do. 3. Join a startup (bias recommendation). Not glamorous. 90%+ fail. You might join one that looks shinny on the outside but is terrible on the inside. It will require scrappyness, be intense, and always chaotic. But if it works, you made that happen. And if it doesn’t, at least you’ll know exactly why. The layoff risk doesn’t go away either way. The difference is what you’re building in the meantime, impact, autonomy, exposure, and the speed at which you can define your performance. This might be the best window you get to bet on yourself.
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Andrew Ngo liked thisAndrew Ngo liked thisOur 1st customer paid us $75 per filing. Our 10th customer paid us $75 per filing. Our 11th customer paid us $75 per filing. Our 101st customer paid us $75 per filing. Our 1001st customer paid us $75 per filing. Our 1002nd customer paid us $150 per filing because they accidentally paid twice. We refunded them. Our 2001st customer paid us $75 per filing. This is why we keep our pricing simple. The sales tax world is unbelievably complex. If you use Numeral, all you have to know is two things. 1. I’m covered on everything sales tax-related. 2. I know exactly how much I’m paying per filing. Simple as.
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Andrew Ngo reacted on thisYa girl is on TV!! Many of you know of my cat Mitzie. Last year I went on a journey to figure out what was going on with her and serendipitously it was filmed for a new TV show. Tune into Vet Detective (we’re episode 2) on Hulu, Disney+, and NatGeo in the US and StackTV or Cottage Life in Canada! https://lnkd.in/g-GWudbg If you feel inclined, please consider donating to her health fund here: https://lnkd.in/gRgAPNQM
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Education
Projects
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FreeCodeCamp JAMstack Hackathon (RaffleGator)
See projectRafflegator is a raffle aggregator accross multiple social media outlets.
I developed the backend infrastructure with FaunaDB.
https://rafflegator.netlify.com/ -
ETH San Francisco (Arena World)
See projectArena World provides the solution to athletes struggling to monetize their skills, by allowing fans to invest in their favorite athletes for rewards
I developed the front-end user profiles with React and the backend infrastructure with MySQL
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