DEV Community: kealanheena

Job Search Week 24

kealanheena — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 19:19:15 +0000

This week I continued to work through my portfolio making it take shape adding thinks like a navbar and more sections.

Day 1

At the start of the week, I added the hobbies component and the hobbies card component. I wanted to add things like hobbies and experience to make it look more like an interactive CV than just a website. I also added a snapshot test for the app component.

Day 2

Tuesday I started working on the Navbar component making sure it was tested properly and that everything was rendering correctly. I also added the snapshot test for the Navbar and added the other components to the main container and tested that it was rendering them correctly.

Day 3

I started integrating more components into the main container component on Wednesday. I added tests and made sure they were rendering correctly too.

Day 4

Thursday I refactored some of the main containers tests to be more relevant. I was also working on the profile component adding a bootstrap container div and adding more text to it to make a better opening paragraph.

Day 5

On Friday I was having some issues with the linking sections locally because of the Navbar. Which I manage to solve I also spent some time styling the Navbar and profile component.

Summary

This week went rather well since I started off spiking something I went back and made sure everything was well tested which it is now. Ultimately a good week since I've got those tests done.

Job Search Week 23

kealanheena — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 11:38:44 +0000

I worked mainly on the front-end of my portfolio this week using react. I also did a review at the start of this week so see how I'm doing in terms of my process.

Day 1

I started off the week by doing a review. This one would be my sixth review. This one was a grade organiser to count and display the grades. It went well I was asked more questions and was able to get all the essential information before starting which was an improvement on last

Day 2

On Tuesday I went back to the review to tidy it up and finish off any part that was left undone. I always do this with the reviews I go back and finish them off with the feedback in mind to make sure I remember it.

Day 3

I went back to working on my portfolio on Wednesday. I Updated the styling on the Navbar, wrote up a profile for the homepage and added some styling to the IFrame.

Day 4

Thursday I added experience component for my work experience and spent the rest of the day styling projects and experience component.

Day 5

Finally, at the end of the week, I created the education component for displaying where I learned to code and styled it using cards. After that, I created the skills component to show off my technical skills.

Summary

This week went well because I got the review done and got positive feedback telling me I had improved which is always good. I'm also getting bits and pieces of my portfolio done which is nice to do because I like working with React. So overall a good week.

Job Search week 22

kealanheena — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 14:05:55 +0000

This week finished off the backend and started on the front end with React. I also started using React bootstrap.

Day 1

I started this week by making the delete project function, making sure it was returning json. After completing that I moved onto handling errors. I also did some refactoring removing some unnecessary tests.

Day 2

Tuesday I got started on the integration test of the delete function and handling the 404 errors. That finishes the back end, for now, I'll likely be back later on to add more API's.

Day 3

I added React on Wednesday getting it started and set up so I could start working on the front end. I also updated the server readme to include the tests for the backend.

Day 4

So after getting react set up I started on my first test and then moved on to adding bootstrap after getting it set up I was able to a Navbar through bootstrap.

Day 5

So I added the bootstrap Navbar and altered it to suit what I need which was easy enough. I then moved onto the projects display getting that setup using bootstrap cards.

Summary

I managed to get the backend done which I'm happy about and to move onto the front-end. Starting on react is good I get to start to see my portfolio. So overall I think this was a good week.

Job Search Week 21

kealanheena — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 20:32:49 +0000

So this week I started on making my portfolio starting with the backend. When I get this done I'll ideally have a nice portfolio website that can act a sort of CV that also displays my skills as a developer.

Day 1

So I the week by getting my repo set up. I then set up Jest to test my API which I was familiar with thanks to doing the todo API project. I also added my first function and test for creating a project.

Day 2

On Tuesday I started working on the return of the function making sure it was returning the right status code and that it was returning the JSON. I also had to add the jest config file so I could set the test environment.

Day 3

I started connecting to the database on Wednesday. I also continued working on the create project function moving on to error handling and integration tests finishing that function.

Day 4

On Thursday I moved onto the get projects function for retrieving all the projects int the database. I got it set up and returning the correct response codes and returning JSON.

Day 5

Friday I got through the rest of the get projects function adding error handling and doing the integration tests. I then moved onto getting a single project by the id making it return the correct response codes and the JSON as well as adding a try/catch block for acting errors.

Summary

Overall it was a good week I got the backend started and a lot of the other functions will be quite similar so I can get through them quite quickly. I'm happy to get started on my portfolio because it'll be nice to display all my projects in a more interactive way.

Job Search Week 20

kealanheena — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 16:16:26 +0000

I spent this week applying to different companies and typing cover letters. I managed to get all the applications done so I was happy enough with this week.

Day 1

On Monday I was still I was typing up the readme for my todo API project. I also took some time to look through some of the job posting on indeed, totaljobs and otta and pick out some of the ones that appealed to me the most.

