DEV Community: Doni

Black Girl | Whiteboard: 7 Steps to turn Your Internship into a Full Time Offer

Doni — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 15:34:52 +0000

Hi, I'm back!

This post was supposed to be published earlier this year, but life happened but I'm back. One of my online friends recently got a software engineering internship (S/o to him) and he asked a question in our online community that I help managed: "As an intern, what are some things you wish you did?" This question brought me back to this half written post, so here we go. Last year, I wrote a blog post that "quietly" went viral: Black Girl | Whiteboard(Part 1)

Article No Longer Available

Everyone loved it. So then a month later I actually started the position. So the position was a Temp to Hire position, if I did well during this period it would turn permanent. Let's just say, I almost didn't get full-time hire status. My laptop was broke the first month, other things transpired and all in all, my confidence took a sharp dive, which prevented me to challenge myself more. There's tons of articles on how to get the job, but barely any on how to convert or keep a software engineering job or even preparation for the annual review. Through my experience, here are some tips that can help you secure the offer! **1. Know the command chain** The command chain is different for different companies, so know who will be giving your review and really know who the reviewer will ask about your progress and accomplishments. Ask people who are making the big decisions "How you're doing" frequently. Have weekly or bi weekly one on one's with your boss, supervisors or whoever is in charge of giving or writing your feedback. Most conversations had about you will be behind close doors. **2. Ask Questions** No matter how stupid it sounds, still ask questions. I've learned when you're quiet people perceive you to be "not interested" "not smart enough" and so many other things. I hate that's even the case, but that's how it is working with other people in corporate America. Might I add, ask questions once you've tried figuring it out yourself. Bottom line, ask questions! ![alt text] (https://media.giphy.com/media/26hitK2p9a8dJXUZ2/giphy.gif "InsecureGif") **3. Challenge Yourself** When it's time to pick "user stories" or "assignments" in general, pick the ones you're comfortable with but also pick ones that challenge you. You may be compared to your other team members on the scope of how challenging your work was or how much you've contributed. **4. Brag Document** One of my favorite quotes i hear at work is: "Make sure your boss knows how awesome you are" and that reminded of an earlier email about a brag document. A Brag Document is document of your accomplishments even if you think it's miniscule. Have this saved. In the past, I've even sent my boss a bi weekly email about my accomplishments within the past two weeks and what I planned on doing within the next two weeks(This discussion can also be apart of your bi weekly convos). This is also helpful when people try to dispute your contributions. During my internship I had a situation where I had to dispute a situation and I had to bring up the receipts. ![alt text](https://media.giphy.com/media/xUA7bb0z9JF4jOsBRS/giphy.gif "InsecureGif") **5. Culture** So, I know this goes against all of the "Don't give your whole life to a job.." rhetoric but although it's true, I think it's important to make an impact not just with your work but socially. Every company is different with many different ways to get involved. Get active in something at your job, regardless if you plan to look for a new job else where it's important to build your network. The smartest ppl don't always get promoted, sometimes it's the most liked person. ![alt text](https://media.giphy.com/media/l41JNDT3LrgcA2E4U/giphy.gif "InsecureGif") **6. Own the project, take the lead** People love leadership.. simple. Take the lead on projects in whatever way you can. **7. Continuous Learning** Take advantage of any learning opportunities your company may provide but also spend certain days of the week perfecting your craft. One thing I learned on my most recent team, was that in order to perfect your coding skills, you must spend time throughout the week learning new tools and etc.. even outside of work. ![alt text] (https://media.giphy.com/media/fUM81e1J86xHkpZHhf/giphy.gif "InsecureGif")

One Last Thing…
I hope if you're in the midst of a internship and wanting to go from intern to full hire this will help you or even prepare you for your annual review. This is something I didn't have, so I wanted to share from my mistakes and epiphany's to others in my same situation.

I am aware that all companies don't follow the same procedures when it comes to these decisions, but I do feel like you can take certain advice and apply it to your own particular situation. :)

Action Items:
I recently published my website. I offer resume services and free calls on transitioning from intern to hire and helping you with your annual review and just my journey through tech in general. Just fill out the contact form on my website :)

**Have you converted a temp position or internship into a full time offer? What are some tips do you have for others? Share them down below!**

5 Things No One Tells You About Going to a Coding BootCamp

Doni — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 13:38:11 +0000

Are you contemplating a bootcamp or in the process of starting one, this article is for you?

