The Week In Review

I'm starting to feel like I can summarize the past couple weeks with a couple works.

COVID. UGGGGG! Learning. YAY! Job Hunting. PAAAAIIIINNNNN.

That being said, I'm going to stop "grading" myself as I have have done in previous weeks, and I'll highlight the things that were particularly interesting, insightful, or motivating that might be of value to others who are struggling with the current job market.

Although the job hunt has been slim pickings, many people (whom I didn't know) really showed up for me and took time to chat about how I could re-strategize to be successful in the long haul of what seems to be the beginnings of a rec___ion (we're not allowed to say the word, it might jinx everything).

Let's jump straight into things

A Big Upcoming Interview and Making A Commitment

Note: I have recently noticed that mentioning names of businesses and people has gotten me into trouble, so if it sounds like I'm being mysterious, it's not because I want to withhold information, it's because I learned through hard knocks.

That being said, I took a coding challenge for an entry-level apprenticeship position at a well known company two weeks ago which I had previously thought I bombed. They told me this week that they will be pushing me to the next step, which is the in-person (AKA virtual) interview which will happen in 2 weeks.

They provided me a PDF which basically said:

We will be testing you on 3 things: Coding, System Design, and your Behavior.

This is what went through my brain when I read this:

1) Coding: Cool Cool! I've been doing algorithms, and I can really be sure to learn the advanced data structures like Trees, Graphs, Linked Lists. I can prepare for this!

2) System Design: ... I'll probably start by Googling this?

3) Behavioral: I can make sure I know myself, am confident, and can relate my core values to the team and the company in a genuine and honest manner. I'm genuinely excited about the position, so this should be straightforward.

Hopefully I'm making it clear that I knew nothing about System Design.

Well, at least not explicitly (more on that later). So I decided to learn a little bit about what System Design is, and try to understand its importance for my growth as a developer who loves building things that have meaningful impact.

Long Story Short: System Design is really important, full of technical jargon, and my top priority for preparing for this upcoming interview. I am currently taking a course online, referencing some awesome resources, and leveraging connections in my network to help me prepare

Here are some resources that were provided to me, in case you find yourself wanting to learn about System Design (these were provided to me by other developers, pay their kindness forward by sharing this with people who might benefit from it):

System Design Primer
System Design Interview
High Scalability (Website)

I will be submitting a blog post in a couple days where I try to break down System Design into parts that even a goober like me can understand as part of my studying, so keep posted!

Focusing On Learning

Learning new stuff is incredibly fun, especially when you can put it into practice. I was recently on a call with someone from business who was reaching out to developers out of the goodness of her heart to help them position themselves to pull some success out of the hardships of COVID.

She gave me positive feedback on my profile, resume, and general presence, but she asked me a good question:

What are you learning?

I told her about the two projects I'm working on, the technologies I'm using, and the team I'm working with. She told me that building projects is awesome, but companies are also looking for people who are actively learning AS WELL AS building stuff.

Example: If you're working on the coolest algorithm that does something but nobody knows what, it's as if you're not doing it at all.

Lesson: Make sure companies can see what you're learning. Apply it in projects, write blogs about it, help others learn.

My plan is to target relevant skills that a development company I'd want to work for, cares about, and use them in my projects and show them on my profile. So far this week I've taken courses in the following:

• Agile Development
• Software Architecture Foundations

I have a list of other courses I plan on taking, but I would like to apply concepts I've learned in these courses to both of the projects that I am involved in.

The Next Couple Weeks

Since I've got this big interview coming up, I'll be dialing back my project work and diving into learning System Design and doing algorithms. I'm exciting to buckle down, learn some skills, and let you know how it goes next week!

Good luck with your own endeavors!
Shawn