Learning to code with Code Nation - Week 4

This week saw Code Nation roll out their state of the art online learning experience with the aim of making the transition to remote learning from next Monday as smooth as possible. A reassuring silver lining being that we will now all be able to say we have experience working from home! All of our lectures are now online via livestream on Moodle:

A time where technology will need to be pushed to its limits to be able to replicate an interactive learning environment without losing productivity. Sounds easy right? Here are some top tips for fighting procrastination & creating a work space that works for you, to ensure that we keep moving forward irrespective of the obstacles now out of our control.

This week: JavaScript & DOM

On Monday we turned our attention back to JavaScript, understanding the DOM & how to implement changes through it. We were guided through the fundamentals of DOM on Monday & Tuesday by Telmo before being given a series of challenges; to create a 1 & 2 player dice game using JavaScript/CSS/HTML, a fruit machine replica & a personal childhood favourite of mine, Nokia 3310's iconic game, snake!

Talks & Events

We had the pleasure of having the Director of Azul Consultancy LTD, Kay Littlehales, in the office to talk on the importance of adaptability & understanding imposter syndrome. Kay spoke on the experiences she's had in the industry, how she has helped many of her clients better understand themselves, the way they think & how to overcome mental barriers.

Thurday I presented a tech talk for cohort 13 called 'The Industry', providing behind the curtain information on what a 'good' junior developer's profile looks like, the benchmarks for mid/senior levels & how to give yourself an advantage when breaking into the industry. It was eye opening to experience the enthusiasm and open-mindedness my peers displayed when discussing tech & the trajectories they aim to follow. We discussed the do's and do nots when creating an engaging CV & how to best sell your strengths to any future employer! Remember - 'How can I add value?' is essential.

I further presented inspirational examples from contractor Tony Nikolov & Apadmi's Andrew Peliza, giving the students a real life example of how to excel in a tough yet rewarding industry. Andrew's story is particularly relevant to us as he broke into the industry 2 years ago & now encourages/teaches others to follow in his footsteps, boasting a consistent GitHub & employment history.

'ensure you continue to learn from as many sources as you can, even after securing your 1st role. ' - Andrew Peliza

Talk Talk also continued hosting 15 minute quick fire interviews with our students, looking to source their talent with multiple roles up for grabs in Frontend/Backend & DevOps (keep an eye out on some of our guys for the future Lloyd Lowson!)

Next Week

We are soon to be introduced to ReactJS, a challenging but common skill asked for by many companies in the industry.