What the hell is version control?!

Learning how to code on your own can often be a lonely endeavor. Myself and many others work full time jobs in addition to self-teaching code through tutorials and books on our own time. It often isn't feasible to regularly attend classes or coordinate with others to work through projects.

 I can really only speak for myself but the majority of the small projects I work through to master specific concepts are done by me and only me from start until finish. Because of that I wasn't even aware of the concept of version control until somewhat recently. Once I understood the importance of it I sincerely wish I had covered it earlier on.

The spare time that I devote to coding is with the intention that I will one day (hopefully sooner than later) accept a job as a full-time software engineer. The thing is, the coding I'll be doing as part of a development or test engineer team will vary GREATLY from the practice work that I'm doing now. The key part to that is working as a TEAM. Until now all of the projects that I've completed have only involved one person - ME. When you work as an engineer for a company you typically are not the only person assigned to work on a product. So why does that matter?

If you've learned even a little bit about code you've seen that even small errors can cause HUGE issues in code. Now think about the fact that several different engineers are all simultaneously writing code on the same product. How will your code interact with Joe Schmoe's code? How will you share your code among team members? Are there ways to predict how your code will interact with the rest of the solution before you implement it?

The answer is YES. The answer is VERSION CONTROL.

Modern version control almost always means Git. I was aware of Github and it's uses as a budding developer long before I began to understand how Git itself is actually used. I am not an expert in Git, in fact I've hardly used it professionaly at all, but I would be happy to list some great resources to learn git.

• Lynda.com - Git Essential Training with Kevin Skoglund - This six hour course masterfully explains the history and concepts of Git and provides an excellent example of how it is used
• Codecademy.com - Learn Git - This course is only two hours and focuses more on git workflow
• Github.io - Git Tutorial - Github itself provides a tutorial! Learn at the source!
• Learn Git Branching - My future manager in automation testing recommended this interactive course to become a Git ninja. Seems more interactive than the others.

After delving into some of these resources take a gander at the image below. If it makes some sense to you then you are going in the right direction!

In closing I want to encourage you to begin impletmenting git commands in your projects. I don't care how small the project is or if you are the only person to ever even see it, having these concepts in place will do wonders for you when you finally find yourself working with a team.

Finally an opportunity to prove myself.

Tomorrow is gonna be big. I'm having my very first training meeting with one of the test automation team leads. There's been a lot of preparation leading up to this and its finally time to start proving myself.

This is a situation that all self-taught programmers eventually face. Spending countless hours of personal time coding through online tutorials, book problems, and side projects will finally culminate to the moment that you can show your stuff to an interviewer and potential employer.

This begs the question: "when am I ready?"

When working through a traditional CS degree these steps are typically a little more straightforward. Go to university, start out in the CS program, apply for internships junior and senior year, and upon graduation start applying for jobs. So what happens if you're 26 years old, have a pre-med bachelors degree, and realize coding is your true passion?

If I had all the answers to this I would be writing a different kind of blog. Maybe when I'm on the other side of this and hacking for a living I'll spell it out for you guys. I'm right in the trenches with you. And full disclosure, I'm not heading into an interview tomorrow. Things are quite as intimidating as that. My company needs more automation engineers that are familiar with the product and that have prior QA experience. I think they'll be a little more forgiving of my shortcomings than an average cold interviewer. But that day is going to come. The day that I walk into a white-boarding interview and answer questions about algorithms and FizzBuzz.

So back to the question that was begged for. When will you be ready? There isn't one answer for everybody but I have a couple thoughts on the matter.

Learn the syntax and the ins and outs of an OOP language. It could be Ruby, Python, C++, Java, Javascript, ect. I chose Python because I've heard its a very beginner friendly language. If you are interested in a certain type of programming career then research which programming language will be the most useful and go with that.

Once you start feeling somewhat comfortable with the syntax start doing side projects. These should start out small and slowly ramp up as you continue to learn how to use new tools and techniques. These side projects and the material they cover will by far be the most important thing prospective employers will see so make sure you take it seriously. Lots of good ideas for side projects can be found HERE.

Take the projects that you are proud of and put together a portfolio, preferably on the website Github.com (more on that in a future post).

