Start Over Coder

It’s the last episode! I’m sharing the biggest lessons I wish I knew when I first started learning to code, and also what’s still to come on the Start Over Coder journey. My Parting Advice 1. Set a clear goal from the beginning It’s the lesson I keep coming back to (as discussed in episode 13, episode 49, and episode 50): it’s a lot harder to get where you want to go if you’re not sure where that is. Setting a clear goal about what you want to accomplish (and by when) is the most important step, both for learning new tech and especially for switching careers. Granted, if coding is new to you, it can be difficult to set realistic goals—you just don’t know what you don’t know. In this case, I’d say set short term (like 2 weeks or 1 month) exploration goals to learn as much as you can about one topic in a set time frame. At the end, decide if you want to keep learning it or move on to something else. Also, no. 3 below can help you work on your goals as well! 2. Build actual projects While tutorials and code-al

In this episode I’m answering listener questions…ask me anything! The questions I answer in this episode are: What kind of laptop to you use? —Ellen What was the coding school that rejected you in episode 48? —Karl Do you think you’d ever start a new podcast, maybe focusing more on financial independence with a few updates on your coding? —Erica What life is like in general for someone living abroad? Do you ever get home sick or was it easy to meet new people? —Erica What was/has been your favorite part of living abroad? Would you like to make the move permanent or just a few years? —Erica Any podcast recommendations? I know you mentioned Second Career Devs and I’m now a big fan of that. Not even just coding ones, but what are some others you enjoy? And what made you start the podcast vs just blogging? —Erica What is your perception of the job market for entry level frontend web development jobs? —Alex It’s my current plan to build a solid portfolio and apply for jobs online, but I wonder if that route has b

This week I’m sharing 2 more awesome resources for learning to code. Chingu Chingu is a learning community that gets you working on a dev team no matter what skill level you’re at. How it works: Apply to join a team. Skill levels range from HTML/CSS beginners to building full stack apps. Your teammates can be from anywhere in the world. Once you’re accepted, get together with your team and decide what to build during the 8-week commitment. Build it! Feel accomplished with your finished product, new portfolio addition, and all the soft & hard skills you have gained. I’m excited to participate in Chingu because I learned so much during a similar group project last year. Of course your success depends entirely on the work you put into it and a bit of luck in getting committed teammates, but in my opinion the benefits far outweigh the risks, so I think it’s worth going for! To learn more about what it’s like to go through Chingu, check out their Medium publication or YouTube channel. uMatrix uMatrix is a br

In this episode I’m wrapping up a few loose ends: the final report on my first from-scratch Node application, and a course review of Harvard’s CS50: Intro to Computer Science. NOTE: The CS50 course review starts about 9 minutes in! Node/Express App Part 3 To catch up from where we left off… Part One: 035 - New Node Express Project - First Steps Part Two: 043 - Node Express Project - Progress Report As I kept working on the project, I learned quite a bit about working with dates in programming (hint: not a straightforward endeavor!), and had a frustrating attempt at deploying on Amazon Web Services. But eventually I was able to successfully deploy the app using Heroku, and overall by the time all was said and done I had a working application that I actually still use to this day! CS50 - Intro To Computer Science Course Review CS50 is the introductory computer science course offered at Harvard University, and it’s available for anyone around the world to take for free on the EdX learning platform. It covers

Since setting a goal at the beginning of the year, I’ve made 3 attempts to get my first paid developer work. These are the big takeaways and things I’ve learned: Know when to not accept a project, even if you’re just trying to get a foot in the door. Get the site content from the client as early in the process as possible to avoid project delays. An “approved” prototype does not mean there won’t stills be changes after I do a lot of coding! Working to milestones (with specific dates) and showing work at each milestone is better than sharing work in progress. I got a good handle on how much time freelance projects actually take me. When estimating how much to charge, don’t forget about the time you’ll spend on the project for things other than coding. Calls, check-ins, revisions, and training may add to the project time and you should be paid accordingly. Show Links: Upwork Episode 50 - 6-Month Goal Setting Episode 56 - Planning A New Web Project Episode 62 - Prototyping With Figma Bonus! There’s a big ann

This week I sat in on a status meeting with a developer team in my company. Pretty cool to see what it’s actually like to work as a developer (well, get a glimpse at least!)! I was really glad to have had access to this experience without much effort—it was just a matter of reaching out to a VP in my company and asking for an informational. Now that I know this is possible, I’ll be doing it a lot more!   Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/070 or tweet me @startovercoder.    

