La Vie en Code

Twitter is Where Tech Happens™!

When you create a Twitter account as a developer, you're effectively stepping into the tech community. You'll expose yourself to all kinds of helpful content (like the content I write!

In this episode, Nicole walks through your first steps into the developer world, and how you can align your goals with actions to get your first paying work!

If you're learning to code with the hopes of getting a job and launching a developer career, you know that there's like 500 things going on at once. There are a lot of folks out there telling you what to do and how to do it. But like, how do you choose which path to go? Where do you learn the skills? How do you apply for jobs?

Although the answers are complex, we can begin to pull the curtain back and welcome you to your first steps. Once you get the ball rolling and connect with your community, you'll have a much clearer idea of how everything fits together, and how you can turn your skills into paying work.

As always, I hope this episode will help you in your education and career.

In this episode, Nicole shines a light on what it really means to "think like a programmer", and highlights some of the traits of individuals who tend to think this way.

When I first began learning to code, it felt like some people just had more natural aptitude than I did. I had to wonder: what did they have that I didn't? Or did I have it in me, but I just wasn't channeling it properly?

It turns out, I'm quite the programmatic thinker! (You'll learn what that means in the episode) Being aware of powerful programmatic mental approaches and interpretations will also help you to hone this perspective, so you can improve them on an ongoing basis. You'll be able to notice the little things that newbie coders and advanced beginners tend to overlook.

I hope this episode will help you in your education and career!

In this episode, Nicole provides valuable advice for taking notes in a technical field—so you can maximize your information retention while learning!

We learn early on that note-taking can help us retain the information we encounter, but very few people actually know how to take good notes that work for them. I was a terrible note-taker, honestly. I'd often just write everything the teacher said, and totally not even listen to what they were saying. It was madness!

When new coders start out in this industry, it's difficult to know how you should be taking notes—and more importantly, what to even take notes on. Additionally, taking notes as a developer often includes code and diagrams to map out ideas.

Before you get caught up in the same cycle I did, noting absolutely everything you encounter, you should definitely listen to this episode. You might just be introduced to a new way of taking notes that could work for you, and supercharge your education!

As always, I hope this episode will help you in your education and career.

If you'd have told me 5 years ago that I'd WILLINGLY get involved with public speaking, I'd have laughed my ass off. For the longest time, I avoided, procrastinated, and generally flopped through required presentation material for school.

So what happened? Well, I'm more than happy to tell you in the episode.

Blank screen paralysis is a sucky experience. You're just sitting there, staring at the blank code editor screen, wondering what to do first. Unfortunately, this is a common place where new coders drop off, or choose not to challenge themselves and settle with more comfortable resources.

I have definitely been affected by this problem, because I often didn't have a clear first step. There are other reasons why we freeze up, and I want to help you understand what they are, and how we can work to overcome them together. ❤️

I hope you find this episode helpful for the next time you're not sure where to begin. Sometimes it's right in front of you, and you just need to take the time to find it.

Sharing is particularly important in the tech industry. Yet, so many coders—new and experienced—opt not to share their knowledge. Why is this? If it's fear, what are we afraid of?

In this episode, Nicole talks about some of the reasons we feel too shy to share our code or write a blog post on what we know, and how she's overcoming the urge to stay in a bubble.

Have you been wanting to share what you know, but there's just something stopping you?

Paralyzed and shameful at over the idea of posting your code for everyone to see?

Or perhaps you're already blogging, but it just takes a long time to get out your content?

And what if you don't want to share at all, but you're curious about how to start?

Sharing is incredibly important here, because we all learn from each other. When you learn, you use others' resources, right?. Things move fast here, and for this reason, we need to seriously consider teaching others what we know. It's kind of like our obligation.

I really wanted to take the time to explore what holds us back—particularly myself. Even though I've been blogging on tech topics since I began learning to code, eventually, things became rougher, and I had to ask myself why.

I hope this episode helps you to understand why sharing matters, what you can share, and how to get past the fears and anxieties that may be keeping you from speaking up and putting yourself out there!

Episode notes

Beta enrollment for my newest course, Newbie Coder Problem Solving School, ends on February 29, 2020! Initial feedback I'm receiving tells me that it's a game-changer for people looking to push through their code challenges and debugging with greater confidence.

