Category: Career

What I am up to these unsettling days

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The world is crazy, but I don’t let it deter me. I am a great believer in doing things during challenging times. So my brother and I are spending our spare (from work) time at Codewars and Hackerrank.

HackerRank

First, I returned to HackerRank to do some SQL, and I completed everything I found relevant to my current studies. It seems like from the lack of use I lost some of my SQL knowledge and I want to fix that.

My modest achievements at HackerRank

I plan to do much more with Problem Solving (there are a few data structures and algorithms I am not yet very familiar with). Maybe I will return and do more of Python, but at this point I just feel bored and uninspired.

SQL Academy

Then I jumped to SQL Academy, and I loved it, but it has too many bugs to my taste

UPD. 24.03.22 – I am a moron. I don’t see bugs, I just missed some details and therefore couldn’t successfully submit a few tasks. Now I bought a Premium account for $10 and realized my mistakes. I use it after I complete the tasks to see how a DB expert would solve it. Can’t wait to finish the task list by end of the week (wish me luck hehe).

One downside for me – it requires MySQL syntax, and I am not really interested in it. I personally find PostgreSQL more accomodating to Python users and those who don’t specialize solely in databases too.

The interface is fantastic and I love how you can see queries and tables and an ERM. I will be completing everything that bugs will let me – it has been very useful to me.

Codewars

Meanwhile my brother has been devoured by Codewars, so after all these websites I returned to it. I have a rather old account there (since 2018), but I haven’t touched it in a while. I have had 5 kyu since forever, now I really want to get 4 kyu, even though it is not just in Python hehe.

My modest achievements at Codewars

In February I upgraded my DS/Algorithms skills with Udemy courses, Yandex Youtube lectures and personal studies here and there. I am excited to return to Problem Solving katas at Codewars with all this acquired knowledge.

Summing Up

All in all, right now I am very much into coding simulators. They bring me a sense of accomplishment that I desperately need right now. Badges and certificates – small achievements you can touch. That brings comfort if anything. So I encourage everybody I know who struggles with reality right now – to do the same. At very least, you came out of it more educated and with brighter prospects.

In 2022 – A wishlist of sorts

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I want to fully embrace what it means to be a better team manager.

I want to be more effective – resisting pleas of my inner perfectionist and doing what’s right for the business.

I want to use no-code platforms for quick on-the-go solutions – and not waste hours learning docs and coding and debugging and deploying.

I also want to dive more into scaling and advanced deployment techniques.

And more project analytics/trackers – for sure. No matter the size of the project.

I want to make plans B more too. My code can only be as good as it is not failing people.

More than anything, I want to learn more patience.

In 2021 I tried many things professionally that let me bring my career to a whole new level. I see great perspective in my further development as a specialist. In 2022 I strive to see where I lack and work on it.

Anyhow, I am wishing you all an interesting and happy year.

Transitioning to IOS Development

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I believe it is important to listen to yourself and sense if something rubs you wrong. It’s not that I hate backend, I just don’t see myself growing. My preference is to live and work independently, and at this point, with my education and personal predisposition I am inclined to try Mobile development as a career path. I deem my experience in Django and Web development in general (including UI/UX) will help me thrive further.

By no means I am quitting this blog. I am not quitting Django either. If anything, I want to leave myself an opportunity to work as a Full-stack developer in both Web and Mobile development.

Why IOS and now Android? At least for now, I have 0 Android devices and a lot of IOS ones 🙂

I will do blog posts about the transition, and not just from back-end to mobile front-end, but from Python to Swift.

I am adding two more sections – Swift and Career.