The command line is a basic necessity for any developer and I’ve gotten fairly comfortable with it since I started learning how to code. Not sure what I’m talking about? Think back to any movie/tv show with a hacker hacking away into that black computer screen, typing green text. They are most likely using the command line (for good or evil, depending on the context!). But more to the point, the command line is how you can have direct access to your machine to carry out any system-level actions, from moving files around to executing programs, to communicating with other computers over a network. As a developer there are many use cases for working in the command line: Accessing servers (remote or local) and their logs Managing versions of code, like using git Tracing errors, crashes You can even write code in the command line …and the list goes on from there! Here are some of my favorite tips about getting comfortable working in the command line: Learn each aspect as it’s needed. Start with the basics, then

I’m back from last week’s conference! How did I do with the goals I set out before going? Pretty well! Plus gained some tips for future conferences. Show Links: Episode 67 - Pre-Conference Prep Codeland talk links coming soon! Junior Developer Toolbox Podcast - Making the Most of Tech Conferences Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/068 or tweet me @startovercoder.

I’m heading to a coding conference in a few days! And unlike some past events I’ve been to, this time I’m doing a bit of preparatory thinking/planning to help me make the most out of attending. I’ve set 3 goals I’d like to accomplish during the two-day conference: ONE From all the people I meet, I will meet 3 people to exchange contact details with in stay in contact with after the event has finished. These may be people who I can learn from, or share my own experience with. But I want to leave with at least three new solid connections that I can build upon. How will I do this? Get clear on what I do & what I want so that I can clearly share this with other people Actually ask for people’s contact details! Sounds obvious, but I don’t always do it. TWO I plan to get some practice speaking technically and bearing my expertise. I’m in the habit of minimizing my skills and knowledge, especially when it comes to talking about technical topics. This needs to stop! How will I do this? Make an effort to talk t

One thing that I’ve learned can really help along the learn-to-code process is documenting as you go. Whether it’s vlogging, blogging, or a simple pen & paper, tips from your past self can be an excellent learning shortcut. I’ve been reminded of this recently, as I believe I’ve hit another stumbling block on my quest of becoming a professional developer. In fact I was getting set to record a second ‘stumbling block’ episode when I went back to the podcast episodes I recorded last year when I first had these difficulties, and instead was reminded of the things I found helpful at that time to get out of the funk and keep making progress. The first was remembering not to beat myself up over losing momentum. Taking on a whole new career is a huge undertaking and it’s bound to have times of both high and low momentum. There’s absolutely no value in reprimanding myself for slowing down for a few weeks! The second benefit was remembering what led to the stumbling block last year…turns out some of the same life

There’s a lot involved to get up and running with a new dev environment—it can be pretty troublesome in fact! After working on one machine for a while, it’s easy to forget (or take for granted) all of the software and helper tools you’ve installed slowly over time. But as soon as you want to get coding on a new machine, those tools are quickly appreciated! Here are some of the steps I took to be able to keep coding while traveling with a temp laptop, and what I plan to do going forward to make it easier next time around: Store coding projects on Dropbox to sync project files across the machines. No need to push/pull commits using a remote repository. Keep a list of all of the tools I use (especially in the command line). I think even the simplest of lists would be a better place to start than trying to remember all of the software I’m used to using. Check search results for “dev environment new computer” to also check lists others have come up with. Keep a copy of my command line shortcuts (.bashrc file) in

It’s another pair of discoveries this week! The website Financial Toolbelt has some great calculators if you want to start getting to know your personal finances. And the Second Career Devs podcast is a must for any and all Start Over Coders! Show Links: Financial Toolbelt Second Career Devs podcast More in the Discoveries! series: Ep 18: Learn to Code With Me Podcast & Free Lynda.com Access Ep 41: Coding Solo Podcast & Millennial Money Diaries Blog Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/064 or tweet me @startovercoder.

Introduction overload! There are plenty of good introductory workshops, blog posts, and articles out there. But is it too much of a good thing? Recently I've felt like the sheer number of articles and events have been taking away from my efforts to become a developer. In this episode I talk about the good & bad aspects of introductory resources, and some tips about how to figure out which ones are worth spending time on. Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/063 or tweet me @startovercoder.

Figma is a great prototyping tool I’ve been experimenting with this week. It’s a software tool available for Mac or PC, and they also have a great web interface that allows you to collaborate on designs live (!) with other people. I’ve been using it to mock up a redesign for the Start Over Coder website, and also for a new web project I’ve started for someone else. Bottom line, I can highly recommend Figma for creating UI mockups and expect I will be using it for time to come! Show Links: Figma website Episode 56 — Planning A New Web Project YouTube Playlist — Level Up Tutorials Intro to Figma Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment at startovercoder.com/062 or tweet me @startovercoder.

