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Donovan
Donovan

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Code More by having a plan #CNC2021

Hi guys! I'm Donovan and I currently work as a receptionist answering a telephone for 40 hours a week at night through the weekend. I'm exhausted by the time I get home but I did tell myself I'd code for at least an hour everyday.

Background

I never really set out to make a career change. Years ago I would just make websites for whatever inside joke my friends and I had. Stuff like a fart soundboards or a homepage that'd play the John Cena entrance music like the Chrome extension Cenafy lol. Throughout the years I ended up learning a little bit more and I really just enjoyed making stuff people liked to interact with. When stuff got more complicated and I scoured the internet for my places to ask questions I found Dev.to I've been on it for a hot minute till Codenewbie forem launched. I never posted just because I'm scared in general of posting on the internet because I don't know ****. Who cares what I have to say, but I saw that everybody here seemed really supportive.

Progress

I joined the code more challenge. I would go through what everyone calls tutorial hell. A good amount of people mention that you need a portfolio especially if you're self taught. I have no projects, what the hell was I doing with all my time? So besides just coding more I just wanted to finish SOMETHING.

Takeaways, Learnings, and Growth

I'm not sure about you but there are times where I'd sit at a blank VS Code page. Mission 2 definitely helped me out because I never had a plan to begin with. If a coach were to have no game plan coming into a playoff series would be a loss. So I opened up my notes app with some ideas. I started with the easiest one. A static web page for a homey that just released an EP. I opened up Figma and just tried to make something. It looked super wack but I had an idea of what I wanted to do.

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The emails mentioned making a list of tasks and turning it into a schedule. I never used any Project management tools before but having a Trello board was helpful in lessening the down time I had.

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Sticking to it

Having a plan lets me stay focused on what I should be doing. I used to just do a Udemy course, do something else than get distracted by a Youtube video teaching something dope. Having something written down keeps me on track.

What's next for me

My goal was to initially make stuff for my portfolio. I'd like to continue that but I'm gonna try and be more active in the community. I don't think I have much value to offer but I'm going to try.

If you somehow got through this thank you <3

- Donovan

Oldest comments (1)

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Ella (she/her/elle)

Hey @donokun Thanks so much for sharing your story here. It can be tough transitioning careers, especially when you're exhausted from your daily grind, but an hour a day to invest in your future self is such a smart move!

It really encourages us to hear that CNC2021 missions have been helping, too.

Totally appreciate your honesty regarding feeling shy to contribute, so please know that your contributions are valued. There are plenty of lurkers out here. Simply by sharing your own perspective, you have the potential to change another person's whole life. You just never know...