It's been a week since I wrote my first blog here and now it's time to report what's been done in last week and prepare for next one. So let's start:
To-Do 17-23 September (week #1)
NOT done 1) Daily physical exercise
Exercised only for 4 out 7 days.
done 2) Solve 1 problem each day on leetcode
Solved 11 problems this week. I participated in my first contest this week, only managed to solve 2 problems on time and later after the contest I solved one more. Contest was quite fun, I remembered good old days from high school - I've found that I still enjoy solving problems under limited time.
I also find leetcode to be very useful when I am feeling asleep, tired, lazy to start learning - I just solve one easy problem and then my brain starts to turn on:)
done 3) Complete week 1 - course #1 Programming Foundations with JavaScript, HTML and CSS
done 4) Complete week 1 - course #2 Java Programming: Solving Problems with Software**
This courses require BlueJ IDEA to complete assignments. I've had trouble installing it, since the coursera/duke university version of BlueJ was not supporting java-11-oracle. Spent 2-3 hours trying to figure it out and ended up importing required libraries to my favorite IntelliJ IDEA. I am very proud of myself that I managed to do so without googling. Felt like a top-ass DevOps :)
done 5) Complete CoffeeMachine project on JetBrains Academy**
NOT done 6) Complete one more easy project on JetBrains Academy**
Current JetBrains Academy progress:
Unfortunately, didn't manage to complete Flashcards(easy) project this week.
Thoughts/Other
Way too much social activities that I couldn't decline, fortunately upcoming week looks less busy.
I also spent ~20 hours researching graduate/secondary bachelor in CS programs in the USA/Canada. My end goal is to legally immigrate to USA/Canada. Currently I see 2 pathways to achieve it:
1) Junior Developer in Kazakhstan -> Middle/Senior Developer in Russia/Ukraine or Belarus -> Middle/Senior Developer in USA/Canada. In meantime try to get online CS Masters degree from top USA university.
The downside of this path is that Junior Developers in Kazakhstan only make $300-400 per month and I my salary would drop 3-4 times for 6-12 months compared to my current Chemical Engineer job.
2) Getting CS degree in the USA/Canada -> internships -> work permit. This path looks to be shorter than previous one and with better benefits in long-term(MSc in CS).
The biggest downside of this path is preparation for GRE and taking huge international student loan. I may need to commit my time for preparation to GRE instead of focusing on learning computer science.
Git
Biggest progress this week was learning some Git and practicing with Git in command-line, GUI and VCS in IDEA
Pomodoro technique
I am using pomodoro technique to help me focus. It is also really good for cutting all bullshit. You can't fool yourself with pomodoro. Without it you may think that you've done a lot if you spend 10-12 hours in front of your laptop, but the focus time could be only 1-2 hours.
Pomodoro stats are showing that I am not effective with my time.
However, I am not sure about 25 minutes focus+5 min break approach. When I am focused on solving some problem or trying to catch bug - 5 min breaks take me out of "flow" and sometimes it's hard to get back and catch the wave.
Goals
Long-term: Legal immigration to USA/Canada as a software engineer
Mid-term: Get Oracle Java Programmer SE I certification - by 1st March 2020
Short-term: Complete Specialization "Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals" by Duke University on Coursera - 5 courses in total, I currently received financial aid for the first 2 courses
To-Do 24-30 September (week #2)
1) Daily physical exercise
2) Solve 1 problem each day on leetcode
3) Complete week 2 - course #1 Programming Foundations with JavaScript, HTML and CSS
4) Complete week 3 - course #1 Programming Foundations with JavaScript, HTML and CSS
5) Complete week 4 - course #1 Programming Foundations with JavaScript, HTML and CSS
6) Complete week 2 - course #2 Java Programming: Solving Problems with Software
7) Complete Flashcards project on JetBrains Academy
8) Go to foreign universities fair, 25th September
9) Average 8 pomodoros for 6 days
In my last post I've got <500 views, huge success! What do you think about my study plan? Should I change it? Maybe I should add studying some core CS concepts, not just java? Or less courses and more practice? I would love to hear any feedback! Thank you!
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