Day 2

On Tuesday I finished up the todo API readme and debugged a problem with the tests. I had to reorder the integration tests because they wouldn't work if your database was empty. This also meant that it wouldn't delete any actual data and it does delete the test data.

Day 3

Wednesday is when I started typing the cover letters. I had already look at the companies I had chosen so it was just comparing my skills to the ones they were looking for and then I outline all my compatible skills. I also updated my portfolio on GitHub.

Day 4

On Thursday I continued to prep cover letters. I managed to get most of them done and ready send-off on Friday. More people have been getting jobs recently so it's reassuring to know that while typing cover letters.

Day 5

I spent Friday going over the cover letters and sending they off after I proofread them. Hopefully, I'll get more positive replies in the upcoming weeks.

Summary

I managed to get 20 applications out this month with more people getting jobs I'm feeling more confident getting a job sometime soon.

Job Search Week 19

kealanheena — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 13:03:36 +0000

This week I worked on another API thoroughly testing it with Jest and supertest. I found jest easy to use and I think I'll use it from now on.

Day 1

I had started this project over the weekend so I had got a little bit of it done already. On Monday I connected the project to the database and started debugging using a VScode extension "Jest Runner" I was able to use the breakpoints to view the code at certain stages of the test which made debugging a lot easier.

Day 2

On Tuesday I started with a test for error handling using a try/catch block as well as adding a middleware for the error message. I also added the getAllTodos function for the todos, I had already done the post function over the weekend.

Day 3

I decided to update some of my readmes and my projects guide repo on Wednesday to show off some of the other projects I've been doing. Next week I'm gonna be doing job applications so it's best to be prepared.

Day 4

I then handle the getTodoById function adding in the error handling for if you try to get a todo with an invalid ID. I was quite familiar with Jest at this point as some of the tests were quite similar.

Day 5

On Friday I continued working on my todo API adding the update function for while making sure it was returning soon and errors were being caught and displayed.

Summary

Overall I was happy with this week I'm significantly more comfortable using jest and I'm confident to start building a full-stack project using an API. Next week I plan to do a lot of cover letters and job applications.

Job Search Week 18

kealanheena — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 19:54:03 +0000

I got my message board app completed this week and I did another review. I also started a new project at the end of this week a MERN todo app which I'm testing with Jest.

Day 1

On Monday I finished off my message board app by connecting the front-end to the back-end. I also refactored the code to implement mongoose.

Day 2

After finishing the message board app I had to update the read me on how to use and run the tests so I did that on Tuesday formatting it making easy to read. I also updated my projects guide to show my message board project.

Day 3

Wednesday I did another review this one is my fifth review. It was a todo app built using ruby. My process is looking very good at the moment but I need to take a little more time at the start to ask more questions. So once I get that down I should be all good.

Day 4

I spent Thursday going over the review finishing what I had been doing and refactoring it. I also updated the read me to explain what it was and how it worked.

Day 5

Finally, on Friday, I started on my MERN todo app using Jest which I prefer over Mocha and Chai. I want to have a really well-tested app using Jest so I can get some extra practice in with Jest and the MERN stack.

Summary

Getting my project done was a great way to start the week and getting another review done is a good way of getting feedback. Plus starting a new project is always fun so this week was really good overall.

Job Search Week 17

kealanheena — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 22:13:29 +0000

This week I started with a review and I finished off the backend of my message board app. I also updated my CV and projects guide to show off my message board app.

Day 1

So I started this week off with a review. It was good to get another one done plus I'm definitely a lot better with my process. My feedback was mostly steady so I'm feeling a lot more confident with my process.

Day 2

On Tuesday I tidied up my review repository cleaning up and finishing any features I was adding and adding the read me. I also updated my projects guide to link to this review as it is my most recent review.

Day 3

I updated my GitHub Cv on Wednesday because I was mainly working on external CV's so I thought it'd be a good idea to update it to reflect what I've been doing. It was also nice to see how I've come since completing Makers.

Day 4

I was working on the message board app on Thursday. I was adding the update function and changing the HTML to show that you were updating a message. I also did quite a bit of debugging to fix some broken tests so it was a relief to get that done.

Day 5

Friday I did the error handling for the update function in case the user tries to give invalid input like an empty string. So I'm getting closer to wrapping this project up.

Summary

I felt really good about my review since the last time I did one the feedback had far more improving than steady. So it's good to see that I'm getting better. I'm also very close to finishing my message board app which would mean I've completed a full-stack MERN project.

Job Search Week 16

kealanheena — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 23:04:37 +0000

I spent this week doinng job applications I got 20 done in total as well as doing a cover letter for each. I was asked recently why I do them all at the end of the month the main reason is at the end of the month I know more about coding so I feel I can write a better cover letter.

Day 1

So I started the week by looking for jobs that would suit me. It took a bit of time because there's so many different job site, the main ones I use are Otta, LinkedIn, TotalJobs and Indeed. I mainly went for JavaScript jobs because that's what I've been practising recently.

