Coding Exercise Complete (58 Pomodoros)

I have submitted my solution to the coding exercise for Envato, as part of my application for a Junior Developer role there.

I spent 58 pomodoros on this project:

• 7 strictly on planning and writing (roughly 3.5 hours)
• 3 on studying RSpec (roughly 1.5 hours)
• 47 on coding, reviewing, testing, refactoring, etc.

I do not know if my solution is good enough for Envato, but it was the best I could do.

There are many things that give me encouragement, regardless of the outcome of my job application.

I can code.

I have a lot to learn, I make many mistakes, my code is probably inefficient and clumsy, but I can take a problem and solve it through the code.  It is a sort of "hello world" moment for me.

What I do works.

As I have been teaching myself, it is always hard to gauge whether I'm getting things right, or whether I ought to sign up for a course instead.  I am more convinced than ever that I am on the right path, and can take pride in my work ethic, time management, knowledge, and skill.

For example, I got stuck on writing Rspec tests, so I purchased an Rspec manual, studied it for precisely three pomodoros (black cells) and found I could write the tests I need. I have spent so far 3 x 20 minutes on study and 33 x 20 minutes on planning, writing, and coding for this exercise. The brevity of the study break excites me, because it is tangible, documented evidence that I have the intelligence, self awareness, and discipline to take a break from the main project, learn what I need, and then get back to work without wasting time. 

I will succeed.

If I get the job at Envato that would be great, and if I don't I shall certainly be disappointed.  However, I am much closer to being the best pick for a junior spot somewhere out there, and I won't relent until I've achieved this goal.

I am grateful to Envato for granting me an interview and the opportunity to show them what I can do.  Let's see what they make of it.

My Top Secret Plan for the Hiring Off-season

Let's be realistic: I shan't get a start as a junior developer  before Christmas, nor can I expect to be hired before the end of January.  Back in September, I had hoped to get a start in late November, maybe get something lined up in December, but that did not come to pass.

Would I prefer to get a start straight away?  Of course I do.
Can I change prospective employers' hiring practices?  No.

I could bemoan the effect of two months of unemployment on my savings, but that won't get me anywhere.

Instead, let's look at this as an opportunity: I have two whole months in which to learn as much as possible about programming in Ruby, and build up a portfolio of code in Github.  I can't batter down doors that are closed for Christmas and New Year's, but I can put myself in the best position for when they re-open.

So what's the plan?

• Complete Learn Ruby the Hard Way
• Blog about what I learn
• Learn about test-driven development (TDD)
• Transfer the contents of my Pastebin to Gist in an intelligent way
• Build the web scraper for my research tool and get it up on Github
• Build the analysis component of my research tool and get it up on Github
• Go to meet-ups
• Participate in Slack
• Find a mentor to review my code
• Write an end-of-month summary for all the Leads and Contacts in my CRM

In addition to all that, work on the Odessia, keep a clean home, cook, exercise, early to bed and early to rise, and enjoy every weekend with my beloved, friends, and family.

So this year, Christmas 2016, there will be no reason for me to slow down, and every reason to push harder into 2017.