In this episode, Nicole introduces you to an often-overlooked technique for solidifying the programming knowledge you encounter: visualization.
In this episode, Nicole helps you work through your feelings and obstacles when you feel like giving up on learning to code.
In this episode, Nicole tells the story of how she decided to create online tech courses, and why they were powerful enough to make them into an immensely fulfilling (AND very lucrative!) career!
In this episode, Nicole walks you through the process of breaking a complex problem down into smaller pieces—making it easier to solve, with less stress!
In this episode, Nicole highlights the different, distinct stages of our growth as web developers, from beginner to expert, so you always know where you are! We all know we can’t go from beginner to expert overnight. Your growth process from “hello world” to building on advanced codebases is going to be a long one. Fortunately for us, there are competency scales that can help us understand where we are in terms of how confident and capable we are in using our skills—whatever language you may be using. The problem is, a lot of new coders in particular don’t really “see” their skills
In this episode, Nicole helps you see the advantages of being a new developer, and why you should slow down and enjoy your journey.
In this episode, Nicole explores the multitude of different ways you can leverage Twitter to build your developer network, resulting in connections, jobs, and—best of all—friends!
In this episode, Nicole discusses the power of mentorship—what it can do for you, what to look for in a good mentor, and more!
In this episode, Nicole walks through your first steps into the developer world, and how you can align your goals with actions to get your first paying work! If you’re learning to code with the hopes of getting a job and launching a developer career, you know that there’s like 500 things going on at once. There are a lot of folks out there telling you what to do and how to do it. But like, how do you choose which path to go? Where do you learn the skills? How do you apply for jobs? Although the answers are
In this episode, Nicole shines a light on what it really means to “think like a programmer”, and highlights some of the traits of individuals who tend to think this way.
In this episode, Nicole provides valuable advice for taking notes in a technical field—so you can maximize your information retention while learning!
In this episode, Nicole shares her experience overcoming a lifelong fear of public speaking by giving a conference talk, and facing the negative emotions.
In this episode, Nicole talks about the experience of blank screen paralysis, and how it can sabotage your education—and career.
In this episode, Nicole talks about some of the reasons we feel too shy to share our code or write a blog post on what we know, and how she’s overcoming the urge to stay in a bubble.
Perfectionism can derail your entire coding education. I share my story, and help you understand where it comes from, and how I’m working to overcome it!
Learn what build tools are, what they do, how they differ—and how they can help speed up your career transition to web development!
The Web Developer Roadmap by Kamran Ahmed (@kamranahmedse) has become a powerful resource for new self-taught web developers—especially career changers.
What do you need to know in order to work in the web development industry? Where should you start, in terms of really understanding the concepts now, and down the road? What do all these weird-sounding terms mean?? Over the next 4 episodes, we’ll be pulling apart Kamran Ahmed’s Web Developer Roadmap to help you visualize and contextualize your self-education journey. By the end of this series, listeners will understand the different subsets of web development, and what kinds of tools and resources you’ll need to learn in order to get a job. If you’re a new self-taught web developer, you’ll definitely want to
The Web Developer Roadmap by Kamran Ahmed (@kamranahmedse) has become a powerful resource for new self-taught web developers—especially those looking to change careers. But, what do all of these terms even mean? Why are they important? What happens if you don’t know them?
In this episode, you’ll learn about problem solving, and how you can approach code challenges using a 7-step approach that will give you enough information to confidently solve your problems. Many students overlook these crucial steps, or blow past them to begin coding—which really doesn’t help them once they hit a wall and are unsure how to proceed.
LVEC Podcast host Nicole learned to code in 2015 with Treehouse, one of the most popular video-based web development e-Learning platforms. Hear why she chose Treehouse over other platforms, how she got the most out of their videos, and her personal advice for leveraging Treehouse to get your first web development job.
Got enough projects in your portfolio? Self-taught software developer Andrew Cook shares a wealth of information and advice on how to get started coming up with ideas for—and creating—projects to help you get noticed and hired faster.
Meet Kalalau Cantrell, self-taught web development student, sound engineer, and… high school physics teacher? This week, we delve into Kal’s story, and find out more about his career change journey.
Nicole chats with People of Color in Tech co-founder Michael Berhane about his own journey to full-stack JavaScript development, experiences with growing his skill sets, and the support network and celebration surrounding people of color in the tech industry.
