Forem: Jasterix

I was recently diagnosed with a chronic illness. Now what?

Jasterix — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 18:49:25 +0000

I learned the news a few weeks ago now and I still can't come to terms with it. I'm off from work to deal with the fallout of the diagnosis. But for the first time in my life, I feel like I have no direction. My future is cloudy. What happens to my career journey? How do I communicate this to others? How can I regain my confidence?

My illness is something that will affect my quality of life. I'm in therapy but it's all about accepting things we cannot change and learning to cope. I have no energy for anything. I'm scared I'll be laid off and lose health insurance. I'm scared I won't be able to code or work as a SWE after only 2 years. I'm scared that people will look at me differently. I'm scared I did this to myself by overworking. I'm scared of too many things.

Has anyone else been through this? If so, how did you come to terms with it? How did you continue your life as you knew it?

Thanks.
J

Photo by Anni Roenkae: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-multicolored-illustration-2832382/

9 awesome interview prep resources for software engineering

Jasterix — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 21:44:20 +0000

Put this list together because someone asked for some interview prep resources. This is not meant to be inconclusive and little research went into other options. This is a list of resources I have personally used in the past.

Leetcode Explore- https://leetcode.com/explore/
Binary Search (group study)- https://binarysearch.io/
Educative- https://www.educative.io/courses/grokking-the-coding-interview
Exercism- https://exercism.org/
Pramp (mock interviews)- https://www.pramp.com/invt/wZqG1pO7v8uJYgqjVnQL
- disclaimer: this is my referral link, which will give both of us 1 additional interview credit
Interview Cake- https://www.interviewcake.com/
JavaScript data structures and algo Udemy course- https://www.udemy.com/course/js-algorithms-and-data-structures-masterclass/
Emre's coding patterns blog posts- https://emre.me/categories/#coding-patterns
Youtube channels
1. Neetcode- short explanation vids- https://www.youtube.com/c/NeetCode
2. CS dojo- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBZBJbE_rGRV8D7XZ08LK6z-4zPoWzu5H
3. Back to Back SWE- Great breakdown vids. Dynamic programming- https://www.youtube.com/c/BackToBackSWE
4. Byte by Byte - comprehensive list of video reviews- https://www.youtube.com/c/ByteByByte -- I also found the free "50 questions to know" guide helpful

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Top 3 things you like about being an engineer?

Jasterix — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 22:23:35 +0000

This delightful question came up on a recent survey at work. Not job specific but something that was in my Team's notifications.

Now I'm curious to hear others' answers.

My answers:

Hacking away at a problem and coming up with creative solutions
Writing the code to make that solution real
Iterating on feedback to make the solution better

These are also the top 3 things I liked about being a consultant and founder.

How alike are we in this particular field?

What are the top 3 things you like about engineering or working in tech?

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Obsidian.md trouble in paradise

Jasterix — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 23:41:54 +0000

Not to long ago, I made this post soliciting recommendations for note taking apps and y'all came through!

My top 3, recommended by the lovely people below were:

RemNote by @dgeisz
Obsidian.md by @terabytetiger
Bear by @jackkeller
- note: I should prob mention that Bear is only for Apple devices, my work is 99.99% in a Windows environment, and my phone is Android. But that UI is too. damn. sexy to leave off this list

Since the RemNote desktop was a little glitchy, I decided to keep an eye on it and started using Obsidian as my daily app. Since then, it's pretty much been smooth sailing. I found some great extensions and upped my productivity by with daily notes and rollover to-dos.

Yesterday, things suddenly took a turn. I clicked on one of the shortcuts to open my daily note, and everything was gone. My activity tracking, items for review and follow disappeared. Obsidian had overwritten my daily note with a brand new file.

Today, things got 10x worse when I restarted my computer, opened Obsidian and found that most of the folders had disappeared. I was able to mostly restore them. But the latest files were not in their latest state.

The likely culprit - the new Live Preview editor.

I turned it on this week and it's been chaos since. However I'm not too keen to find out.

And so the hunt for my next best note taking tool continues 🥲

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Anyone else feeling exhausted all the time?

Jasterix — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 02:55:39 +0000

Is anyone else feeling burned out? I've been trying to wait out the virus when, really, this seems like the new status quo. I was really looking forward to leaving the house and travelling somewhere during December, but instead, I'm taking an extended staycation.

But four days into my staycation, I'm still. so. exhausted.

How's everyone getting through this pandemic? Any tips for getting through the next 6 months? I've been in quarantine since March 2020. And the thought of staying in the house for another 18-24 months is damn near horrifying. This is me speaking as an introvert who loves to travel.

