It didn’t take long to finish up the first two projects of Term 3 (here and here). I’ve now moved on to the final project of the Nanodegree. The final project is a group project with 5 other students, so we’re in a bit of a wait state right now. We’ll most likely kick off the project towards the end of February and wrap up in March. Can’t wait to run some code on an actual car!
It’s kinda crazy to think about how quickly the past seven months have flown by. All in all, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this program and can’t thank Udacity / my classmates enough. When I first started, the program seemed a bit daunting. Especially since I had only been programming for ~1 year total at that point. After making it through the first Term, which was by far the most strenuous, it has definitely slowed down. So, for people who are considering the program, definitely take this into account. Once you make it through the first Term, you should feel some of the pressure drop off. I was able to complete Term 2 in a month and a half and would have wrapped up Term 3 in less than 2 months if it weren’t for the group project.
So, with all this free time, what have I been focusing on? I’ve spent a fair amount of time thinking about my next role post Amy’s Kitchen and decided that it needs to be towards a well known tech firm (aka The Big 4 or a similar startup). The main reason for this is “brand” name association for grad school. It may seem a bit silly, but this makes a huge difference for MBA or Master’s consideration. I would say it’s more important for MBA, but you get the point.
But, what about role? This has been the most challenging aspect and I still haven’t landed on a clear decision. I recently talked with a recruiter about my goals and said Product was my ultimate goal down the line (e.g. Director of Product, VP of Product). Her advice was to move right back to Product after my Software Engineering role at Amy’s due to the somewhat funny nature of Product hiring. Most people in Product seem to want people with Product experience that also have a certain level of technical acumen. So, I’m very much leaning towards Product.
With that being said though, right now I’ve been spending my time going through Jwasham’s Coding Interview University GitHub. I’m only in the beginning stages, but it’s already been so helpful to review even basic programming concepts. I’m not sure I’ll finish the program, but it’s making it difficult to see myself leaving Software Engineering. Maybe there is a dual product / programming role out there that I can find. This would be the ultimate balance for me since I enjoy both sides a lot.
The job search will most likely ramp up during the summer when I’ve hit ~1.5 years at Amy’s. For now, I’ll continue with the Coding Interview University and check out some Product interview books as well. This one in particular stands out and has great reviews. As I get close to summer, I’ll finalize my resume and start the job hunt. If your company is hiring, I’d love to chat! Feel free to email me at tim.lapinskas@gmail.com.