048: Visualize Your Code (and Practice Anywhere!)
In this episode, Nicole introduces you to an often-overlooked technique for solidifying the programming knowledge you encounter: visualization.
047: What to Do When You Wanna Give Up Coding
In this episode, Nicole helps you work through your feelings and obstacles when you feel like giving up on learning to code.
046: How I Created My Dream Career with Online Tech Courses
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!
045: How to Break Down a Problem
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!
044: Growing As a Newbie Dev
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
043: How to Love the Experience of Learning to Code
In this episode, Nicole helps you see the advantages of being a new developer, and why you should slow down and enjoy your journey.
042: How to Leverage Twitter as a Developer
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!
041: Let’s Talk About Mentorship
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!
040: A Guide to Learning to Code and Getting a Job
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
039: Learning to Think Like a Programmer
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.
038: Note-Taking for Developers
In this episode, Nicole provides valuable advice for taking notes in a technical field—so you can maximize your information retention while learning!
037: I Hated Public Speaking… So I Became a Public Speaker
In this episode, Nicole shares her experience overcoming a lifelong fear of public speaking by giving a conference talk, and facing the negative emotions.
036: Overcoming Blank Screen Paralysis
In this episode, Nicole talks about the experience of blank screen paralysis, and how it can sabotage your education—and career.
035: How to Share Before You Feel Confident
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.
034: Overcoming Perfectionism and Getting Things Done
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!
033: Dissecting Build Tools in JavaScript
Learn what build tools are, what they do, how they differ—and how they can help speed up your career transition to web development!
032: Dissecting the Web Developer Roadmap—The Back-End
The Web Developer Roadmap by Kamran Ahmed (@kamranahmedse) has become a powerful resource for new self-taught web developers—especially career changers.
031: Dissecting the Web Developer Roadmap—The Front-End
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,
030: Dissecting the Web Developer Roadmap—”Required For Any Path”
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?
029: 7 Steps to Solving Code Challenges
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.
028: Learning to Code With Treehouse
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.
027: The Power of Projects with Andrew Cook
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.
026: Self-Taught Student Talks with Kalalau Cantrell
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.
025: Celebrating People of Color in Tech with Michael Berhane
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.
024: The Business of Diversity & Inclusion in Tech with Kim Crayton (Part 2)
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
023: The Business of Diversity & Inclusion in Tech with Kim Crayton (Part 1)
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
022: Choosing Motivation While Learning to Code
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
021: Rock Your First Hackathon
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
020: Improve your Skills with Deliberate Practice
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
019: Why I Became a Tech Entrepreneur
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
018: 15 Tips for Maximizing Your Web Dev E-Learning Experience
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
017: Learning with Games and Gamification
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
016: The 3 Fundamental Theories of Educational Technology (EdTech)
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
015: What is Educational Technology (EdTech)?
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
014: The Newbie Dev’s Intro to WordPress Development
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
013: When Mental Illness Affects Your Coding Goals
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
012: How to Start (and Keep Up!) a Blog While Learning to Code
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
011: At the Intersection of Technology & Education with Treehouse CEO Ryan Carson
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
010: Nicole’s Top 10 Web Development Tools
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
009: Intro to JavaScript and the Document Object Model (DOM)
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.
008: 10 Things You NEED to Know BEFORE Learning to Code
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
007: Lessons from Code Academy with George Mandis
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,
006: The Science of Learning with Dr. Barbara Oakley (Part 2)
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
005: The Science of Learning with Dr. Barbara Oakley (Part 1)
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
004: My First Dev Job Used ColdFusion (or, Why I’m a Freelancer)
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
003: Self-Taught Student Talks with Casey Bartholomew
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
002: How I Learned How I Learn
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
001: Introduction & My Web Development Origin Story
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