Learn to Code With Me

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S4E21: The End of Season 4 Mar 20, 2018

Show notes

As the fourth season of the Learn to Code With Me podcast draws to a close, I share a few updates about the future of the podcast and Learn to Code With Me as a whole.

If you're going to miss the show, here are a few things you can do:

Sign up to get regular emails from me about exclusive discounts, my favorite tech tools, and my latest blog posts.
Follow Learn to Code With Me on Facebook.
Follow me on Twitter.
Join my free Facebook group, Newbie Coder Warehouse.
Leave a review of the show to let me know you'd like it back sooner rather than later!

Until next time...

S4E20: Projects and Portfolios: a Hands-on Approach to Learning to Code With Ashu Desai Mar 13, 2018

Show notes

Ashu Desai is the founder of Make School, a computer science college in Silicon Valley that trains students for careers in software development.

After a childhood in Singapore and Hong Kong, Ashu moved to Silicon Valley at age 10, where he was bitten by the tech bug. He has been building apps since age 16 after getting involved in the computer science program at his high school and self-teaching coding languages.

Ashu attended college for a year, but didn't find the focus practical enough, and dropped out to build his own projects. This experience is also what inspired him to found Make School, a product-based approach to learning that focuses on teaching real-world skills.

In our conversation, Ashu talks about the importance of a practical education, how Make School works, and tips for getting a job once you're ready.

See the full show notes on the Learn to Code With Me website.

Thank you to this episode's sponsors:

S4E19: From Learning to Code on a Phone to Working for an MIT Startup With Elvis Chidera Mar 06, 2018

Show notes

Elvis Chidera is a software developer who grew up in a rural part of Nigeria and taught himself how to code on a Nokia phone.

When he was only 11 years old, Elvis became curious about how websites were built and wanted to download games on his Nokia phone. That curiosity led him to coding tutorials, and he began using a simple notepad app to code.

Eventually he was able to save up enough for a laptop and begin freelancing, but before that, he managed to develop microedition apps using only his phone and Java.

Today, at the age of 19, Elvis is an Android developer at dot Learn, an MIT startup that builds educational apps for students in emerging markets like Africa. He has also worked on over 50 apps which collectively have millions of downloads from the Google Play store.

In this episode, listen to Elvis's story, his experiences programming on a phone, what he's been doing career-wise, and what the future holds.

See the full show notes on the Learn to Code With Me website.

Thank you to this episode's sponsors:

S4E18: An Introduction to Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency With Chris Castiglione Feb 27, 2018

Show notes

Chris Castiglione is the co-founder and CEO of One Month, a professor at Columbia University Business School, and a bitcoin and cryptocurrency enthusiast.

The classes Chris teaches focus on coding, digital literacy, and cryptocurrency. He also hosts a podcast and has written for several online publications, and is passionate about using education to inspire positive change in the world.

During his twenties, before founding One Month, Chris traveled the world working as a digital nomad, building websites and doing consulting. This is one of the things you'll hear him talk about in the episode!

When bitcoin and cryptocurrency caught his attention, he got excited about its potential. Now, he's teaching a course on it. Listen to the episode to hear Chris explain what crypto is, how he sees its future, what his course covers, and how to get involved.

See the full show notes on the Learn to Code With Me website.

Thank you to this episode's sponsors:

S4E17: Learning to Code While Working Full Time With a Family With Michael Tombor Feb 20, 2018

Show notes

Mike Tombor is learning to code while working full time at a health insurance company. He also has two kids and a fiancé.

Mike's goal is to become a full-stack web developer and designer. As he learns, he shares his journey in Medium blog posts and at community meetups to help others balance their own life demands with their goals.

Learning to code while working full time (and raising kids) is no easy feat. In our conversation, Mike shares how he balances work, coding, and family. He also explains what drew him to tech, tricks for staying motivated and managing your time wisely, and how to build a supportive community during your journey.

See the full show notes on the Learn to Code With Me website.

Thank you to this episode's sponsors:

S4E16: Coding Bootcamp or College Degree? With David Yang Feb 13, 2018

Show notes

David Yang is the co-founder and lead instructor at Fullstack Academy, and has 17 years of programming experience.

