DEV Community: Sara Carvajal

My self-made Software degree update

Sara Carvajal — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 23:34:06 +0000

In my last post I said that I was going to build a software degree for myself. The audacity of my past self. Turns out I ended up doing something different.

As I started reading degree syllabi it became clear to me that that was not what I was looking for, but I came across the web developer roadmap and decided to use that as a starting point.

What I did was write the topics of the backed developer roadmap that I don't feel comfortable in, or that I know I could improve. Spoiler alert, there were quite a few.

Next I made a list of the books and courses available to me, that can help me learn and get better at those topics. For example, I have a membership to a platform called Platzi, so I'll be using it. Also, Khan Academy, which is a free platform, has courses on Algorithms and web development that I'll be trying as well.

I decided that at all times I'll have a technical book and a course in progress, from the list I made.

I'll be starting with Intro to Computational Thinking from Platzi and Intro to DSA by Armstrong Subero. I'm not sure how long it'll take me to finish them, but I'll be making an update about this on august.

Thanks for reading and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Crafting my Software Engineering degree

Sara Carvajal — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 00:31:57 +0000

I started programming about a year ago and I don't have a degree related to Software engineering, which has not bothered me... Until now. Honestly, there are some basic concepts that I feel I'm missing out and that would help me do a much better job.

So, in the course of one week I'll be creating my Software Engineering degree, using mostly free resources and also platforms and courses I've already paid for. I'm just doing this post as a means of accountability.

See you next Wednesday and may the odds be ever in my favor!

My first Hacktoberfest: giving back

Sara Carvajal — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 20:00:44 +0000

This year I started working in tech and discovered this great community. It was here where I first heard about hacktoberfest.

It looked like a cool challenge with a good cause and I wanted to participate. When I started browsing through the issues labeled as hacktoberfest it felt a bit overwhelming. The projects all seemed very intimidating and I didn't feel like I could really contribute.

After reading this posts, I was inspired again and gave it a second chance. This time, instead of searching for hacktoberfest issues again I decided to contribute to projects that had helped me in the past.

The first project I chose was Django Girls tutorial. Attending a Django Girls workshop changed my life this year and I wouldn't be working where I am if it weren't for them. So, I checked to see if there were any open issues I could help with and saw there was a problem with some links and I offered to help (my PR is now merged 🎉).

The other project I worked on was mentioned by

.ltag__user__id__119473 .follow-action-button { background-color: #61122F !important; color: #FFFFFF !important; border-color: #61122F !important; }

Molly Struve (she/her)

International Speaker 🗣 Runner 🏃‍♀️ Always Ambitious. Never Satisfied. I ride 🦄's IRL

molly_struve mstruve https://www.mollystruve.com

and it's a compilation of resources to help moms get into the tech world. It's called Moms-Learn-Tech. I added a few resources, and since every resource has to be submitted as a PR, I was able to complete the challenge.

My PRs are in review now, but I'm happy I participated and I'll keep contributing to these projects that I believe have a positive impact in the world.

Update: My PRs were validated, so hacktoberfest is officially over for me.