Dev resources

Here is some stuff that has helped me tremendously while finding my feet in the world of code. Work in progress!

Websites

• Django Girls
  The OG! This is what got me into coding! The tutorial is for people who've never made a website before. It holds your hand through the process of building a basic Django blog. I still use it as a reference from time to time. Get on it!
  
  
• Repl.it
  This is a cool way to play around with Python (or any other language) in your browser.
  
  
• Programiz
  Whenever there's some random thing in Python that I don't get right away, like syntax for a a certain method, Programiz always has my back near the top of the Google search results, explaining things in a clear, demonstrative manner.
  
  
• Real Python
  Probably the best practical Python site out there. It covers so much, from beginner topics to advanced ones; I think you'll never run out of things to learn!
  
  
• Pretty Printed
  If you want to learn Django or Flask and you learn well from videos, this is not a bad place to start. Most of the courses are available for free; I can recommend Django Database Essentials!
  By the way, the name refers to pprint, aka "pretty print", an in-built Python module for making code readable in the interpreter.
  
  
• Codecademy
  One of many interactive online learning sites out there, I found this excellent for overcoming the hurdle of consistency and getting my daily coding practice in. Read my review of Codecademy Pro here.
  
  
• WhatIs
  Look up the definition to any term related to software development, whether it's to do with coding itself or project management.

Books

• Apprenticeship Patterns by Dave Hoover and Adewale Oshineye
  This is a dense yet readable book about the soft skills, i.e. non-technical skills, involved in honing your craft as a software developer.
  Caveat: the 2009 edition barely made any effort to move past the idea of it as a male profession (almost exclusively "he" pronouns were used when referring to a hypothetical developer). Hopefully the 2019 edition has been revised.
  
  
• Doing Math With Python by Amit Saha
  If you are not naturally maths-inclined, you're likely to feel intimidated by all the mathematical talk peppered around programming. Been there. For me personally, learning to code has made maths a lot less scarier and adding a computer into the mix gives me a sense of control.
  
  
• Teach Your Kids to Code by Bryson Payne
  Another one from No Starch Press, this is a fun approach to coding that may take the edge off. It reminded me of the turtle exercises we used to do in middle school!
  
  
• Python Basics by Fletcher Heisler et al
  I've already mentioned Real Python; this book is written by the team and is probably the best general Python book I've come across. It's really accessible yet dives into more "intermediate" concepts as well.
  

Tools

• StackEdit
  Back when my blog was built on Jekyll, I made posts in markdown. Since I couldn't preview my posts, having a WYSIWYG editor, which is what StackEdit is, came in extremely useful, as I could see what it was going to look like when published.
  I don't particularly enjoy writing in markdown if I can help it, which is just one of the reasons I decided to switch to a CMS. But StackEdit is there if you start a blog on a static site, which seems to be getting increasingly common among developers, and if you want to draft a README for documentation on a Git repo.
  
  
• GitBook
  This is indispensable in my everyday life. I started using GitBook when I was looking for a single place where I could write and later read my learning notes. I did use StackEdit when taking notes in class, but that's not really what it's used for — it's more of a markdown preview.
  I use GitBook every day at work for my own personal learning. It's perfect for writing things down that I can look at again when I'm not at work. You can also section stuff off into different spaces so I don't have to read work-work things when I just want to study general things. A lot of documentation on the web runs on GitBook.
  
  
• Sourcetree
  Are you working in a development team for the first time? I was introduced to the goodness of Sourcetree (by Atlassian, makers of JIRA) when I started my first dev job and had to get to grips with Git as a collaboration tool. It's a GUI that visualises branches, commits, etc. and has really helped me understand what goes on with Git.
  
  
• Notion
  Notion is an app I've only been using for a month or so, but I already can't imagine my life without it. There are a lot of "organisational" apps out there, but this is the one that's clicked with me best. I see Notion as a giant notebook with colourful dividers that I can access from whatever device I'm using at the moment. These are some of the sections I have:
  
  🇩🇪 German vocab
  🏉 Scrum
  🦔 General to-do's (subsections: long-term, short-term)
  👩🏼‍💻 Code projects
  
  You can also choose between list view, board view, and so on. This is just perfect for planning and prioritising increments of a project.
  
  

Podcasts

• We Belong Here
  I find this podcast extremely inspiring. It's very in-keeping with the theme of this blog: lessons from unconventional paths to tech. The host, an English-teacher-turned-developer, interviews a career-changing guest from an ostensibly non-technical background — musicians, nurses, rabbis — and there is truly something valuable to take away from each one. Imposter syndrome, begone!
  
  
• Git Cute
  Episode releases here are a bit sporadic, but this is a friendly, fun podcast and tech newbies would do well to dive into the archive.
  
  
• Ladybug
  This is more of a frontend-focused podcast, but I still usually look forward to checking out the latest episode. They cover career-adjacent things like interviewing, as well as general topics like productivity and staying healthy as a developer.
  
  
• A Question of Code
  Conversations between a seasoned developer and a newbie. I like it because it normalises not knowing stuff and how we never stop learning.
  
  
• Test and Code
  What's more important than writing code? Testing it. This is a podcast focused on Python that I've admittedly only dipped into a little bit, but it's a cool place to learn about Python-related topics from different guests.

Communities & Conferences

• You Got This!
  This is a network of conferences focusing on junior developers gain non-technical core skills. I attended the eponymous one IRL in 2020, just before things kicked off, and was really impressed. As well as getting some valuable career takeaways, I loved that the organisers are so committed to inclusion in every aspect. It has since branched into a lot of other events, which you can browse through on their website.
  

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