The pipeline problem
Here's a story about how Laravel/Rails might fix the "pipeline problem:" by hiring new grads to build the awesome tools we've always wanted. Here's what happened...
The Pipeline Problem
A while back, I tweeted about how Rails and Laravel have a "pipeline problem:"
Young devs aren't learning Laravel/Rails in bootcamps or college
They're learning JavaScript, React, and Next.js instead
This creates a cycle: we want experienced devs but aren't cultivating new talent
On the MegaMaker Slack, people mentioned another challenge for young developers: even senior developers are having difficulty getting work in this economy. It's even harder for a junior developer to get hired, which means they're not getting the experience they need to start their careers.
Enter Ferdinand
I met Ferdinand at a hack night where he showed me a bot he'd built for Discord that could synthesize my voice using AI.
Ferdinand graduated with his CompSci degree last June. He had done dozens of interviews, but nobody was hiring.
I knew that without experience, it would be difficult for him to get that first gig.
This gave me an idea: using my own money, I would hire Ferdinand for the summer to build me a Laravel app I've wanted for a while.
The aim was to get him to experience building a fully functional SaaS app (with Stripe billing) using Laravel, Alpine, Livewire, and Tailwind.
The SwagFan project
At Transistor, we've found that giving away free t-shirts and hats is a great way to promote our brand. When folks receive something from us, they share pictures on social media.
These posts provide Transistor with great PR, social proof, testimonials, and goodwill.
We've been using Printful to create merch and handle shipping and fulfillment. However, Printful doesn't offer a way to give away swag or run a storefront.
I wanted an app where I could send people a link, let them choose their swag, select their size, enter their shipping details, and have Printful handle the rest.
So, the web app I hired Ferdinand to build me was a tool to simplify the process of giving away branded swag.
We called it SwagFan.
Here's the crazy part: Ferdinand had never built a project in Laravel before and completed most of it in six weeks.
A few days ago, I did a quick demo on a livestream:
Here's how it works:
You connect your Printful store
You create a swag giveaway link
You choose which products you want to offer
You share the link with fans/customers
They pick their items, sizes, shipping info
Printful handles printing and shipping automatically
I'm excited about this for a few reasons:
It solves a real problem we've had at Transistor
It gave Ferdinand awesome real-world dev experience
It demonstrates Laravel's strengths for building SaaS apps quickly
What's Next
We plan to launch it publicly in the next few weeks.
I want Ferdinand to experience the entire cycle of conceptualizing, building, and shipping a functional SaaS. It will be invaluable to him as a dev and give him a taste of what it's like to be an indie hacker.
(It will be $99/year for early access users)
What do you think?
I'm curious what you think about the Laravel/Rails "pipeline problem" and if hiring juniors for projects like this might be a good solution.
Want to be one of our first users? Sign up here for a 14-day free trial: https://app.swagfan.com/register/1
(We already have two people signed up, and Ferdinand is stoked!)
Cheers,
Justin Jackson
Connect with me on:
💼 LinkedIn
🐘 Mastodon
🧵 Threads
🐦 Twitter
P.S. Ferdinand is now looking for his first full-time tech job. I can personally vouch for him: he's a fast learner, works independently, and quickly grasps web app concepts. If you're interested in offering him a FT position (good bosses only!), check out his resume: https://ferdinand737.github.io/profile-page/