Deer in headlights:

It's okay if you don't know it all. Coming into Udacity, I only had experience in HTML and CSS, but JavaScript was a beast. I had no idea what I was doing and had many JavaScript mental breakdowns lol. So as you start or if you're currently learning a language that you're unfamiliar with, get familiar with being uncomfortable. It's okay to be a beginner, the person in your class that you think is the smartest person ever, was once a beginner. Embrace new challenges and be okay with the challenge.

Outside Resources:

This goes back to my first point, yes you're going to probably be a "deer in headlights" but now that we have acknowledged a potential issue, let's learn how to address it. Everyone has a different learning style and sometimes your bootcamp classes just won't click. So from the jump, use Youtube, podcasts, blog posts and books regarding whatever language you are learning. This is something, I didn't do. Ex: Look on google "Best Python Books". The constant learning from a variety of sources will help concepts get embedded in your brain a lot more faster with much more understanding.

Community

Apart of my Grow with Google scholarship, the requirement was to participate in community, although weird at first it was probably the best decision i've ever made, not because it was a requirement but it helped me push through when I wanted to give up and also if had any questions that google couldn't answer, I could ask my community.

How Many rounds?

It's probably your first time in your bootcamp and there is someone who knows all the answers and you think to yourself "How is he or she this smart?" More than likely, they have had some other form of coding knowledge from previous bootcamps or classes, so don't look at someone and automatically feel inadequate because they have been in this position before.

Career Prep

If possible, I would go to a bootcamp who have partnerships with companies who will help you get your foot int the door. Junior Roles are scarce, I mean scarce. The more bootcamps out there, the harder it's to get your foot in the door. So start early, I wouldn't say start just right away but create a space in your study schedule to start looking at the tech landscape in your city, decide whether or not you want to relocate, figure out if the companies you want to work for do whiteboarding.. if so, start studying. It's doesn't have to be all at the same time, but one week you can dive into Big O notation, the next week different data structures. Spread it out over time, so you won't be overwhelm.

Black Girl | Whiteboard: How I landed My Software Engineering Position in 4 Months

Doni — Tue, 02 Apr 2019 13:07:55 +0000

I was debating on writing this article, I wanted to save this story for my first Tech Talk, but I realized this year I needed to concentrate on planting myself as a professional Software Engineer. *Here's the back story of my journey:* https://medium.com/@donitam/genesis-882dfd641970 So, how did this black girl get a Software Engineering internship at a Fortune 10 Company:

Get Some Experience

Throughout the start of my tech journey, I would read tons, I mean tons of articles on how to get my foot in the door. Outside of side projects, the one constant was "teach code". I was a beginner on a scholarship deadline, so doing projects outside of my scholarship projects, just wasn't feasible for me. So, I looked up non profit agencies looking for people to teach code, I signed up and I taught a few classes. I was still a beginner, I sucked at first but I did it all in fear.

Also, take advantage of leadership roles. Apart of my Google Scholarship with Udacity, participating in an online community was apart of the requirement. We had the opportunity to be leaders in that community, I applied and became a JavaScript and Career Student Leader.

These are just some viable options to get your resume atleast looked at 2nd time. Every RECRUITER was impressed by what I did.

Luck Favors the prepared

Even in college, I had this mindset I wanted to do my best and if it doesn't happen on the timeline that I had projected, it wasn't because I was lazy or missed the mark but because it wasn't meant to be. So, towards the end of my Grow with Google Scholarship at Udacity, it was time for me to get prepared.

I was ahead enough in my projects to dedicate a whole week to career development, because I wanted to be ready. I didn't want to wait until I finished, which so many people did. Something in me knew an opportunity was coming, but I didn't know where that opportunity would come, but I wanted to be ready. "You don't have to get ready, if you stay ready":

So how did I get ready?

Check the landscape: I wanted to see what the tech landscape was in my area, especially when it comes to JR roles. I looked around all the major job boards, city designated slack channels, meetups and job boards. This a good idea because you can job search strategically
Review, Review, Review: Youtube videos, career services, Google and etc, get your Github, LinkedIn, Resume and Cover Letter reviewed.
Why? If you met a recruiter in the next 2 hours, can you just send all your documents over within a hour or do you have to wait a few days to get back with the recruiter?

Divine Intervention:

So, if you're not a spiritual/religious person you can skip this section. lol. Once I applied to the internship, I read another round of articles about how to prepare for the interview but I still was lost and I felt like I needed someone personally so that I can ask questions that aren't in the articles on medium. During this process, I never prayed so hard in my life. I really have to attribute God, for the people that I crossed paths with before I started interviewing. They really helped me curate a study path to do well on my white board interview.

