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Robert J. Zimmer, Who Promoted Free Speech on Campus, Dies at 75

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Robert J. Zimmer, Who Promoted Free Speech on Campus, Dies at 75

Robert J. Zimmer, a mathematician who as president of the University of Chicago championed diversity not only quantitatively, in the recruitment of students and faculty, but also by protecting free expression on campus with a protocol that was later embraced by dozens of colleges across the country, died on Tuesday at his home in Chicago. He was 75.

His wife, Shadi Bartsch-Zimmer, a classics professor at the university, said the cause was glioblastoma multiforme, a virulent form of brain cancer.

Mr. Zimmer, who presided over the university from 2006 to 2021, was instrumental in shepherding what became known as the Chicago Principles, a set of guidelines recommended by the Committee on Free Expression, a faculty group he appointed in 2014.

Those guidelines have become a bulwark against what critics perceive as the stifling of academic freedom by colleges where students are able to insulate themselves against discomforting viewpoints — practices that are often lumped together as “cancel culture.”

“Concerns about civility and mutual respect can never be used as a justification for closing off discussion of ideas, however offensive or disagreeable those ideas may be to some members of our community,” the faculty committee concluded.

In August 2016, during Mr. Zimmer’s presidency, the university informed incoming freshmen: “We do not support so-called trigger warnings, we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual safe spaces where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own.”

Some campus critics suggested that Mr. Zimmer was motivated by complaints from conservative alumni. But, he told The Wall Street Journal, in responding to a national trend, he was upholding the university’s traditional values.

“What you’re seeing is a kind of drift of discourse,” he said. “You see actions by a lot of people which seem to indicate that they feel that they can, in fact, legitimately stifle the expression of others whose views they fundamentally disagree with.”

Daniel Diermeier, who was the university’s provost when Mr. Zimmer was its president and is now the chancellor of Vanderbilt University, said in an email: “Whether controversies over speakers, policies on disruptive conduct or his refusal to use the endowment for political purposes, the University of Chicago, under his leadership, remained committed to its principles during volatile times and a role model on free expression around the world.”

Mr. Zimmer was a prodigious fund-raiser. During his tenure as president, the university received six gifts of $100 million or more. He oversaw an increase in financial aid for undergraduates and the elimination of loans, as a way to enable students to graduate without debt.

He also initiated an engineering program; invested in graduate studies in humanities, social sciences and the arts; established the Urban Education Institute, which operates a public school in Chicago and conducts research on instruction; and opened satellite campuses in Beijing, Hong Kong and Delhi, India.

Applications to the undergraduate college more than tripled, to more than 32,000 in 2018 from fewer than 10,000 in 2006.

Robert Jeffrey Zimmer was born on Nov. 5, 1947, in Manhattan to Dr. Max Zimmer, a family practitioner in the West Village, and Harriet (Brokaw) Zimmer, who managed her husband’s medical office.

Growing up in a diverse neighborhood, he learned the value of tolerance. Having been raised in the McCarthy era, his son Benjamin said, “when there was one form of cultural suppression, when he saw a manifestation of that from another direction, he thought it was something he should stand up for, particularly at a university where it was part of its foundational ethos.”

After graduating from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, Mr. Zimmer earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Brandeis University in 1968 and master’s and doctorate degrees, both also in mathematics, from Harvard University in 1971 and 1975.

“I actually started college as a physics major,” Mr. Zimmer once confessed. “I switched to mathematics when I tried unsuccessfully for 45 minutes to get an oscilloscope to show a sine wave.”

As a mathematician and an author, he specialized in “ergodic theory, Lie groups and differential geometry,” according to a university biography.

He taught at the United States Naval Academy from 1975 to 1977 and began teaching at the University of Chicago in 1977. He was named a full professor in 1980. He also taught for two years at the University of California, Berkeley.

At Chicago, he served as the chairman of the math department, the deputy provost for research and the vice president for research of the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Ill., which the university oversees. From 2002 to 2006, he was a math professor and provost at Brown University. He then returned to the University of Chicago as its 13th president.