New web development students focus on their skills as they transition into their new industry, but there is more to the industry than just the skills. Learn more about the topics that help build exceptional additions to the industry with special guest Kim Crayton. This 2-part conversation will help listeners understand why Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) matters to career changers, why it’s a far bigger issue than just doing the right thing, and how to identify and avoid toxic environments. This week, we’re delving into a different topic than I usually feature on the podcast. But, it’s going to become
New web development students focus on their skills as they transition into their new industry, but there is more to the industry than just the skills. Learn more about the topics that help build exceptional additions to the industry with special guest Kim Crayton. This 2-part conversation will help listeners understand why Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) matters to career changers, why it’s a far bigger issue than just doing the right thing, and how to identify and avoid toxic environments. This week, we’re delving into a different topic than I usually feature on the podcast. But, it’s going to become
What do you do when you just can’t bring yourself to start or finish a course or project? Learning web development is a heavily cognitive endeavor, and motivation issues are largely standard. Learn how Nicole has identified and works to overcome her motivation issues, and pick up some tools of your own in the process. Motivation is such a big issue among new web developers. We’re perplexed over how we can be so passionate about something, and yet have our brains fight us tooth and nail over sitting down and learning or getting work done. In this episode, I share
Hackathons can be a scary prospect for new web developers—but they don’t have to be. Nicole tells the story of her first hackathon (which her team won!), and debunks a lot of the myths surrounding hackathons. She highlights women’s hackathons, and why they’re so important to helping women gain confidence in their skills. Finally, she sends listeners off with actionable advice to bring to their first or hackathon. Today we are going to be switching it up a little bit and talking about hackathons. A lot of folks probably imagine hackathons to be some competitive, brutal weekend of elite hacking.
What is deliberate practice, and how does it differ from “regular” practice? Nicole answers these questions and discusses how you can become a better web developer by integrating deliberate practice. You’ll finish the episode with a new perspective on what it really means to practice something for improvement, versus just going through motions aimlessly. Today we are going to be talking about one of the biggest mistakes that I see new web developers. In fact, I have made these mistakes, too. That mistake looks something like this: A new web developer out there is learning to code and probably working
Have you ever thought of what your career could be like without the constraints of others affecting your output? To have total control over your income potential? In this episode, Nicole talks about why she finally decided that she’d had enough of the company job/freelancing, and instead sought out the entrepreneurship rat race. She takes a humorous, refreshingly honest approach to the challenges of trying to find your place in the web development/tech world. She also offers some perspectives and advice for web developers who may want to pursue entrepreneurship for themselves. Some people just don’t fit into the traditional
For the fourth and final episode of EdTech September, Nicole shares her tips for getting the most out of your e-Learning platform of choice. She goes more in-depth for each, explaining how they specifically relate to new web development students. You’ll come away from this episode with a better understanding of how your e-Learning platform. You’ll also receive other EdTech resources can be best used to jump-start your learning—and keep you ahead of the game! Welcome to the final episode of EdTech September! Today, I’ll be giving 15 tips to help you maximize your web development e-Learning platform. Whatever e-Learning
For the third episode of EdTech September, Nicole talks gaming and gamification. She highlights the vital role it can play in increasing learning engagement, and improving outcomes. She shares her experience with educational gaming as a kid, and how it shaped her future learning path. You’ll learn the difference between Game-Based and Gamified learning and how gamification works to make learning with non-game platforms more fun. You’ll also learn how YOU can maximize learning with gamification and games in your own projects. On today’s episode, I’m going to have some fun talking about games and how we can develop games
For our second episode in EdTech September, Nicole will be introducing the three fundamental theories of EdTech: Behaviorism, Constructivism and Constructionism! She discusses how understanding these foundational principles can help you design and build incredible software to promote education and change the world. She has identified her passion at the point of convergence between technology, education, and psychology – right where these theories and EdTech lie. There are many theories involved in educational technology but these tend to be the root theories that are the most prevalent in EdTech. Keeping these fundamental theories at the foundation of your development and
Nicole talks about why she focused on an entrepreneurial career in Educational Technology, or EdTech, in 2017. But what IS EdTech? If you’ve learned to code using online services, tutorials, or courses—you’ve used EdTech to further your education. Educational Technology, in short, is the convergence of educators and technologists to promote education using the technology we’re learning to build. Learn more about what it is, what it looks like, and why it matters. Today we are going to be talking about one very important field within the tech industry. Whether or not you know it, if you’ve been teaching yourself
Today, we’re talking all about WordPress development. What WordPress is used for, some common misconceptions about it, a little overview of how it works and why you may want to consider becoming a WordPress developer. With over 76 million WordPress.com hosted blogs and 50,000 WordPress.com sites being launched daily – we can’t deny the fact that WordPress is an OG! Whether you use WordPress or not, there’s just no way we can avoid it. In this episode, Nicole shares some of her thoughts on WordPress as an intermediate WordPress developer. She’ll be delving into themes, plugins, templates and so much
Web development is a highly volatile industry at times. But if you’re also doing it as one of the millions of Americans living with mental illness—specifically, generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder or mood disorders—it may seem damn near impossible! In this episode, Nicole discusses some never before shared details of her very own mental health status and her personal career transition story. She will be sharing some of the tips that she finds work for taking the steps to overcome anxiety and depression and how to get into a healthy routine of coding. If you’re feeling isolated, unmotivated and riddled
Writing about your experience learning to code can be a valuable, though challenging, endeavor. In this information-packed hour-long episode, Nicole talks about why it’s a worthwhile exercise, and some critical things you’ll want to consider before starting your own coding blog. Starting a coding blog is one of the best things I’ve ever done. The idea came to me in a whirlwind, and I had the motivation to execute it quickly. If you haven’t started a blog yet, this episode will help you understand why blogging can be so powerful. I also put a good amount of special attention on the challenges that
What happens when you teach people how to learn, then teach them how to code, while putting THEIR needs at the center of your entire platform? Treehouse CEO Ryan Carson joins me on the show for an enlightening discussion around the intersection of technology and education. We talk about how they tackle the enormous challenge of teaching students the skills they need to fill the millions of open software engineering jobs becoming available over the coming years. I was so excited to interview Ryan Carson this week! Ryan has a lot of important insights for new web development students. Newbies
Do you like tools? Who doesn’t! This week, I share my top 10 web development tools—for my education, and for my freelancing. Pick up a new tool, and let me know what you think! You can reach out to me: On Twitter as @lavie_encode On the La Vie en Code Facebook page Or, via my Contact page Host note: Apologies in advance—I’m sounding more nasally than usual! I was recovering from a sinus infection. 🙁 Tools, in order of appearance Please note, some of these links may be affiliate links. In other words, I get a cup of coffee (so to
In this episode, we’re going to take a deep dive into the Document Object Model: what it looks like, how it works, and what we can do with it.
