Tech Degree Marathon
July 23rd 2018 permalink
That date is when I was enrolled in Treehouses Tech Degree Program. Its amazing to think about how far I've come as a person, and developer in that amount of time. Since July 2018, I became a father a two, I started a new job. Had 4 ER visits in my family, 4 procedures/surgeries. Three Inpatient stays, all while working full time and coding in my free time.
The Tech Degree took me longer than most people because of my situation. Most people can finish the Tech Degree between 3 to 12 months. I finished after 20 months. I couldn't have done that without the support of Treehouse's CEO and the Teachers/Student Success Team at Treehouse.
Three Take Aways from the Tech Degree permalink
ASK FOR HELP!
The biggest thing I have taken away from completing the Tech Degree, is ASK FOR HELP! I lost countless days, even weeks, struggling to figure out an issue with my code. Sometimes the error was as small as misspelling a variable name, or adding one line of code to my API. Asking for help can feel scary, but the success team is there to see you grow as a developer. 2. Daily Commitment
Daily Commitment
Small daily commitments to coding is how I did this. It may sound impossible or to hard. I would bring my laptop to work so I could code during my short 30 minute lunch. sometimes I would get 30-60 minutes in before the kids woke up (spoiler alert: Rarely happened this way), or I'd get time to code once they went to bed, and I was exhausted.
Finish what you started
Finishing, completing what you start. My journey as a Developer, I have seen many people say they have dozens of half finished projects. Developers love trying out the newest tech. I think being able to stay focused on the projects you already started and finishing those first before trying the new hot thing.
March 13th 2020 permalink
I completed the Tech Degree Program on March 13th 2020. That is 20 months after I started the Tech Degree. Sounds like a long time, but with a lot of grit I was able to push through the hardships and challenges. Learned a ton over the past 20 months. Its incredible what can be done just by committing one hour a day to something. 20 months ago I was stuck in tutorial hell, and pushed through to create 12 amazing projects. I also started my blog, and my portfolio site. I am incredibly proud of the work I have put into the program and would highly recommend
Whats Next?! permalink
With all this Pandemic stuff looming, I have continued to work in my local Emergency Department in Registration. With the current state of things, I want to do what I can do help the local community. I am still looking for my first Developer job, but right now making sure my family and local community are taken care of matters more right now.