Start Over Coder

Verdict on CSS Grid…it is awesome! This episode is about what I learned after digging in to the syntax and how you can learn it as well. CSS Grid is a new display method that is part of the native CSS3 syntax, and is supported in the majority of modern web browsers. The primary advantage of using grid is that you can create a web page layout by placing your content anywhere you like on a grid that you define yourself. No more floats, clears, or adapting to someone else’s grid system—just build what you need and it works. Using CSS grid also make is incredibly simple to make layouts responsive with not very much code at all. Feedback Request! Click here for a pre-release version of the new Start Over Coder website that I built using CSS Grid and Hexo, a static site generator...and let me know what you think! Contact me on Twitter or by email. Thanks in advance!   Below is a list of the CSS Grid resources I’ve found to be the most helpful as I learned. Top Recommendations: Start Here! CSS Grid Changes Everyth

Whether you’re actively looking for a job or not, you should be recruitment ready! I learned that the hard way this week. This episode is about what I wish I’d done ahead of time. What is recruitment ready? Up-to-date CV/resumé that is written with the type of job you want in mind. So if you're transitioning from another career to being a developer, your old CV won't do! Up-to-date LinkedIn profile, again with programmer-relevant skills highlighted. Bonus: online portfolio website to introduce yourself and show off your skills While this might seem like obvious advice, I wish I had taken it a lot earlier! These things have a way of not being prioritized if you're not actively looking for a job. Why? Well it's hard! How do you write about programming experience when you don't have any? What on earth can you write about that will make someone want to hire you? For these reasons and more, I put off preparing these things for a new career as a developer. AND THEN...randomly out of the blue I was introduced to t

Pair programming is a productive way to write code with other people, and often used as an interview tool as well. I’ve been incorporating pairing into my study plan recently, and here’s what I learned! What is pair programming? It's two people writing code together, and sharing one computer to do it. One person is the driver: their hands are on the keyboard and they are talking through the code they write as they write it. The other person is the navigator: the navigator takes a 'big picture' approach and reviews the code as it's being written, stopping to ask questions or offer guidance based on what the driver writes. During the pair programming session, you would periodically switch so that each person sits in both roles several times. The main idea is that with two heads working together, the code will be better than if just one person was working alone. Here are the biggest benefits and lessons I've found so far in my pair programming experiences: You see another way to approach solving problems. It co

Working with data is one of the most important aspects of development. This week I got an intro to relational databases, and here’s what I learned. As we all know, a database is where we store data...what makes it relational is the method we use to store it: information is stored in tables, and then we relate those tables to each other by referencing unique id numbers from one table to the next. To interact with the data, we use a relational database management system (RDBMS) like MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, etc. Another option for storing data is to use a non-relational database like MongoDB or Neo4j which takes a less rigid approach to how and where data can be stored. These are also sometimes called NoSQL (not only SQL) databases and they provide flexibility when the data you're working with vary a lot in structure and content. However when the information is uniform, relational databases can be very efficient because there is not a lot of repetition, and you can easily access exactly the information you n

They say every professional coder should have a portfolio available for potential clients and employers to review. Here’s a low-maintenance, inexpensive (or free!) way to do it. The simplest and least expensive way to host a website is to create a static website (I talked all about these in episode 31). But hard-coding all of the pages and your entire file structure is tedious and not a good use of time, especially if you expect the amount of content to grow over time (like with a blog, for instance). Static site generators allow you to set up a template for your site one time...after that's done, you only need to think about adding new content going forward. You write the content, and the site generator will process everything into a bundle of HTML pages for you. If you don't want to write any HTML or CSS you don't even really have to...there are many, many ready-made templates out there so all you need to do is add content, if you want. Easy! You'll need to basics to work with a static site generator: Acce

It’s time to revisit my learning plan for learning to code! With the start of a new year and career uncertainty ahead, I’m setting some goals to make sure this Start Over Coder expedition stays on track. For the record & prosperity (!) I'm going to: Gain skills with relational databases: learn structure, learn SQL, build sample projects. Learn React, and build sample projects. Learn CSS grid, and build sample projects. Dive deeper into JavaScript and Node.js. And build sample projects! Get my first paid work as a developer by 30 June, 2018. Be more specific about calendarizing work sessions: more specificity = more productivity. Share what I learn in this podcast and in a blog. Practice pair programming. Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/050 or tweet me @startovercoder.

A whole year of learning to code, whew! In this episode I reflect on some of the bigger lessons that will carry into the new year: Code. With Others. And set goals! These are the keys to success. Episode Links: Episode 019: There's No One Right Answer Episode 028: Endings: Workshop, Bootcamp & Debt Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/049 or tweet me @startovercoder.

