JS / Front-end Short Track Course

Hi everyone, my name is Masha and I’d like to share my story about studying at RS School and looking for a job in Poland afterwards. Before joining the course, I had a technical background and knew the basics of HTML and CSS, but I had no experience with JavaScript. I started my learning journey at the end of 2021 with Stage 0, followed by Stage 1 and 2. I’m very grateful to my mentor, Zhenya, for all the support and knowledge he shared. I managed to land an internship fairly quickly, but unfortunately, the job market started to decline, and I wasn’t able to get a full-time developer position. I spent a long time searching for my first job — I sent out hundreds of CVs and went through several interviews. Thanks to the strong foundation I got at RS School, I passed technical interviews without much trouble. The rejections were usually due to my low level of English or my legal status. I kept working on both my technical skills (taking courses in AWS, Node.js) and my self-presentation. In the summer of 2024, I decided to take the Angular course at RS School, as I realized that a modern developer should be familiar with multiple frameworks. It wasn’t easy — there were many new principles and concepts to learn. Once again, I was lucky to have a great mentor, Igor, who explained complex topics in a very accessible way. I had a strong ranking, and the organizers recommended me to EPAM. After a couple of interviews, I joined my first project, where I’ve now been working for six months. My journey from the beginning of my studies to landing my first full-time contract took almost 3 years. I didn’t expect the job search to take that long. But during the learning process, I became so passionate about programming that I couldn’t even think about giving it up. So if you truly love coding, don’t be afraid of the challenges our field is facing today. Keep learning, keep working hard, keep gaining experience — and everything will work out.

My story with the course is quite a textbook case. Due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of the intricacies of web development, I spent a long time looking for a job and failed one interview after another. Then, in 2024, I found the RS School courses through EPAM's self-study portal. I enrolled in the main front-end course. After successfully completing Stage-1 of the course, I faced a choice: continue to Stage-2 or take the 'fateful' Short Track course. The second option offered a real chance to get into EPAM Campus, so the choice was easy. The same cannot be said about the course itself. The workload was significant, and I spent 30 or more hours per week studying materials, completing assignments, and participating in lectures and online sessions. The topics were extensive and sometimes complex, but that's how 'steel is forged'. With each topic I mastered, imposter syndrome receded. The question 'Maybe this isn't for me?' was replaced by confidence in my abilities. The course filled the exact gaps that had prevented me from getting my first offer. And that offer wasn't long in coming. After completing the Short Track, the interview at EPAM Campus was surprisingly easy. As a result, I and almost everyone in my group received invitations. If you're wondering whether it's worth it — it definitely is. Intensive work always pays off with confidence in interviews.

One day, while feeling unfulfilled at my old job, a friend suggested I join her in the RS School program – the standard JS course, not the Short Track. I agreed, mostly to keep her company.
I completed the first stage and found it interesting; I learned a lot, and things were going well. I was spending what felt like 30 hours a day on layout tasks (especially that tricky zoo website!). The second stage began. I passed the interview, but the very next day, my mentor disappeared without a trace, which was unfortunate. So, I didn't complete my first attempt.
A year later, I decided to enroll again. I figured, why not? My job was dull, I wasn't feeling challenged, the IT field was growing, salaries were higher, and I genuinely enjoyed building websites. I joined again, and the first stage felt much easier this time around.
Towards the end of the first stage (if I remember correctly), I saw an announcement for applications to the Short Track (ST). I was sure I wouldn't get in, as I wasn't even in the top 100, probably not even the top 200. But, just for practice, I decided to solve the test tasks and submit them.
A few weeks passed, and then I saw someone tagged me in the Announcements chat. I was absolutely stunned to see my name on the list of those who passed the test and were selected for an interview. I checked the message at least 10 times before I could believe it!
Then came the interview, and honestly, I thought I bombed it. I felt I answered poorly, was nervous, and, to put it mildly, made a fool of myself. Yet, a week later, I saw I was tagged in the Announcements again – I had been selected for the ST program!
I didn't know whether to be ecstatic or terrified! On one hand, it was amazing – a program specifically designed to prepare candidates for EPAM. But on the other hand, I knew it would be incredibly challenging. And that's how I got into the ST.
To make things more intense, I was juggling this demanding program with my full-time job and English lessons – my English level was around A2 at best back then. The ST period was the most intense marathon of my life: lectures three times a week, plus homework, my job, and the English tutor.
After the program finished in early July, I had my interview and received an offer right on my birthday! Within 15 minutes of getting the job offer notification, I was signing my resignation letter at my old job!