His marriage in 1974 to Terese Schwartzman, the former director of strategic initiatives for the Urban Education Institute, ended in divorce. In addition to his wife, Professor Bartsch-Zimmer, who is the director of the university’s Institute on the Formation of Knowledge and whom he married in 2011, and his son Benjamin, the chief executive of a biotechnology firm, Mr. Zimmer is survived by two other sons from his first marriage: David, a lawyer, and Alex, a filmmaker. He is also survived by a brother, Richard B. Zimmer; his mother, Harriet (who is 104 and still lives in the West Village apartment where Mr. Zimmer was raised); and two grandchildren.

At the end of the 2021 academic year, while recovering from brain surgery, Mr. Zimmer stepped down as president to become chancellor. He retired and was named chancellor emeritus in July 2022.

As a private institution, the University of Chicago was under no obligation to abide by the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech. But, Bret Stephens wrote in a New York Times opinion essay in 2017, the real crux of Mr. Zimmer’s case for free speech, offensive or not, was that it was “our salvation from intellectual mediocrity and social ossification.”

According to Mr. Stephens, Mr. Zimmer balked at the notion that unfettered free speech would jeopardize the cause of inclusion because it might upset, among others, some of the people who were seeking to be included.

“Inclusion into what?” Mr. Zimmer had wondered in a speech that year. “An inferior and less challenging education? One that fails to prepare students for the challenge of different ideas and the evaluation of their own assumptions? A world in which their feelings take precedence over other matters that need to be confronted?”

For Mr. Zimmer, the mathematician, that kind of education wouldn’t count.

Trends in the Learning System and Tech Space

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Trends in the Learning System and Tech Space

In the coming weeks, you will learn the Gen-AI terminology you need to know, with definitions (also available as a download in the learning library), and the latest learning technology/systems worth a few eyeballs. Plus, “Product Spotlight” covers one learning system that I dive into with lots of gusto – basically, it is a re-branded product review! Next up – The Gen-AI products/tools that I see as something that can be added to a learning system, added to learning technology, and/or used in your L&D, and Training departments. This will be available via the Learning Library and covered in a blog post (it is not yet available and won’t be for at least another month – only 3,000 products are still to review)

I bring all the above up because they aid in trends; okay, two do, the other, who doesn’t love a Product Spotlight, especially the kind of like and what are you thinking angle? That could be why plenty of vendors out there demur – I surmise the “weaknesses” area isn’t a PR coup.

What this post covers are trends that are either in “play,” “on the upswing,” or show signs of “growth” for the rest of 202-23 thru early 2024. There are so many trends out there that writing a post on all of them would be quite massive – and thus, as I have done in the past, I’ve selected a few that stand out to me – and perhaps you have seen it too!

Trend 1

Return of the Monster Booth

For those who haven’t attended an industry trade show/conference in the past several months, this trend wouldn’t be something obviously you will see. For those who have, though, oh, yeah, you have seen it.

Call it the Behomath Booth or Bottomless Pit – you choose! When a vendor goes to a trade show, there is a lot of costs. Not just where the booth’s location is (an advantage for those who have attended the show in years – consecutively), but the booth’s cost. Better footpath – more money. Need net? Zing. Furniture – Zing! Other stuff you won’t bring? Zing. Then comes the booth design, and so on (oh, this is for any trade show). The big shebang, though, is that booth size. There have always been vendors who go “big,” – believing that larger size is better, as though there is a correlation in perception – that if I have a larger size booth, I am making more money – and doing well financially, and have lots of clients, and look at all the salespeople in the booth, and we are financially secure, and we are not going anywhere, and we want your business – because didn’t you see the size of our booth?

In our industry, though, it is true that attending a show – at least one (way too many vendors go to all of them – a mistake), identifies you (system, tech, whatever) as still being in the e-learning market visible and thus viable. This is marketing, after all, and I won’t cover the strategic approach you need or should take with your messaging.

