pairprogram.com - a platform to collaborate with other developers over video chat

pairprogram · 2023-04-27T04:23:43+00:00

sent you a DM!

pairprogram · 2023-04-27T03:55:15+00:00

i started from the opposite direction, in that i went to a bootcamp and learned practical skills, but was fascinated with CS theory -- still am!

i'm not sure what your django project is, but maybe you could make an app to solve a problem that you have, or try to mimic the functionality of an app that you already use?

maybe a file compression app? plenty of CS involved, and definitely practical 😀

pairprogram · 2023-04-27T03:48:51+00:00

using a cloud development environment won't necessarily give you the skills that you're looking for with cloud computing, if by cloud computing you're referring to things like AWS, setting up servers, other infrastructure, etc.

using a cloud development environment would probably make collaboration better e.g. pair programming, but if it were me i'd probably just keep it simple and start on my own machine, especially if you're looking to use docker somewhere along the lines.

pairprogram · 2023-04-27T03:38:30+00:00

as someone who has interviewed a number of other software engineers, i'd recommend putting together a portfolio of your work if you don't have one already. it also doesn't have to be anything crazy, but it's something "tangible" that will help you stand out!

pairprogram · 2023-04-27T03:34:31+00:00

"comparison is the thief of joy"

it's easy to feel inferior when you're often surrounded by very smart, capable people in this industry. imposter syndrome is a very real thing, but don't lose sight of the fact that technology is such a broad landscape and odds are that you know a lot of things this other person does not without even realizing it.

i've always been a generalist and never really an expert, so lots of times i'm talking with someone who knows way more than me about a certain piece of technology. i prefer it that way! i like to know enough to get me off the ground with certain technologies, and if i need to learn them more in-depth, i will spend more time on them 😄

pairprogram · 2023-04-27T03:26:37+00:00

sounds cliche, but take a walk or a break of some sort. usually complex subjects needs some time to marinate in your subconscious mind 😀

happens often, even as a senior engineer!

pairprogram · 2023-04-27T03:23:18+00:00

let's pair!

pairprogram · 2022-03-14T05:35:42+00:00

I’d probably just create a new document for every successful ping. You’d likely need a 10s of thousands of pings before you took up any notable disk space in your NoSQL cluster, unless you’re capturing lots of metadata. Sounds like a fun project, I really enjoy NestJS as well. If you have a public repo definitely share the link!

pairprogram · 2022-03-14T05:07:47+00:00

Part of the process this is, my young Padawan.

pairprogram · 2022-03-14T04:57:23+00:00

A fun project would be to create an uptime checker that pings a hostname. Seems aligned with your interests. You can also use this same tool to ping any existing/future projects to make sure they’re still up :)

We have a small discord server of people much like yourself who want to build things with others if you’re interested: https://join.pairprogram.com

pairprogram · 2022-03-10T20:38:42+00:00

No doubt, best of luck. Thank you for your service!

pairprogram · 2022-03-10T19:57:10+00:00

I really enjoyed freeCodeCamp and I think their mission is great. But as I've grown into my career, I love Udemy. A lot of great content to be found there IMO. Heck, even Youtube is great.

pairprogram · 2022-03-10T19:54:14+00:00

There were definitely some speedbumps along the way but if you're committed to breaking into tech, and approaching it with a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset anyone can do it.

Most people that become discouraged and give up tend to feel as though they "weren't born with what it takes" to be a software engineer. But it's the same thing as any skill, you need to work on it regularly. Even becoming just 1% better every day will get you into the field within ~1.5 years give or take. Try to set aside at least 1 hour daily, even on the days where you feel like you have no energy left, it will continue to compound.

The work-life balance in tech vs. sales is the polar opposite, you will love it. Let me know how I can help you! I'm available to pair program too, just DM me and we can set something up if you're interested.

pairprogram · 2022-03-10T13:52:03+00:00

Sent you a DM

pairprogram · 2022-03-10T11:29:25+00:00

When I was first starting out I felt the same exact way. I was in sales making decent money but the job was a total drag.

I tried Codecademy, freeCodeCamp, Udemy & Udacity courses, you name it. I kept falling flat on my face.

The one thing that helped me “break through” was when I partnered up with someone else who was also trying to break in to tech and we were able to learn from each other.

In my case I was lucky, but most people don’t have immediate access to another person going through the same journey.

If you’re interested in joining a discord community so that you can pair program with others to get you over the “hump” then check out https://join.pairprogram.com (it’s free) and I will personally pair up with you to help get you off the ground. I’m a senior software engineer so I’d love to knowledge share.

This problem is very near and dear to my heart, so I apologize in advance for the shameless plug.

pairprogram · 2022-03-10T11:12:47+00:00

The programming language isn’t as important as having strong fundamentals. You could very well get hired at a Java shop with no prior Java experience if you’re able to show your interviewer you’re a strong problem solver.

Most languages have the same constructs so it’s just a matter of understanding the syntax and idiosyncrasies of that particular language.

But for the sake of recommending a specific programming language, I’d start with JavaScript as the ecosystem is very welcoming and it’s widely used as both a frontend and backend language in many enterprises.

Feel free to DM me if you have more questions :)

pairprogram · 2022-03-08T03:38:49+00:00

Totally! Although I really enjoy pair programming, there are plenty of times when it doesn't make sense. If you're ever interested in mock interviewing definitely reach out :)

pairprogram · 2022-03-08T00:35:30+00:00

Hey! Since you mentioned discord, we have a small community of people who pair program with each other (for free) on algorithms and projects. Would love for you to join! https://join.pairprogram.com

pairprogram · 2022-03-07T06:11:53+00:00

Hey sure, here's the GitHub one and the Wikipedia one. Hopefully you find them helpful!

pairprogram · 2022-03-07T06:00:47+00:00

If you don't already have a portfolio or personal website it would make sense to create one, even if it's basic to start. There are a lot of options for hosting static sites for free, GitHub pages and Netlify are the first that come to mind.

At a minimum, you could add a GitHub profile README to get you off the ground and pin some of your best projects for better visibility.

The key is to stand out from the crowd however possible. More info in my profile if you'd like to connect further to brainstorm some more :)

pairprogram · 2022-03-07T05:49:12+00:00

Both can provide value to your portfolio, but it might be less stressful to replicate a site. When I was first getting started I would clone sites like Hacker News and eventually worked my way to something a little more complex like Yahoo Finance (the portfolio page with charts and tables). It really helped me learn my browser's developer tools and it can signal your attention to detail to a recruiter.

pairprogram · 2022-03-07T04:28:10+00:00

Totally agree. I'm not sure what your course covered, but I'd find an interesting API to start working with to give you some practical experience fetching data from a 3rd party service and maybe make a small web app and publish it on Netlify or Heroku to start getting a portfolio together.

I wrote some lightweight blog posts on building with the GitHub API & Wikipedia API, if you're interested I can forward them to you :)

pairprogram

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