Lessons from Teaching Code: How Explaining Something Deepens Your Own Understanding
The Surprising Teacher When I started mentoring other engineers and teaching at Hack Reactor, I thought the main goal was to help students learn. What I quickly discovered was that teaching taught me just as much. Every time I explained a concept, whether it was a tricky algorithm or a subtle JavaScript quirk, I realized […]
How to Measure Success Without Losing Your Well-Being
Rethinking Success When I first started my career in software engineering, I measured success in simple terms. Meeting deadlines, shipping features, and getting positive feedback felt like the ultimate indicators of achievement. I believed that the more hours I worked and the more I accomplished, the more successful I was. Over time, I realized that […]
Breaking Into Tech Without a College Degree: My Path Through a Coding Bootcamp
The Road Less Traveled When people imagine the path into software engineering, they often think of long years in college, internships, and computer science degrees. That was not my story. I did not have a diploma in hand or a traditional academic background when I decided to pursue a career in tech. What I had […]
Why Failure Is the Secret Ingredient to Growth in Software Engineering
Learning to See Failure Differently When I first started in software engineering, I was afraid of failure. Every bug felt like a sign that I did not belong. Every project setback felt like proof that I was not good enough. Over time, though, I realized I was looking at failure the wrong way. It was […]