What I will say, though, is that when I see a large booth, I immediately think marketing budget. And ROI – Return on Investment. The majority of vendors know that being “seen” is the end game here and that if you close any deal, that is, of course, the ideal, but the timeframes tend to be quite long (more than 12 mths on average), lots of interest – lead opps for vendors, who either fail to follow thru or do, and maybe they get one or two to close (out of a few hundred). Knowing it is to be seen, especially with your current customer base (a huge plus), is the angle here.

The size of the booth, in the long run, really doesn’t matter – except to say, you dropped a lot on said size (along with all those other costs, oh, and resources to be there, etc..), expecting a net gain unless you are in charge of the show.

The return of the big booths is a definite trend after years of scaling back – yes, there were always big booths, but the number of them has increased in 2023. Some of the large booths are the result of raised capital and a push of marketing for the sake of it; others, it is due to, well, who knows what someone was thinking. The booths get eyeballs (a must) and traffic (definitely on day one), and depending on what else is going on there to entice folks to come in (yes, besides the solution(s), content, etc.), only increases the appearance of lots of people who want to move forward with the said vendor.

While I did not attend ATD23 (great weather, huh? hee hee – it was cold in San Diego), I did receive a few photos of booths taken there. One was of Franklin Covey. Besides the big booth, they also had a ” massive ” screen with their name on it (maybe other stuff, who knows – I just saw the name). This begs the question for the ROI, did it pay off to go that large? Could they have scaled back and achieved the same objectives?

At LTUK, a vendor whose name was like Pan Jam or something like that (I guess the marketing didn’t stick), had an extremely large booth. From sheer size and scope along with these things that hung down – like banners – it IMO definitely stood out, but did it draw the crowds and, more importantly, the return on investment?

That’s the risk of going BIG. It works fine once, but over a period of time, okay, multiple shows, then I doubt the ROI for everything matches what went out the proverbial door. Be seen, yes – but at Empire Size level? Not needed. Anyway, it is a trend and will continue.

Trend 2

To Go Generative AI now or wait

ChatGPT – is really hot now, but is it and similar ILK going the way of being passe or, worse, obsolete? Because solutions such as GPT-4, Bard (soon from Google), Kosmos-1 (from Microsoft) are all multimodal a.i. – which depending on whom you read (and the message around it is very clear) – multimodal is the “future,” for AI. This is because, as the name implies, it allows the ability to add multiple modes of data, including video, audio, text, and images. ChatGPT is a text-only LLM.

As to why learning system vendors and learning technologies as a whole, right now (and I am going to be looking at one that implies it is using multimodal in their offering), are not going with multimodal is partially surprising and partially indicates to they may not be aware it exists. Supposedly, Kosmos-1, for example, can solve visual puzzles and analyze images for content (among other things).

You may not see this as a big deal, but perhaps this definition of multimodal will reinforce why this Gen-AI method will work the best in the learning system space (and yes, learning technologies)

“Combines multiple types, or modes, of data to create more accurate determinations, draw insightful conclusions, or make more precise predictions about real-world problems. Multimodal AI systems train with and use video, audio, speech, images, text, and a range of traditional numerical data sets.” (What is MultiModal AI? George Lawton.)

Multimodal exists today, but when looking at our industry, way too many are tapping ChatGPT as the first piece of the pie (rather than, say, using the GPT models or other LLMs that may be far superior). The early adopters of Generative-AI to their system, learning tech, and so forth should be commended for doing so, but by racing to get it out, they may have underestimated the speed of development for those LLMs to surpass ChatGPT.

At the end of the day, the tokens – those fees – are what is going to set vendors apart because, as mentioned before, in the case of OpenAI, GPT-4 is far more expensive than ChatGPT, and thus, whatever comes after GPT-4 will be more than the previous version. The fee angle is the reason why I am seeing this trend:

Trend 3

Proprietary models of LLM

When you try to pin down what LLM or LLMs a vendor is using, you either end up with a specific retort, “Open AI, GPT models) or the proprietary model. In some cases, it is both (right now, that is the more common response). This begs the question, why build your own, at the same time you are using one of the fee-based LLM = i.e. the tokens. The answer is simple – reduce the costs. However, getting a vendor to go deeper into their “Proprietary model,” with what data sets, how did they decide on that LLM, and what is it exactly, and so forth, is the same as getting Santa to deliver you the Maserati you wanted, every single year. In a previous post, I mentioned that one vendor in the learning system space stated they use GPT-4, but also “Propriety models – short and big ones.” Since I am not ordering a sub sandwich, I am unsure what short/big propriety models mean.