This week I got rejected from a coding program that would have been great for jumpstarting my new career. Bah humbug : ( While I put a lot of effort into researching and then applying for the program, turns out it's just not in the cards for the near future. So now it's about resetting, making some plans, and figuring out where to go from here. Have you ever been rejected from something you had your mind set on? How did you reset your path? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/048 or tweet me @startovercoder.

This week I realized I didn’t know as much as I thought I did about Node.js, so back to the basics. Episode Links: Node.js Node.js Docs - Getting Started Start Over Coder Episode 20 - Too Early Intro to Node.js The Net Ninja Intro to Node.js For Beginners Playlist Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/047 or tweet me @startovercoder.

The reading-to-coding ratio is important to be aware of when learning to code...it’s important they don’t get out of balance. When I notice I’m not writing enough code, here are some things I try. Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/046 or tweet me @startovercoder.

The more you write code, the more you realize the importance of choosing good names for your functions and variables. In this episode I discuss a few best practices I’ve picked up so far. As a newbie to writing code, it's just about getting the darn code to work. Lots of questions take priority: What is a function? What is this var I keep seeing everywhere? Did I miss a semicolon AGAIN!? Thinking about how to name functions, variables, or elements takes a back seat. But the more you read code, and especially the more you read your own code from the past, it's easy to see just how important it is to name things well. It's probably the most important thing you can do to make your code readable.  Here are some tips I've picked up so far about naming conventions: Be specific with names so that the name describes what is actually happening. Example: name a function calculateAge() instead of just calculate(), which is too vague. Don't use similar names. My terrible bad example was when I called a button "item-rewa

Financial Independence and a career in coding are like peas in a pod. Here’s why! Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/044 or tweet me @startovercoder.

For some info on what it takes to build an app from scratch, here’s a progress update on the app I introduced in episode 35. The main updates: Goal #1 is shipping a minimum viable product (MVP). Since my initial plans got a bit complicated, I took a new approach and simplified the basic functionality of the app. I can always go back and add more robust features later—for now I'd like to get a good foundation completed. I also aimed to pick up a new skill by using a new front end framework, Semantic UI to style the site. In the testing stage, I found a bug! So researching some possible fixes, including the Mongoose queries written in my Express routes, and using AJAX requests to update small portions of the page. I'll do at least one more update on the app before wrapping it up! In the meantime... Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/043 or tweet me @startovercoder.

Quitting a well-paying, decent job to become a programmer is a big decision. This episode is all about the pros & cons...I’m really at a crossroads! Although the initial impetus to pursue a coding career was very reactive to a bad situation, I truly threw myself into--and got excited about--pursuing a career as a developer. But as the sting of a bad work situation wore off, all of the great things about the job I'd be leaving came more into the forefront. Not to mention the stories out there about non-diverse, workaholic workplaces in tech. Am I really making a good decision? No answers guaranteed in this episode, but here's a glimpse into the thought process involved with leaving one career for another. Links from this episode: Learn more about Effective Altruism Learn more about 80,000 Hours - lots of great research on choosing a career for the greater good of the Earth.   Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/042 or tweet me @startovercoder or email me at startovercoder [at] g

This week I share two more great (and free!) resources for learning to code. The Coding Solo podcast is an entertaining UK perspective on working as a freelance software developer. And check out the Millennial Money Diaries blog for another perspective on starting a programming career with a view on personal finance! Show Links: The Coding Solo Podcast Millennial Money Diaries Blog MMD - awesome coding bootcamp post MMD - Jing's investing journey post MMD - Prerequisites to Being Good With Money MMD - This Story Will Make You Plan For Retirement   Thoughts on this episode? Have another discovery to share? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/041 or tweet me @startovercoder.

The Programmer 101 series answers the questions all new coders might ask themselves. Today: demystifying a common programming acronym. Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/040 or tweet me @startovercoder.

The Programmer 101 series answers the questions all new coders might ask themselves. Today: shedding some light on the great text editor debate. Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/039 or tweet me @startovercoder.

The Programmer 101 series answers the questions all new coders might ask themselves. Today: differentiating between different types of web developers. Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/038 or tweet me @startovercoder.

The Programmer 101 series answers the questions all new coders might ask themselves. Today: clearing up some job title terms that sound quite similar! Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/037 or tweet me @startovercoder.

Udemy’s Guide for MongoDB from Stephen Grider is a good course for intro & advanced MongoDB topics. In this episode I share the best & worst parts. Links from this episode: Episode 29: course review of The Web Developer Bootcamp Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/036 or tweet me @startovercoder.