The Learning Challenge Takes a Turn: Balancing Skill Development and Job Hunting
We all know that life can be unpredictable, and sometimes our best-laid plans need to be adjusted. Recently, I embarked on an ambitious 173-hour learning challenge to boost my web development skills, intending to complete it in two weeks. However, due to external circumstances and the stress of being laid off, I’ve had to slow down and shift my focus to job hunting. In this article, I’ll share how I’m balancing my learning goals with the need to find a new job and the progress I’ve made so far.
The Importance of Adapting to Change
When faced with sudden changes in our lives, it’s essential to recognize the need to adapt and adjust our plans. In my case, the stress of being laid off made it necessary for me to allocate more time and energy to finding a new job. I’ve continued to work on my learning challenge, but at a slower pace, allowing myself the space and time to create a compelling cover letter and resume for front-end development positions.
Striking a Balance Between Learning and Job Hunting
Finding the right balance between developing new skills and searching for employment can be challenging. Here are some strategies I’ve employed to help me manage both tasks effectively:
- Prioritizing job applications: Dedicate specific blocks of time each day to search for job opportunities, tailor my resume and cover letter, and submit applications.
- Setting realistic learning goals: While I initially aimed to complete my learning challenge in two weeks, I’ve recognized the need to be flexible with my timeline. I’ve adjusted my goals and given myself permission to take more time to complete the challenge, focusing on quality learning rather than rushing through the courses.
- Daily progress updates: To keep myself accountable, I’ve been sharing daily updates on my progress with my learning challenge and job search. This helps me stay motivated and focused on my goals.
- Leveraging what I’ve learned: As I progress through the courses in my learning challenge, I’ve been applying the new skills and knowledge to my job applications, showcasing my growing expertise in web development.
Learning Challenge Progress
Despite slowing down, I’ve made significant progress in my learning challenge. I did finish one and a half of the additional Git courses and I retook the assessment and got an increased score putting me in the 76th percentile this time — still just Proficient Above Average, though.
I plan to continue learning by digging into the HTML, CSS, and Javascript classes but I plan to do so while using those to build my portfolio. I’ve already started doing this with what I know and some Google searching. You can see how far I am at kez.to/gitsite. I’m copying what I have on my WordPress site and building it up even further. My goal is to have a website that is like a scrapbook of ME — not just a resume, but the fun stuff too.
My new goal is to have these assessments all finished by the end of the month. The less-than-perfect “Proficient” score, even if it was above average, took the wind out from under my sales a bit. That plus the stress of being without an income… equals an emotional state in which I need to slow down.
Adapting and Moving Forward
While it’s essential to set ambitious goals and strive to achieve them, it’s equally important to acknowledge when circumstances change and adapt accordingly. By balancing my learning challenge with the need to find a new job, I’m building a strong foundation in web development that will serve me well in my future career. The journey may be taking longer than initially planned, but the end result will be worth the extra effort.
