Month: June 2019

Myka Learning to Dance

Myka has always liked dancing, even before she learned to walk.

So I decided to enroll her in combination dance lessons at Dance Unlimited Buda. She used to go to The Little Gym every Saturday but I am glad we switched to dance for summer.

Looks like she really enjoys it and I like how her dance teacher is so patient with each toddler in her class.

She is learning tap dance, ballet, and a bit of gymnastics. The teacher makes learning the basics of the dance fun and suitable for a toddler!

Here’s a video of Myka at First Dance Class. 🙂

Working on getting Java 8 certified

OK, this year my goal is to get certified with Java 8.
After being a mom, I have focused so much on my motherhood responsibilities, keeping up with bills, groceries, basically running the household. But recently I realized I could not be complacent at work. Being in the IT industry is very challenging – for women, and especially for women, especially for moms who are getting older. Me. 🙂

IT industry favors the new. New technology, new graduates, new skills, etc. We have to constantly evolve with the technology. I can not be obsolete.

So, this year, I will work on getting certified. At first I thought I should work on an AWS certification but since I am already a Java programmer, why not just build on top of the skills and knowledge I already have. So I think it makes sense to first work on getting my 2nd Java programmer certification. I already have the SE 6 certification but Java 8 seems to be so different. I won’t be able to use much of it at my current project but for sure, the knowledge I would gain would be invaluable for my next projects.

I came across this link when I was researching about Java 8 certification so I think I am going to check out the book that he mentioned.

Learning AWS – 1

Took Udemy training: “Learn Amazon Web Services (AWS) – The Complete Introduction by Mike Chambers

  • learned about S3, was able to upload file, create a policy
  • learned about Lambda function, did hands on but it is not working, still troubleshooting what could be wrong
  • learned a little background – very short intros about the other AWS services for Storage, Security, etc.

Next Steps:

  • deep dive into EC2

Failed the Interview for the Job I am already Doing!

Before I left for our California vacation, I had an interview (internal to ACN) for my local transfer. I requested to be transferred from Global Careers Program (Philippines) headcount to local Austin (North America) headcount.

I did not prepare. I thought it was just “for formality’s sake” because, heck, I am ALREADY doing the job! I am trying to interview for the job that I am already doing! I squeezed in the interview into my schedule. I was thinking, they’re just going to ask me about things I am already doing at my role.

I breezed through the first set of questions, about what I do daily, how many direct reports I have, etc. And then the interviewer probably looked through my resume and asked me questions about Spring. Spring! Ugh, Spring. I always panic when interviewers ask about Spring because I feel like I am not able to explain it well. So there my downfall began. Then he asked me about the software that I have been working on for almost 6 years now. Then the platform. I was not able to explain the whole project to him fully.

So there it goes… I had a feeling in my stomach that I flunked that interview. But still, I was thinking, oh well.. it’s for formality’s sake.

To my horror, I learned from the recruiter that my request for transfer was not approved. She said, I “lacked Java expertise”, that from the interview, they did not see me fit for the role because I didn’t demonstrate “deep knowledge of Java”. 😦 Sad.

She added that I need to be skilled with “Java in the New”. Pivot to the New IT with Java.

I need to practice before I head out to interviews. I need to assume that I will fail the interview and try to pass it like it is a certification exam. Next time, I will do better. If it takes me 20 interview failures to get to my next project, heck, be it.

Next Steps:

  1. Get AWS (entry level certification) certified by December 31, 2019
  2. Get Java interviews (for practice)
  3. Update resume
  4. Review basics
  5. Keep on getting trainings on Udemy