Node-ing Out

This morning before work, I was able to get an hour or so of studying in at a nearby Starbucks. These days, it's getting harder and harder to find the time to study and code, but this is when I need to get resourceful. I wasn't due in to work until 9, so I woke up extra early and decided to get going on the day. Last night, I started Scott Moss' "Introduction to Node.js" on Frontend Masters, a course specifically focused on NodeJS. After taking Jem Young's courses on the backend, I was intrigued to learn more and this has been a nice followup to his series of courses. Scott covers quite a bit about Node in his course, and I really like the exercises associated with the course. In one, he has built the majority of a CLI for an address book, but we are tasked with fixing it up so it's fully functional. In another, he takes a fairly simple app that's broken because of code that is synchronous and blocking, and we have to turn it into asynchronous code. These tasks were certainly not trivial and slightly above my head, but certainly demonstrate the power of Node and the vast capabilities it has. I only have one more section on this course to go, but I have to take a slight detour before I finish it.

While I was at work, I was contacted by a Y-Combinator startup called Hatchways. This startup's sole purpose is to create a different avenue to finding employment for those without experience or less traditional backgrounds, like myself. Instead of having employers focus on your resumé and past experience, they have you do a project and judge you by your skills in building the project. I'm still trying to find more information on Hatchways and how legitimate they really are, but I'm certainly intrigued by the process they are setting up. If anything, this will give me an opportunity to create something on my own in a timed manner. You don't have to finish the project in a certain period of time, but part of the grading process involves how long it takes you to finish it. They say that if you finish it in less than 24 hours, that really helps your chances. Once you finish the project, they grade it based on the quality of your code and your ability to complete the tasks provided. If you qualify, they supposedly match you up with appropriate employers. It sounds like the majority of positions they match you up with are paid internships or a sort of trial employment, which I think is fine. If given the opportunity, I know I can prove my worth; it's just a matter of being given the opportunity.

So, I'm trying to write this post as fast as possible and start the clock on this project. It's about 7PM now, and I should be able to work until at least 11 tonight. I have to work in the morning, but I should be able to get off by about 3 and get a few more hours in before I hit that 24-hour mark. It seems unlikely that I'll be able to complete the project in a matter of about 7 total working hours, but I'm going to do my best. Unfortunately, I can't devote 24 hours straight to working on this thing, otherwise I certainly would to make sure I had the best possible project. Since I've done so much work with React, I'm going to base it in that and possibly use Semantic UI if I can. This should help speed up the process, but I'm sure I'll hit some blocks along the way. I have no idea what the premise of the project is yet, and how extensive it might be, but I hope I'm able to show off my skills appropriately.

Until tomorrow!