Reflections on Week 3 at Code Fellows: Deep Dive into the 201 Course

Introduction

This third week at Code Fellows was definitely a game-changer. We started off strong by diving deeper into the 201 course, focusing on how to use the grid system to make our designs responsive and understanding media queries. It was great to see the theory come to life in practice when we built a voting game that compared images of goats. It was a great way to test our skills and see how far we've come since the first week.

But the learning didn't stop there, we also had a chance to focus on our professional development. We researched companies in our community and explored different job postings, which helped us understand the job market better. We also worked on refining our resumes and got feedback from our accountability partners on how to improve them.

But let's be honest, for many of us, public speaking is a bit of a nightmare. But we didn't let that hold us back, we tackled it head-on by learning more about the science behind stage fright and implementing strategies to help us deal with the anxiety. We also had to craft our personal-professional pitch, which helped us to articulate our skills and experiences in a clear and concise way.

All in all, the week was a perfect balance of technical and professional development that helped us to become better programmers and job-seekers. I'm excited to see how we continue to grow and improve in the coming weeks.

Technical Challenges

One of the main technical challenges we faced during the third week was working with the grid system. At first, it was difficult to wrap our heads around how to use it effectively and make our designs responsive. But as we dove deeper into the material and had hands-on practice building a voting game that compared images of goats, it started to make more sense. We learned that by using the grid system in combination with media queries, we could create designs that looked great on a variety of screen sizes. It was a challenging but rewarding experience, and we all came out of it with a much better understanding of how to use the grid system to make our designs responsive.

Another technical challenge we faced was working with charts.js, a third-party library that we used to display a graph on the goat's page. At first, it was difficult to understand how to use the library and integrate it into our lab, but after a demonstration and some practice, we were able to use it to display the data in a visually appealing way.

Though the challenges were difficult and required a lot of time and effort to solve, overcoming them was incredibly satisfying, and we came out of the week with a greater understanding of how to use the grid system, media queries, and JavaScript libraries like charts.js to create effective, responsive designs.

Professional Growth

The third week at Code Fellows was not just about honing our technical skills but also focusing on our professional development. One of the assignments that stood out to me was the targeted job research. We were asked to explore the companies around us and do research on different job postings from various companies. This gave us an understanding of the job market, the skills that were in high demand, and the types of roles that were available. It was eye-opening to see the vast array of opportunities available in the field and helped me to better understand where my skills and interests could take me.

Another key assignment was the one on refining our resumes. We were asked to make a copy of our resume and send it to our accountability partners for suggestions and feedback. It was enlightening to hear what others thought of my resume, and I was able to incorporate their suggestions to make it more polished and effective. This assignment helped me to take ownership of my resume and to improve the way I present myself to potential employers.

The professional development assignments of the week were crucial in helping us understand the job market, the skills that were in demand, and how to present ourselves professionally. These activities helped me to understand what it takes to succeed in the job market and gave me a better understanding of how to market my skills and experiences to potential employers.

Team Work

One of the highlights of the third week at Code Fellows was the emphasis on teamwork. Throughout the week, we were given opportunities to work with our peers and accountability partners on various assignments and projects. This helped us to develop our collaboration skills and learn how to work effectively with others.

For example, we worked on a group project building a voting game that compared images of goats. This required us to divide the work among the team, assign roles and responsibilities and work together to achieve a common goal. We also had to give and receive feedback to improve our work and make it the best it could be. This experience helped us to learn how to communicate effectively and how to work together to solve problems.

Another opportunity for teamwork came from reviewing our peers' resumes and giving feedback. This helped us to see different perspectives on our own resumes and learn how to give feedback constructively. We were able to learn a lot from each other and improve our own resumes in the process.

Overall, teamwork was a key component of the third week at Code Fellows, and it helped us to develop not only technical skills but also collaboration and communication skills that are crucial to succeed in any field.

Conclusion

My third week at Code Fellows was a challenging and fulfilling experience. I was able to dive deeper into the 201 course and develop my technical skills, specifically with the grid system and responsive design. Additionally, I had the opportunity to focus on my professional growth by researching job opportunities, refining my resume, and crafting my personal-professional pitch. The week also provided a chance for personal development by addressing anxiety associated with public speaking and giving an opportunity to work in teams for a common goal. Overall, this week was a great continuation of my coding journey at Code Fellows and it prepared me for the next steps in my career and personal growth. I hope this blog post was informative, stay tune for more updates on my journey. Thank you for reading!