Category: Career

More Web Dev Projects

Carl Setzer2 Comments
data codes through eyeglasses

I didn’t post yesterday, so I’ll post about the project I did yesterday and the one I did today. Yesterday, the project was for an Animated Countdown timer. Using CSS and JavaScript to create this animation was pretty cool. My consternation came from a bunch of mistyped elements in my code. Finding those little glitches (like typing “igm” vs “img”) gets wearying after awhile.

Today’s project was an Image Carousel. I only made one code error, but it was a sneaky one. The images would not sit well in their frame. Turns out, I tried to set the size to 500px, but I had a stray “1” in there (1500px…opps). Once I found that, viola!

These are rather small projects, where I’m mostly trying to refresh my understanding of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. I want to be far better than I am, even if I don’t end up becoming a coder. I really enjoy this and want to grow.

I also am working on Google’s IT Support Professional and Project Management certificates. Both of these are valuable skills, and useful things to understand regardless of role in IT.

Another Certificate Completed

Carl Setzer1 Comment
the word thoughts on a pin board

I’m continuing my technology learnings. Today I finished another step towards my Google IT Support Professional Certificate: The Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking. I appreciated both the review, as well as the deeper dive. Perhaps I’m weird, but I think this is rather fun.

The next course is Operating Systems and You. I love exploring command line stuff! It’s amazing how much power and control you have with such tools.

I also am slowly driving forward with my Google Project Management Professional Certificate. My original plan had me completing both by the end of the year. Well, that’s not happening. Basically, I didn’t fully grasp how much work they would take. I’m fine with this, though. However, I see value in refining my focus. I can complete more and with deeper learning if I choose one to focus on.

And that hits on my current thoughts. Which of these two should I focus on for my career path going forward. I spent the pandemic studying Computer Information Systems at Edmonds College, earning an associates degree. I enjoy my studies into the technical realms.

As I look over my career, though, I see projects. I’ve managed many of them, from events to office moves to…well, suffice it to say there’s been a variety. And I really enjoy that work. I’m still pursuing the Google Project Management certificate. Both of these are key elements in my career vision. I love technology, and I love working on projects. I see different business functions and how technology and, for that matter, project tools, add value. I think my space in all this integrates both realms.

Anyway, thanks for humoring my musings. I’m thinking pretty deeply right now on such things as I’m building out my goals and plans for 2024.

I Earned A New Certificate

Carl Setzer2 Comments
rolled white paper and a certificate on a pink surface

In my efforts to keep moving forward in my career, I’m currently working on the Google Project Management Professional certificate. Today, I obtained a new certification as part of that: Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project. I guess we could call this a sub-certificate. I guess…

Anyway, project management has always been a key part of who I am. And I see that it will be a key part of my future. From my time in the Navy to the present day, a lot of what I do is keep projects moving. Whether its typing minutes or notes, updating tracking documents (Project or Asana), or following up with stakeholders, projects have been a key part of my career to date. And I’ve been told, multiple times over the years, that this is something people value about me. In the end, I love completing things. I love getting projects across the proverbial finish-line. And I love helping people be successful.

So, I seek to keep moving forward. Everyday presents opportunities for forward motion, and I intend to take advantage of them.

Earned Another Cert: Technical Support Fundamentals

Carl Setzer
back view of a blond woman in an office looking at two computer screens with multicoloured code

I wrote yesterday that I am pursuing the Google Technical Support Fundamentals certificate. Well, I’ve finished that one. It is one of 5 elements in the Google IT Support Professional certification, so I’m solidly on my way. 20% done!

It’s a fun certificate, and I enjoyed diving back into the subject. There’s so much more to learn, though, so I’m pumped to jump into the next one.

The Challenge of Finding a Tech Job Right Now

Carl Setzer3 Comments
man in white shirt using macbook pro

At the beginning of the pandemic, I was laid off (yet again). Growing weary of being the first let go when a company’s finances get tight, I started looking for a new direction. As I’ve long loved technology, I explored options to finally move into tech roles professionally. I discovered that Washington State’s Worksource program would let me collect unemployment while I pursued a Associates Degree in Technical Arts. So, a few weeks before the world locked down, I found myself enrolled at Edmonds College to pursue Computer Information Systems.

I finished that program last summer, and I found myself looking to land that first tech role. Right around the time that hundreds of thousands of unemployed tech workers were starting their searches. A few days ago, I came across this article in Wired that validated my perceptions: “Finding a Tech Job Is Still a Nightmare“. My favorite part? “The tech job market “doesn’t show any signs of turning around just yet,” says Julia Pollak, chief economist with online employment marketplace ZipRecruiter.” Man, I opted for this career path because of the significant career growth! I have been feeling frustrated and disheartened.

Reading the article, I see I’m not the only one. Actually, I’m in good company. When the Grace Hopper Celebration, a career fair targeting women and nonbinary tech workers, got slammed with huge lines and, well, men, it’s easy to see the desperation in many a tech worker’s life.

I’m lucky. Currently, I work roughly half-time with two different organizations. So, I’m pretty much full-time. I’m pulling in money, enough to pay the bills. And one of those half-time roles is in IT. So, really, I’ve met the goal of transitioning to IT.

I am not done, though. I still want to land a full-time role. And I still want to grow, to learn. I am in a place to keep growing, even if I’m not in a place to take more classes. Coursera offers some good options. Currently, I’m pursuing their Google Technical Support Fundamentals Certificate. It’s mostly review, but my son is pursuing the same certificate. It’s fun to do this together. I think I’ll go after their Data Analytics certificate next, to finish out 2023. I’m still exploring options for 2024. Perhaps I’ll go after my A+ and Network+ certificates. I also want to get AWS and Azure certified. And I want to continue to grow my coding skills. In particular, Python.

