DEV Community: Christina Pacheco

🚀 First Week of Computer Programming Courses: What I’ve Learned! 🚀

Christina Pacheco — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 02:52:08 +0000

Diving into the world of programming has been interesting so far, and my first week was packed with tons of things I did not know and hands-on experiences. Here’s a glimpse of what I’ve learned so far:

🌐 Building a Responsive Website: I created a responsive website using HTML, showcasing the city I live in. I haven't used HTML since MySpace! lol

🤔 Who Owns the Internet? I was today years old to know that no single entity, including the government, owns the internet. It's a global network of networks, governed by protocols and standards.

🔌 Network Components & Connections: I learned the basics of network infrastructure, understanding end devices, intermediate devices, and network media. This foundational knowledge is key for me to grasp how data travels across the internet.

📶 The true definition of "Bandwidth": I finally understand what bandwidth really means – it's not about a person's capacity lol, but the rate at which data is transmitted over a network connection.

💻 Bits and Bytes: Did you know the word "computer" has 64 bits? Eight bits make a byte, so 64 bits equal 8 bytes. Simple, but yet a fundamental concept in computing that I now know :)

🚀 Supercomputers Are Real: Yes, they do exist! The US has the most supercomputers in the world with 161, including the world's fastest supercomputer, Frontier.

I am excited for the weeks ahead and all the new knowledge and skills to come! Tune in next week for more learnings.

If you are just starting your coding journey comment below the cool and interesting things you are learning!

I had my first FAANG interview today...

Christina Pacheco — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 21:11:48 +0000

Never in a million years did I think I would land an interview at a FAANG company. As an Indigenous women from a rural town navigating the tech space, I do not know of a single soul who looks like me or talks like me working at a FAANG company, so the thought of applying never crossed my mind...ever. Honestly, it took for me being laid off and jobless to actually hit the submit button BUT I totally forgot about my girl imposter syndrome. Let's just say she isn't the nicest.

After applying, I rarely checked my application status because I knew it wasn't going to change. I knew that there was no way they were going to choose me. I knew that there were others who were more qualified, more educated and more connected than me. I stand no chance. Zip. Zero. Nada.

I think what influenced by decision to play it safe in my career was because I knew that the lack of cultural disconnect and sense of belonging would play on my psychological health. Making it difficult to be apart of something and do my work.

I also recognized the inequalities in STEM with its Eurocentric, exclusionary ideologies that can create an "imposter phenomenon" among POC.

I acknowledged the fact that I very well could be the only Indigenous person in the room. And that I didn't like.

I didn't want it.

However, that all changed when I received not one, but two interviews from companies who served as an afterthought, not because I saw myself as better than but less than. You may say "interviews from those companies don't define you" or "you're so much better than those companies", but for me it did. And that is okay because I am now the person who has the potential to be a person that Indigenous women from a rural town that others may relate to.

My purpose is to not just work in the industry and collect a pay check, it is to be an example, a leader, and a voice to others who probably will never hit that submit button.

fingers crossed I make it y'all

Five things I have learned being a jobless 27 year old

Christina Pacheco — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 16:53:34 +0000

It has been 13 days, 298 hours and 17,930 minutes of being fun-employed. Never did I think at 27 years old, at the peak of my career, I would be jobless. Life, man. It holds no mercy.

Furthermore, on my job seeking journey I have learned a couple of things:

Be sure your LinkedIn is updated!
Pick a company that aligns with your values and morals.
Do NOT let imposter syndrome invade!!
Werk the room! Do not be afraid to leverage your network
Be yourself. simple.

If you have recently experienced a layoff or rescinded offer, take care of your mental first, keep going and learn more.

Check back for next weeks post!

Interactive Resume in Tableau

Christina Pacheco — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 22:42:34 +0000

After ☝🏽 one week of being "Fun-employed" due to being laid off (happening a lot here lately) I found myself super bored so...

I took the time to create an interactive resume 👇🏾 in Tableau! This was fun to create! Check it out 👏🏽 and let me know what you think and any tips to improve it!

https://public.tableau.com/shared/TDZSGZRDN?:display_count=n&:origin=viz_share_link

I downloaded my Netflix data to create another Viz (coming soon!). I will try to screen record my process but no promises.

tableau #projectmanagement