Tech Stack'd

This goes back to the last point, because of my prayers I felt like the Tech Stack'd opportunity just dropped in my lap. I came across an opportunity to join a community led by a Google Engineer by the name of Bria. I mean, there are a lot of communities out there but I just knew I would get what I needed because it was being led by someone who works at a top notched company.

In this community, I could ask any questions regarding the interview process. We had a white boarding workshop with Google Engineers and Recruiters, there are opportunities to sign up for office hours to talk to people in your industry for career and interview guidance. When I tell you it came at the PERFECT time, it's an understatement.

It was perfect because everyone tells you to read Cracking the Coding Interview Book, but listen that thing isn't really for beginners lets be real. In this community, I was able to ask somewhat "silly" questions like "Do I have memorize bubble sort" lol I know silly, but I didn't know lol.

Sidenote: I know I used a women GIF, but there are plenty of men in this slack channel that helped me, but I thought the gif was cute so I used it lol.

Do you want to join? [Tech Stack'd](https://www.techstackd.com)

Research… Research… Research

I stalked GlassDoor, Google and Reddit constantly. These things won't give you the exact interview questions, but it will give you an idea on how to shape your interview practice.

Behavioral Questions: the behavioral questions will deal with your projects, how you work in teams, attention to detail and etc. Research on what you would be doing on a day-to-day basis and curate your practice question based off that. Like for instance, if you know you'll be working in a team, practice team interview questions. If you know attention to detail is apart of the job description, practice some "attention to detail" questions.

Data Structures & Algorithms I didn't know any data structures or algorithms. like none at all. I tried to do the coding challenges, without learning them and it was a big fail. I started to read every article on them and it failed flat.

So what did I do? I figured out my learning style and study off of that.

[Visualization Algorithms](https://www.cs.usfca.edu/~galles/visualization/Algorithms.html). [Grokking Algorithms](https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/grokking-algorithms-an/9781617292231/). [BaseCS](https://medium.com/basecs).

Coding I literally just did coding problems everyday. Some people don't agree with this, but it worked for me because I did so many I started to see a pattern and I also saw my brain changing when it comes to thinking about how to solve a problem. I schemed through Cracking the Coding Interview, it was more advance than I am so it was more of a supplemental, than anything.

WhiteBoarding They are only looking for working solutions. I know people are like if you get it wrong it's okay, but in reality it's not. Someone else might come behind you and get it right with a faster solution and talked through the whole process and you don't want to take that risk. I watched a lot of "WhiteBoarding Videos". Tech Stack'd had a white boarding workshop that help tremendously and Cracking the Coding Interview Author, has a lot of great videos on how to do well on the whiteboard. Go into it as you're working with a team when trying to solve it.

Stand Out

CONNECT WITH SOMEONE IN THE ORGANIZATION. Don't make it easy for them to forget you or forget your work ethic. Tell your story. You all might have the same projects, but you don't have the same story. Find great questions to ask in the interviews. Not the typical questions either.

sidenote: In my experience, I'm well aware that you can email every person in the community and still not get an opportunity but it's always best to put your best foot forward regardless. You don't ever want to have a "what if" thought. Just do it.

Keep Up the Faith

This post isn't a step by step guide to get a job, but merely saying when the opportunity comes knocking if you stay ready, you don't have to get ready.

The job search process is hard, tedious and sometimes mental breaking. One person may get that job off of twitter, the other may get a job off of LinkedIn, another may get their job from there network. Everybody story is different. So if one person got this job one way and you didn't.. it's okay!

All you need is one yes!

Do you know who really owns your code?

Doni — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 18:36:49 +0000

Hi, is anyone still there? I haven't wrote an article on here in a while, due to interviewing and landing my first Software Engineering job (blog post about that later)

In my career transition, there has been a lot of things I have learned and a lot more I still have to learn and one of those things is Intellectual Property.

That dreaded line, is something that's not talked about in many blog posts, bootcamps and maybe even in university classes.

Do you know who really owns your code?

Did you know that many companies have clauses in their employment contracts that claim to own all your code in and outside of work?
Did you know as a developer you have rights to your code?
Have you wondered how to protect your patent and code?
Are you working with a team and you’re confused on ownership?

So for the past few months, I have had the opportunity to work alongside an incredible woman named Bria. She's a Software Engineer @ Google, amongst many other things including the founder of Tech Stack'd.

Tech Stack'd is an online community for underrepresented adults who want to advance their careers in tech, whether that’s through starting a tech company or joining a technical career like software engineering.