Day 2

On Tuesday I started typing up cover letters for each of my job applications. Some of the applications would only let you add on document but one of my friend taught me a neat trick to just put your cover letter on top of your CV. Which meant I could get a cover letter in for every job.

Day 3

Wednesday I continued to look for jobs and type cover letters for the jobs that I had found. It was a lot easier to do with a template but it was difficult to decide what the most important points were. I would mainly got over the points that the application had down as essential and typed a short description of were I've used and learned those skills.

Day 4

I started sending off some of my applications on Thursday. I did manage to find some good jobs in places I'd like to work in or ideas I'd like to work on. Although I think sometime my cover letters don't convey my skill as a developer as well they should which is why I put my GitHub at the bottom so they can see proof on my skill as a developer instead of taking my word for it.

Day 5

I decide to continue to look for jobs and finish up the last few cover letters on Friday and decided I would send the rest off over the weekend. I was happy to get all those cover letters done and I definitely feel like I'm better at typing up cover letters thanks to it.

Summary
I got a lot of applications done this week which I'm happy about and I think my new system is working well. I would like to get some feedback on my portfolio so I might as my brother or some other developers.

Job Search Week 15

kealanheena — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 20:53:49 +0000

This week I jumped between looking for jobs and my Mesasage Board app. I was happy with looking through a couple of jobs and having a list of places to apply makes the job hunt a little easier.

Day 1

Monday I started on my Message Board app and I had to fix some of the snapshot test that was failing which was quite a simple fix. I also split the message app into two smaller components to keep my code clean.

Day 2

Tuesday is when I started working with state and creating the form. I started by creating the form giving it state. After that I used a function to alter the state when the form was submitted.

Day 3

On Wesnesday I started working on error handling adding an error.json file in the mock folder. I created a error handler component and tested it so that I could later add the error handler to the message app component.

Day 4

I added the error handle to the message app component on Thursday as well as adding the delete function to the messages. After I did I refactored message list component to use the format message function to clean up my code.

Day 5

I spent Firday mainly looking for jobs, I like take a bit of extra time to look for jobs because I would rather apply to the company directly than go through recruiter because some recruiters don't mention the company by name so I can't look into the company more and decide if I like the company.

Summary

I was happy with what I got done this week getting to use mocks along with Mocha and Chai was interesting and I image it'll be very useful in the future. I was also happy to find a good few job opportunities on Friday so now all I've got to do is write up a cover letter for them.

Job Search Week 14

kealanheena — Tue, 26 May 2020 21:32:54 +0000

This week I mainly worked on my React message board app this week. I'm getting thought it using Mocha and Chai but I'd like to look into using jest and enzyme as well. That was my main focus this week.

Day 1

I started by handling the route errors for the back end of the project. I Gave an error message for the GET, POST, PATCH and DELETE requests if someone but in invalid input or retrieve something that wasn't there.

Day 2

On Tuesday I continued to work with the back end finishing off the rest of the tests and doing some refactoring I'll be coming back to the back end when we connect Mongo to it.

Day 3

I did some work on my CV to reflect some of the new things I've worked on over the past couple of weeks and started making a template for my cover letters so that I could take it and adjust it based on the company.

Day 4

On Thursday I looked at the e-commerce project because I had initially spiked it and was going to go back and write the tests but after having a look at the project I decided I wanted to use Jest and Enzyme for testing that. So I'm going to finish the message board first.

Day 5

I continued to work on the message board app on Friday. I used the create-react-app command to make the front end file. I got started on the front end writing my first react test and making it pass.

Summary

I got quite a bit done in my message board app and having the template for cover letters makes it easier to do applications since I don't have to write them from scratch each time.

Job Search Week 13

kealanheena — Mon, 18 May 2020 20:19:34 +0000

This week I was working on my message board app using mocha and chai. I also did a bit of work on an e-commerce app. I really enjoy building an API and I'm looking forward to getting stuck into mongo.

Day 1

I started the week by making a get function for my app. This function will return all the messages in the API. I also made an update and delete function, these were quite similar because they both collected the data and used it in some way changing it for update and removing it for delete.

Day 2

On Tuesday I did some refactoring mainly. I had to set the ids because I was finding the ids by their position in the array which caused problems when an item was deleted from that array. So I changed it to use the id of the last item in the array and add one.

Day 3

Wednesday I added a son file and changed my code to write to it so I could use it as a temporary database. I also solved some edge cases like deleting messages that aren't present or trying to make invalid updates.

Day 4

I spent Tuesday organising some files, writing my first express test and made the contents of the json file load on the home page. It was nice to see it coming together but I'll have to add Mongo later.

Day 5

On Friday I did more refactoring and also I made the post function for adding a message to the json file and created a route for it. I also spent some time setting up circle CI for my e-commerce project.

Summary

Overall I fell like I got a good amount done this week. Next week I will hopefully do some work on e-commerce project and maybe get the API set up for that.