I started doing web design using templates a few years ago and enjoyed the design and coding aspects of it. Since then, I’ve taken online training courses and tutorials and went back to college to get a software engineering degree. During all of my study and experience, I’ve gained enough knowledge for a solid foundation.
My goal this year is to get to the point where I can do this professionally. I have a couple of ideas for some projects so I know what I want to build to get started which I would like to add to my portfolio. I’ve been looking for different ways to make connections and get immersed in the field including online forums and local meetups.
My challenge is putting it all together. Where do I start? What should I focus on? I’ve considered getting a mentor but I have a tight budget. I enjoyed listening to the CodeNewbie podcast and definitely want to take advantage of the opportunity to get a free mentoring session. Any direction, guidance and advice would be greatly appreciated. I hope to hear from you soon.
Tania has a really good head on her shoulders. She has spent some time learning and is ready to take the next step. She believes that is building some portfolio projects. She is a bartender and has two ideas:
- An allergen tracker that integrates with their POS. They are allergy conscious so their menu can be complicated. She wants to build software that will alert them if they try to sell something a customer would be allergic to
- A tracking app that tracks inventory, cleaning… all the things they currently track on paper.
Suggested she pick one of these and scope it as small as she can. Asked her where the most waste is on the second project. She said juice. Told her to start with the juice tracker.
Told her to think about results. She can resell these solutions to other companies like hers.
Promised
- book links, including Lean Startup
- Roadmap