I am an addict, and my drug of choice is human connection.
I am a solid ENFP. To give you more of a grasp on this personality type, Michael Scott’s character from The Office is considered an ENFP. Anyone who knows me can probably agree with me and Michael’s common ground. A little strange, outspoken, frequently blurting “that’s what she said”, and as a true extrovert — I love my people.
“The ENFP personality is a true free spirit. They are often the life of the party, but unlike similar types, ENFP’s are less interested in the sheer excitement and pleasure of the moment than they are in enjoying the social and emotional connections they make with others. …
So far, I don’t have any buyer’s remorse.
A few moons ago, probably at 2 am on night shift, I started thinking about redirecting my career trajectory.
My work as a nurse was rewarding, but my physical, emotional, and mental capacity for the ICU began to dwindle. I wanted something different. Fired up by a few months of soul and internet searching, I decided to apply to a coding bootcamp.
Interviewing can be difficult, especially if you are the new kid.
Getting that first job is the hardest and you’ll probably have a lot of competition. One of the best things you can do to stick out is prepare yourself! Get an idea of what you may be asked and have an answer prepared.
As a newbie, the majority of your questions will likely be cultural/behavioral. These questions are rarely of the “yes/no” variety, so you’ll have to have some stories ready to go. These are a little difficult to pull out of your back pocket when you’re in a stressful situation. …
Advice from a senior software engineer on becoming a more competitive job applicant.
Prospective employers want your GitHub link, but what are they looking for? I asked my friend Matt, a senior software engineer at Express Scripts, what he looks for in an applicant’s GitHub profile and what gets someone closer to an interview.
You’ve just clicked on someone’s GitHub link. What’s the first thing you’re looking at?
“If you have any repos that have a lot of stars on them, those will be what I look at first. Otherwise, I’ll just pick the first few that are pinned on your main page or repos that have an interesting name. It’s okay if you don’t have any stars, but it does give a good idea of how popular your particular repository is. …
Mastery doesn’t come easily or overnight, but with the right plan of attack, you can get there sooner
Learning styles vary from person to person. Regardless, many of my fearless leaders/instructors/mentors have strongly advocated for these approaches to learning how to code. They wanted us to succeed, and they gave us the tools to do so.
My classmates and I — a melting pot of different learning styles and backgrounds — all used these tools.
(Most of the time. When reminded. Frequently. Sorry coach.)
But yes, we all graduated right on time!
Without further delay, here are the methods I wish I knew on day one of learning how to code.
#1: Stop Taking Extensive Notes
Why?
This is the number one biggest time-waster I succumbed to while learning how to code. Like most, I went through many years of traditional education where good note-taking is emphasized. While I am still a supporter of taking notes, it is not the most effective way to learn how to code. …
Failing. It’s 100% inevitable, and it’s absolutely okay.
Forget about what you know and how you feel about failing. When it comes to learning how to code, it’s what you want to do. Failures slowly build you up to success.
You guys — React is a regulation HOTTIE. And it has the numbers to back it up.
Like most humans, I love routine. I like to plan, organize, and have my life under control so I can expect the unexpected as gracefully as possible. I worked full time as a registered nurse, had a carefully curated budget, and (slightly embarrassingly) had a cleaning schedule from Pinterest hanging on my fridge. I had it down. In contrast, I also appreciate novelty. Although I love nursing, I was ready to augment my career with something (very?) different. Enter coding bootcamp. A strange world where the rules are made up as you go and the points don’t matter. …
In my recent “what the hell is Ruby and how do I use it” learning experience, I’ve been taught how to build something from bare bones. Writing out every minute detail — methods, variables, routes, files they go in — all of it. In a dizzying whirlwind of trying to comprehend and regurgitate these small details, I thought “holy crap, is this what it’s like to be a developer? This is insane amounts of work just to get tiny components working. I am totally incapable of this”. …
