1. Write a letter to your future self using what you’ve learned. How will you solve your problem? What skills do you have now that will help you tackle challenges? How will what you’ve learned about having a growth mindset help you reach your goals?
2. Write a brief statement sharing your goals as a developer with us. These goals can be project goals, career goals, or personal goals. Is there a dream job you’re working toward? Is there a project idea you’ve been aching to start working on?

Dear Gary,

So you're having some trouble with your current assignment? You knew it wasn't going to be easy. The Udacity people told you it wasn't going to be easy. Remember those articles you read at the beginning of the course? Okay, what to do...

First, get your mind right. Recall the "growth mindset" from Joyce Akiko's "How To Navigate The Up And Downs Of Learning To Code". What can you take away from this challenge so you can get better? Don't worry about how far along, or how much better, other developers are; they all had to go through this too.

Next, take a break! Go take a walk, or go listen to some music for 20 minutes. Seeing the problem with fresh eyes might do the trick.

Once you're back, here are some more suggestions:

1. Draw pictures and diagrams. It'll give you another perspective on the problem, and force you to think through the logic of what you are trying to do. Get the problem out of your head.
2. Google & Stack Overflow - paste your errors into Google - the answer may pop right up, or at least give you some ideas on how to proceed.
3. Reach out for help. Ask developers at work for help, use forums in the course, try Slack too.
4. Keep going! Try to make a little progress each day.

"It ain't about how hard you can hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." - Rocky Balboa

Best, Gary

It's been a long journey from semiconductor field engineer and marketer, to electricity sales (yes, there is such a thing), to operations analyst, to IT Business Analyst. I created the Business Analyst role at my current company because no one was writing proper specifications, and the developers were very frustrated. Now, I'd like to have a hand in creating applications - not just writing the specifications for them.

As I learn more about how software is developed and deployed, the path gets a little clearer. While I enjoy working for my current company, we're a .NET shop, and Houston is a .NET town. And after learning a bit of Python and seeing what an elegant, productive language it is, I'd rather get better with Python than learning more C#. So, unless I want to freelance or move to Austin (which isn't off the table), working as a Python developer isn't a strong option in the short term.

However, what I see at my company is a shortage of front-end expertise. We do have some, but it's spread thin. So here's the latest revision of my short, medium, and long term career goals:

1. Become a front-end developer at my current company

• Create and build a portfolio of projects that will impress people here enough to me work as a junior-ish front-end developer.
• One of the projects might include a re-factor of a few pages of an application I developed the specs for.
• Demonstrate enough technical proficiency with HTML, CSS, and Javascript so my manger is comfortable letting me work as a front-end developer

2. Develop enough Python proficiency to pick-up some full-stack projects on the side by showcasing my front-end and BA experience.
3. Look for a full-stack Python position somewhere in Texas.
4. Create a business that can generate a stream of income.

• My background is more technical (BSEE, MBA) than creative and graphic design. How does that limit my prospects as a front-end developer?
• Our current Director of Creative Services (i.e. the HTML & CSS subject matter expert) doesn't report to IT, so requests for his assistance with refining the user-experience of IT projects get prioritized against his other responsibilities to the organization (including to our parent company). Our five .NET developers are all full-stack, but two of them are much better with back-end stuff. They know the basics of front-end design, but they are limited in their ability to really "polish" the user experience. How can I bolster my case for adding a dedicated resource for front-end work to our group?
• I work for a company where application development supports the business - it's not the business itself. How is a front-end developer's job different in a software company than it is in other types of companies (like mine)?
• I'd love to hear any tips or stories you have about starting out as a front-end developer.