The last few months have been a strange and difficult time for everyone. Covid19 has had an impact on almost everyone all over the world. It’s easy to get distracted by all the heartbreaking news. I’m sure a lot of people who would be reading this blog would have been affected by it on some level.
In my case and working in public health, my day job required me to live and breathe Covid19. On top of that I have friends and families who are frontline healthcare workers who have contracted the virus.
When real life in the midst of a pandemic happened, coding seems to have taken a back seat for me. My anxiety levels were going through the roof and my health was suffering for it. Something had to give. I decided to take some time off from work. I usually find my love and passion for coding when I can get a couple of hours of deep work. And then the lockdown happened. Everyone is at home so no peace and quiet for me.
I realised that now is the time to…
** ..BE KIND TO YOURSELF**
I thought I’d give myself some time to adjust. After all, we are living in unprecedented times and we are all trying our best to navigate this new reality.
If my professional and life experience taught me anything though, it is to be adaptable.
** DO WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU – FINDING PATTERNS AND HAVING GOALS**
Setting goals no matter how small they are. When life outside is suspended, life in general (including our goals and dreams) does not necessarily need to be. I realised I can shift my focus and work on things that I can control which includes working towards my goal of becoming a software developer. I now try to code 1 hour every evening after my three year old is asleep.
If you’re curious, my sub-goals under this goal are to:
- finish and pass my final assessment
- brush up on Ruby on Rails and JS and React Skills
- work on my CV and blog/professional website
- build my network
- perfect my elevator pitch!
I’m more motivated than ever to come out of this pandemic as a Software Engineer.