Beyond 600: 200 Days from Starting This Blog#

Community & Learning: Finding My Tribe 👨‍💻👩‍💻#

I’ve always believed that coding is better together, and I finally took that to heart by joining Codebar, a fantastic nonprofit community dedicated to diversifying the tech industry. It’s been an incredible experience:

• #30DaysofPython: I participated in their challenge, supported by DataCamp, which was a great way to stay sharp and build consistent habits. 🐍
• Leading a Workshop: I had the opportunity to lead an online workshop on Python fundamentals like scopes, data types, and referencing. Teaching others is one of the best ways to solidify your own understanding. 👨‍🏫
• Becoming a Coach: Inspired by the community (shoutout to Charlene!), I’ve officially signed up to become a Codebar coach. Giving back feels amazing. ❤️

I also dipped my toes into the Founders & Coders ecosystem by participating in a couple of their workshops. While I didn’t apply for their full program this time around (more on that below), the experience was invaluable.

Leveling Up the Tech Stack ⚡#

A developer’s learning never stops. Here’s what I’ve been grinding on:

• Next.js: I’ve fully embraced the React framework and have been deeply impressed by its file-based routing, API routes, and seamless React integration. It’s become my go-to for full-stack projects. ⚛️
• Docker & Coolify: I went beyond just using Docker and learned Coolify for self-hosting. The result? I’ve successfully deployed all my personal projects to my own private cloud, giving me full control over my deployments and a much deeper understanding of DevOps principles. 🐳☁️
• Python Certification: I wrapped up the Python Associate Track Certification from DataCamp, formally validating my skills in one of my primary languages. 🏅

Building & Applying: The Grind and The Glamour 💼#

The “what have you built?” and “are you looking for a job?” questions are ever-present. The answer is: a lot, and yes!

• Freelance Embedded Project: I’ve been working on a deeply interesting freelance project developing an embedded software solution for a custom device. It’s been a fantastic challenge that has pushed me into low-level programming and hardware interaction. 🔌
• The Job Hunt (sudo apply --intense): I’ve sent out 200+ applications. This has led to a handful of promising interview rounds, though nothing has landed just yet. A notable (and frustrating) trend has been the rise of AI-powered interviews. I’ve done about 15 of them so far, and let’s just say I prefer human conversation. 🤖❌
• Personal Projects: I’m constantly iterating on my Notion-based, NextJS/FastAPI blog-project (you’ll see more posts on this soon!). I’ve also started a new venture: building a real-time chat application to get hands-on experience with WebSockets and real-time communication protocols. 💬

The Verdict: To Infinity and Beyond… 🌌#

All in all, I certainly haven’t been idle. The path isn’t always a straight line—job interviews coincide with courses, freelance projects demand focus, and AI interviews test your patience. But the direction is clear: forward. ↗️

The community is stronger, the skills are sharper, and the projects are more ambitious than ever. Here’s to the next 200 days. 🥂

To infinity and beyond…