03/25/2022
999. Release. 555. Change.
Where has alexisintech been...
We heard from her last around 02/25 (her last blog post was exactly a month ago!!), but she just has not been as active as usual. She isn't posting on twitter, she hasn't been posting her blogs, she hasn't been speaking to anyone in 100Devs, she hasn't been involved with the cohort for a few weeks now...
100Devs & Coding
Yes, I have been checking twitter pretty regularly still. However, I just have not had much to say... and I guess that lies more with mental health stuff that comes later in the blog. So I have been watching your journeys from the shadows, just as you probably watch mine from the sidelines. And I do want to say that it's commendable and honestly transcendental that thousands of us are sharing this journey together and being so supportive of other humans - erasing judgment and negativity towards others and all that goopy shmoopy stuff... I mean we really created a supportive, inspiring, (mostly) safe space for a bunch of humans just trying to learn, connect, and create better lives for ourselves... That's seriously bewildering. You really do not see such wholesome union and convergence happen like that these days.
Moving on from the sappy rant: in 100Devs, everyone has been tackling arrays the past few weeks and I've been seeing some stuff about codewars and other stuff about JavaScript and freelancing being the initiators into the Trough of Sorrow... but I also see a ton of hope. And an insane amount of drive. And as I said before, it's bewildering. It's truly a phenomenon that Leon has started. The amount of confidence and determination that we are instilling into ourselves, it's seriously beautiful.
As far as my journey and coding goes, I have been lowkey grinding. I have not been participating in the cohort much because I'm still doing some FreeCodeCamp and CodeCademy stuff with JavaScript. I feel more comfortable watching Leon's lessons and tackling his assignments when I have some sort of familiarity with it first. So I've been organizing my notes, practicing code, and really trying to learn the content instead of playing and breaking and playing and breaking. Is this the right way? Well, I mean there is no right way. Maybe sometime in the future, I'd wish that I played more with code instead of trying to understand and memorize, but also... that's just not me. It lowers my anxiety and makes me feel more confident if I understand the concepts behind the code that I'm playing with and breaking. So I may be a bit behind in the cohort, but I think I'm going exactly my own pace.
Aside from 100Devs work and learning JavaScript, I have been working on my portfolio and my websites more, practicing media queries and trying to create more professional work. I have two main issues: 1. I am a perfectionist, and 2. I love creating. Now those are also my strengths, as I know that I am blessed to have an imaginative and innovative mind, and I'm very grateful to have opportunities to let those skills come to fruition and be put into practice. However, it means doing 10x the work. I obsess over things breaking, and over things being perfect. And I 100% whole-heartedly believe that nothing I ever create is a finished product. There is always something to tweak, elements to add, a level of sophistication for enhancement. And furthermore, I love creating anime-themed designs. However, it's not fully professional as there are still a lot of older millenials/boomers in this field and cartoon designs are just not very professional looking. So while I obsess over my anime designs, I also am creating the exact same layout with different, more formal designs, and that's just another project that I get to obsess over. And then, you bring in the monster that is responsiveness and media queries. If anyone has tips on simplifying media queries, tricks they use to make it easier, I would literally lick your boots......... pls
Anyways, I have published my updated portfolio and sites, and I think it's time I can step away and come back to the cohort now; I think I've found a good resting place, and I can always come back to them later.
https://alexisintech.github.io/ (06/28/2022 update: new link)
Also, I have been securing a freelance client! A friend of mine from middle school is a financial coach and has a podcast and other social medias. He wants to get a website created so that his business can seem more professional and so that he can increase his audience outreach. We started with a zoom call, outlining everything about his business: how it got started, who his target audience is, who his current audience is, the services he offers, the values his business reflects, etc. Then we briefly talked about what he expects of his website: how many pages, what pieces of information, what sections, what elements, any cool images, any design choices, any inspiration, etc. I explained to him why hiring a web dev usually is more helpful than researching about building a website yourself. We went over expectations that a client generally can have of their web dev, and we briefly went over what my clients can expect from me as their web dev. After our call, I began working on the proposal. Here's how it turned out:
I discounted a lot of services since he would be my first client, but because he is a very small, side-hustle type of business and because he wants his website built in wordpress, we came to the compromise of paying $450 for a static, one-page, wordpress website.
Now of course, as a web dev, I'm not exactly thrilled that I will be building a wordpress website and not a true-from-scratch-requires-coding type of website. Plus, it's going to take a decent amount of my time trying to learn the CMS and system of wordpress...
And though I was expecting a decent amount more for pay, I am still very grateful to have my first client and I understand his situation. I want to deliver something creative, fun, and organized that gives him a start to making his business that much more professional. I didn't turn his offer down because at the end of the day, I enjoy creating and I enjoy helping people, so though I do enjoy the money aspect, I am excited to take on this project. This weekend, I'm working on creating our contract so that we can get the ball rolling, and I can begin building!
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