What are the first 10 apps you install on a new computer?

Jasterix — Sat, 18 Dec 2021 21:33:53 +0000

I recently bought a new MacBook and don't know where to start. I learned how to code on a used MacBook Air and installed everything from any list of apps I found online.

But after random keys stopped working, it felt like a good opportunity to put my that old thing away and get more comfortable working in a Windows environment.

Instead, I just found myself writing less code because logging onto my Surface felt like work.

But now that I've bought a new MacBook, I don't really know how to kick things off again.

I installed the basics:

VS Code
Git
Bear and RemNote
Top Notch

But after that, I'm drawing a blank.

My old laptop was decked out so much it was running out of space. But this new one is precious. It deserves only the finest apps. This is why I'm seeking some inspiration from the Dev community.

What are your top 10 apps for a fresh MacBook?

If you had to chooser only 10 apps, what are fave apps for coding, productivity, or anything else that brings you joy? Nothing questionable or that's impossible to remove down the line.

Updating the list as I rediscover some old faves:

VS Code
Git
Bear / RemNote / Tab Notes
Top Notch
Node
Postman
Homebrew
Chrome
Discord / Slack

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What's your favorite notetaking app?

Jasterix — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 20:09:58 +0000

Since starting as a full time SWE, I've found myself using multiple note-taking apps:

Notion. Mostly use for meeting notes. I love the organization and search features. I love that you can add attendees and other properties. But the tablet app is painful to use with a stylus. And because it's so structured, I'm less likely to add notes that don't fit in a predefined section.
Samsung Notes. For daily tasks and reminders. This replaced the Cambridge Quad notebooks I used to buy in bulk. I bought a Samsung tablet, and now I'm stuck. The handwriting recognition is the best of multiple apps I've tried. Unfortunately the people at Samsung make it impossible to access and edit your notes on desktop or the web.
OneNote. Which I've been trying to use because it's there and easy to save random screenshots to. But the lack of basic editing features and plugins sucks. The forced notebook and page structure is also pretty limiting. I hate clicking around to find notes and the view easily feels cluttered.
Random sticky notes. For random thoughts, customer service case numbers, git commands to refer back to, etc.

I would love to use one app that does everything these 4 apps do:

Organize my notes into groups and structures that I can easily search and get back to
Be workable on tablet. I'm not asking for much here. Just let me take notes. Recognize my handwriting and let me edit on desktop or the web.
Simple interface that doesn't inhibit random notes or reminders I want to jot down.

Someone suggested Obsidian. Never used it before, but would love to get some feedback from those who have. If there's another app that you swear, please let me know!

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3 more apprenticeship programs to consider

Jasterix — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 00:36:45 +0000

Twilio Hatch
- This is a 6-month software engineering apprenticeship program with a diversity focus. It's geared towards underrepresented minorities and non-traditional developers (bootcamp grads, self-taught, etc).
- Apprentices can expect to be paired with "an engineering manager with support from one or more technical mentors". Unlike most apprenticeship programs, this program hires apprentices in full-time positions (rather than contractors) and provides additional support for them to thrive. If you're interested in applying to Hatch, you can reach via this email: hatch@twilio.com.
Pinterest
- Another 6-month apprenticeship. I'm not sure if the Pinterest apprenticeship has been postponed due to COVID or terminated completely.
- The apprenticeship website is no longer up, though you can learn more about it from the 2020 blog post referenced above. I would say keep an eye out for the next cohort.
Airbnb Connect
- Connect is a 6-month program for nontraditional developers. If you're self-taught or a bootcamp grad, this is a great opportunity to get your foot in the door.
- While the last Connect cohort was listed as 2020, the program might be on hiatus due to the Coronavirus. According to TechCrunch, Airbnb canceled internships, laid off contractors, and delayed hiring junior devs last year. But keep an eye out for any 2021 updates!

WTH is a ConfigurationBuilder?

Jasterix — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 23:54:02 +0000

OOP is hard. In my case, it's hard because it's a totally new way of thinking, everything is interconnected, and everyone assumes you know the basics.

I don't.

Know the basics.

Over 6 months into my SWE career, I still find myself scratching my head at common OOPisms. Sometimes it's just a matter of getting unstuck enough to make progress with my stated goal. But often, I find myself tempted to unravel and unravel until I get to the root of my question.

This is an even more pronounced issue when we're talking about company code. Not only do I need to understand the general OOPisms, but also how they do or (more often than not) don't work with the way we write code.

We have many internal libraries that weave in and out of the general workings of OOP and .Net. Some of these libraries are fundamental to any tool that we build. So much so that a basic concept inevitably becomes more complex because to understand what the library does means taking the time to understand why the library exists. But going down that rabbit hole often leads back to the start of this madness.