Purchasing the beta will provide you text-based version of the course. The video-based version will be released on March 27, 2020. You'll receive access to the video-based content then, as well as all future updates to the content itself.

The beta text-based version is $97 through February 29th, after which the course will be entirely unavailable for purchase until March 27. And you should enroll NOW, because the price will be going up to $249 once the video-based version is available!

Learn more about the course here!

Enroll in the beta for $97!

Perfectionism isn't often discussed in its less favorable light, but it affects so many people learning to code (and just in life!)

In this episode, I discuss my own battle with perfectionism, how it's affected my life and work, and offer some tips to overcome it.

When you're first learning to code, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the veritable cornucopia of build tool options. Why are there so many? What do they do? What problems do they solve?

In this episode, we (not-too-deep) dive into Build Tools—specifically, Package Managers, Task Runners, and Module Loaders and Bundlers.

Learn what each of these tool types do, and briefly compare the different tools themselves. By the end of this episode, you'll learn the problems that they solve, and how to make your life easier by applying them to your development workflow.

Part 3 of 4, Nicole dissects the Web Developer Roadmap's Back-End section, bringing valuable context to the steps recommended for students seeking a career using Back-End technologies.

The Web Developer Roadmap by Kamran Ahmed (@kamranahmedse) has become a powerful resource for new self-taught web developers—especially those looking to change careers. But, what do all of these terms even mean? Why are they important? What happens if you don't know them?

What do you need to know in order to work in the web development industry? Where should you start, in terms of really understanding the concepts now, and down the road? What do all these weird-sounding terms mean??

In this series, we'll be pulling apart Kamran Ahmed's Web Developer Roadmap to help you visualize and contextualize your self-education journey. By the end of this series, listeners will understand the different subsets of web development, and what kinds of tools and resources you'll need to learn in order to get a job. If you're a new self-taught web developer, you'll definitely want to tune in!

The Web Developer Roadmap by Kamran Ahmed (@kamranahmedse) has become a powerful resource for new self-taught web developers—especially those looking to change careers. Having a guide for your education certainly helps! But, what do all of these terms even mean? Why are they important? What happens if you don't know them?

In the first week of a 4-part series, Nicole dissects the Front-End portion of the Web Developer Roadmap, explaining:

• The problems that each concepts solve for web developers
• Why you'll need to know them
• And how they relate to other concepts of web development

Don't worry, there are no specific programming languages mentioned in this episode! Just sweet, sweet context, so you can get on with your education and build confidence.

For episode links and additional resources (including The Web Developer Roadmap itself), visit the episode page at http://www.lavieencode.net/31.

The Web Developer Roadmap by Kamran Ahmed (@kamranahmedse) has become a powerful resource for new self-taught web developers—especially those looking to change careers. Having a guide for your education certainly helps! But, what do all of these terms even mean? Why are they important? What happens if you don't know them?

In the first week of a 4-part series, Nicole dissects the first section of the Web Developer Roadmap (labeled "Required for any path"), explaining:

• The problems that each concepts solve for web developers
• Why you'll need to know them
• And how they relate to other concepts of web development

Don't worry, there are no specific programming languages mentioned in this episode! Just sweet, sweet context, so you can get on with your education and build confidence. :)

For episode links and additional resources (including The Web Developer Roadmap itself), visit the episode page at http://www.lavieencode.net/30.

In this episode, you'll learn about problem solving, and how you can approach code challenges using a 7-step approach that will give you enough information to confidently solve your problems.

Many students overlook these crucial steps, or blow past them to begin coding—which really doesn't help them once they hit a wall and are unsure how to proceed.

So, if this sounds like an area where you could use some work, have a listen and become a more confident, competent problem solver in just half an hour!

For show notes and links, visit the La Vie en Code Podcast episode page at http://www.lavieencode.net/29.

Host Nicole Archambault learned to code in 2015 with Treehouse, one of the most popular video-based web development e-Learning platforms. Hear more about why she chose Treehouse over other platforms, how she got the most out of Treehouse's videos and community, and her own personal advice for leveraging Treehouse to land your first web development job.