Tech Stack'd provides monthly workshops, weekly discussions, mentorship and much more.

This month, Tech Stack'd will be hosting a workshop on Intellectual Property with David Leichtman. David Leichtman is the Managing Partner of trial law firm Leichtman Law PLLC, formed in April 2017 after practicing for over 20 years in large law firms. He has tried a variety of complex matters in federal and state courts around the country. Recent trials Mr. Leichtman has first-chaired have involved: copyright ownership, infringement and validity claims.

In this workshop, we'll go over:

Why it's important for developers to know their rights to their code
What you own vs. what your company owns
What you can do to protect yourself and your work
How to determine ownership when collaborating with other people on projects
How much of other people's code you can use and legally make money (aka open source)

Still Interested? Sign up below!

https://techstackd.typeform.com/to/yiA8om

This workshop will teach developers, freelancers, and creatives what Intellectual property is, how to know and understand your rights, common IP mistakes and so much more!

How did you get your first Dev job?

Doni — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 15:10:00 +0000

Yesterday's discussion on Ben's post:
What’s the most frustrating thing about the process of looking for work or interviewing?", really intrigued me and I wanted to do a follow up.

After many rejection emails, how did you finally get your first dev job?

Was it through a job site, networking, a meetup or etc? Share below, with advice! :)

Part One: Learn Ruby With Me - What is Ruby?

Doni — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 14:45:23 +0000

I recently just finished my Nanodegree from Udacity, but I wanted to keep busy so I am learning Ruby. I am not sure if I want to go all in on Ruby or just want some exposure to it.

They say you learn the best, when you teach what you've learn. Every week, I will "teach" through blog posts to not only help someone else, but also reiterate what I'm learning.

I want to teach not only the syntax, but also show the application. One thing I struggled with when learning programming languages, is learning the syntax but not having any clue how to apply this when developing.

Coming from a JavaScript background, I may use JavaScript references to help me also better understand explaining Ruby.

First Things First:

1. What is Ruby?

According to the Ruby website, it's a: dynamic, open source programming language with a focus on simplicity and productivity. It has an elegant syntax that is natural to read and easy to write

In others words: You can use Ruby like any other general-purpose scripting language

2. What can I build with Ruby?

Web applications, web servers, system utilities, database work, backups, parsing, even biology and medicine.

3. You may say: "I hear Ruby and Ruby on Rails all the time, what is it? Are they same?

Ruby is the Programming Language
Ruby on Rails is a web-application framework that is implemented in Ruby.

In other words: It's what React is to Javascript. React is the framework while Javascript is the programming language.

4. Who uses Ruby?

AirBnb
Dev.to

7 Tips To Make You A Better Developer and Development Instructor

Doni — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 14:08:48 +0000

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post here at DEV on 3 Ways to Make Money While Learning to Code. One of those ways was to Teach for Coding Organizations. But how?

If you google information about teaching coding, you will see tips but a lot of those tips are generic, especially when it came to facilitating classroom projects.

When I did get the opportunity to teach, I went in blindly and made a few mistakes. Thankfully, my chapter leader still saw potential in me to give me tips on how I can be a better instructor and I wanted to share them with you!

Even if you're not an instructor, this can apply in any setting when you're teaching/leading anyone to the promise land of coding lol, whether you're a developer over interns or a developer in a team setting assisting other teammates. These are just tips and of course you can match it with your teaching style. So lets get started!

                            Hypothetically speaking:

You're teaching a Introduction to HTML Class.
You just got done going over HTML basics including the p and strong tags.
Now it's time for the mini in class project of creating content on the material you just taught.

1. Talk about what we are going to do.

Show the before and after of what your students will create. Imagery is very important, it helps give people an idea of what they are doing. Next, show your students the differences in each picture and tell them how they are going to apply what they just learned to get the "after" picture.

2. Tell everyone what you’re going do.

Talk about the two tags you will use: strong and p and why you will use them.

3. Now demonstrate what you're doing aka Live Coding:

Show them by putting the strong tag around the title and the p tag to designate the paragraphs.

4. Then tell everyone what you just did:

I just made the title's bold by adding the strong tags.
I also assigned paragraphs by adding the p tags.

Show Example:

5. Give 3 opportunities to ask questions

6. Tell them why you did what you just did:

I used the strong tag because I wanted to grab the viewer's attention. To do that you make certain words/phrases stand out from surrounding text.
I used the p tag to designate the paragraphs in the content.

