La Vie en Code

Host Nicole Archambault learned to code in 2015 with Treehouse, one of the most popular video-based web development e-Learning platforms. Hear more about why she chose Treehouse over other platforms, how she got the most out of Treehouse's videos and community, and her own personal advice for leveraging Treehouse to land your first web development job.

For show notes, Tweetables, and links mentioned in the episode, check out the episode page.

Self-taught software developer and cloud computing enthusiast Andrew Cook helps web developers understand why projects are so important to their career, and how they can get started building their own!

I first met Andrew through CodeNewbie chats on Wednesday nights—my favorite night of the week—and we got to chatting about his work. I was really fascinated by a few aspects of his story.

First, he had made this career transition from the medical industry to software development. I'm always interested to hear someone's story when they make a big jump like that!

But on top of that, a consistent theme kept coming up in Andrew's story—and that theme was projects.

Andrew's true passion, as he'll tell you, is in cloud computing. When he began building his skills for his first job in web development, he still working as a paramedic.

During this time, Andrew began building projects to provide a publicly visible application of what he was learning. Those projects helped him to get his first job, and they've greatly benefited him since.

In this episode, Andrew tells us what inspired his first projects, what he did right, and what he could have done better. We also discuss some important topics for new web developers, like:

• Learning how to learn
• Where to find help when you get stuck
• Protecting your projects as you build them
• What employers are REALLY looking for when they ask about your projects in a job interview

So strap in for some Grade A-quality insight and advice from Andrew! (And myself... but mostly Andrew)

Show notes and Tweetables on the episode page at:
http://www.lavieencode.net/27

I just love getting to know fellow students from diverse backgrounds, who taught themselves web development! This week's episode is a Self-Taught Student Talk with fellow self-taught web developer Kalalau Cantrell (or "Kal", for short).

Kal entered the web development industry from a background in sound engineering, and teaching physics (!). I met him after reading his awesome article on the freeCodeCamp Medium page, "From Sound Engineer to Software Engineer—Why I'm Learning to Code".

In our conversation, Kal talks about his educational background in physics and sound engineering, the valuable skills he picked up along the way, and how he's leveraging his existing skills to power through his web development education.

For show notes and Tweetables, visit the episode page at http://www.lavieencode.net/26.

The number of online spaces for people of color in the tech industry is low, and they are few and far between. These communities are desperately needed for underrepresented groups to tell their stories and share their experiences in this industry, which tend to be very different from those of majority groups. Join Nicole for a chat with Michael Berhane, co-founder of People of Color in Tech (POCiT), a rapidly-growing website and community featuring... people of color in tech!

Listeners will learn about Michael’s experience becoming a full-stack JavaScript developer, the journey of their community from idea to their current iteration, our opinions of things like bootcamps and new developer resources, why it’s important to celebrate and center people of color’s experiences, and much more!

For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/25

New web development students focus on their skills as they transition into their new industry, but there is more to the industry than just the skills. Learn more about the topics that help build exceptional additions to the industry with special guest Kim Crayton. This 2-part conversation will help listeners understand why Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) matters to career changers, why it's a far bigger issue than just doing the right thing, and how to identify and avoid toxic environments.

Be sure to listen to Part 1 (Episode 23) before this episode, so you're not confused! Kim does a great job of covering a lot of definitions that are important to following the conversation.

For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/024-business-of-diversity-inclusion-in-tech-with-kim-crayton-pt-2

New web development students focus on their skills as they transition into their new industry, but there is more to the industry than just the skills. Learn more about the topics that help build exceptional additions to the industry with special guest Kim Crayton. This 2-part conversation will help listeners understand why Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) matters to career changers, why it's a far bigger issue than just doing the right thing, and how to identify and avoid toxic environments.

For show notes, transcript, key moments, and more information about Kim and where to find her, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/023-business-of-diversity-inclusion-in-tech-with-kim-crayton-pt-1

What do you do when you just can’t bring yourself to start or finish a course or project? Learning web development is a heavily cognitive endeavor, and motivation issues are largely standard. Learn how Nicole has identified and works to overcome her motivation issues, and pick up some tools of your own in the process. For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/022-choosing-motivation-while-learning-to-code

Hackathons can be a scary prospect for new web developers—but they don’t have to be. Nicole tells the story of her first hackathon (which her team won!), and debunks a lot of the myths surrounding hackathons. She highlights women’s hackathons, and why they’re so important to helping women gain confidence in their skills. Finally, she sends listeners off with actionable advice to bring to their first or hackathon. EPISODE BONUS: Download your free checklist “Your Trusty Hackathon Checklist” on the episode page at www.lavieencode.net/podcast/021-rock-your-first-hackathon. For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/021-rock-your-first-hackathon

What is deliberate practice, and how does it differ from “regular” practice? Nicole answers these questions and more, and discusses how you can become a better web developer by integrating deliberate practice into your learning routine. You’ll finish the episode with a new perspective on what it really means to practice something for improvement, versus just going through motions aimlessly. For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/020-improve-your-skills-with-deliberate-practice

Have you ever thought of what your career could be like without the constraints of others affecting your output? To have total control over your income potential? In this episode, Nicole talks about why she finally decided that she’d had enough of the company job/freelancing rat race, and instead sought out the entrepreneurship rat race. She takes a humorous, refreshingly honest approach to the challenges of trying to find your place in the web development/tech world, and offers some perspectives and advice for web developers who may want to pursue entrepreneurship for themselves.

For show notes, transcript and key moments, visit the LVEC Podcast website: http://www.lavieencode.net/podcast/019-why-i-became-a-tech-entrepreneur