For show notes, Tweetables, and links mentioned in the episode, check out the episode page.

Self-taught software developer and cloud computing enthusiast Andrew Cook helps web developers understand why projects are so important to their career, and how they can get started building their own!

I first met Andrew through CodeNewbie chats on Wednesday nights—my favorite night of the week—and we got to chatting about his work. I was really fascinated by a few aspects of his story.

First, he had made this career transition from the medical industry to software development. I'm always interested to hear someone's story when they make a big jump like that!

But on top of that, a consistent theme kept coming up in Andrew's story—and that theme was projects.

Andrew's true passion, as he'll tell you, is in cloud computing. When he began building his skills for his first job in web development, he still working as a paramedic.

During this time, Andrew began building projects to provide a publicly visible application of what he was learning. Those projects helped him to get his first job, and they've greatly benefited him since.

In this episode, Andrew tells us what inspired his first projects, what he did right, and what he could have done better. We also discuss some important topics for new web developers, like:

• Learning how to learn
• Where to find help when you get stuck
• Protecting your projects as you build them
• What employers are REALLY looking for when they ask about your projects in a job interview

So strap in for some Grade A-quality insight and advice from Andrew! (And myself... but mostly Andrew)

Show notes and Tweetables on the episode page at:
http://www.lavieencode.net/27

I just love getting to know fellow students from diverse backgrounds, who taught themselves web development! This week's episode is a Self-Taught Student Talk with fellow self-taught web developer Kalalau Cantrell (or "Kal", for short).

Kal entered the web development industry from a background in sound engineering, and teaching physics (!). I met him after reading his awesome article on the freeCodeCamp Medium page, "From Sound Engineer to Software Engineer—Why I'm Learning to Code".

In our conversation, Kal talks about his educational background in physics and sound engineering, the valuable skills he picked up along the way, and how he's leveraging his existing skills to power through his web development education.

For show notes and Tweetables, visit the episode page at http://www.lavieencode.net/26.

The number of online spaces for people of color in the tech industry is low, and they are few and far between. These communities are desperately needed for underrepresented groups to tell their stories and share their experiences in this industry, which tend to be very different from those of majority groups. Join Nicole for a chat with Michael Berhane, co-founder of People of Color in Tech (POCiT), a rapidly-growing website and community featuring... people of color in tech!

Listeners will learn about Michael’s experience becoming a full-stack JavaScript developer, the journey of their community from idea to their current iteration, our opinions of things like bootcamps and new developer resources, why it’s important to celebrate and center people of color’s experiences, and much more!

For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/25

New web development students focus on their skills as they transition into their new industry, but there is more to the industry than just the skills. Learn more about the topics that help build exceptional additions to the industry with special guest Kim Crayton. This 2-part conversation will help listeners understand why Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) matters to career changers, why it's a far bigger issue than just doing the right thing, and how to identify and avoid toxic environments.

Be sure to listen to Part 1 (Episode 23) before this episode, so you're not confused! Kim does a great job of covering a lot of definitions that are important to following the conversation.

For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/024-business-of-diversity-inclusion-in-tech-with-kim-crayton-pt-2

New web development students focus on their skills as they transition into their new industry, but there is more to the industry than just the skills. Learn more about the topics that help build exceptional additions to the industry with special guest Kim Crayton. This 2-part conversation will help listeners understand why Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) matters to career changers, why it's a far bigger issue than just doing the right thing, and how to identify and avoid toxic environments.

For show notes, transcript, key moments, and more information about Kim and where to find her, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/023-business-of-diversity-inclusion-in-tech-with-kim-crayton-pt-1

What do you do when you just can’t bring yourself to start or finish a course or project? Learning web development is a heavily cognitive endeavor, and motivation issues are largely standard. Learn how Nicole has identified and works to overcome her motivation issues, and pick up some tools of your own in the process. For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/022-choosing-motivation-while-learning-to-code

