Obligatory "Hello World!" Post
Tags: devjournal, learning
Published: 2021-03-01 14:36:41

#Hello World! 

As a first-time blogger, I wanted to start with how I aim to use this forum and to share my journey (so far).

## My Plan 

###This blog is for me... 

I enjoy writing, and I enjoy tracking my **progress**.  I am starting this blog mostly for myself, as an effort to document the projects I am working on, new topics or ideas I come across, and lessons learned along the way.  To me, this is another step of planning and setting **goals**, of holding myself accountable, and of celebrating the little things.


###...and hopefully others too 

For those that do stumble upon my blog, I would consider it an added bonus if they 

* Learn something new
* Find help or support through my words
* Relate to my experiences
* Provide feedback or a new perspective
* Explain advantages of solving a problem differently 

These reasons above are why I'm hosting my blog publicly.  In college, it was easy to talk with peers on a daily basis to hear about a technology they were trying, a new tool, an upcoming event.  Today, it takes a little more effort and initiative, but I generally get this information through blogs, tutorials, and group collaboration (with an occasional question sent to those college classmates who live around the world now).  Being part of the larger tech **community** is exciting because it is what drives discussions, support, ideas, and action.  And I'm continuing to look for ways to get more involved (which I will share in future posts).


###The blog 

These are the topics I look forward to writing about: 
* Current projects 
* Code challenges 
* New courses/learning 
* Questions 
* General thoughts 
* My personal journey to improve 

 

##My journey (so far) 

###Education 

I received  a B.S. in Information Systems (with minors in Business Administration and French language).  At the time that I attended classes, the technical curriculum focused on Java and SQL, with some general instruction on infrastructure, security, and systems analysis.  I took my first-ever programming class that first semester of Freshman Year and after some initial doubt, I remember the moment, sitting in a Java Lab session, when my understanding finally **clicked** into place. 
  

###Career 

My junior year of college, I started an internship, where I primarily worked on various scripts for DB2 maintenance.  Around this time, I also learned that I could graduate a semester early, thanks to the college credits I completed in high school.  The same week that I walked across the stage to get my diploma, I transitioned from intern to full-time Systems Analyst on a new project.  After a couple years, I was promoted to **Technical Lead** on the same project, which is where I am today.

There are so many things in my job I am **grateful** for – amazing coworkers, challenging problems, flexible work environment -- but there have been things I have struggled with as well.  My move to Tech Lead is when my **Impostor Syndrome** started to set in, often making me question my ability and strengths.  And more importantly, the passion for programming that I found in college had no outlet.  The job description of Tech Lead required extensive design and critical thinking -- but my exposure to hands-on coding were few and far between.


###Self-Teaching 

Enter the **Internet** and its vast resources.  When I was finally able to identify this gap – my desire to code and the fact that I wasn't coding – I started searching for ways to refresh my skills and learn new ones.  This is where I've been the past few years, and where I'll continue to be.  It has made me happy to revive my curiosity and growth, and I am open to any form of it.


Here are the resources I've been using:
* Online courses (mostly [Udemy](https://www.udemy.com/))
    * Full Stack Developer (instructor: Steele)
    * Python Introduction (instructor: Portilla)
    * Docker & Kubernetes (instructor: Grider)
* [StackOverflow](https://stackoverflow.com/)
* [Chingu](https://chingu.io/)
* Code challenges
    * [LeetCode] (https://leetcode.com/)
    * [CodeWars] (https://www.codewars.com/)
    * [Exercism] (https://exercism.io/my/tracks)
* Various tutorials, blogs, and news sites 

 

*If you're reading this, please feel free to share your own journey or resources that you've found helpful along the way!*