Francesco Ciulla

Finding Your Way in Tech

Can being told 'you will never be a developer' actually launch your career? Learn how to turn rejection into your greatest motivator.

Finding Your Way in Tech
#1about 4 minutes

Finding your career path with varied interests

A personal journey from wanting to be an astronaut to coaching volleyball before starting a computer science degree without a clear direction.

#2about 3 minutes

How negative feedback can become powerful motivation

A professor's discouraging comment becomes the catalyst for learning to code through game development, which teaches crucial software fundamentals.

#3about 2 minutes

Why job rejection can be a lucky break

Failing an interview due to memorizing specific syntax highlights the lesson that rejection is an opportunity to persevere and adjust your direction.

#4about 3 minutes

Landing a dream job by focusing on fundamentals

An unexpected interview with the European Space Agency succeeds because it tested core concepts like Docker and Git, not rote memorization.

#5about 3 minutes

Combining development skills with communication and teaching

To counteract the isolation of a developer job, creating online content and attending conferences opened new doors in developer relations and public speaking.

#6about 1 minute

The first key to success is building the right habits

Adopting consistent, positive habits like waking up early and coding daily is a foundational step for changing your life and career.

#7about 1 minute

The second key is connecting with the right people

Building a professional network at events and online is crucial for discovering career opportunities and finding peers with similar goals.

#8about 2 minutes

The final key is being brutally honest with yourself

True change begins with self-awareness and admitting when you are unhappy with your situation, which empowers you to take action.

Related jobs
Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.

Software Engineer

tree-IT GmbH

tree-IT GmbH
Bad Neustadt an der Saale, Germany

€54-80K
Intermediate
Senior
Java
TypeScript
+1

Matching moments

A developer's journey from coding to public speaking
09:43 MIN

A developer's journey from coding to public speaking

WeAreDevelopers LIVE - Should We Respect LLMs? Is Rust Taking Over? Developers as Content Creators and more

A developer's journey into public speaking
03:21 MIN

A developer's journey into public speaking

Coffee with Developers - Francesco Ciulla

Finding success with a non-traditional developer career path
05:51 MIN

Finding success with a non-traditional developer career path

WeAreDevelopers LIVE - Should We Respect LLMs? Is Rust Taking Over? Developers as Content Creators and more

A personal journey and advice for starting in tech
02:47 MIN

A personal journey and advice for starting in tech

From Gazelle to Pride Leader: The Path to Public Speaking in Tech

Personal strategies for thriving in the tech industry
03:19 MIN

Personal strategies for thriving in the tech industry

Autism in Tech

How curiosity and networking shaped a tech career
04:07 MIN

How curiosity and networking shaped a tech career

Personal Branding & Job Search - The Most Practical Approach You'll Ever Find

A career journey from professional musician to tech
07:06 MIN

A career journey from professional musician to tech

Fingerboard to Keyboard: Transposing One Profession to Another

Q&A on starting a developer career and hackathons
05:00 MIN

Q&A on starting a developer career and hackathons

How to make REST APIs in Django?

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Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.