Trend 4

People – clients and future buyers – want ChatGPT

Not a lot of folks know the actual term – Generative AI, thus, they are asking their vendor or vendors to be – if they have ChatGPT. Do me a huge favor, don’t ask if the vendor has or you want ChatGPT, because just by reading above, multimodal is the one of more relevance to our space – and it should be to you too.

Trend 5

Vendors who are using Gen-AI, beyond Propeitrary are overwhelmingly using

OpenAI. I’ve talked to vendors who are on AWS (which overwhelmingly the learning system space and content providers use), and for whatever reason, decided against Titan (Amazon’s Gen-AI specifically for AWS). Vendors on Azure from Microsoft (the 2nd most popular among vendors) are bypassing Microsoft and using OpenAI.

The question is whether or not vendors will look to Google’s LLM or perhaps another LLM.

Trend 6

Content Pricing is going up, up, and up

This continues to be a major issue, overall in the industry. People need the 3rd party content, and in return, the vendors who make such content, are charging more. True, there are vendors whose price points are affordable – and still produce outstanding content – Biz Library, and Intellezy (so far, the lowest PP I’ve seen in the industry, for lots of content).

Trend 7

Where are those courses around Gen AI and the Workplace?

The courses/content that should be either in development mode or on the must-need to build, are courses around workers (i.e. your employees) who are using Gen-AI (likely ChatGPT) daily in your workplace – to do tasks, generate reports, information, and whatever else that is part of their role and requires info to the manager or whomever. These courses are not about how to build Gen-AI, but rather the ethical, legal, and potentially false information/fake to that can come from the usage of Gen-AI (including ChatGPT).

EdTech plays the whack-a-mole strategy (which, like many things, is a Giant F at the moment). Corporate must play the “Reality you are using this or will in the workplace” strategy.

If a content provider was to produce this and provide it at, say, NO Charge, that would make sense. But at the most basic, it should be available. Oh, and whoever oversees HR, I strongly recommend you start creating HR policies around the use of Gen-AI in an employee’s daily work or in the workplace.

Bottom Line

These are just a few trends that are quite visible. Another, which needs to be delved into in a separate blog post is the insistence of the upskill narrative and push by learning system vendors, learning technology solutions, and others (including people looking to upskill their people). Gen-AI is telling you, or you should be hearing it, that reskilling should take the priority here, and yes, skill-building is always needed – as it has been.

A final trend goes back to the trade shows.

Let’s stop the usage of printing out your show book, promo materials, and other paper offerings and instead go fully digital. Use geolocation and visual maps via your app or on the web that people can easily read and find.

Want to allow folks to see and download materials? Either go QR Code, or just a link to it will suffice.

Perhaps the shows will finally recognize the importance of the environment, and ways to reduce the abundance of paper for it.

That way, going BIG

Works.

E-Learning 24/7

We Launched a Code Crew of Super Users — & You Can Apply to Join

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We Launched a Code Crew of Super Users — & You Can Apply to Join

Jonathan “Minhzy” Truong, Head of Community, here with an exciting announcement about a new resource for our Codecademy community.

Today, we achieved a milestone by launching Code Crew — it’s our super user program of learners and professional developers who create welcoming experiences across our diverse community. These programmers know the ins and outs of our platform and are available to jump right in and lead discussions, answer questions, create and update Docs, and host events. 

We wanted to recognize our exceptional and passionate learners who devote their time and knowledge to making Codecademy the most welcoming, helpful, and fun coding community out there. Code Crew brings together these awesome individuals so they can build connections and help out other people on their coding journeys.