Once you've amassed a sizable portfolio focus your attention on interview prep. Interviews in this industry are unlike any other. You will be expected to demonstrate not only your knowledge but your ability to think on your feet under pressure. There are a lot of resources to begin prep. My recommendation (based on very little experience) is working through the book Cracking the Coding Interview.

After some of the more difficult problems become solvable, you're ready to start applying for jobs! Because of the lack of degree and experience you'll want to apply to a lot of them. By a lot I mean dozens every week. You'll get interviews, you'll rock the interview, and you'll lock down the job I just know it!

I'd like to get more in depth on each of these steps as I continue to write in this blog. In the meantime, wish me luck for tomorrow!

"You want a seriously righteous hack... you score one of those Gibsons man." - Cereal Killer

Hackers (1995) is a silly film in a time where hacker culture and computer science thrived only in the fringes of society. It marked the beginning of the Internet Age.

Now it's 2016 and hardly a week goes by without a new headline detailing the latest massive hack. Apple, Google, and Microsoft keynotes announcing new electronic devices, operating systems, and apps dominate the water cooler conversation. Software and computer science are at the center of our progression as a human race. There have never been more resources for us to learn the craft.

My name is Ryan Johns. I am 26 years old and I live in Utah. I graduated last year from Brigham Young University with a BS in Exercise Science. BS is an accurate description of my experience at BYU....but I probably don't need to get into that. When I graduated I had plans to apply to physician assistant programs across the county. I worked in a rural hospital for nearly a year before sending out applications. Over the course of that year, with the intention of cultivating Plan B in case I didn't get accepted to PA school, I began to grow interested in working as a software engineer.

I experienced an awakening like no other over this past year. Instead of dragging my feet towards a career in medicine, I discovered a passion for turning an idea into reality through coding. PA isn't on my radar anymore. Becoming a kickass developer is.

Two months ago my son was born. Our first kid. He is my inspiration and my motivation to get this career on track.


So what have I done? And what am I planning to do? In my spare time I have learned C# and Python programming languages. I landed a job as a QA & Testing Analyst at an insurance software company called Xactware. Currently I'm just a monkey manual tester..... but not for long. I'm training to take the role of Test Automation Engineer. It will be a solid step in my journey towards developer. Then next year, starting January 17th, I'll start a 9 month web developer course + 6 week externship through the MATC, a local technical college in Lehi. The best part is that it is paid for by Xactware. I think that will be exactly what I need to put me over the edge towards developer badassery. To sum things up:

INSPIRATION:

• My Developing Journey Blog - Brian Douglas' story and blog are the direct inspiration for this website.
• Code Newbie Podcast - Excellent podcast that focuses on transitioning into a coding career without a computer science background
• What is Code? - Wonderfully crafted issue of Businessweek written by Paul Ford that covers everything from coder culture to basic understanding and the syntax and structure of code
• AlphaGo and Move 37 - Machine learning went to the next level this year when Google's go playing algorithm beat the sitting world champion, Lee Sedol
• Elon Musk - Tesla, SpaceX, and OpenAI will change the world forever

GOALS:

• Lock down Automation Engineer promotion by the beginning of 2017
• Code for 3 hours every day
• Fill in GitHub repository with diverse side projects
• Complete MATCH Web Developer course in 2017
• Accept offer for full time developer position end of 2017/beginning of 2018
• Hack the planet

RESOURCES

--Finished--

• Python Course on Codecademy - I thought it was meh. Whenever I got to the practice problems I felt pretty lost. Not sure if that was on me or the material
• Automate the Boring Stuff with Python - Fantastic book, great application of the principles and very beginner friendly. The PDF is free online!
• The C# Player's Guide - Extremely beginner-friendly book that is not only great for C# but also great for anyone trying to understand the principles of object-oriented programming
• Lynda.com Git tutorial- excellent tutorial on the basics of git and version control

--On deck--

• Selenium and automation framework tutorials on Pluralsight
• MATC Web Developer Program
• Not to mention the ugly red book that won't fit on a shelf

Don't be mistaken. I'm still a novice. But I want to be accountable and I hope that this blog will be helpful to mark my progress to the internets.