Documenting my journey through this 30-week program, #100Devs

There is no shortage of programs that claim to open doors for you after you complete them. But it feels like they all come at a price.

This is why, when I heard about #100Devs, I thought this was too good to be true. I mean, come on- an agency with a free fully remote software engineering program? You can’t blame me for being just a little bit skeptical. Leon even mentioned that a lot of people signed up under burner accounts because they didn’t believe this was real. Did I mention that it’s free?

But I had started to feel just a little bit helpless and stuck in my attempt to transition into tech again, so I decided to check it out and see what Leon and the program are about. After all, I had nothing to lose.

Well, Thursday marked the end of Week 2 of this program and it feels like the real deal.

What is #100Devs?

As mentioned before, it is a software engineering program. It’s 30 weeks long, fully remote. We meet every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 pm EST on Twitch. There are also office hours on Sunday.

The man behind the program is Leon. He is a Managing Director of Engineering at Resilient Coders and his passion for teaching and helping others is evident through the screen. He started #100Devs as a way to help those affected by the pandemic. You can read more about him and #100Devs on his website: https://leonnoel.com/100devs/

But I want to tell you more about #100Devs as a participant. I want to document my growth in my technical skills and my self-confidence.

Week 1 and 2

Week one and two felt a little like syllabus week. We did dip our toes into the technical side of it all by learning about the client server model and the basics of HTML and CSS.

But it was more of a chance for Leon to introduce himself and to introduce #100Devs to over 6k streamers on twitch. He even reached 7k at one point. It’s a time for us to get comfortable with different expectations, resources, and to meet a whole ton of new people with similar goals.

It’s been refreshing to see so many people who are determined to make the same changes that I want to make, to bond over going through the same highs and lows that comes with starting a new challenge.

Yet the best part of this experience thus far has been listening to all the motivational messages that Leon is telling us. In the middle of hustle culture and the rise and grind mentality, he is repeatedly telling us to take care of ourselves. He is telling us to not overwork ourselves, to go deep in a subject instead of going wide and learning too many things. He is helping us avoid burn out and help us reach our goals.

While I can get a bit impatient and want to move forward faster, I know that I will benefit from Leon’s approach because I need to hear these positive takes.

Leon has been big on community. We need a community to learn and collectively rise up. He isn’t tolerating any bullshit from people and is happy to ban any people who are disrespectful toward others. I think this is part of the reason I say this program is the real deal. Leon is so authentic in wanting to help us and following through. But I know I’m ready to contribute my part. If anyone needs help and I can help, I’m know I won’t hesitate.

One of the first things that Leon had the cohort do is to say “I am a software engineer.” Get rid of the words junior and aspiring from your vocabulary.

I am a software engineer.

While you’re at it, tell your mom, your friends, the person delivering your food. Post it on all your social media. Tell everyone.

This program is going to help us make our dreams not stay dreams. When we all get great paying jobs at the end of the 30 weeks, we’re going to turn around and help someone achieve the same.

I don’t think this is going to be easy. I don’t believe that someone is just going to hand me a job if I hang in there and simply watch the streams every week.

This is going to be hard work. It’s going to be a lot of work. And its going to be worth it. I hope you join me in the rest of the 30 weeks.

I can do this. I’m ready.

Notion

One tool I’m depending on heavily is Notion.

While I’m still actively using the templates for Goodnotes I created on this post, I’m using them as my day-to-day check-in. Almost as a way to ground myself before starting my day or reflection before going to bed.

On Notion, I created a weekly template that I plug into a master calendar. It looks a little like this:

It looks chaotic but it works for me. I’m still finding ways to tweak it and customize it to my workflow, but so far so good. I can create a to-do list and try to plan my week ahead of time, but I also have the ability to move things around for when I may not have the energy to really do anything. After all, the name of the game is self-care, right?

I also created a logbook because I have the tendency to downplay any accomplishments of mine or trick myself into believing that I didn’t actually do anything,

It’s a way for me to keep track of all the assignments and homework that Leon assigns with information like when it’s due, any links provided, and organized by tags that indicate what they are:

• An article I have to read
• Code I have to build
• Something I have to complete, like a typing test or online course
• Video I have to watch

What’s Next

For the next couple of weeks, there are a few things I want to focus on:

• I’m going to figure out a way to share my progress in my code. Probably codepen, maybe GitHub. I’m going to tinker with that and report with the method I like best.
• Leon mentioned that we should start coffee chats soon with people in the industry. This part of the program makes me a little nervous because I’m not the best at putting myself out there socially. But, like any skill, I just have to practice and just do it.
• I know that I’m going to depend on the support of others. I might get stuck with my code or just have a bad mental health period. The discord communities and the people I’ve connected with are going to be crucial in my journey and in my success. But I’m ready.