Here’s a little background on a few of our founding Code Crew members: 

  • Lilla C. (Zurich, Switzerland), a Front-End Engineer at Intersys who’s passionate about accessibility in web design and DEI. You might’ve seen her contributions to Docs.
  • Haris I. (Lahore, Pakistan), a Software Engineer with expertise in full-stack and a passion for cutting-edge mobile and web applications. Also, Haris is a leader of our Coding Cleverly Chapter.
  • Vic O. (Tampere, Finland), a Software Designer who learned to code with Codecademy when he was in high school. Read this blog post to learn more about how he broke into tech.

Ready to join the Code Crew?

So, why should you join Code Crew? There are some pretty sweet perks! In addition to being considered certified Codecademy all stars, you’ll access a members-only space in our Forums, have priority seating for all Community Events, and get to connect with others in the Code Crew professional network. Not to mention, you’ll collect cool schwag, and receive complimentary Codecademy Pro. Other benefits on the way include seeing sneak previews of new courses and products and chatting more directly with the Community team (like me!). 

The best benefit? Creating new friendships, of course! We know that whether you’re just starting to code or are an experienced dev, having a network and support system can be a game-changer. Your fellow Code Crew members could be the connection between you and your next dream gig, a potential co-founder for that big app idea you have, or just a study buddy who helps you crush a course. 

We encourage learners of all levels to apply, although some coding knowledge is needed since ideal applicants would be able to lend a hand to help others. When you apply to join the Code Crew, our Code Committee will review your application. Then, you’ll hear from Codecademy’s Community Team about your status.

Interested? Want to make an impact? Feel like this speaks to you? Then read more information and start your journey to Code Crew-dom today. The Codecademy Community Team hopes to have you in the Code Crew soon!

How I Went From Delivering Pizzas to Software Designer in 11 Months

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How I Went From Delivering Pizzas to Software Designer in 11 Months

Learning to code so that you can land a job in tech can feel daunting. That’s why we’re sharing inspiring stories from Codecademy’s community — to show how people like you (yes, you!) can embark on a learning journey and end up with a totally new career. We hope these stories serve as a reminder that there’s no single path to a more fulfilling work life.

Today’s story is from Vic Ontiveros, a 22-year-old Software Designer at an IT consulting company living in Tampere, Finland. Read more stories from Codecademy learners here — and be sure to share your story here.

Why I chose to learn to code

“When I was a really little kid, my father gave me a Lenovo ThinkPad that was being recycled. I was just playing with it and smashing on the keyboard, which led into my love for computers. During my childhood, I tried some HTML and CSS and that kind of just exponentially grew into my love for coding. 

My high school was in a really small town, and the STEM curriculum was pretty much non-existent — you had your basic math classes and nothing else. I took it upon myself to start a coding club at school. I was kind of going through some resources that I could use for the coding club and I came across Codecademy and I thought, Wow, this is great. I went ahead and I got a Pro membership and we all started coding together and discussing different concepts. It was definitely at that point that I realized I could turn this into a living and do this for work.”   

How I made time to learn

“My girlfriend works as a security guard, so her days are pretty long. We would take my son into daycare, so that way I’d be home and on my own. I pretty much spent most of her shift on Codecademy and building my own side projects. I just grabbed a Red Bull and went crazy.”

How I saved up money to switch careers

“I studied computer science for one year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, but I had to leave because of financial issues. I looked around for developer work, but it was difficult because I didn’t have much professional experience and had limited education. I put that on hold and started doing pizza delivery to pay off my tuition. But even then, I’d still hop on and off Codecademy for a while. 

It wasn’t until I moved to Finland and my son was born that I realized delivering pizza wasn’t going to pay the bills. So that’s why I really stepped up and went crazy with Codecademy.” 

How long it took me to land a job

“I moved to Finland in 2021, and I started this job in March 2023.” 

How I got in the door

“I made a Reddit post in my city subreddit saying: ‘Is anybody looking for a front-end developer or a full-stack developer?’ One guy actually reached out to me saying, ‘I’ll try to get you in this company. If not, I’ve got a bunch of references for you.’ It was through one of his references that I managed to slip into the Software Designer position that I’m in now.” 

