DEV Community: Karina Pichardo

Feeling burnt out or unmotivated? Read this.

Karina Pichardo — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 00:03:48 +0000

Just a few weeks ago I was feeling unmotivated and sort of burnt out?

I’m finally out of that funk I was in and I realized why I was there in the first place.

I was working on projects that were all really similar, I would finish up a project and immediately start another one, using the same exact techniques and technologies as the last.

I thought I was doing myself a favor by practicing repetition and although I still believe that “practice makes perfect”, I think it’s equally important to continue learning and growing, especially as a developer.

So I did just that, I started learning more about the terminal and also learned Sass (which I’m absolutely obsessed with now). And I'm back to feeling like myself again.

I’m actually grateful that I experienced those stressful weeks leading up to today because I now understand how to navigate those “burnt out” / “unmotivated” moments.
Learning fuels me.

Likewise, this situation reminded me why I started learning to code and why I love what I do, because it’s a forever learning experience. The best developers never stop being curious and never stop learning.

Thought I’d share incase anyone out there is going through something similar.

How to Add a Browser Tab Icon to Your Websites!

Karina Pichardo — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 22:54:02 +0000

Adding an icon to the browser tab of a website you created is like the cherry on top! The best part about it, is how incredibly simple it is to add one.

1. Find an image which you'd like to use as your favicon.

2. Save the image inside the folder which contains all your website's files. (index.html, styles.css, scripts, images, etc.)

3. Similar to how you link your external CSS stylesheet, in the <head> section of your HTML document, you do the exact same to link the icon, however, for the relationship you add 'icon' and for the href you'd add the image's location, for example:


 rel="icon" href="images/example.png">

Tada! It's really that easy.

I know it's something so subtle but I still get excited every time I get to put an icon on the browser tab of a website I created.

My favorite website to find icons is:
https://freeicons.io/

Hope this helps, Happy coding!

Being a Programmer Also Means Being a part of a Community

Karina Pichardo — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 01:10:53 +0000

One of the best things about being a developer is the fact that you aren’t alone.

There is an entire community out there willing to support you. You ask a question and quite literally within a few minutes you can receive a response. It’s really incredible and I struggle to think of another field where this scenario is the same.

However, when you’re first starting out and learning to program, asking for help can be intimidating.
Even finding the right terminology to ask questions can be overwhelming. Asking about something that to others may seem like common sense - is absolutely terrifying.

It’s scary for people to put themselves in situations that make them vulnerable. But the truth is, no one cares.
And the moment you’re able to put your fear aside, you quickly realize that other developers are more than happy to clarify things and help you out. The things you learn as a result - 100% outweigh the fear.

So, don’t be afraid to ask questions, remember - you’re a part of something much bigger.

“In a room full of the smartest people, I belong”

The More I Learn, The More Absolutely In Love I Am.

Karina Pichardo — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 19:40:26 +0000

Programming really does feel like a superpower. Getting a computer to do whatever you want it to do, is a pretty unmatched feeling.

If you’d take the time to merely understand what computer programming really is and what you can do with it, you’d quickly realize that the world is programming. You’d start to see the world with different lenses, you’ll notice problems around you and you’ll come up with solutions which you'd want to implement because you know they’d make life easier.