And We're Off!

 

amyshadixon.com is finally open for business -- if you're into the business of just reading and not buying anything that is (I don't know, maybe I'll have some random merch one day; I do indeed have the power to create stickers... Would anyone buy them, you ask?... Alas). 🤓 As promised, it is a custom-built skeleton site with a few basics, created with Blazor and .NET 6.0. Admittedly, it took a bit longer than I had hoped since it is now being hosted through Godaddy + Plesk instead of Azure. I loved Azure, but it was a pretty cool experience to try something new and a little bit lighter on the wallet. And I can say that I definitely learned quite a bit through the trial and error of trying to get the site up and running. 😂 

I have also knocked out a couple of Coursera courses as well! I currently have two down and two more to go of a full segment. Right now they are just refreshers in C# and Unity, but it is nice to re-practice some code and concepts I might have forgotten or just haven't gotten to use in some time. Along with these, I have been looking into online schools as well. Originally, I wanted to go for my master's, but now I am thinking more about doing another bachelor's. I do want to eventually go for my master's again, but I am wondering if it would be a better decision for me to take things a little more slowly and go the secondary route; I feel like I would learn and absorb way more content that way. The only issue is that a second bachelor's in my name wouldn't be nearly as cost-effective. Decisions, decisions.

Rambling aside, the point is that I have been making some light progress. I have a huge list of things to get done, including stuff for the house (I moved in back in November and still haven't painted anything or installed some much-needed shelves, curtains, etc. I am beginning to feel like I owe this house an apology...), more learning, and more coding. As such, my next post here will probably be the Blazor + Blogger API tutorial. I have already started planning it in my head, but I guess I should put it somewhere more accessible. That would be nice right? 😆

Guess it's full speed ahead! 

Burn Out

When was the last time I posted? I think it was 2020 -- over two years ago. 

Dear reader. 

I am tired and so burnt out, something I am sure a lot of people can resonate with right now. The pandemic is still going; in fact, it was my third Covid-19 birthday this year. A lot has happened in such a short, but extremely long, time. 

First off, I am still here at Symetra as an Associate Software Developer! ✌🏽😄 I am making sure to take advantage of the many opportunities Symetra has to offer. So far I have gained some hands-on experience in Angular, certificate management, AWS, Sharepoint, and even a bit of Google Analytics. In terms of soft skills, I have also been given several opportunities to lead interviews and sort through resumes for both incoming Symtra interns and full-time developers. Overall, it has been an amazing experience and I look forward to learning even more.

On the home front, I took in a new Samoyed puppy (although 1 year old now):

Her name is Turnip and she has definitely made the pandemic so much more bearable. She is a bit mischievous and a bit of a handful, but worth everything and more! So far she has been the "light at the end of the tunnel" each day. 😂

I also became a first-time homeowner! Since Symetra has been gracious enough to allow us to work from home permanently, I was able to widen my search and find a starter that both my family and I can enjoy. It was a perilous search, for sure -- the pandemic housing market was beyond unforgiving -- but after a year (yes, a year) of looking, 40+ applications, and endless rejections (well, I guess it did end eventually...), I was finally able to settle into my first home. One can say it has been a very busy and expensive ride.

And through it all, if I am going to be quite honest, it has been a lot. Dealing with the background stress of Covid-19 (being immunocompromised) all while finding a house, taking care of a puppy, working through the grief of loss, family illness, financial struggles, and moving forward down a fairly new career path, has taken a toll in a way that I never planned. And reader, I am so thankful for all of it (even through loss, I am so so happy to have known such incredible people in my life), so this is in no way a complaint. I just want to express the sheer magnitude of it all and how it became so easy to delay my goals and forget myself (or even this blog!).

Admittedly, I lost sight of all the things I wanted to accomplish and all of the material I wanted to take in (and hopefully master); I just lost focus. And while, yes, I am indeed still burnt out, I think I am starting to settle in and set sights on the future again. It's just one step at a time, right? 😌

So what am I working on?

I am currently converting my old personal website from React to Blazor (learning Blazor in the process) and am hoping to get it up and running within the next few weeks. I have some new ideas for it that may take longer to implement, but I want to at least get a functional and decent-looking skeleton up soon. My last website was hosted through Azure, but I am thinking about finding another, more cost-effective, option this time (I have a house now; I can't spend all willy-nilly!).

Goals for the soon-ish future?

I still so desperately want to get my masters, but as I mentioned before, I must consider my finances first. For now, I think I will stick to learning game development through Unity, perhaps on Coursera (post website deployment, of course). I have already taken some very small actions to get going again by investing in some Kickstarter projects to watch the process a little bit and get the proverbial programmer's blood pumping. I do say that it is working too; it has slowly been pushing me out of my burn-out slump. I am also hoping to be more active here on Blogger and am really thinking about posting a Blazor Server + Blogger API tutorial -- because why does everyone make it so complicated?! Learning on my own took a bit of looking around; I don't want anyone else to experience that much stress again 😂

Anyway, Tl; Dr: 

After a two-year hiatus and some heavy burnout, I can honestly say that I am finally looking forward to jumping in full force again.