Forem: Domitrius

Has anyone used Apollo Server 2 w/ Prisma?

Domitrius — Fri, 05 Apr 2019 15:23:35 +0000

I'm starting a project I'd like to use for a workshop. (setting up to submit for a few upcoming conferences) Just looking for opinions/examples.

Thanks :)

From Retail to Bootcamp grad AMA

Domitrius — Sun, 16 Dec 2018 18:58:02 +0000

I worked in retail for around 7 years. Didn't go to college due to working two jobs right out of highschool. I attended a bootcamp, tried to build a startup, and landed my first role that I'm coming up on a year working at.

ASK
ME
ANYTHING

Testing in React

Domitrius — Sun, 02 Dec 2018 20:16:02 +0000

Looking for anyone interested in lending me their time to answer some questions I have surrounding testing React applications. I've spent some time diving into testing, it's fundamentals, and other resources surrounding testing React.

I'm building a small application for a meetup I'm hosting and would love to talk to someone who is currently writing tests with Jest & react-testing-library.

Appreciate it!!

Organizing yourself to start coding and stop preparing

Domitrius — Sun, 18 Nov 2018 21:20:24 +0000

A wildly undervalued topic (or at least so I've seen) surrounds getting yourself from tutorial watching, reading, and planning to getting your first code down and ready to start architecting your application.

Personally, no matter how big or small a project is anymore, I feel the pre project jitters. The constant voice who tells you to wait, learn some more, read some more etc before diving in.

You don't want to dive in and get stuck right? Or maybe you're worried about proving the imposter right.

Let's open up a discussion surrounding the actions you deploy to get yourself confident enough to crack open VSCode and get to work.

I'll start it off.

( I mainline React applications, so it has some specifics, but you can apply it however you'd like! )

Recently I've gotten super into using my Wipebook to sketch out the main design that comes to mind. Whatever I'm going to build there has to be an initial idea that hits that JUST MIGHT be the one.

From there, I'll usually start to break down each piece of the website into components. What's the component? Does it have children? What are they called? This helps me start to think deeply about where I'm going AND how I'm going to get there.

Then comes time to crack open the editor and NOT start writing the tough stuff. There is an endless amount of questions that need answers before feeling confident enough to start building things out.

What does each component need to do?

Where's the data coming from?

How am I handling the error or the success?

What about the time the user's waiting?????

Overwhelmed?? Me too.

So instead of worrying about the complicated pieces, I just start scaffolding the HTML. Then move on to thinking about the class names. From there I can start breaking my code into components and deeper and deeper you will journey.

You'll be shocked how much just doing this, puts you in a more confident mind set. Suddenly you have the start to your project more planned out than you had expected and even have some code written.

How about you Dev.to'ers? How do you start your projects?

Live Coding React fundamentals and projects

Domitrius — Sat, 10 Nov 2018 19:39:30 +0000

Recently I’ve been helping people through Twitter to strengthen their JS skills (specifically using the React ecosystem).

It’s been such a great way to empower myself and others, while getting my own core fundamentals nailed down.

I tweeted about possibly live streaming building a project, showing examples of different ways to write cleaner code, and all around building a community of vulnerability and learning. It received enough of a response for me to start taking it seriously.

I’d love to hear thoughts from my Dev peeps, you all are so awesome I’d love to finally give back.

I’m looking for topics and ideas. I have some good stuff I’ve planned up, but am always open to ideas!

How did you learn to flex your CSS muscles?

Domitrius — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 03:33:48 +0000

I'm about 4 months into my new job and it's been absolutely amazing. I've felt myself growing in problem solving, clean code, and all in all building out a product.

I was so nervous about the first job, thinking it was going to be insane to try and learn the underlying hard parts of JS (thanks a lot Will Sentance for proving me wrong). As I've been building out new things I constantly found myself reaching for a framework to make all my CSS woes vanish. Thankfully my boss has since challenged me to stop reaching and build out our current project with as much of my own code as possible.

It was here I realized the gap that was left in my HTML/CSS fundamentals by using frameworks so fast.

I'd now like to rewind and do my usual, throw a question to this awesome community.

What do you guys recommend for diving deeper into HTML/CSS -- more so CSS?

BONUS: I've been using a ton of flexbox (obviously). I've been seeing there's continued growth in browsers that support Grid. Do you guys think you only need one? Which? Both?

