I realize that a technical blog should be about something technical. But when you have a week full of so much activity that you can’t think of a single thing you want to talk about because you want to talk about all them, I say embrace it. Better to let it all out and let people know that this is normal life. We can’t suspend animation on some things while others continue.
With that said, where do I begin? This week was one of the busiest weeks I’ve had in awhile. And I’ve had my fair share of busy weeks lately. Between emotional roller coasters, working on major development projects and staying on top of my job search, while being a wife and mom, managing a household and making time for loved ones, I currently feel like a phenom. So, I’ll write about all the glorious ups and downs of this week - tech, non-tech and everything in between.
Starting the week on an emotional roller coaster - I woke up on Monday, January 27 still in a state of shock and sadness over the news of the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gianna, and 7 other people in the helicopter crash on Sunday morning. I didn’t know any of them personally, but hearing that they were regular people that were being parents, coaches and just kids really hit home. I know that the added component that we have all heard of Kobe Bryant made us feel like we were connected to him and his family. We watched him grow up right before our eyes. It felt like he was part of our families. And that’s why it hurt. It’ll be a while before it really sinks in.
Moms Can Code School final project mode - Last week my cohort and I received our instructions for our final project. Our topic is about the proliferation of counterfeit makeup in the market and how we can provide a resource that can serve to educate and empower the public to make informed choices when buying makeup. It’s a big topic and can be overwhelming to talk about something like this from beginning to end. Since last weekend it’s been non-stop reading, reviewing and meeting to discuss the direction we want to take with our project. It’s a lot of work as we are not learning just coding concepts, but also how to manage a project from beginning to end. We are also learning about human-centered design thinking, researching, and preparing surveys in order to get information from the public. My team and I are learning as we go about how to communicate well with each other and establish good patterns for working together. We still have about 3 weeks to go before we have to present the final project, and there is still so much to do.
Other projects on the horizon - In addition to the final project I am working on I have to prepare a presentation. Up until 2 days ago I had no idea what I wanted to present on. I think I want to do my presentation on a Ruby on Rails concept since I recently started reviewing. But what part of it - relational databases, the MVC design pattern, other basic concepts? I have to decide soon. I’m scheduling my presentation for later this month and need to give myself enough time to review material, prepare slides and prepare for a discussion around my chosen topic. Additionally, I’m already thinking of the next project I want to take on after our cohort ends. And did I mention that I’m still working with the parent coordinator at my daughter’s school to continue working on their website? I know that all of these projects will ultimately help me improve all of my skills. This is the best busy work I’ve had in a long time. Keep it coming!
Job search in full swing - This section requires its own paragraph in addition to the multiples blogs I’ve already posted about this process. I spend a lot of time scrolling through LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Indeed, while also reaching out to people in my network. This is a job in itself. At this point I’m 3 months into the process and it’s only getting more intense. I feel confident that something good will come of all the work I’m doing to ensure that I get the best possible job for me. I just have to keep having a positive attitude and not follow through with the urge to want to give up when things get hard.
The kids are alright - I have to take a moment to boast about my kids. My 12-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son are the best kids any parent could ask for. Yes, I’m biased, but it’s beyond that. They are smart, responsible, kind, generous, thoughtful, caring…what else can a mom ask for? Plus, they get good grades, thrive in their extracurriculars and actually offer to help around the house. This week, my daughter is getting inducted into the national junior honor society and my son is starting his basketball season. The blessings abound with those two and they love that I’m pursuing something new and exciting. They make being a parent look easy.
So this was the beautiful chaos of my life this past week. Then again I have to deal with a combination of these things and more on any given week. It just so happened that this week everything seemed to converge to create a perfect storm of crazy. For the first time in a while I’m looking forward to Monday. For now I welcome a temporary reset.