This week’s episode it about my first attempts at learning the React framework…it was a mixed bag but here are my first impressions: Bottom line: I don’t think I’ve hit the pain points yet that React can solve. Also, using React requires a pretty solid foundation on ES6 methods which I could use some brushing up on. There are a few more pluses and minuses I discuss in the episode, so give it a listen! And if you have any suggested resources for learning React please share

It’s been a year since I started this podcast! But I still haven’t become a full-time developer. Does it really have to take over a year to change careers and become a programmer? Short answer: no, I really don’t think so! But for me, a few things along the way have slowed down my progress. You can get the full story by listening to this episode, but to recap what I think I’d do differently to speed the transition up a bit: Set a firm date for when I’d quit my job and STICK TO IT! My “deadline” kept being pushed farther and farther away from me. Work on a single program or curriculum that will provide you with full projects to complete and add to your portfolio. This is massively necessary when it comes to actually looking and interviewing for jobs. Some good examples are the freeCodeCamp certificates and Udacity nanodegree programs. Coding bootcamps are another viable option, though they can be costly. Despite my (I think) slow timeline so far, I’m still excited by what’s still to come and look forward to

It’s the last episode (for now) in the How I FI series and today I’m talking my top 10 actions for getting myself to financial independence. To recap: Know my expenses. Know my net worth. Have zero debt. Keep an emergency fund. Save before spending. Optimize big expenses. Spend wisely. Invest wisely. Get help often. Keep the long game in mind. Previous Episodes In This Series: How I FI: The Starting Point How I FI: Learning The Basics Links From This Episode: Mr. Money Mustache - The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement Expense tracking: Banktivity Quicken Mint.com Pen & paper! The Simple Dollar - How to Calculate Net Worth Mr. Money Mustache - News Flash: Your Debt is an Emergency!! Book - The Four Pillars of Investing by William Bernstein Fee-Only Financial Advisors: National Assoc. of Personal Financial Advisors XY Planning Network Mad FIentist blog & podcast Martinis & Your Money podcast Mr. Money Mustache blog Choose FI podcast Thoughts on this episode? Leave a comment a

Continuing on with a favorite topic of mine—financial independence! In last week's episode I shared a bit about what my mindset around personal finances was before I discovered the concept of FI. Tl;dr: the more I earned, the more I spent, and I couldn’t imagine a reality where things would or could be different. I’m so glad I learned that there is a better way! For me, finding that better way came in three parts: 1) getting introduced to the idea & basic concepts of financial independence 2) applying that information to figure out my current FI status; 3) making a long term plan to actually work towards FI. To summarize the steps I talked about in the podcast… 1. Getting A Proper Introduction While I’d love to take the credit for making a conscious decision to improve my finances, the credit actually goes to the book The Four Pillars of Investing by William Bernstein, which I got on a whim when it was on sale on Amazon. This book covers all the basics & history of the stock market. Most importantly,

Let’s talk about financial independence! Up until now I've shied away from talking about the FI side of this Start Over Coder project. I've made so many wrong moves with my own money that it's like, who am I to talk about the subject with any kind of authority!? Not to mention the fact that I'm years away from seeing the outcomes of my actions...maybe I'm still doing it wrong. Plus it's just a sensitive topic! But I do think one of the main reasons why it can feel so sensitive is because people don't really talk about it, and since FI is a big part of why I started learning to code, I definitely don't want to hold anything back about that side of things. So over the next few episodes I'll share a bit about how I FI, what I'm doing to become financially independent. But before getting into the specifics, it might be helpful to know a bit of my background to get a sense of what led me to do all of this in the first place. Here's a quick recap from the podcast (listen for more context!): Pretty solid upbringing

For any new web project, taking the time to PLAN before you CODE is key! Here are some key questions I asked myself before I started coding the new Start Over Coder website. It came down to 7 key questions: Question 1: Who is the site for (visitors)? This is about taking into consideration all of the likes and dislikes, wants and needs of the people you expect will be visiting your site. Are there certain aesthetics that they like or are used to? Do they expect a certain level of interactivity? Do you need to think about optimizing your site and code for accessibility (hint: yes!)? What do you need to do for browser support? Can you reliably expect your visitors to have modern browsers, or should you focus a bit on making the site compatible for older browsers (if your visitors are less tech savvy, probably!)? What kinds of devices and internet connection speeds are your visitors likely to have? How does this affect the content and media assets you include on your site? Question 2: Who is the site for (clie