I am at a point in my life where I have been applying my skills to things and creating projects, but am still lacking actual employment. That is a hard thing to swallow from time to time. I have been applying to places constantly, and have also gotten a few interviews here and there. Tech challenges really are a struggle at this point though more than anything. Some of the challenges are so complicated that I feel completely overwhelmed and fall flat on my face. Like no matter what effort I put into learning these skills, I am still getting nowhere. That being said though, when I take a step back and look at where I was vs. where I am now, I am able to see progress.
A few months ago, I was not able to pass a single tech challenge question. I got easily flustered and lost. But as of today, I took another tech challenge. Had 4 problems I had to solve within an hour that got progressively harder per question. I solved the first question within 10 minutes and felt great about it. The second question was much more challenging... but I was able to solve it eventually. Although it took up the entire rest of my time, to the point that I couldn't answer the other 2 questions at all. Although, ultimately I failed the challenge...I still consider that a win for getting farther than I ever have in a challenge in my past. I AM SUCCEEDING!!!
I have thought a lot about this experience and am developing a game plan on how I can become better at these challenges. I plan to dedicate a few hours a day to online coding challenges to build up my confidence and problem solving skills. In the past, I have not done well with these, but I have signed up with codewars.com and have already begun this process. Ideally, I will overcome my weakness and make it a strength!
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