The summer after graduating high school, David became the youngest software engineering intern to ever be accepted at Ernst and Young, and went on to earn bachelor's degrees in computer science and electrical engineering.

Before founding Fullstack, he worked as a software engineer at Microsoft and Yahoo, among other companies, and taught at Columbia University as an adjunct professor.

In our conversation, we talk about whether a coding bootcamp or college degree is the best choice for aspiring techies. He tells his own story, including what led him to create Fullstack, and gives advice on how to prepare for coding bootcamps, succeed, and impress employers after graduation.

See the full show notes on the Learn to Code With Me website.

Thank you to this episode's sponsors:

S4E15: How to Teach Yourself Data Science With David Venturi Feb 06, 2018

Show notes

David Venturi is a former chemical engineer who began pursuing a tech career in 2015 and found a passion in data.

Recently, David used online resources to create a personalized data science master's program, to help others learn data analysis in a well-structured way.

The program encompasses courses from top institutions including Harvard, MIT, and Stanford, and focuses on topics like machine learning, software engineering, and back-end development.

David also works at Udacity, where he creates and teaches his own courses on data analysis.

Today, we discuss the importance of going for your passions, how he came up with the idea of building a personalized master's program, how to teach yourself data science, and how to stay positive and disciplined while teaching yourself tech skills.

See the full show notes on the Learn to Code With Me website.

Thank you to this episode's sponsors:

S4E14: Pregnancy and Parenthood in the Tech Industry With Vidya Srinivasan Jan 30, 2018

Show notes

Vidya Srinivasan is an engineer, speaker, and singer, who works as a program manager at Microsoft and holds bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science.

When she's not on the job, Vidya stays busy with tech-related volunteering and activities. She loves to hack-for-good, and has won multiple awards at the Microsoft One Week hackathons. She has been part of the Grace Hopper Conference leadership since 2014 and regularly speaks about tech at various conferences and presentations.

Vidya is also passionate about music and her family. She holds a degree in Indian classical music and performs with Seattle bands to raise funds for nonprofits. When she recently became a new mom, she added time with her daughter to her busy schedule--and carried on doing the other things she loves as well!

In our conversation, I speak with Vidya about how she's balanced her career and passions with her experiences of pregnancy and parenthood. She gives advice on juggling responsibilities, staying involved in activities, and being transparent with your colleagues and company while starting a family.

See the full show notes on the Learn to Code With Me website.

Thank you to this episode's sponsors:

S4E13: Pursuing a Career in Machine Learning With CTO Allan Leinwand Jan 23, 2018

Show notes

Allan Leinwand is the CTO at ServiceNow. Over his career, he has built a reputation for managing the world's most demanding clouds.

In his role at ServiceNow, Allan is personally responsible for overseeing all technical aspects and guiding the long-term technology strategy for the company. He is involved in building and running the ServiceNow Enterprise Cloud--the second largest enterprise cloud computing environment on the planet.

During college, Allan knew he wanted to be involved in tech, though he wasn't sure in what specific capacity. His first post-graduation job was at HP, where he fell in love with computer science and networking. He then worked at Cisco, and now ServiceNow, where he has delved more into machine learning and cloud computing.

In our conversation, we talk about how Allan pursued a career in tech leadership, the difference between AI and machine learning, what to do if you want a career in machine learning or technical leadership, and more.

See the full show notes on the Learn to Code With Me website.

Thank you to this episode's sponsors:

S4E12: Growing a Freelancing Business as a Data Scientist with Lillian Pierson Jan 16, 2018

Show notes

Lillian Pierson is a freelance data scientist for SMEs and entrepreneurs, as well as a trainer, speaker, and coach for people who want to get into data science and analytics.

Before she got into data science, Lillian worked in engineering. However, her interest in the tech space began early: she started teaching herself basic code in sixth grade, and always enjoyed working with data. When she decided on a career change, data science was the natural choice.

Lillian is also the author of Data Science for Dummies and the founder of Data-Mania, the company through which she offers data training services to professionals seeking career advancement. She works remotely as much as possible, which allowed her to move overseas to Thailand, where she's currently living the island life with her family.

In today's episode, we discuss freelancing as a data scientist, how to manage remote work and travel, the importance of building your personal brand, and more.

See the full show notes on the Learn to Code With Me website.

Thank you to this episode's sponsors:

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