Forem: Meia

Learning is another full-time job.

Meia — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 23:00:25 +0000

Here is a list of all the tutorials I'm following on the side to try and keep up:

Codecademy's C# certificate for C# and ASP.NET review https://www.codecademy.com/paths/build-web-apps-with-asp-net/tracks/build-web-apps-asp-net-intermediate-c-sharp/modules/learn-csharp-classes/lessons/csharp-basic-classes/exercises/basic-review
Microsoft's Entity Framework Tutorial (db first, MVC Core) https://www.entityframeworktutorial.net/entityframework6/create-entity-data-model.aspx
Codin' Game's LINQ tutorial and overview https://www.codingame.com/playgrounds/213/using-c-linq---a-practical-overview/skip-and-take Note: This post was started a while back (~2 yrs ago), but never published.

Lessons from my first internship

Meia — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 22:59:44 +0000

results count. Review PR's (even if you don't understand them. just review them and ask questions). Close as MANY tickets as you can.
it's necessary to study for work after hours. especially if you're making a career change -- you want to learn on the side as much as possible.
verbal communication is key. know your terms--know how to understand and communicate what you need because even if you know code, most of the time people just want to verbalize it to you and have you understand.
record what you do. in your perosnal brag doc, record everything you're proud of (even the littlest things!). in another, record everything you've learned. in another, take screenshots of what you did.
working with legacy code is hard. there will be some code that's been there for ages that needs to be deleted, but no one does bc they're too afraid to. there is some code that might not make a complete amount of sense bc there weren't easier ways to do it back in the day. there is also some code that doesn't exist bc it was accidentally erased at some point. you can learn more about the code that changed by checking the blame on github.
for reviewing pr's -- going from smaller codebases (like yours, or colleagues) to a legacy codebase can be intimidating. if you don't understand, try going commit-by-commit and learning from there.

Note: This post was started a while back (~2 yrs ago), but never published.

I Understood! (Kinda)

Meia — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 22:55:35 +0000

learn what the ticket wants, not exactly what it says
you'll sometimes run into old code that some don't want to delete or mess with. code artifacts!
in pairing with someone on tickets, you might not understand everything. as long as you understood the gist, you're good.

one thing you can try and do:

try to reproduce what they did on your end. if you can't remember something exactly the way it happened, ask them!
look through the db to observe what tables are there and what columns you get. the columns will indicate to you what kinds of things get tracked. beware--some columns aren't really used anymore! the tables will indicate the purpose of the data.

Note: This post was started a while back (~2 yrs ago), but never published.

Staring At Code != Caring For Code

Meia — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 22:49:20 +0000

As an intern, sometimes it's hard to know what to do next.

Manager asked me to spend more time looking at the code.

I can spend all the time i want staring at the code, but all it does is cause anxiety when I don't know what's happening.

There are 2 ways to approach this problem:
1) Learn more about the language, framework

con: can go down tutorial hell
pro: you build confidence

2) learn more about the code you're looking at by pairing with someone on a PR review or tickets

con: the discomfort of being vulnerable to communicate and ask questions
pro: save up on time and confusion bc colleagues will likely know

Option 2 is necessary as an intern because the one thing you've got to get used to is feeling vulnerable as an entry-level developer. Odds are, your team WANTS you to ask questions rather than float along with duck syndrome.

Even in the worst case scenario, if you don't understand and the person you work with isn't helpful, it's still a good idea to get as much exposure as possible.

You'll never ever know everything! Everyone has to go through this process to grow. Might as well jump in and be kind with yourself.

Note: This post was started a while back (~2 yrs ago), but never published.

Lessons From 3 Months As A Dev Intern

Meia — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 18:43:29 +0000

During my coding boot camp, I once asked alumni what the best thing they took away from the program was. I was expecting they'd mention something from the tech stack they used. Instead, they all said the same thing: "Learning how to learn quickly."

Currently, I'm learning C#, ASP.NET, Entity Framework, and LINQ. I feel the same way I did when I was at square 1 in my boot camp. There are times I feel tempted to push myself harder because I feel uncertain about my skills.

To gain perspective, here are some things to keep in mind if you're just starting out in the field:

As long as you're learning, you're not doing poorly--ESPECIALLY if you've only been doing this for less than 2 years.
If you're learning a new language and framework on the job, a good manager and team likely understands. Mine definitely do--and for that I'm so grateful.
You can't skip steps. You've got to love learning. If you need to learn something--find a way. You can learn with accountability by studying with peers or by taking courses at a community college. You can learn independently through online courses such as Codecademy, YouTube, or FreeCodeCamp. You can also ask coworkers about tutorials they've used. There's a lot to learn, from the higher level to the lower level of programming.
It's important to find and appreciate others who believe in you. Whether it's a career mentor or a tech mentor, having someone to talk through some of your concerns as a professional developer will help in building confidence. Mentors and colleagues help reduce unnecessary stress in times you might be struggling to believe in yourself.
"Asking a lot of questions at work doesn't mean you're a burden. In fact, it helps you get up to speed so you can soon relieve your team of some of their work." This was advice from my mentor when I told her I was worried about wasting the time of more senior engineers with my questions. Additionally, learning from the company's code is equally, if not more, important than learning on the side. You can go down tutorials forever and still not learn if you don't apply it. There's so much to learning on the job than just programming itself, especially when it comes to company policies and team conventions.

I am grateful I have the best case scenario--my managers, team, and company is great; my mentors are amazing; and I have colleagues from underrepresented groups I can talk to for support. But even so, there are days I really wish I had more of a stronger background in CS. At this point, I am open to all possibilities. In any case, it's important to continue believing in yourself and growing.

A Recipe Page Made With HTML, CSS & Bootstrap

Meia — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 02:22:53 +0000

It's been a hot minute since I've last used HTML, but getting back on it was pretty fun!

Bootstrap is amazing as it helps make the page more responsive and fluid. Static styling with CSS was pretty simple and, within a couple of days of guided self-learning, I completed this recipe page!

The recipe page was fun to do because, in a lot of ways, setting any goal and breaking it down is like creating your own recipe. So to make a page by following my own internal "mental recipe" to stay on top of my goals, this project was meaningful for me.

Back in the day when I used to customize my Xanga pages, I would usually stick to the classic grayscale for my themes because it was too tedious to figure out a solid color scheme by trial-and-error. Today, it's pretty easy to look up color schemes to use for projects. I used this one.

So for my recipe page, I picked a color scheme that fit the recipe and the photo used. I enjoyed using a linear-gradient for the background to give the viewer a visual "hint" of pistachio. Very subtle, but effective.

For the recipe and photo, I used this site because it uses both cardamom and rosewater. The first time I made pistachio kulfi, it was for my boyfriend's parents. I tried to make it as close to the Indian way as possible, but my critics mentioned that, with the rosewater, it was "more Persian than Indian". Either way, they really enjoyed it, and I hope to make it again soon!

My First Post!

Meia — Sat, 30 Jan 2021 22:48:25 +0000

Hello, Dev World!

I'm Meia and I'm a budding software engineer from Oakland, CA. As a Filipina-American, my love languages are food, comedy, and music. I was drawn to this career for my love of math, learning, and games. My journey to this path is a bit untraditional, but more on that later!

I'm currently self-learning in a coding boot camp that aims to help womxn and womxn of color (like myself) fulfill their dreams. It's been a long time coming, but I finally feel like I am in the right place.

I'm excited to share my journey here with y'all!