How I nailed the interview

“We had a pre-assignment that we had to complete in order to apply. We were given a database of different electric bike rentals at stations scattered across the city, and another database of every single journey that took place with these electric bikes in the summer of 2021. It was up to us to figure out how we can use this data to create a web app. We had to pretty much do everything: the front end, back end, and managing the data. Codecademy gave me all the skills so that I was able to tackle this project. Then there was a formal interview where we had to explain our codebase* for our pre-assignment project.”

* During a technical interview, you should be prepared to talk through your approach. Read this blog for tips on how to talk about your work. 

How I evaluated the offer

“The company I’m at now trains people for six weeks of intensive onboarding. They really trained us to think like consultants and got the new recruits on a similar page in terms of skill level through workshops. In Finland, because the economy is growing so much and the population is so small, companies set up these programs in order to find developers. I know that in the U.S., the job market is very saturated, and companies look for people with a master’s and 20 years of experience. I definitely feel like I had an easier chance getting a job up here than I would have in the States.

But what’s really special about my company is they offer an employment contract and payment, which most other programs don’t do. Compensation is an important thing for me, especially because I have a kid who I need to be able to provide for in some way. The person who referred me to this position also mentioned that it would be a really good step to take a trainee position instead of trying to directly break into a junior-level position, which would be difficult without any sort of experience.” 

How day one and beyond went

“This is a big step in terms of breaking into tech. One thing I can’t deny is having a lot of impostor syndrome. Looking at some of the other projects that people made and their GitHub repos, they’ve got some really nice projects out there that look amazing. Comparing my codebase to theirs, I have this feeling that I’m not good enough. Besides that, I’m definitely excited.

There’s some preliminary training that I have to go through first, so I think it’s going to be a long time before I touch anything prod. I’ve got a lot of workshops to go to and a lot of things to study with other developers.”

What I wish I knew before I started learning

“Building your own projects is really important, and I wish I had done more projects — I only realized that last year. It’s one thing to follow a YouTube tutorial or read the instructions of a Codecademy project, and another to just do it. In order to get a good sense of problem solving, you really need to be doing stuff on your own. I definitely have a few projects that I did on my own and am proud of. But if I could go back in time, I would be building my own side projects* to have a better grasp on JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.” 

* Want to start building your own projects? Check out our projects library and start applying your coding skills to real-world scenarios. And if you have a project you’re especially proud of, consider submitting it to our learner showcase.

Not sure where to start? Check out our personality quiz! We’ll help you find the best programming language to learn based on your strengths and interests.

Want to share your Codecademy learner story? Drop us a line here. And don’t forget to join the discussions in our community.

How I Went From Delivering Pizzas to Software Designer in 11 Months

By
onlinefreecourse
-
0

Learning to code so that you can land a job in tech can feel daunting. That’s why we’re sharing inspiring stories from Codecademy’s community — to show how people like you (yes, you!) can embark on a learning journey and end up with a totally new career. We hope these stories serve as a reminder that there’s no single path to a more fulfilling work life.

Today’s story is from Vic Ontiveros, a 22-year-old Software Designer at an IT consulting company living in Tampere, Finland. Read more stories from Codecademy learners here — and be sure to share your story here.

Why I chose to learn to code

“When I was a really little kid, my father gave me a Lenovo ThinkPad that was being recycled. I was just playing with it and smashing on the keyboard, which led into my love for computers. During my childhood, I tried some HTML and CSS and that kind of just exponentially grew into my love for coding. 

My high school was in a really small town, and the STEM curriculum was pretty much non-existent — you had your basic math classes and nothing else. I took it upon myself to start a coding club at school. I was kind of going through some resources that I could use for the coding club and I came across Codecademy and I thought, Wow, this is great. I went ahead and I got a Pro membership and we all started coding together and discussing different concepts. It was definitely at that point that I realized I could turn this into a living and do this for work.”   

How I made time to learn

“My girlfriend works as a security guard, so her days are pretty long. We would take my son into daycare, so that way I’d be home and on my own. I pretty much spent most of her shift on Codecademy and building my own side projects. I just grabbed a Red Bull and went crazy.”