Let's discuss inspiration and tools to form a better design process

Domitrius — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 01:31:16 +0000

I've recently landed my first full-time Front-End development role while also recently landing a freelance job with a production company to help redesign the websites that support their company / shows.

I've been building my coding chops over the past 4 months and definitely am starting to get comfortable building out web apps without much of a design process behind it ie I might draw a small wireframe and run right into coding and piecing the site together as I go. It was here I started to run into the issue of just hitting the wall of piecing the design together as I go and not really delivering what I would call an enjoyable UI experience, or feeling like I could have prepared myself better.

I would love to hear this communities stories about how they started molding their creativity in design/ui, the tools you love to use and why, and just all around advice for someone trying to fill their exp bar.

Thanks Dev.to'ers :)

Best VSCode extensions for React / JS

Domitrius — Mon, 28 May 2018 04:30:54 +0000

Would love to build a nice list of useful extensions :) Have seen a few lists, but would love to see what you guys and gals use!

WANTED: Help me build a cool playlist for coding music

Domitrius — Fri, 18 May 2018 06:28:48 +0000

I enjoy anything lofi / electronic currently. Am definitely looking for suggestions of songs that help you trek through a session.

Definitely will build it on SoundCloud if anyone else would like it too.

Let's boogie.

Explain Redux's connect() and mapStateToProps like I'm 5

Domitrius — Tue, 15 May 2018 22:28:41 +0000

Would love to hear some different explanations around this piece of Redux! Thanks in advance :)

Describe the Road from Junior to Senior Engineer

Domitrius — Wed, 02 May 2018 09:08:31 +0000

In your words and or experience what ideals, understandings, and resources brought you from the entry level developer to senior level engineer.

Leveling up with good habits before your first job

Domitrius — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 08:00:26 +0000

Looking to discuss some ideas around best practices, fun ideas, and possible actions to take toward building good software dev habits. I very recently landed my first dev job with an awesome local startup. Within the first few interviews/meetings, we landed on the topic of the growing gaps left without proper entry level jobs / ways to obtain them properly.

For the last year since graduating my bootcamp I've constantly been on the lookout for ways to unite the community of growing career-transitioning developers, with lots of talent, but still unable to find their way into their first professional role.

In the following I will discuss ideas, strategies, and some action I would love to take in creating some movement for helping developers find their voice:

1.) Be as tentative to networking (with intention) as you are to learning new code and building projects. While you're building those projects, really pay attention to why you built your tool/projects, what your code is doing from the ground up, and how to communicate it inside your networking conversations. Understanding the vocabulary behind your actions is a super important skill and will get you to dig deeper into the code you write.

2.) Be as immediately involved in Open Source contributing as you possibly can be. It's intimidating trust me I know, so start small. Get your reading glasses on, kick back on your laptop, and just read through repositories. Walk your way through the project structure. Follow the structure and see how the code connects and what it's trying to do. From there, you can definitely find yourself a #first-timers-only or #beginner issue. (Don't know what these are?? Check em out! https://www.firsttimersonly.com/)

3.) I know you've heard 'build sites for local shops' and might have brushed that off with a 'yeah right, finding those is probably like finding a needle in a haystack"...but I can tell you right now, there are many businesses that aren't caught up with all of the new technological advancements and user experience a redesign in something like - insert new buzzword technology here - has to offer. This ties back into #1. Research. Network. Grow your portfolio/resume.

4.) Meetups are great and I highly encourage venturing yourself out into the scene and chatting up some local devs. You'd be surprised how many people in this field really are willing to go the distance in some conversation with someone new to the scene. But I do find where it can be hard to find your way into conversation at some meetups. The conversations can feel daunting as you hear word after word of things that fly way over your head. This is where I'd like to make the most difference.

I would love to start organizing a community around a Remote Meetup type group with:

Looking to host different focused events through a communication and community
based platform (looking at you Discord)
The topics can range anywhere from open discussion nights with topic focuses, to project based hack nights with focus on pair programming and proper team workflow.
Would also love to set up AMA's, discussion panels, and all around directed talks about the aforementioned topic of this article. (PLEASE reach out if you're interested in contributing in any way domitriusaclark@gmail.com)
All in all crowd source ideas from the people like myself who want to continue finding ways to unify the code community and make movements in the area of ever increasing distance between any graduation and an entry level job.

I will keep posting ideas to this as I think of them. Can't wait to see what this awesome community drums up!

Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to reach out and chat it up!