7. Remain Available:

After those 6 steps, give your students the opportunity to accomplish the task. Walk around and offer help because some might be too shy to ask questions while you're teaching. Always remain available!

Now you have given youur students the roadmap on how to accomplish the finished project.

Give your students time to finish there project and always be open for questions. I hope this helps! :)

Do you have any tips that have helped you?

How do you make your portfolio/GitHub profile standout?

Doni — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 16:49:23 +0000

How did you make your portfolio and Github profile to standout to get an interview? Do you have any tips? Please share!

3 Ways To Make Money While Learning to Code

Doni — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 15:42:31 +0000

"If you can’t explain it to a 6 yr old, you don't understand it" - Albert Einstein

Are you currently in between jobs, while learning how to code and need some extra income? This article is for you!

When I started to learn how to code, I had recently left my previous place of employment and any and every job lead that I did have dried up, QUICKLY! At the time, I became highly proficient in HTML5, CSS3 and only had covered the basics of Javascript. I was valuable enough to share my knowledge but not enough to get the ultimate full-time gig at a local startup with Friday's off, in-house lunch and unlimited vacation days.

I have a natural ability to teach, as I am a veteran Teacher's Assistant in my college town's public school system and so I knew the power of teaching others. I don't know the psychological reasoning for it, but when you break down material to so others can understand, you begin to understand it yourself on whole new level. So why not make money teaching others while also learning the material even more myself?

I have no miraculous amount of money to share because every market and story is different but I do have a few ways where you can generate income while you learn to code.

1. Teach for Coding Organizations:

I joined meetup.com in my local area, there are tons of organizations like Girl Develop It, who believes in providing low-cost courses to women in their local community. Organizations like GDI, usually have a chapter in almost every city so find an organization that you're passionate about and lend a hand to the mission while getting compensated. If you're not initially comfortable teaching a course by yourself, because you're afraid to "bomb" like I did once, you can always become a TA first and then step into the role of lead teacher. But constantly put yourself out there.

2. Create your own course:

If you have a following or not on social media your knowledge and teaching style is needed. Yes, it may be the same material but your personality is unique. create your own course. Sell it yourself, or put it on Udemy and other similar websites.

Additional Resources on how to create the course:
Camtasia
SnagIt

3. Help out a local startup or business:

In some markets, it's very easy to get an internship without the daunted CS degree, but in markets like mine, those internships are few and far. I went to local meetups and also perused the local job boards to see if any companies needed simple web development help and made some money that way.

This isn't an exhausted list but this is how I started to generate money while learning to code. I hope it helps and it becomes a springboard for you!

Do you have other ways you generate income while learning to code? If so share below!

Understanding Object Oriented JavaScript

Doni — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 15:18:19 +0000

Recently I was tasked to create an Object Oriented Arcade Game and at first sight, it was a struggle. Learning JavaScript was a point of contention with me. There were many nights I almost pulled my hair out trying to understand the basic core concepts and when I thought I had everything figured, then came Object-Oriented JavaScript challenge.

Often times I was directed to MDN, but even then everything would go over my head. I would find myself being more attracted to articles that were simple and easy to read to give me a basic understanding of "why", so I have accumulated a list of links that have helped me understand Object-Oriented JavaScript better. In order for me to better understand the changes in ES6, I had to go back to ES5 as well. I hope these links help you too!

What are some of your favorite learning tools?

Object-Oriented Programming: The foundation

Learn the basics of object-oriented programming

Object Oriented Javascript

Instantiation Patterns In JavaScript

Object Oriented Programming

The Little Guide for OOP in JS

Constructor Functions:

Constructor Functions

Difference between Function and Class

Understanding Javascript Constructors

Functions vs Classes

Javascript Constructors and Prototypes

Constructors and Prototypes

Private properties in JavaScript ES6 classes

Classes

Class

Understanding Classes

Classes

This

Property Descriptors

How Do You Really Get Hired?

Doni — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 13:09:28 +0000

According to an article on http://www.mrinetwork.com, "Through 2026, 253,400 software developer positions will open." With more and more Bootcamp graduates flooding the field, how do we actually get our foot in the door?

There are a plethora of articles on the demand for Developers and Engineers in addition to the tons of online coding schools popping up everywhere but positions are rarely targeted to us.

There is a lack of Junior Dev positions and if there are any internships available, there are always targeted to recent Computer Science grads from four-year universities. You go to tech conferences, with career fairs and employers won't even budge at you without a CS degree.

Is there really a lane for Bootcamp graduates, if so how can we turn that one lane highway into a two-lane highway to help others get their foot in the door.

Thoughts?