State of my Cloud Journey: Nov 16, 2021
Tags: cloud, learning, careerchanger, jobsearch
Published: 2021-11-17 04:01:39

I am happier with my effort and progress this past week than I was seven days ago. Let's dig in:

#Learning Paths 📚

_Docker/K8s - finished!_

I think I've gotten as much as I'm going to be able to get from this particular course. There are some additional sections that get into specifics about Docker and Kubernetes that I don't think will mean much to me unless I start using them in production or need to dive deeper for certification. I'm sure that I will need a review of a lot of this material as I prepare to use these tools for my next project, but the point of taking this course was to gain some exposure to them. Mission accomplished.

_Algorithms - on hold_

I'm suspending my progress in this course for the moment. I think there are some fundamentals - number theory and general computer science - with which I need to feel more comfortable before I forge ahead. I'm hoping I will get those things in...

_CS50x_

I jumped into the first lecture of CS50x this week on a recommendation, and I was hooked right away. This is the course I wish I'd had early on as an undergrad, because I would almost certainly have been hooked and that could have changed my entire career path. I've already worked my way through the basics of C and have learned several good tidbits along the way.

One thing I've gained a better understanding of is how computers store and deal with information in bits and bytes, which I hadn't fully internalized until a couple days ago. Another observation: it seems to be true that after learning general programming concepts in one language, it's somewhat trivial to apply them in another language. In this case, I can apply all the practice I've had with loops, conditionals, and so on, to solving problems in C; the trickiest part is the syntax (and remembering those darn semicolons).

_Linux Upskill - finished!_

I worked through the final parts of the Linux Upskill Challenge a few days ago, and I subsequently feel more confident working on the command line and understanding how to interact with the Linux OS. This ought to help me significantly with server configuration as I set up cloud infrastructures.

_DevOps in the Cloud_

I am helping to beta-test a new course from Derek Morgan that provisions monitoring tools using Terraform, Ansible and Jenkins using DevOps/GitOps principles. Hopefully I can incorporate some of these tools into my next personal project, which I will start planning pretty soon.

#Job Search 🔎 

I didn't apply to much this week: still hoping to receive some guidance and feedback about what I can improve in order to attract attention and land some interviews. Presentation is probably part of it, and networking is likely another part. Learning how to stand out feels like a whole extra learning path on top of all the technical skills, and it's certainly not something that comes naturally to me.

_2 applications; 0 interviews; 2 rejections_

#Wrap-up 🍩

I need more donuts. And more tech connections, I suspect. Sometimes that feels like the hardest part, trying to join in conversations when I don't feel like I know enough to contribute. Gotta love those Imposter Syndrome feels.

Perhaps putting myself out there with this blog will help me connect with a few other career changers who feel the same way and are also working hard to break into tech. 🤞

Until next time...

_Onward and upward!_