Hello! It’s been quite a while since posting last. T’would seem that my transmission tower goes dead when in major transition. That I’m writing again must mean that the journey is a-settling.
The super-duper short, get-up-to-speed story is this: a year ago, I decided it was time for Major change. The rest of 2016 was spent learning to code: going to bootcamp, self-learning, and practicing.
Yup, I’m transitioning from Natural Professional mindful productivity coach to web developer. Why? Because it makes me happy, and that’s all I need. =)
Current status: I’m in the midst of the job hunt in the SaaS universe. For my lovely non-tech oriented readers, SaaS = Software as a Service which is pretty much every app you use these days. Yup, all those programs you use that live in the cloud, for ex. Gmail.
Yesterday I survived my first technical phone screening. This is where an engineer at the company you’re applying to gives you an algorithm challenge and then watches you sink or swim.
In my mind, I was ready to come busting out of the gate with brilliant ideas, clean code and insightful edge cases. I’d get to the passing green tests with a smile on my face, spirits high, and ready for the next thing.
Maybe next time.
He gave me the challenge. I set up the test environment (great!) and then took a moment to ponder my approach to the algorithm.
And another moment. Please?
And another. Really? Nothin’??
He suggested doing a smaller version of the problem, which I did. And…. Time up! Got passing green test on that. Not much consolation.
Brain will party in its own time
This morning, laying in bed, Bam! I start mentally whiteboarding.
Wait a sec… wait a sec! I think this could be it! I jumped up, ran for pen and blank paper, hopped back in bed.
Yes, there’s something here. Three loops nested. I don’t even know what I was trying yesterday.
Sketched out first loop,
sketched out the second loop within first,
and the third loop within the second.
So simple!
Dying to know, I popped open my laptop and transferred chicken scratch to screen. There were a few things for adjustment but the logic was sound.
Test passed.
Added edge test.
Passed.
Let it be easy, motto of the Century
That’s how the brain works.
Good: If a problem is within reach, Brain’ll figure it out on its own. It likes space.
Bad: Banging head against the wall. Pushing and pushing. Struggling and getting frustrated.
For those new to the blog, our motto here for the last gazillion years has been: Let it be easy.
This lesson has been a long time coming: When something’s hard, let it rest, it’ll be easier after a night’s sleep. Depending on the nature of the problem, it may need a few nights’ sleep.
Makes life soooo much easier in the problem-solving department!
Not sure how this jives with the interview process, LOL.
Look, I can’t make brain go faster.
What does make it go faster is doing more problems.
More reading.
More unrelated learning.
Each new experience firing neural pathways in the brain. This is growth.
In a year, you’ll throw me this challenge and I’ll whip it out in a flash. AND, there will be other challenges that will require overnight processing power.
What is there but to Accept?
Life lessons of late have everything to do with acceptance.
Acceptance is such an interesting dynamic to invite into the midst of life transition let alone when entering a new industry feeling at a total disadvantage.
Female (hello, implicit bias!).
Bootcamp grad (“must have CS degree”!).
Age…. (Let’s just say over the average age Silicon Valley employee age of 28.)
Honestly, I don’t know why I don’t feel more dejected. LOL.
All the meditation I’ve done over the last decade must be paying off.
Or I’m staying adequately amped on caffeine.
Or I’m trusting the Knowing that somehow, someway I’m on the right path.
Somehow, someway I’ll connect with the right company.
Somehow, someway I’ll connect with the peeps who appreciate my coding skills as well as the creative entrepreneurial mindset that I bring to the table.
Let’s close this out with a most curious observation:
Right now, in the midst of crazy huge life-transition and the bewilderment of entering a new industry, I have a stronger, deeper, more solid confidence in what I bring to the table than I did after 10 years as a freelancer coach.
If that doesn’t indicate Right Path, I don’t know what does.
Loves to you.