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  • Lostandfoundfor.me

    I am currently going through an AWS Developer Associate course on Udemy. I find it hard to retain knowledge if I don’t have practical application. This project is a way for me to apply the skills I’ve learned!

    The inspiration of this project came from myself losing items all the time. I spend a lot of time driving to different locations trying to find items I have lost, I have always wanted to just be able to go online and see all the lost items at a venue.

    I wanted to be able to use as many AWS products I could. Although this may not be the most optimal set up considering vendor lock in, I just want to be able to show that I can integrate AWS with applications that I can make.

    Step 1: CICD

    One thing a lot of Solo Developers don’t think to do until the end is setting up a proper pipeline for development, I wanted to be able to create this first. Although I want to focus on AWS cloud, I used GitHub Actions because it is more agnostic and a wider array of companies use it over its AWS alternatives. Also it is free!

  • My Love Hate relationship with Vim

    I first learned about vim through programming youtubers such as: the Primagen, Theo.gg, and Ben Awad. They all say that vim makes you faster as a developer so I was all on board. I immediately started learning it as much as I can.

    One thing about me is that I delve into things too deeply to the point where I go crazy.

  • Nguyenfamilyrealestate.com

    Check it out here!

    Check out the repository!

    One thing many people don’t know about me is that my family is full of real estate investors. They do not have much of an online presence so I decided to help them out!

    They let me have free reign over how to create the website as long as it functions properly, has minimal costs, and being able to update it occasionally. I decided to use this as an opportunity to fully flesh out my AWS Skills. The goal of this website for me is to connect all the pieces together and to learn what it takes to deploy a project to a production AWS environment

    Step 1. Designing using v0.dev?

    Designing web applications has never been easier with Tools like v0.dev from Vercel. I am not the best designer in the world so tools like this really help me make user friendly products. I got my inspiration for this website from Thach Nguyen; a real estate influencer that is the real deal. I love the way his website looks!

    Step 2. Setting up WordPress with GraphQL as a CMS

    I primarily used the WordPress REST api when making this blog website but I definitely should have used GraphQL. Although I first tested this out locally.

    Step 3. Creating CI/CD pipeline and setting up Production Environment

    There are two approaches you can take for self hosting: git cloning to run docker compose up or pulling images from docker hub.

    Step 4. Making it come to life using AWS!

    This part is where the project really comes to life. Hosting a project is easy but actually making it visible to users is the hard part. As much as I love companies like Vercel and Netlify, a whole generation of developers have no clue how how to deploy applications without them. It really is taking advantage of people who are just trying to make a better life for themselves. I myself was stuck in this front end developer trap for a long time. I am just learning these new skills and it makes a world of a difference in terms of job opportunities. In the words of the Primagen, you have to be more than a React Andy in order to get ahead.

    I learned about this architecture through a youtuber named … His project was just hosting a basic website through s3 but the ideas of making it more accessible through CloudFront is what stuck with me. It really got me thinking not about just simply having my projects out there, but showing employers that I can understand and help a business with more than just basic tasks.

  • Enduring Hardship while finding my next SWE role

    It has been an uphill battle for me to find my next Software Engineering role. Its been 3 years since I have had full time work. I have done a few contract jobs but nothing substantial.

    I have applied to thousands of jobs and many times have despaired at my current situation. The job market is just a lot different to when I was first in the industry, I got my first Software Engineering role relatively quickly after college and I was always told my next job after that would be easy to get because I now had professional experience under my belt. Little did I know it would be the exact opposite. I am in quite the predicament right now. Too skilled to get an internship, not skilled enough for so called “entry level” roles.

    I have been through many interviews and gotten to the final rounds, only to be beaten by people with masters degrees and more experience or me. Newer people to the industry are competing with people with 5+ years experience for the same roles. I do not blame any company for wanting to hire the person with more experience, that is just how the world works. I have tried interviewing for software related roles like IT Technicians as well, but unfortunately I bring somewhat of a Software Developers baggage. I think about things in terms of how to build software systems and how to support them rather then dealing with the wires underneath.

    There are many times when I lose sight of being able to provide for myself well again. I think that I will be stuck working at the job I am right now. Although it pays the bills, it does not support my long term goals. Its hard to keep on coding and learning when you are constantly shunned by an industry that cares so little about you. It seems like the industry had moved on without me. So many new tools and systems are overwhelming at times.

    But I have hope. I am studying for my AWS Developer Associate certification and hoping to have it by the end of the summer. All I can do is keep working, maybe join an online developer community to help me get kick started. Although I am not sure where I will land in terms of a Software Engineering role, I am still hopeful that my efforts will pay off.

    The hardest part for me is just finding something to build that is worth making. I have lots of repositories that will never be deployed simply because they are just working on a skill but never really applying it. I like ideas that are fully thought out and also ones that I feel are worth making. Software Engineering used to be such a niche job, but now everyone knows how to code. The difference now is can you apply these skills in a business context and communicate these ideas effectively. Making projects with this in mind is difficult, although I have lots of new ideas to build out!

    Continue checking this blog for more blog posts and projects!