Hackathons can be a scary prospect for new web developers—but they don’t have to be. Nicole tells the story of her first hackathon (which her team won!), and debunks a lot of the myths surrounding hackathons. She highlights women’s hackathons, and why they’re so important to helping women gain confidence in their skills. Finally, she sends listeners off with actionable advice to bring to their first or hackathon. EPISODE BONUS: Download your free checklist “Your Trusty Hackathon Checklist” on the episode page at www.lavieencode.net/podcast/021-rock-your-first-hackathon. For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/021-rock-your-first-hackathon

What is deliberate practice, and how does it differ from “regular” practice? Nicole answers these questions and more, and discusses how you can become a better web developer by integrating deliberate practice into your learning routine. You’ll finish the episode with a new perspective on what it really means to practice something for improvement, versus just going through motions aimlessly. For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/020-improve-your-skills-with-deliberate-practice

Have you ever thought of what your career could be like without the constraints of others affecting your output? To have total control over your income potential? In this episode, Nicole talks about why she finally decided that she’d had enough of the company job/freelancing rat race, and instead sought out the entrepreneurship rat race. She takes a humorous, refreshingly honest approach to the challenges of trying to find your place in the web development/tech world, and offers some perspectives and advice for web developers who may want to pursue entrepreneurship for themselves.

For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/019-why-i-became-a-tech-entrepreneur

For the fourth and final episode of EdTech September, Nicole shares her tips for getting the most out of your e-Learning platform of choice. She goes more in-depth for each, explaining how they specifically relate to new web development students. You’ll come away from this episode with a better understanding of how your e-Learning platform and other EdTech resources can be best used to jump-start your learning—and keep you ahead of the game! EdTech September brings together for LVEC listeners key topics in the field of Educational Technology (EdTech). As a new web developer, you need to know how you learn most successfully, so you can apply that approach to everything you need to learn in the future. You also need to know how and where to best apply your tech skills in the Web Development industry. EdTech September involves both of these topics, by helping students understand their career opportunities in EdTech, and forming a deeper connection between learner and learning style. For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/018-tips-for-maximizing-your-web-dev-learning-experience

For the third episode of EdTech September, Nicole talks gaming and gamification, highlighting the vital role it can play in increasing learning engagement, and improving outcomes. She shares her experience with educational gaming as a kid, and how it shaped her future learning path. You’ll learn the difference between Game-Based and Gamified learning, how gamification works to make learning with non-game platforms more fun, and how YOU can maximize learning with gamification and games in your own projects. EdTech September brings together for LVEC listeners key topics in the field of Educational Technology (EdTech). As a new web developer, you need to know how you learn most successfully, so you can apply that approach to everything you need to learn in the future. You also need to know how and where to best apply your tech skills in the Web Development industry. EdTech September involves both of these topics, by helping students understand their career opportunities in EdTech, and forming a deeper connection between learner and learning style. For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/017-learning-with-games-and-gamification

For the second episode of EdTech September, Nicole introduces listeners to 3 of the fundamental theories of learning that fuel Educational Technology (EdTech): Behaviorism, Constructivism, and Constructionism. Understanding the theories of Behaviorism, Constructivism, and Constructionism helps us craft educational software that learners actually LEARN with. But perhaps more importantly, it can help you better understand TODAY how to better direct your learning, by being aware of the manner by which it's happening. EdTech September brings together for LVEC listeners key topics in the field of Educational Technology (EdTech). As a new web developer, you need to know how you learn most successfully, so you can apply that approach to everything you need to learn in the future. You also need to know how and where to best apply your tech skills in the Web Development industry. EdTech September involves both of these topics, by helping students understand their career opportunities in EdTech, and forming a deeper connection between learner and learning style. For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/016-fundamental-theories-of-edtech

Nicole talks about why she focused on an entrepreneurial career in Educational Technology, or EdTech, in 2017. But what IS EdTech? If you've learned to code using online services, tutorials, or courses—you've used EdTech to further your education. Educational Technology, in short, is the convergence of educators and technologists to promote education using the technology we're learning to build. Learn more about what it is, what it looks like, and why it matters. For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/015-what-is-educational-technology-edtech

WordPress is a great addition to your front- and back- web development education - especially if you're open to learning PHP, which already powers 80% of the web, and isn't going anywhere anytime soon. In this episode, Nicole provides some insight as to why new front-end web developers may want to consider growing their career skills with WordPress as a backbone. With a dip of the toes into advanced WordPress development topics like plugin development and Content Management System decoupling, this episode has something for everybody, and will hopefully spark your curiosity about the world's most iconic CMS. For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/014-newbie-dev-intro-to-wordpress-development

Mental illness is a key part of Nicole’s story as a self-taught web developer, and it thoroughly complicated the experience of teaching herself to code. Hear her personal story of struggling against anxiety, depression, and mood disorders while making the career transition from customer service to web development, and some valuable advice for pushing through the hard parts to keep your motivation going.

