# Practice for Junior Backend Developers: Bridge the Experience Gap

## The Junior Developer Challenge

You've learned backend concepts in bootcamp or courses. Maybe you've built a few tutorial projects.

But you still feel the gap between tutorials and real production work.

**The problem**: Most learning platforms give you isolated exercises. Real jobs require building and maintaining complete systems.

## What Junior Developers Need

### Beyond Tutorials

Tutorials walk you through building something specific:
- "Build a REST API with Express"
- "Create a database with Prisma"
- "Deploy with Docker"

But they don't teach you:
- How to make architecture decisions
- How to evolve a system over time
- How to handle changing requirements
- How to maintain existing systems

### Real-World Skills

Junior developers need practice with:

**Decision Making**
- Which database should I use?
- REST or GraphQL?
- Monolith or microservices?
- How do I structure my code?

**System Evolution**
- How do I add features to existing systems?
- How do I migrate data safely?
- How do I refactor without breaking things?
- How do I maintain backward compatibility?

**Production Constraints**
- Working with Docker containers
- Managing persistent data
- Handling long-running systems
- Debugging across services

## How YoloCorp Helps Junior Developers

### Build Complete Systems

Not just algorithms. Not just toy apps. Complete backend systems with:
- APIs you design from scratch
- Databases you choose and schema
- Services you orchestrate
- Docker environments you control

### Make Real Decisions

Every YoloCorp project forces real engineering decisions:

**Episode 1**: Design your initial system
- Choose your tech stack
- Design your API contracts
- Model your database schema
- Set up your infrastructure

**Episode 5**: Adapt to new requirements
- Migrate your existing data
- Extend your API
- Refactor your architecture
- Maintain backward compatibility

These are the decisions junior developers make at real jobs.

### Learn By Doing

**What tutorials teach**: "Here's how to use X"

**What YoloCorp teaches**: "Here's a problem, figure out which tool to use and how"

This is how you learn to think like a senior engineer.

### Safe Environment to Experiment

In real jobs, mistakes affect users and cost money.

In YoloCorp:
- Experiment freely with architectures
- Try different approaches
- Learn what works and what doesn't
- No production consequences

### Incremental Complexity

YoloCorp projects start manageable and grow complex:

**Early Episodes**:
- Basic CRUD operations
- Simple data models
- Straightforward requirements

**Later Episodes**:
- Complex business logic
- Data migrations
- Multiple service coordination
- Evolving requirements

This mirrors how junior developers ramp up at real jobs.

## Skills Junior Developers Gain

### System Architecture
- Designing APIs from scratch
- Choosing appropriate databases
- Structuring services
- Planning for change

### Docker & DevOps
- Writing Dockerfiles
- Docker Compose orchestration
- Service health checks
- Container networking

### Database Management
- Schema design and normalization
- Writing migrations
- Handling data evolution
- Choosing storage strategies

### API Design
- RESTful principles
- Contract-first design
- Versioning strategies
- Client interface design

### Problem Solving
- Debugging containerized apps
- Handling evolving requirements
- Making trade-offs
- Finding your own solutions

## From Tutorials to Production

**Tutorials**: "Follow these steps to build X"
**YoloCorp**: "Build a system that does X, you decide how"

**Tutorials**: Static requirements
**YoloCorp**: Requirements evolve, adapt your system

**Tutorials**: Fresh start every time
**YoloCorp**: Maintain and evolve existing systems

**Tutorials**: One correct solution
**YoloCorp**: Multiple valid approaches

## Portfolio Projects

YoloCorp projects make excellent portfolio pieces for junior developers:

- Shows you can build complete systems
- Demonstrates architecture decisions
- Proves you can handle evolving requirements
- Shows Docker and DevOps skills

**In interviews**: "Tell me about a backend system you built and evolved over time"

You'll have concrete examples to discuss.

## Structured Learning Path

Unlike random tutorials, YoloCorp provides structured progression:

1. **Start simple**: Basic backend concepts
2. **Add complexity**: More requirements, more challenges
3. **Evolve systems**: Handle migrations and refactoring
4. **Master skills**: Real production engineering

Each episode builds on previous ones, creating a coherent learning journey.

## Bridge the Gap

YoloCorp bridges the gap between:
- **Learning**: Courses and tutorials
- **Working**: Real backend engineering jobs

Practice the skills you'll actually use at work.

## Ready to Practice?

Stop following tutorials. Start building systems.

[Download the CLI](/downloads) and start your first project.

**Perfect for**: Bootcamp graduates, self-taught developers, CS students, career switchers entering backend engineering.