Are any of you finding the current tech job market challenging? What are doing to navigate these new situations? I hope you’re not feeling too frustrated or frightened.

Updated 10/24/2023: Karina Chow, who I follow over on Twitter, shared this Tech Crunch article which I think is quite germane: A comprehensive list of 2023 tech layoffs. Makes me think that the job hunt toughness will continue for a while.

Job Hunting In 2023 Update

Carl Setzer
man in white shirt using macbook pro

As many of you know, I’m in the process of looking for an FTE role. Part of that is being registered on many job boards. One result of that: troubling amount spam/scam messages. This morning this one popped into my inbox (names, etc, redacted to protect the guilty…or probably just those being spoofed):

Now, I don’t discount the (very unlikely) possibility this is legitimate. However, this is laden with red-flags. First, the generic gmail account. And “click on this link” to apply”? One of the key rules of modern basic security: don’t click on links in random emails. Additionally, there are nearly zero details, other than the role title and the pay. Heck, I don’t know what city this is supposed to be located in. Which leads me to another email from this morning. Not spammy per se, but just problematic:

So, I’m pretty sure this one is legitimate, but woefully bad. First and foremost, I live just north of Seattle, about 2,700 miles from Alpharetta, GA. Secondly, is this role in Alpharetta, or Providence, RI? They’re 1,000 miles apart. My address is in all of my job posts. I’m sure the algorithms allow you to filter your recruitment searches. Please, please utilize the tools at your disposal. It’s not just my time you’re wasting.

There’s a lot of scammy behavior out there right now in the “recruiting” space. I’ve received so many “opportunities” to sell financial or pre-paid legal services. It’s frustrating and annoying. But it is the way of things, I guess.

“This is the Way” Mandalorian

Developing as a Developer

Carl Setzer
apple laptop notebook office

I’ve been continuing on with my “50 Projects In 50 Days” project. Since my last post, I’ve added 3 more:

Slowly but surely I’m growing my developer skills. I have realized that some of the video trainings move too quickly for me, but taking a moment to pause from time to time and process what I’ve done helps. I’ve also started reading Eloquent Javascript to get an alternative style of information absorption. Also, I ordered “Cracking the Coding Interview” today, as coding interviews are an area of anxiety for me (I know this is not an uncommon feeling amongst developers). These will be my foci for the next few weeks.

Now, beyond that: I’m still mapping that out. Do I want to deep dive into web development? I’m still not sure. While pursuing my ATA, I took classes in Cisco Networking and desktop support. I really enjoyed that and wonder if there might be opportunities to incorporate that into my career. Perhaps dev ops?

Data, database theory, and design were other key areas of my studies, plus, I really enjoyed them. SQL is SO cool! (Nerd acknowledgment). Another option I’m evaluating is Data Analytics. I would like to add Microsoft’s Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification this year as well.

I also studied Amazon Web Services, but just “got my feet wet” as the adage goes. I would like to go further with Cloud Systems, whether with AWS, Azure (I am a Microsoft Alum, after all, and live in Microsoft Land), or Google (I utilize Google extensively in my day-to-day work, seems like a logical fit). And, after watching several videos about 2023 IT Trends, cloud computing is one of the key growing areas in IT. Since I already have a little bit of training, diving deeper and getting some certifications sounds wise. AI and Machine Learning are things I want to, eventually, study, I am just not sure when.

Tiff In Tech’s look at Top IT Skills for 2023

So, that’s where I am as I map out my 2023 plans. What do you think? Any advice? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Animated Navigation Bar: 50 Projects in 50 Days

Carl Setzer2 Comments
person encoding in laptop

Today we created an animated navigation bar with (mostly) CSS. I easily see a use case for this one, which makes it that much more fun.

You click on the “x” or the double line (depending on the view you’re in) to change the animation.

Besides growing my developer skills, I’m considering what work I should/could do in the near term. It’s going to be a bit before I feel ready to do coding interviews, much feel ready to jump into a production environment. But that’s not the only thing I can do with all that I’ve learned over the past few years.

My studies have covered a pretty broad swath of technology. Besides the keys to web development (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript), we also looked at JQuery and PHP. Stretching beyond the rudiments, we went pretty deep into databases (theory as well as design), system analysis and design, and project management (amongst other things). Also, I added some courses in Cisco Networking (the internet is a network, right?), desktop support (one more class then I will have a certificate in desktop support), and system architecture. Combining this with my pre-ATA career, I think this sets me up to be a great system analyst. I understand the technical side of things, and what business leaders want/need. I will do an excellent job bridging the gap between “business” and IT. Thus, I’m leaning that way in my job search.

What do you think? Any guidance you have to offer me as I transition? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Future Proofing Careers

Carl Setzer1 Comment
man in suit

A few days ago, this post came through my LinkedIn feed: “These Jobs Are Disappearing“. For me, the key thing are all the administrative roles declining (which has been the focus for a good deal of my career). Administrative assistant roles are expected to decline by 19.2% over the ten years from 2021 to 2031. Executive admin assistant roles are expected to drop by 20.2%!

What I find interesting in this: I’ve seen this coming for a while. However, right now, the trend SEEMS to be going the other way. I’m getting near daily recruiter calls for executive support and team admin roles.

This, though, is one key motivating factor for changing professions. As I love technology, these trends just drive me to cement my knowledge and work harder to transition.

Things like web development, project management, and systems analysis are key future-centric roles. My studies are my attempt to future-proof my career.