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Working Smarter: 5 Steps To Getting Unstuck with Rukia Sheikh-Mohamed

Rukia on July 23, 2020

I am a software engineer based in the Twin Cities, MN who is passionate about all things tech. During my day job I work as full-stack dev at Soona....
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Omar •

Proud of you Rukia :)
I am sure that you are an inspiration of many Muslim girls that know you .

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shazena •

As a Muslim girl, I certainly am inspired by Rukia! I actually haven't seen much software engineers who also wear a scarf and it's just inspiring to see someone like me who has made it!

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Omar •

Unfortunately , it's true.

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Rukia •

aww I'm so happy to hear that Shazena! We gotta be the change for the younger generation! 💪🏾

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Rukia • • Edited

Thank you so much Omar!! I really appreciate it!! This comment really meant a lot to me!

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Nicole Hopkins •

Love that, "survivor of the first 6 months of 2020" lol

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Rukia •

lol yes Nicole 💪🏾🙅🏾‍♀️

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kbatuigas •

Re: Step 4, I worked tech support / customer service for many years, and the "what did you see + what did you expect to see" way of framing things can be really key in getting (and providing!) the right kind of help.

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💎Di Marie💎 •

Such a helpful way of handling the issue!

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Stefanie Davis •

Asking good questions really is a skill!

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Kate Dameron •

I have lost count of how many times step 4 has gotten me unstuck without even sending the message. Just the act of writing out the problem in detail and all the things I've tried will often just set off a lightbulb moment for me and I'll realize what I forgot/did wrong/haven't tried yet, etc. This is a great talk!

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Rukia •

yesss Kate!! That's why I LOVE step 4! Glad you enjoyed it.

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Cheray •

A survivor!

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Chase Nickels • • Edited

In my experience, 9 times out of 10, as soon as I ask for help...I figure it out before they can answer my question! What a great talk, and completely valid in reference to struggling with writing code.

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Rukia •

Ah soo true Chase!! Glad you liked it.

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Josh Puetz •

Shoutout to Minnesota nice! This is such wonderful information for developer of ALL skills levels to rely upon! Thank you!

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Rukia •

lol, Minnesota nice 😅! Thank you Josh.

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Tori Crawford •

I recently landed my first software engineering role, so this has been so incredibly useful to me. Thank you so much, Rukia.

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Rukia •

Congrats on your new role Victoria! So glad you enjoyed the talk. You're very welcome.

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Byonca H. •

Big +1 for including what you have tried. This helps narrow down the search for a solution.

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kbatuigas •

Yesss, this!

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💎Di Marie💎 •

I really enjoy the gifs that support the info, Rukia. Excellent work on the whole presentation!

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Rukia •

Thank you Di. I love GIFs so glad you enjoyed it!

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Jane Tracy 👩🏽‍💻 •

As a code newbie, I was waiting for this talk. So far I have learned to how google and use stackoverflow.

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Rukia •

Glad you benefited from it Jane!!

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Crystal •

I've been looking forward to this talk all day! :)

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Jennifer Bradford •

this is brilliant!

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Rachel Novick •

What an amazing panel! What great tips to think about the next time I debug (particularly with better ways to ask questions to others!)

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Bill Kearney •

Great job! Step-by-step so you don't become overwhelmed. Great tips!

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Rukia •

Thanks Bill. Glad you enjoyed it.

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Rachel Novick •

Yes! Stepping away is huge! There are many times when I just go for a quick walk and when I get back to my computer, everything is more clear!

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Rukia •

THIS ^! Exactly Rachel, almost every time.

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Maren Lilleberre •

I love this, Rukia! Great advice! :)

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Rukia •

Thank you Maren!

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Emmy | Pixi •

Love your talk and the clear steps you've laid out Rukia! Step 5 is maybe the most important step IMO. 90% of the time walking away from 20 mins helps me figure out whatever I'm stuck on.

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Rukia •

Thanks Emily! Yes, same here. Glad you enjoyed it.

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Kate •

Awesome presentation and talk @rukiaasm !! Really useful tips, thank you for sharing.

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Rukia •

Thank you Kate!!! Glad you enjoyed it.

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Sharetta Martin •

Loved it! I seem to stay stuck! Thank you Rukia for sharing these tips! Whew!

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Rukia •

I'm an expert at being stuck 😬 so i feel you! Glad you enjoyed it Sharetta!

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Casey Lynette •

RE: Step 2: "over-specifying" is something I had to learn the hard way. 'Be less specific' and know what you're really looking for is key!

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Eduardo Parra •

Loved the breathing exercise during the talk!

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Rukia •

We all gotta breathe a little more. Thank you Eduardo!

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Patty Chase •

That was an amazing talk! Such good advice that I will try to keep in mind as I move further into my coding journey!

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Rukia •

Thank you Patty. Yes, these steps help me at every level (newbie, jr, and now mid).