Why I signed up for 100 days of code
Chasing climate action barefoot … won’t get you far.
Quitting my coding bootcamp. Who does that?
It’s been a few weeks since I put my coding Bootcamp on hold. Why would someone voluntarily quit an in-person coding school, being only 6 weeks away from graduation? It took me several months to learn the fundamentals of Javascript only to pass the technical interview and get accepted into the program. Treating my career as a product influenced me to switch the priorities.
I kept asking the questions “why”.
Why was I becoming a web developer after having a career in investment banking, sustainability management, education, and even teaching yoga? I needed to learn a few programming languages to continue my professional growth in sustainability without compromising my own financial health. The short answer is, I was learning web development to get a job in a startup that does good things for the planet.
As I was getting closer to the finish line, I was becoming aware of the reality of the job search as a recent bootcamp grad. Too many friends from the prior cohorts were struggling with finding a job for months after graduation. Most of them were settling for any entry-level job as a web developer, which did not excite me. Also, I was running out of savings and needed a job right away.
This is why rushing to graduate did not make sense to me. Thankfully, my school also has an online option, so I’ve decided to complete the remaining 20% of school work online. For my specific career goals, building a stronger portfolio was more important than just getting a job.
The New York vibe will keep you on your toes. I learned how to be frugal, however, that wasn’t enough. It is one of those places that will treat you accordingly, based on how you feel about yourself. When I didn’t feel certain about what’s next, I trusted that everything will work out if I show up in the right place. Or, if I at least keep showing up in many places, in case if one of them could be that right place. When an opportunity appears, grab it just in case. So, instead of panicking and feeling embarrassed for leaving campus, I opened up to networking. I applied to participate in the Next Gen Cohort within the upcoming Lesbians Who Tech Conference in October, and got accepted! I was excited to join the supportive community coming together in thousands under one roof. For three days, I got the thrills from the enthusiastic speakers, women I can trust celebrating each other strengths and potential…
…Potential that evolves into accomplishments once it's given attention.
The romanticization of my life purpose
The unexpected thing about it was that I finally got to use my knowledge and skills from the career that I have paused — Sustainability Management and Climate Action. In the past few years, this ex-career of mine has shaped itself into the equivalent of an unattainable romantic object. The more I chased it, the more it got away from me. To merge my passion with living a life of a global citizen, which was to conserve what is left on the planet and protect living beings from the effects of climate change, I have explored an overwhelming number of career paths.
And then, I stopped. I have given enough time to volunteer, intern, organize events in sustainability, attended over a hundred conferences on the subjects including water access/quality, food waste, plastic pollution, deforestation, renewable energy, carbon capture, to name a few. I spent a year serving AmeriCorps through a fellowship at The Parks Department, which counted as an experience at the city agency, and I got to use an email ending in .gov. The choice to stop romanticizing my career was pivotal for the very career I kept chasing. The analogy between the relationship with a lover and a relationship with a career is striking. As much my passion led me to the depths of attempt, a pragmatic look at my actual skillset was what I was missing.
Interestingly, just like with a typical love life dynamics, the moment I started focusing on myself, specifically, on personal financial sustainability, “the one who got away” came knocking on my door. Not only my old career wanted me back, but at this time, it wanted to properly compensate me!
Well, it’s been great. The resurrected career, my “first love” in the professional context, swept me off my feet. The first two months I was on cloud nine. My old career in sustainability and I made sweet new plans about the future together. I could finally play so many roles by wearing different hats in this project, things would never get boring!
My next phase in “The Pattern” is letting go of illusions
In my mid-30’s, however, what I appreciate the most is an expanded capacity to integrate the lessons learned. This wisdom will not let me stay naive and hope that somehow things will work out, as long as I am passionate about the cause. It is time to get proactive and take care of my needs first. This is why I am looking ahead, and equipping my skillset with the tools for success.
The intriguing security of a career in web development
Coding is a wonderful skill that provides security to support the passion to save the environment. This is the reason I got myself into a coding Bootcamp in the first place — to learn the skills of the tangible future. In addition to my idealistic vision of the beautiful tomorrow, where the resources are managed effectively, the air is clean, water is available to all, and we still have the bees, I need provide food and shelter for myself and my family. Now, I am back in my online learning program, tackling JavaScript.
Turning a commitment into a ritual
Since I have decided to add web development to my list of careers, I kept hearing about a commitment to 100 days of code. I hope I am not alone in feeling intimidated by both the length of this commitment, and the uncertainty of being able to produce consistent results.
Wait, what do those consistent results look like, anyway? What are the rules for 100 days of code? When I have decided to join this challenge, I assumed that as long as I am doing anything, but showing up daily, that would do. So, I watched a tutorial during the Thanksgiving holiday after coming home past midnight. Apparently, I was doing it wrong. There are rules, and one is to code for one hour daily. Another rule is to share the results publicly, preferably on Github, which helps not only with accountability but also shows your progress to the hiring managers.
Oh well, I do not regret taking a few days doing it my way. The main benefit of showing up is behavior change and building a routine. The behavior change that will stick to the commitment depends on the attitude towards it. For me, whether I will succeed is not the best way to goal setting. It sounds abstract and could add anxiety, which might interfere with the process. Will I keep going with this no matter what? This is the question I can say yes to, every day. At some point, just because repetition will wire my brain to the point of forming a new habit, showing up will be the comforting routine that brings nothing but positive emotions.
As I am learning something new every day, there might be a time when I won’t be understanding the concept for a while. Instead of allowing myself to get discouraged, I focus on showing up and being patient with myself. In the past few days, I kept watching the same tutorial before going to bed. Each day things made more sense, and this is the success that counts for me.
