Career Thoughts

As a woman in STEM, I hope someday that teaching about imposter syndrome is included in high school curriculums. By all accounts, I was doing well in my courses. Computers were interesting to me and absorbed my childhood. In my school, I even received a technology recognition award regarding my contribution in improving processes for the school Yearbook team. For some reason though, I imagined that someone working on computers was way smarter than me. I remember sitting in my science and math classes and thinking everyone else seemed to get it instantly. I had to go home after school to understand things. Sometimes I would spend hours on google and various tutorials to complete an assignment. I also asked teachers various questions after class ended to address my confusion. In my mind, I was incompetent and someday this would be discovered. I entered college with an undeclared major and Computer Science was far from my list of desired majors. I just was not ‘smart enough’.

Mindset Shift

At the recommendation of other students from the OSU Post-Bacc community, I joined the free online CodePath Interview Prep course. This was the first of many courses I took from CodePath. I ended up also taking the Android and iOS courses. The remote course was hosted by a set of mentors from the tech industry. One class, one of the mentors from Google said something that shifted my mindset. She mentioned that she was a normal person like everyone else. This statement impacted me. I realized that the mental barrier can be stronger than one’s actual ability to do things. Before, I remember looking at tech job listings and thinking, “There’s no way I can do any of those items listed.” Nowadays, I think “I can do this.” You can do this. Everyone can. If one cannot, failure is just another opportunity to recover and grow stronger. I still have imposter syndrome, but I try not to let it consume me in the way that it used to.

Capstone Update

Last week, my team started working on database integration. There was some uncertainty as we were unfamiliar with NoSQL and it was a learning experience. We are also using a stack that is not as popular so resources can be few and far between. I have found useful documentation in JavaScript (Node) when I am using Python (Flask) so I have needed to translate code at times.  That said, we are making steady progress towards MVP. I have integrated the database with the project list page and project detail page. The screenshot I am sharing below is currently deployed live on Heroku and successfully reading data from our Firestore instance. The next goal would be to add additional reads for various items and add a write for creating new projects.

Personal Update

There is a saying in the photographer community to always bring your camera as you never know when the right moment pops. Well, I walked on the beach and wanted to be hands-free so I left my DSLR at the hotel. As one expects, I happened to see many interesting things on my walk. I saw a pair of majestic bald eagles and was limited by my phone’s camera to take a snap. I even saw a washed-up whale on the shore, but I will spare my readers from that one. The next day, I brought my DSLR camera and of course I saw nothing. The lesson of the story is always bring your camera.