How is it possible that I’ve already been working for Udacity for two weeks?!

I have done real tangible things since last week (I did real, tangible things my first week but nothing I could really point you to). This week, I integrated Github linking!! If you have an account on Udacity, you can now link your Github account to it here. This doesn’t actually do much more at the moment, but it’s all a part of a master plan. If you don’t have a Udacity account (why not?!) or aren’t using Github, here’s an action shot from my account:

I’m settling in to my place a little more (I also discovered the spider I threw outside was not Selma, but Selma is in fact outside now too). I have a new whiteboard that is currently just practical (groceries and upcoming things), but I’m sure it will end up with weird pictures of animals and penises.

My plans this weekend involve groceries and finally getting a San Mateo County library card, so I’m pretty excited!

First week of work is over and it felt a lot like a less intense week of Hack Reactor. I still can’t believe this is what I’m actually doing with my life. I still definitely have lots and lots of impostor syndrome but I also deployed live things my first week! And learned a few of my coworkers names! And did a two minute all staff demonstration on how to knit!

I also got exactly what I wanted. I’m working full stack in JavaScript and Python in non startup-y startup (e.g., we’re not out to make lots and lots of money or making a product we don’t believe in for the money) doing things that I feel are making a tangibly good contribution. We have a gong that gets rung when a person graduates a class. That small bit right there proved that I was exactly where I wanted to be.

And yes, I’m still terrified some days that I’m too slow or too newb or just not cut out for this, but here’s a secret, I don’t think that will ever go away. Maybe it’s a good thing or maybe it’s just human nature, but I just need to learn to live in my own skin I think and take the impostor syndrome as a mark of being human, of caring about my work and wanting to always get better.

And a minor update: Selma is no longer in the house, I got the balls to move her outside finally.

I just made something! For the first time ever I made a stupid little ruby program to do something that a PivotTable was giving me fits over at work. I had a spreadsheet like so:

But what I really needed was a text file that I could print and hand out to people like so:

And I did it with the power of Ruby! I was so proud of myself. I’ve never taken a real world problem (from my work no less) and made a tiny bit of code do exactly what I want it to. It just adds to my love of coding.

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require 'csv'

contents = CSV.open "strengths.csv", headers: true, header_converters: :symbol
File.open("out.txt", 'w') do |f|
  contents.each do |row|
    headers = contents.headers
      name = row[0]
    strength = {}
      i = 1
    while i < row.length
      if row[i]
        strength[(row[i].to_i)] = i
      end
      i += 1
    end
    f.write("#{name} \n")
    stren = strength.sort_by { |k, v| k }

    stren.each do |k,v|
      f.write("\t #{headers[v].to_s.capitalize} \n")
    end
    f.write("\n")
  end
end

And yes, those are my StrengthsFinder top 5 in the second picture. Everyone at work had to do them and I think mine are very accurate.

I’m up late listening to the entertaining people discuss numbers and psychics on Coast to Coast. I’m also sitting on a mattress on the floor of my best friend’s apartment. There are two tiny Chihuahuas snoring at my feet and I just want to grin.

I’m on vacation from the real world for a week. I took a week off, flew down to California and I’m basking in the sun and the closeness of friends who really get me. I’ve even made a new friend in the past few weeks and of course she lives down here too. I’m tired but happy and I’m positive now that this is the place I want to live. All the time. Everyday.

I want to move to California. I want to shake things up and become a web developer and live the life I fantasize about. I kept waffling between computers and accounting, but accounting was the safe and easy way out. I knew the path. I knew it would be another two years before I had to start making tough decisions. For computers, the tough decisions start NOW. I need to get down to California, try to get into a program and then figure out what exactly it means to work in a little development company that could disappear in 5 years. It’s terrifying and yet I can’t stop smiling.

Also, I’m back with A Small Orange hosting. I just loved them too much not to go back.