It's like looking up the definition of communication only to find "the act of communicating". While true, that definition is useless to someone who doesn't know either word, aka me. It's useless to me.

What spurred this rant?

you're probably wondering. Get to the point already.

It all started with auth. But also logging. Dependency injection. And just getting and app started at the most basic level.

I ended last week working on some basic auth for a dummy app to test something pointless. No expectations.

I started the most recent library to implement one requirement--logging. It's a dummy app, with no external classes or anything else. Easy peasy. ..?

But 2 hours later, I'm asking myself, what the heck is a ConfigurationBuilder?

Why are ConfigurationBuilders everywhere? And why are there a million flavors to them? Which flavor applies to this situation? When do I need a new ConfigurationBuilder vs ConfigurationManager or a LoggerConfiguration or CreateDefaultBuilder()? What items will require some configuration builder?

I've passed by this question several times before this point. But now I need to dive deep. My question list is getting to be unmanageable.

Sorry to disappoint..

If you clicked on this post with the same question, I have nothing else to offer but that I see you and I feel your pain.

This was mostly a rant. But I'm also hoping someone might have a simple response. Most resources (MS docs, YouTube, Stack Overflow) jump into using one flavor or another without explaining the basic premise-- What is a ConfigurationBuilder?

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Exploring git sparse checkout

Jasterix — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 16:10:42 +0000

get the remote url:
git config --get remote.origin.url

remove the remote url:
git remote remove origin

enable sparse checkout:
git config core.sparsecheckout true

add the remote:
git remote add -f origin https://github.com/git/git.git

select the directories you want to checkout:
echo /wiki/tools/ >> .git/info/sparse-checkout

pull from the remote:
git pull origin master

resources
using git sparse checkout: https://briancoyner.github.io/articles/2013-06-05-git-sparse-checkout/#:~:text=Using%20Git%20Sparse%20Checkout%201%20Create%20a%20directory.,You%20should%20now%20have%20the%20contrib%2Fcompletion%20directory.%20

git docs on sparse checkout:
https://www.git-scm.com/docs/git-sparse-checkout#_full_pattern_set

getting your remotes: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/questions/how-to-check-the-remote-origin-url-of-a-local-git-repository

Writing a PR description

Jasterix — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 23:38:25 +0000

This isn't going to be an in-depth article or all that technical. But I've been itching to write over the last couple of weeks and this 30-min article is short enough to finish in one sitting right after work. My brain is at that perfect level of fatigue, where the words still come easy, but the thought of reading pages on a topic feels painful 😪

Last week, I made my first PR for my first feature. After weeks of learning, video watching and question asking, I created a new Azure function that logs hello, world to the terminal.

My PR description said as much:

Creates Azure function

Logs hello, world

Simple. Right?

But then I got PR comments.

The comments themselves weren't the issue, but my logic was. I assumed everyone, being familiar with the "hello, world" approach, would understand this PR was the basis for the Azure function that was to come. Not realizing that even in the shell of a project, decisions have been made-- how to set up the code, what conventions are followed, what triggers make sense etc etc.

So I took a step back, read the comments, stepped away again, re-worded the description, read the comments and then read some PRs and then read the comments again.

Reading the other PRs was the most illuminating. Re-reading the comments at each step helped me piece together what information the reviewer needed. Reading the other PRs showed how different devs approached this.

While short, most of the descriptions were helpful to a new set of eyes. Assuming 0 knowledge of the PR or the associated feature, they offered enough information for the reviewer to proceed.

PR description template

In addition to commit small, frequent PRs, this is the PR template I have so far:

This PR will accomplish _____
This will in turn have _____ impact on _____
Not included in scope for this PR is _____ because of _____

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How do you stay engaged during technical talks?

Jasterix — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 14:53:46 +0000

I recently started my first dev role. There's a lot to learn. To help me rampup, my team has been great in scheduling one-on-ones to explain tools our team uses. In addition to that, we also have a library of past tech talks, as well as bi-weekly knowledge shares, demos, and design reviews, all of which are recorded.

I've been rewatching the most relevant to absorb the information. However, I've noticed that people are following along during the actual talk and asking insightful questions during Q&A.

On the other hand, I can actively listen during the first 10-15 minutes, after which my brain does one of these:

There's a lot of information shared during each 1-hour presentation. It's hard to keep up and take notes during. But rewatching hours of video will be harder as I take on more responsibilities.

Question:

How do you engage and stay engaged during technical talks? What strategies do you recommend for getting the most from these dense, technical presentations?

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