In this episode, Nicole details 10 things she’s identified that new coders absolutely need to know before they begin learning to code. Why is this important? Every day, students start learning to code by teaching themselves, without any type of plan or goal. Eager to leave behind their old careers, and learn new technical skills that welcome new job opportunities, we run blind into the world of coding. The end result is generally frustration, and eventual drop-off. Furthermore, as many of these students are career changers, they are often already unhappy with their existing jobs, and unable to afford an
In this episode, Nicole talks to her first in-person coding instructor and good mentor friend, George Mandis of Snaptortoise Development. She met George, a Portland, Oregon-based web developer, while attending Code Academy at Mount Hood Community College. In fact, this was Nicole’s first classroom-based web development bootcamp when she started learning to code. However, Nicole was already pretty advanced for the class, and he ended up being a great mentor to her! While talking to George, I reminisce on the time I began learning to code. He has wonderful intuitive and experience-based insight on the web development industry, which is something newbie coders
In this two-part discussion, we welcome special guest Dr. Barbara Oakley, Professor of Engineering at Oakland University, to adapt some key topics from her record-setting Learning How to Learn and Mindshift Coursera courses, as well as from her new book, Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential, to self-taught web development students. If you haven’t listened to it yet, check out Part 1 of The Science of Learning with Dr. Barbara Oakley! Barbara Oakley’s Coursera course, Learning How to Learn, is currently the world’s largest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). It is here that students may have their very
In this two-part discussion, we welcome special guest Dr. Barbara Oakley, Professor of Engineering at Oakland University, to discuss her new book Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential, and adapt some key topics from her record-setting Learning How to Learn and Mindshift Coursera courses for self-taught web development students. Barbara Oakley’s Coursera course, Learning How to Learn, is currently the world’s largest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). It is here that students may have their very first exposure to the inner workings of the brain. And, if you’re a new coder, you know that our brains are
In this episode, Nicole opens up about her first web development position, in a story about why expectation (vs. reality) matters, and how our newbie coder experiences can affect our future career choices. Have you ever expected a lot of a goal outcome, and when it finally happened—it just didn’t quite deliver? That’s more or less how I felt with my first web development contract gig. It was a wonderful experience overall, but I found that I was largely disoriented in the world of unfamiliar technology. Why all the confusion? Well, my first job used Adobe ColdFusion. If you’ve never
Self-Taught Student Talks is a sub-series of the LVEC podcast, highlighting self-taught students’ accomplishments. This week, we meet Casey Bartholomew, a self-taught front-end web development student juggling full-time work while learning to code. We discuss what he’s learned so far, what tools he’s using, and where he plans to go. Other web development student communities mentioned Learn To Code With Me CodeNewbie (note: both have excellent podcasts!) Casey’s mentions Colt Steele’s Complete Web Developer Bootcamp SoloLearn: Mobile Web Development Learning App I’d love to hear from you and chat about your struggles and accomplishments as a self-taught web development student! You
In this episode, Nicole shares her personal story of how she learned to learn. After a lifetime of feeling frustrated with traditional education systems, she finally figured out how her brain works, and what type of learning environment it needs. We all learn differently. There is no single method or style of learning that fits us all. However, I did not realize this until later in life. By that time, learning had become more of a hassle and requirement than an activity I enjoyed. I’d like for you to reflect on this episode and try to understand how you learn. My discoveries
For the inaugural episode of the La Vie en Code podcast, Nicole talks about her own journey in self-taught web development, and how her life lined up perfectly to take the career change plunge. Thank you for joining me for my very first podcast episode! In this episode, I discuss where I grew up and my very imaginative childhood brain. As a young girl, I loved finding different things to take apart, observe, and put back together. In fact, it fueled my love of the technical world, whether I was aware of it or not. When college came around, I
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Total transparency: You’ll get your guide, and also be subscribed to my dope weekly newsletter, Life in Code.
You can always unsubscribe (but I don’t think you’ll want to). :)
Total transparency: You’ll get your guide, and also be subscribed to my dope weekly newsletter, Life in Code.
You can always unsubscribe (but I don’t think you’ll want to). :)
