DEV Community: Tanya Brown

Phase 1 is in the book...

Tanya Brown — Mon, 23 May 2022 02:22:49 +0000

So I managed to get everything done for phase 1 (I think). I'm sure it's not exactly what the instructors want but I turned everything in. I hate that I always feel so sick to my stomach afterwards. I also don't understand why I feel this way.

The farther I get into this bootcamp the more I realize that this porbably isn't the right way for me to learn to be a software engineer. It's being thrown at me too fast and I don't feel like I'm learning anything. I'm thankful that Amazon is paying for the bootcamp and I'm really trying but considering that over 140 of us started this bootcamp and as of tonight there are 93 of us left at week 12 it's no wonder that my nerves are acting up.

At this point I'm loking at other online bootcamps where I can work at my own pace or in reality a slightly slower pace than I'm running at right now. Does anyone have any thoughts on a good bootcamp? I'm looking at Udemy and Scrimba. A lot of people in the current bootcamp are singing the praises of Scrimba. I do have to say that the one code along that I did with Scrimba was fun and enlightening. Whatever I decide to do I will be paying out of pocket as Flatiron used up all of the money that Amazon will pay for one year..... I really think that the bootcamp should have to give back the remaining money of the months that you can't completel.

Weather App

Tanya Brown — Mon, 23 May 2022 01:55:55 +0000

So this is going to be my first technical blog. I created a simple weather app that is supposed to show the weather in a city that is entered into the search bar. I'm still struggling with the JavaScript and am not sure why the app isn't working the way I'm expecting it to.

I set up a fetchWeather call to go to openweathermap.org to get the weather. However, it's not fetching the weather. I've tried using the link that was provided and entering the API key but I've not had any luck with it. I'm not giving up or admitting defeat just acknowledging that I'm not sure how to get it to work.

The thing that does work is the HTML and CSS. I also got the greatest feeling of accomplishment from those once the app was "done". The "A-hah!" moments with each change was amazing. Figuring out which font to use and as well as background and colors, shapes and sizes was fun. Being able to see the changes in real time helped with those "A-hah!" moments.

While I can't say that I've enjoyed the JavaScript portion on the app I can definitely say I have enjoyed the HTML and CSS portions.

Bootcamp blogging

Tanya Brown — Wed, 18 May 2022 02:51:54 +0000

I'm going to start by apologizing since it seems like all I'm doing is complaining or ranting. Consider yourself warned. Here goes....

So I'm in a bootcamp that requires the students(?) to make a blog post once per phase. The blog is supposed to be technical in nature and stick to programming related topics. "Pick a small topic that you're interested in exploring more, or a concept/technique/technology that you recently learned about that you'd like to cement for yourself." The only thing is that I'm not sure how much I'm understanding in this bootcamp. We've gone over so much and over so many concepts that I having trouble keeping them all straight.

So far we've covered JavaScript, HTML and CSS. It feels like we spent 4 weeks covering a lot of ground on JavaScript and maybe that on HTML and CSS. This phase has a mock code challenge where we made a webpage using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. I've googled and YouTube-d everything trying to gain a better understanding but it's not the way I learn things well. When I do get something it's a kick to actually get whatever it is. It really excites me.

It's like this - programming is a foreign language. Bouncing all over a foreign language doesn't help you understand it. Starting with the basics does. At no time has it felt like the basics have been taught. I think this is supposed to be "immersive" but it feels like I'm failing all around. It feels like I don't know how to use the alphabet or put together a simple sentence.

The thing that is getting to me is that we have a project due and then we have modules and blogs that need to be done as well. I get that bootcamps are a fast pace way to learn. I get that there will always be deadlines that have to be met. However, we just finished week 11 of this bootcamp and some of us are still trying to cement in what we have learned and it doesn't feel like that's happening or being allowed to happen.

I'm not dumb by any stretch of the imagination. I believe that I can learn this but not while drinking from a firehose. I need that simple garden hose as silly as that sounds. I'm tired of trying to drink from the firehouse and almost drowning. It's a lot of money for a company to spend to have so many washout.

Again, my apology for the complaining/rant. I'll get off the soapbox since someone probably needs the wood.

Why Software Development?

Tanya Brown — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 01:37:33 +0000

So this question keeps coming up...Why software development? That’s a really good question and one I don’t have a ready answer for but maybe I can give some reasons as to why I want to work in software development. One thing I’ve been told that I’m not smart enough. I’m not dumb. I may be pretty but I’m not dumb. You think I’m not smart enough? Okay…Challenge accepted. Am I up to that challenge? That’s what I’m at Flatiron School to find out and to prove that I can.

A little about my background. My first computer was a TI-99. That was my first experience in programming. Type a few lines in and something happens on the screen. I was fascinated by that. The next computer I had was a Commadore 64 and a little more programming learned. I was getting hooked at a young age but then life happened and new experiences took over. School became my main focus. Keep in mind that this was the early 80s and no one knew that computers were going to become such a huge thing.

My first reason for pursuing a job as a software developer is that I’m 50 years old and I work for Amazon. It’s hard physical work and there’s not a lot of room for development, growth or recognition. I don’t mind working hard but it’s not something I want to do until I get to retire. In my previous positions I’ve been mentally challenged and stimulated and encouraged to use my brain and computers. That just doesn’t happen at Amazon without a higher education. To be honest, I miss the mental challenges that my other positions came with.

My second reason is that I want the flexibility to work either on my own or with a team. I like the aspect of being able to work anywhere. My parents are growing older and I need to be able to work from home occasionally so that I can help them. They’ve been there for me a lot and now it’s my turn to be there for them. I know that it might not happen, working from home, but it’s still very appealing.

Reason three is that the money and hours are better. Having financial stability is incredibly appealing. I’d like to own a home again some day and will need to be able to do better than live paycheck to paycheck. Not only is there financial stability but there seems to be a lot of job stability since the field of software design just keeps growing. If COVID taught me one thing it’s to be grateful to work in an industry that didn’t get shutdown. That said there is a drawback to being considered “essential” at Amazon. That drawback is that you work a lot of long, hard hours with little time off. Having a predictable schedule is appealing as well.

I’ve worked in a lot of different fields and have had the joy of breaking programs. Now I want the challenge of creating and fixing them. I guess for me the main reasons for becoming a Software Developer boil down to the mental challenge, money, and job stability. So now I know why I want to be a Software Developer. That just leaves the question of, “Am I up for the challenge?” I know so.