For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/013-when-mental-illness-affects-your-coding-goals

Writing about your experience learning to code can be a valuable, though challenging, endeavor. In this information-packed hour-long episode, Nicole talks about why it's a worthwhile exercise, and some critical things you'll want to consider before starting your own coding blog.

For show notes, transcript and links, visit the episode page at http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/012-how-to-start-and-keep-up-a-blog-while-learning-to-code.

What happens when you teach people how to learn, then teach them how to code, while putting THEIR needs at the center of your entire platform? Treehouse CEO Ryan Carson joins me on the show for an enlightening discussion around the intersection of technology and education, and how they tackle the enormous challenge of teaching students the skills they need to fill the millions of open software engineering jobs available today. For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/011-intersection-of-edtech-with-ryan-carson

Do you like tools? Who doesn't! This week, I share my top 10 web development tools—for my education, and for my freelancing. Pick up a new tool, and let me know what you think!

For full show notes and transcript, visit the La Vie en Code podcast episode page at http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/010-top-ten-web-dev-tools.

In this episode, we're going to take a deep dive into the DOM. Nicole explains what the Document Object Model is, what it looks like, and what we can do with it. And because we can't touch on everything, at the end of the episode, I'll provide some more resources for you to go forth and dominate the DOM.

Show notes, key moments, and links are available on the La Vie en Code website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/009-intro-to-js-dom

In this episode, I detail 10 things I've identified that new coders absolutely need to know before they begin teaching themselves the technical stuff. Why is this important? Every day, students start learning to code without any type of plan or goal. The end result is generally frustration, and eventual drop-off. Furthermore, many of these students are career changers, unhappy with their existing jobs, and unable to afford a loss. Everyone can learn to code, but it's not going to be easy, and I'm here to help set you up for success!

For show notes and transcript, visit the LVEC site: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/008-things-you-need-to-know

In this episode, I talk to my first in-person coding instructor and good mentor friend, George Mandis of Snaptortoise Development. George is a Portland, Oregon-based freelance web developer, who taught the first classroom-based web development bootcamp I attended when first learning to code, Code Academy at Mount Hood Community College. It turned out, I was already pretty advanced for the class, and he ended up being a great mentor to me!

For show notes and episode details, visit the LVEC Podcast site: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/007-lessons-from-code-academy-with-george-mandis

In part 2/2 of our interview, Barb and I talk about the value and power of career changers and self-taught coders, the concept of “second skilling”, why it’s important for anybody to learn programming principles, and we even get into some spicy discourse about the need to shake traditional academia free of well-meaning—but ultimately ineffective—teaching methods.

For show notes, key moments, and episode details, visit the episode page: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/006-science-of-learning-with-barbara-oakley-part-2.

In this two-part discussion, we welcome special guest Dr. Barbara Oakley, Professor of Engineering at Oakland University, to adapt some key topics from her record-setting Learning How to Learn and Mindshift Coursera courses and her new book (Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential) to self-taught web development students.

Nicole opens up about her first web development position, in a story about why expectation (vs. reality) matters, and how our newbie coder experiences can affect our future career choices.

Self-Taught Student Talks is a sub-series of the LVEC podcast, highlighting self-taught students' accomplishments. This week, we meet Casey Bartholomew, a self-taught front-end web development student juggling full-time work while learning to code.

In episode 2, Nicole discusses the different ways that self-taught web development students learn, and provides some tips for how to get the most out of your education by leveraging those styles in your respective learning environment.

For the inaugural episode of the La Vie en Code podcast, Nicole talks about her own journey in self-taught web development, and how her life lined up perfectly to take the career change plunge.