I last blogged last year, and here we are, already in the fifth month of 2024.
I was excited about my potential prospects for this year regarding data analytics. However, my weakness bug had bitten me yet again. Instead of focusing on the goals I mentioned in my last post to further my data analytics education, my past interests and career plans bit me again. This was all thanks to my old iPad of 5 years, and I rediscovered Procreate and digital art once more.
Before data analytics and web development, I wanted to be a graphic designer. Then it got tailored specifically to a web designer after discovering the wonderful world of websites. Afterward, I became a little ambitious and decided to pursue web development and learn how websites work on the back end. Even with my BFA degree and some number of certifications, even today, I still need to secure a fulfilling job in either of these fields.
Being stuck in unrelated jobs, such as working in fulfillment and logistics, I've done all I could to save as much money as I can when I earn for web dev courses. Back in my younger days, I used to believe that earning a college degree would already guarantee an entry-level job in the related field I studied for. But, at the time of graduation, earning that college degree and using all your projects as showcases for your portfolio is no longer enough. One primary reason for this is the rapid evolution of technology. Everything I learned from college till graduation, all of a sudden, became obsolete. I realized I would have to take more courses to catch up and upgrade everything. During that period, I fell into another field that was almost related - web development.
I started from square one, did everything that I could, but still nothing. There were lack of entry-level jobs in my local area, which is ironic because I live in one of the world's top tech hubs. There were also a lot of factors that come into play as well. Lastly, learning the basics of programming and learning Javascript, Python, PHP, and Ruby, it just turned out that I don't have the skills to program. My logic skills are lacking and my math skills, though not exactly required, also showed how much I couldn't program anything at all.
And then, I became fascinated with data altogether. Data science and Machine Learning intimidated me, but I got interested in data analytics. I went through the bootcamp and earned my certificate, yet I didn't feel ready. My presentation skills were lacking, but most of all, my fear of public speaking also prevented me from feeling ready to take on this major career change. I wanted to have deeper learning in data analytics by taking courses such as R, SQL, and related branches such as business intelligence and data science. All of a sudden, I didn't have that same enthusiasm as I did when I first started my data analytics bootcamp.
I guess you could say, by the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, I got through a major burnout. At that point, I didn't feel like getting into self-paced studying anymore. I wanted a mental break--- a very long mental break. When Lent Season (I'm a practicing Catholic) came in mid-February, I vowed to give up video games, along with the usual "no-meat Fridays," for the season. I thought about using that period to focus more on my self-paced online learning. But, that didn't happen.
To compensate for my "no video games" month (?), I looked at my 5-year-old iPad and the Procreate installed. I looked back at my failed attempts in creating some digital artwork. Somehow, I went back to self-learning some digital art again. This time, I was able to create some cute artwork on my own without following along with the same exact artwork as before. Since then, I found my enthusiasm for the arts again.
In turn, I wanted to refresh everything I've learned and update by enrolling in the Google UX Design Certificate course offered through Coursera. Because of work, I'm going at my own pace and don't have to meet any crazy deadlines. However, at the same time, I'm beginning to appreciate UX Design once again like I did before back in college, and maybe this time, I want to attempt to enter this field again.
Merit America's new Alumni Job Success Program have been wonderful. Not only do we still get support and services for alumni such as myself, but we also get to take other courses and specializations in their catalog via Coursera for free. In other words, I'm taking the UX Design program for free. I'm also planning on continuing with the Business Intelligence course and Advanced Data Analytics (a.k.a. Data Science) course to further my education with Data Analytics. At the same time, I'm also interested in getting back into software development again, as well as AI and Machine Learning. Thanks to this, I canceled my Coursera Plus subscription since all the courses I plan to take are already here.
I also want to get back and be better in Python. This programming language is used for software development, web dev, data analytics, and data science all at once, so I feel that it's a very powerful arsenal to have in my resume and portfolio.
Speaking of portfolio...
I have not completed my Capstone project for Data Analytics. I wanted to pursue the Bellabeat assignment, but I also wanted to do something else. With UX Design and Web/Software Dev returning to my life, I'm debating whether I should create separate portfolios per field or just combine all of these projects into one portfolio. I will work with my alumni counselor regarding this when the time is right.
At the moment, my old personal blog had been expired. Rather than purchasing another domain and map it to the old blog, I decided to recreate my personal site into something new and fresh. I finally did it and it took me about a month to create it. I added mostly fun things that are more related to the visuals. The blog itself, still powered by WordPress, is where the web dev part comes in. Please visit ADRIANNE'S SPACE if you are interested in checking out my latest project.
This is a personal space for me, so the overall design and layout are not exactly business or professional -like. There is a time and place where you can create something fun for yourself and your hobbies and something professionally or business-related.
Once I start rebuilding my portfolio, the personal site will be one of the greatest (?) sites I've ever built.
#100DaysOfCode
Yes, I miss it! The first time I took this challenge was back in the late 2010s (maybe 2017? 2018?) and I was able to complete it. I followed a Udemy Intro to Python course, and I had fun with it. I want to tackle this challenge again, but with the Coursera courses and maybe another Udemy course in web development.
I may be tweeting about it... or take advantage of my Mastodon account. We shall see.