Dissertation Experience
“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” – Albert Einstein
A call to fix citizenship
After applying to a dozen local schools and having more than half interviews, I went to meetup.com and found Code for Fort Lauderdale with a surprising array of tools online, including social coding. There is a meeting tonight in a local College. I’ll tell you later how it goes.
From LaunchCode to HackerRank
Yesterday I took an pass the Launch_Code coding puzzle to get an interview. It may be a few weeks before receiving the invitation. Meanwhile, I am receiving other challenges from HackerRank.
Computer Languages’ refresher
One of the jobs I applied for, sent me a link to take a PHP test. I have been doing web development using PHP, but I wanted to make sure to review the main areas of that language, to avoid confusing myself with another programming language. So I found CodeCademy.com and completed PHP in a few hours.
Once comfortable with the syntax, I took the test, only to be surprised by the inclusion of networking concepts. Therefore, calling that a PHP test was misleading. Anyhow, the good outcome was to start using CodeCademy, where I can refresh and practice those computer languages I have learned and forgotten long ago.
Bouncing off the unexpected
It was interesting to find operationcode.org and timeoverflow.org development teams in separate conversations away from GitHub interface ( slack.com vs. coopdevs.org ) while both using Ruby on Rails. According to Rails, it is simple to work with, but the question remains: where to test the changes I could propose?
Investigating further, I could probably install timeoverflow in my GoDaddy account. There I’d have to keep the code updated to test each possible change. Then the time to invest became an issue, since I am looking for a full time job.
In other words, this became an expensive distraction, so I rather dedicate myself to improve my resume and keep applying to other openings.
Driven by motivation
Looking for a better match to drive my motivation, I found out that TimeOverflow.org is being developed using GitHub.com which goes along my most recent intentions. There I had to join CoopDevs.org to meet the development team and determine the possibilities.
I was looking into TimeOverflow since January, to provide my worldwide community of seawater drinkers with a reliable and easy to use timebank in Spanish.
Languages’ learning curves
After learning more than a dozen computer languages, I feel confident about any other language or IDE (integrated development environment). But, since it takes time and dedication to adapt and be fluent, it is better to stick to what is known.
While learning GitHub, I chose to practice volunteering for OperationCode and was invited to Slack. Three different environments, all new to me.
A challenge offered by OperationCode was easy to follow, but the instructions were written three times in the same tutorial. After ending the challenge, I tried to fix the instructions but couldn’t find them again. Going back to OperationCode.org was frustrating because there is no option to login and the option to join gives a dry error. Which means that all volunteers are communicating via Slack.com and working the code via GitHub.com
Writing this post I found at OperationCode.org under ‘Get Involved’ the link ‘Open Source’ which takes us to a GitHub page explaining how to setup the environment and the code standards to follow. So far, Docker and Ruby are unknown to me but I will try.
Meanwhile, I had to include a couple of my volunteer work in my resume, to show my proficiency with PHP (personal home page) for an interesting opening nearby. The video starting this post compares it against Java, which I studied for years after OOP (object oriented programming). Both are open source. Their targets are the difference.
Learning GitHub
Getting ready for Toptal, I am learning to contribute with GitHub. After following a few tutorials, I identified OperationCode.org as a worthy cause to contribute while practicing. Interesting enough, OperationCode guided me to continue learning and to be involved with their opportunities to volunteer using Slack.
Ready for translations
My Upwork profile was approved today. I may not frequently search for jobs there, because it is time consuming and most offers are too vague or too involved to be considered. Anyhow, having my profile there and taking their tests may become a good reference for serious employers to send me their requests.
Aiming to be one of The Best
Having completed a few entire workflow systems at my local School Board and a couple more for private organizations, now I am dedicated full time to adapt my skills to become one of The Best freelance developers available online. For that purpose, Toptal is the first platform that motivates me to write this review.
In their Software Development Network, Toptal identifies its platform with the top 3% of freelance software developers, where my education and experience is taking me next. I was recently applying for local job openings, but none of them offers the opportunity to work remotely while advancing my reputation worldwide.
If you have experience with Toptal, please share yours in the comments. In due time, will do the same.
Science for profit
The back ‘THEN’ is probably more than a century ago, as I’ve learned how corporations finance the same universities leading scientific discoveries for profits, while discrediting cheaper or free alternatives.