How I saved up money to switch careers

“I studied computer science for one year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, but I had to leave because of financial issues. I looked around for developer work, but it was difficult because I didn’t have much professional experience and had limited education. I put that on hold and started doing pizza delivery to pay off my tuition. But even then, I’d still hop on and off Codecademy for a while. 

It wasn’t until I moved to Finland and my son was born that I realized delivering pizza wasn’t going to pay the bills. So that’s why I really stepped up and went crazy with Codecademy.” 

How long it took me to land a job

“I moved to Finland in 2021, and I started this job in March 2023.” 

How I got in the door

“I made a Reddit post in my city subreddit saying: ‘Is anybody looking for a front-end developer or a full-stack developer?’ One guy actually reached out to me saying, ‘I’ll try to get you in this company. If not, I’ve got a bunch of references for you.’ It was through one of his references that I managed to slip into the Software Designer position that I’m in now.” 

How I nailed the interview

“We had a pre-assignment that we had to complete in order to apply. We were given a database of different electric bike rentals at stations scattered across the city, and another database of every single journey that took place with these electric bikes in the summer of 2021. It was up to us to figure out how we can use this data to create a web app. We had to pretty much do everything: the front end, back end, and managing the data. Codecademy gave me all the skills so that I was able to tackle this project. Then there was a formal interview where we had to explain our codebase* for our pre-assignment project.”

* During a technical interview, you should be prepared to talk through your approach. Read this blog for tips on how to talk about your work. 

How I evaluated the offer

“The company I’m at now trains people for six weeks of intensive onboarding. They really trained us to think like consultants and got the new recruits on a similar page in terms of skill level through workshops. In Finland, because the economy is growing so much and the population is so small, companies set up these programs in order to find developers. I know that in the U.S., the job market is very saturated, and companies look for people with a master’s and 20 years of experience. I definitely feel like I had an easier chance getting a job up here than I would have in the States.

But what’s really special about my company is they offer an employment contract and payment, which most other programs don’t do. Compensation is an important thing for me, especially because I have a kid who I need to be able to provide for in some way. The person who referred me to this position also mentioned that it would be a really good step to take a trainee position instead of trying to directly break into a junior-level position, which would be difficult without any sort of experience.” 

How day one and beyond went

“This is a big step in terms of breaking into tech. One thing I can’t deny is having a lot of impostor syndrome. Looking at some of the other projects that people made and their GitHub repos, they’ve got some really nice projects out there that look amazing. Comparing my codebase to theirs, I have this feeling that I’m not good enough. Besides that, I’m definitely excited.

There’s some preliminary training that I have to go through first, so I think it’s going to be a long time before I touch anything prod. I’ve got a lot of workshops to go to and a lot of things to study with other developers.”

What I wish I knew before I started learning

“Building your own projects is really important, and I wish I had done more projects — I only realized that last year. It’s one thing to follow a YouTube tutorial or read the instructions of a Codecademy project, and another to just do it. In order to get a good sense of problem solving, you really need to be doing stuff on your own. I definitely have a few projects that I did on my own and am proud of. But if I could go back in time, I would be building my own side projects* to have a better grasp on JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.” 

* Want to start building your own projects? Check out our projects library and start applying your coding skills to real-world scenarios. And if you have a project you’re especially proud of, consider submitting it to our learner showcase.

Not sure where to start? Check out our personality quiz! We’ll help you find the best programming language to learn based on your strengths and interests.

Want to share your Codecademy learner story? Drop us a line here. And don’t forget to join the discussions in our community.

What Advice Do You Have for the Graduates of 2023?

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What Advice Do You Have for the Graduates of 2023?

Thirty-nine years ago, my college commencement was held in an un-air-conditioned gymnasium on the hottest day Alabama could serve up. I tried to talk my family into letting me skip the ceremony, but my grandmother, a retired schoolteacher, put her foot down. “We’re going,” she said. So we went. All I remember of the whole day is trying not to perish in the hallucinogenic heat.

My grandmother began her career in a two-room country schoolhouse. She was still teaching 40 years later when Alabama public schools were finally integrated. What my grandmother knew, and I did not, is that it’s right to celebrate a hard-won achievement. It’s right to drink in the pride of family and friends. It’s always right to give yourself over to joy every single time joy is on offer.

