Since finishing my B.Sc program last year, a lot has happened. Not things I even get to notice immediately but when I look back, I can definitely tell the difference. Working at Crackle Nigeria for the last year has required me to grow really fast — And thankfully so. It’s been a great opportunity for growth and to work among folks who are as enthusiastic about it as I am.

Owning the Project

There’s a difference between being a developer (writing some code) on a project and owning that project — Taking responsibility for that project. It’s always been a scary thing to venture into thousand line classes — I didn’t write — to make changes to business logic I don’t fully understand. Making changes to another developer’s code can be scary. What if I break something? Owning the project for me has really been a journey going from not understanding a piece of software, to becoming comfortable enough to read the code like I wrote it and make changes safely, to make changes — that may not have been requested — to make the user experience better, while meeting deadlines. It’s been a ride.

The Hustle For More Time

Torn between project deadlines at work, Udacity’s Android Developer Fast Track Nanodegree program — Andela’s paying for — that has its own schedule, taking an Intro to Machine Learning course on Udacity and the occasional heartbreaking Manchester United game, I find myself looking for that extra bit of energy at the end of the day and wishing I could get an extra two hours to get stuff done. I’m not the most efficient person — I’m not even close — but the key is to see this too as a journey. The need to optimize my sleep schedule and get more workout time has never been so dire.

In conclusion, I choose to see it all as a journey. I’ve promised to learn a lot this year. At the end of the first quarter, I’m not disappointed. I’m not impressed either. I’m hoping that by writing about my experiences and seeking advice from other people who I know have been in this position, I can learn and get better.

Thanks for taking time out to read this episode of my seemingly constantly random posts.

Cheers!