Github repository... or it didn't happen
Yes, I said it.
You have just finished your <insert online academy platform> course on <insert technology/framework of choice> and you can't wait to share it in every social media available... cool!
You're proud of yourself (as you should be)... super cool!
You finally feel this IT world is starting to make sense... ultra cool!
Well... it is kinda cool... well... not really.
Fast forward to… your next interview
Or meeting or casual talk with anyone about what you've learned:
John: Hey Steve! I saw your achievement on <insert social media>, amazing! What did you learn?
Steve: Hey bro! Thanks! I learned a lot about <insert topic 1>, <insert topic 2>... <insert topic n>.
John: Awesome! And how does it work?
Steve: Well the main thing is <insert vague one liner 1>, so I can achieve <insert vague one liner 2>.
John: It seems interesting! I wan to learn too, have you build anything with it? Can you show me? Email me the link so I can check it out : D
Steve: For sure, here's the link to the <insert online academy platform> course on <insert technology/framework of choice>
John: Wait, I mean... have you built anything with it? or have you applied your new knowledge to any of your current projects?
Steve: For sure, here's the link to the <insert online academy platform> course on <insert technology/framework of choice>
I have seen these kind of interactions many, many times and for years I was guilty myself of the same mistake.
Build anything. Elevate your thinking
Don't get too uptight about it, it's just another tool/library/framework out of thousands around.
First, start building something for yourself that could accomplish one or many of these items:
Save you some time when performing a task.
Give you more clarity within a process.
Stop you from making the same mistake every time you face X issue.
Help you showcasing problem-solving abilities within your profile/resume.
Provide you with an escape to rumor driven software development details on casual talks, meetings or interviews.
Add value to any team, project, platform you are (or will be) part of.
Once you’ve started thinking about your next project, please head to Github (or your favourite code repository) and start a new repo. Once there, you should really get going learning GIT and how to push your changes to your brand new repository.
All of the above is meant to direct you, in way or another, to distinguish yourself and your career (and most likely your future career) from those that love to pile up digital (or paper) certifications and believe assimilating theory is the only they need to actually have a career within this digital world.
As always, keep collaborating, keep writing, keep learning and building something you're proud of.
Stay safe,
Juan.