I'll Do It For The Right Reasons

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I'll Do It For The Right Reasons

Everything I do, I do out of love. 

Even Software Engineering. Ultimately, I don't do it for the Software Engineering of it - although, I do love that as well - but ultimately I do it for love. 

I do it because I love it.

If you are not doing something out of love, then what are you doing it out of really? 

P.S. As usual I am quoting Lana Del Rey, "Yosemite", my top/one of my top 3 BECOMING AN ENGINEER songs. I did it on purpose today because I do need that extra boost. I am exhausted. I am knackered. But I have the strength to keep going because I am doing it out of LOVE. 💓

The Yosemite National Park, the namesake for the song that keeps me inspired and motivated on my Software Engineering journey.

Learning My Lessons

Sion 

I am actually going to struggle writing this one a little bit (Sion, I hope you don't mind). Sion was my manager from October 2021-April 2022 and he basically managed my while I was really really struggling in customer services. 

Sion continued to mentor me after he got promoted in April 2022 and in June-July 2022 I got hired into product. It was Sion who first suggested I try to code. 

It was Sion who first created and instilled in me the belief that I could ever do this professionally as a career.

It was Sion who first suggested to me that I could be a software engineer. 

Everything that has happened since then, all of this beautiful and wonderful new passion that I have, all of this stunning purpose, is all thanks to Sion. I wouldn't have any of these amazing tech relationships I have in my life right now if Sion hadn't put me on the right path. 

Today we had our last 'official' mentoring session - apart from logistical reasons that I can't go in to, I have gone too far down the engineering path for it to make sense for us to continue to work together anymore. 

And I am so extremely deeply, deeply moved, because I have gotten to work with such a wonderful man for so long. 

And it has been amazing.

Tech Organisation

So naturally, working with Sion, it was always going to be an efficient session (never let me have an easy ride, that man...) even if it was the last one. So we talked about how much I am learning and how I am struggling to manage all of my tech learning and organisation because it is all happening so fast. And I am learning so much at the same time.

My To-Do List 

Firstly Sion told me that my to-do list wasn't fit for purpose. 

Yes, okay, I need to use a lot of emotive language to get it out on paper - I am heavily neurodivergent and the more information I have in my brain, the harder it is for me to get it out. So it's okay (I think) to use a bit of an emotional rant to get everything I have to do out. But when it comes to doing it, to actually following it, I need it in a more simplified form. Without all of the emotive language (= crap), so to speak. 

Tools 

We talked about using Jira, or Asana, or Miro, or any of the following tools, as a way to keep track of and manage tasks. 

We also talked about just using Google Sheets or Docs - whatever it is as long as it works it works.

Prioritisation

Prioritisation has always been my weakness. But by talking things out loud, I realised three important things:
  1. Writing up notes from meetings/recent sessions is probably the most important thing I can do as I have to do these things while they are fresh in my mind.
  2. Doing projects when they have been going on for too long is probably my second priority - e.g. RPS in JS has been going on FOREVER. And needs to get done.
  3. There is a 3rd category of thing I need to do (apart from others) - and that is to read about stuff. E.g. about Math.random on the MDN. This does not take the effort that building a JS game does. I need to spend some time each day or week doing some of these easier tasks. Maybe even block out time for it.

Today

Today I had some really amazing meetings. I had a wonderful, wonderful session with Mark and my manager, and I had a wonderful meeting with Artur too. I have learned so much from both of them. So now my to-do list has grown. I won't re-list everything again - I will organise this internally. But for my own benefit I will continue to add new points.

To-Do List Updates

  • Write up notes from session with Mark (in a pile on my desk - moved into my old mentoring notebook).
  • Write up notes from my session with Artur - notes in my blue notebook.
  • Look into currying and the examples Adam sent me. 💓
P.S. I'm going to a tech event tonight. So if I can then I will try to write up some notes on here tomorrow too...

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