Summary of "This LinkedIn Hack Got Me into an Irish Startup Remotely from India | 100xdevs Success Stories"

Overview

This is an interview summary with Chananya, a tier‑3 college student (cohort 2 of 100xdevs) who secured a remote, 6‑month internship at an Irish startup while still in college. The summary covers his learning path, how he built visibility, how he applied and interviewed, and his plans and advice—especially regarding startups and Web3.

Key lessons and concepts

Learning strategy

Began with an early DSA deep‑dive (C++ and many LeetCode/CodeChef problems). Useful but became boring; heavy DSA is not the only path.
Shifted to practical, project‑driven learning: HTML/CSS/JS → React → Next.js/TypeScript → backend. Adopted a “learn on the go” approach.
Structured programs and cohort-based learning helped provide direction and reduce overlearning.

Visibility and hiring signals

Publish completed projects with live links and GitHub repos; show code and seek reviews.
Write technical blog posts (Medium, Hashnode) to demonstrate understanding.
Post consistent progress updates on LinkedIn/Twitter to build profile and attract recruiters.
Contribute to open source, mentor others, and run community sessions to build confidence and a network.
Small developer tools (e.g., a simple CLI published on npm) can differentiate you.

Interview approach

Be honest and modest about skill levels; underselling and transparency are better than overclaiming.
Prepare for detailed technical grilling from experienced leads; expect questions on practical skills (HTML/CSS, React, routing, types, basics of concurrency).
Demonstrate curiosity beyond listed skills (e.g., discussing Go routines even if you haven’t listed Go).

Career choices

Startups can offer faster learning and more ownership than enterprise roles—choose based on learning goals and cultural fit.
Keep fallbacks (campus placements or other offers) but don’t ignore promising remote startup opportunities.

Detailed, actionable methodology (Chananya’s step‑by‑step approach)

Foundation & exploration
- Start with fundamentals you’re interested in (Chananya began with C++ and DSA).
- Accept iteration: focus on the 80/20 that gives practical value.
Move to practical frontend development
- Learn enough HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build modern UIs and landing pages.
- Join peer groups for curated guidance on minimum viable skills.
Advance to modern stacks
- Learn React deeply (hooks, portals, component patterns).
- Learn Next.js and TypeScript pragmatically—pick targeted resources when a project requires them.
- Build a real project as your primary resume piece rather than consuming every tutorial first.
Add backend knowledge
- Learn APIs, databases, and simple server code to become full‑stack.
- Be open to learning new backend languages or paradigms (e.g., Go concurrency).
Build, publish, and show
- Deploy projects (Vercel, Render) and publish source on GitHub.
- Request code reviews and write technical posts explaining your work.
- Release small utilities (CLI tools) and publish to package registries when relevant.
Network and lead
- Mentor in small programs, host community sessions, create Discord/Slack servers.
- Attend meetups and hackathons (local and online).
- Contribute to open source to gain confidence and connections.
Use social platforms strategically
- Post project links, writeups, and learning updates on LinkedIn and Twitter; consistency matters.
- DM founders/maintainers with concise, thoughtful messages when appropriate.
Apply early and broadly
- Apply once you have at least one strong project/resume item.
- Timing can matter—off‑hour applications sometimes face smaller applicant pools.
Interview tactics
- Rank yourself honestly on languages/skills; undersell rather than oversell.
- Explain what you know and what you’ll learn; show curiosity.
- Expect combined technical + behavioral conversations, sometimes in a single call with multiple founders/leads.
Post‑offer strategy - Treat a startup internship as a learning accelerator and aim to overperform. - Keep backup options (campus placements or other offers) until the internship is secure or converted. - Pursue long‑term interests (e.g., Web3) in parallel, using hackathons/grants to accelerate experience.

Interview / technical details

Role focus: primarily front‑end work while the company migrated a codebase to the web.
Topics covered:
- Core HTML/CSS/JS (basics and self‑ranking of skills).
- React and front‑end competency (routing, Next.js familiarity, TypeScript basics).
- Backend/architecture awareness (company uses Go and Node; concurrency concepts were discussed).
- Behavioral: motivation for joining a startup vs. larger enterprises; commitment and cultural fit.
Format: single call with CTO and CEO. CTO handled technical grilling; CEO covered behavioral fit.

Outcome and plans

Accepted a 6‑month remote internship with the Irish startup, with potential to extend through college or convert to full‑time based on performance.
Plans to continue learning Web3 (smart contracts, zero‑knowledge proofs, L2 rollups) while treating the internship as the primary focus.
Will use hackathons and grants—particularly on non‑EVM chains—to accelerate Web3 experience.

Advice around Web3

Keep the startup offer as the current focus; don’t abandon a confirmed opportunity.
Build Solidity contracts and corresponding front‑ends. Once comfortable, explore non‑EVM chains (Aptos, Solana) because they:
- Often have larger hackathon prizes and grants.
- Provide easier routes to funding and visibility outside the saturated EVM ecosystem.
Participate in hackathons regularly to gain project experience, visibility, and potential grants/offers.

Speakers / sources featured

Chananya — student, cohort 2 (interviewee who landed the Irish startup internship)
Host / Interviewer — unnamed (cohort instructor / 100xdevs representative)
Founder — founder of the Irish startup (approached Chananya via LinkedIn)
CTO — chief technical officer of the Irish startup (technical grilling)
CEO — chief executive officer of the Irish startup (behavioral fit questions)
100xdevs / cohort program — Chananya’s learning cohort and the video’s publisher/context