It is also right in this liminal moment, this time of looking both before and beyond, to ponder what it all means. What did the years of study and camaraderie really add up to? What new challenges will you be obliged to face in the years to come?

I can’t tell you what it all meant, but I think I understand some of the difficulties that lie ahead.

You are children of the 21st century, and yours is the first generation to recognize the inescapable urgency of climate change, the first not to deny the undeniable loss of biodiversity. You have grown up in an age permeated by the noise of a 24-hour news cycle, by needless political polarization, by devastating gun violence, by the isolating effects of “social” media. You have seen hard-won civil rights rolled back. You have come of age at a time of existential threat — to the planet, to democracy, to the arc of the moral universe itself — and none of it is your fault.

I wouldn’t blame you if you’re wondering how somebody of my generation, which wrecked so much that is precious, could dare to offer you advice. My only response is that age has exactly one advantage over the energy and brilliance of youth: Age teaches a person how to survive despair.

The years have shown me that hardship is only one part of life, and not remotely the largest part. Hardship always lives side by side with happiness. Pain always finds its fullest partner in joy. Love takes many forms, some of them surprising, and people are almost always kinder than we expect.

The world is beautiful. People are good.

If you can remember those two things, you will find your way to understanding that nothing ever came of despair, that change happened only because good people worked together to make an unfair world better. My grandmother didn’t close out her teaching career in an integrated classroom because Alabama politicians suddenly decided to do the right thing. As with every other sweeping change for good, desegregation happened because good people working together with other good people became an unstoppable force for change.

Women’s Basketball

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Women’s Basketball

The W.N.B.A. began its 27th season on Friday with a spotlight on it thanks to the attention garnered by Brittney Griner, the center for the Phoenix Mercury who spent nearly 10 months detained in Russia last year.

Griner drew attention not only to herself and the plight of other foreign detainees but also to the financial disparities facing women in sports that had brought her to Russia in the first place. During each off-season, many W.N.B.A. players go overseas in search of higher pay. The maximum salary in the W.N.B.A. is about $230,000; for comparison, top players in the N.B.A. make nearly $50 million per year.

What is your reaction to the gap in pay between the W.N.B.A. and the N.B.A.? Were you aware of it before Griner’s detention? Do you think her bigger platform has the power to bring a new fan base to the W.N.B.A. and reshape women’s basketball?

Do you watch women’s basketball? Who are your favorite players? What are your favorite teams? What would you say to others to encourage them to pay more attention to women’s basketball — and women’s sports in general?

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to learn more about Griner and the upcoming W.N.B.A. season.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Picture Prompts here.

Word of the Day: gait

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Word of the Day: gait

The word gait has appeared in 68 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Dec. 21 in “A Winter Workout That Can Take You Somewhere Stunning” by Amanda Loudin:

While at C.S.U., Mr. Browning was an author on a study into the biomechanics of walking with snowshoes; it revealed that snowshoeing required more bend from the ankles, hips and knees than overland walking. This calls for a greater range of motion, which over time can improve the mobility of your lower limbs, he said.

Nicholas Tiller, a senior researcher in exercise physiology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, said that snowshoeing requires an adjustment in gait, which pays off in fitness gains.

Can you correctly use the word gait in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how gait can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.

8 Playful New Summer Fonts (2023 edition)

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8 Playful New Summer Fonts (2023 edition)

8 Playful New Summer Fonts (2023 edition)

Looking to add some spice to your summer designs? Why not experiment with some unique and playful summer fonts? With a wide range of options to choose from, you can easily find the perfect font to give your work that extra pop. Whether you’re designing a flyer for a beach party, creating a summer-themed website, or just looking to inject some creativity into your projects, these fonts are sure to impress. So why not try something new and see where your imagination takes you?

8 Playful Summer Fonts

Here is an awesome collection of eight fonts that are playful and one-of-a-kind. They have a fun, chunky style that sets them apart from other fonts. What’s great about these fonts is that they all have their own distinct personality. If you’re looking to bring a touch of whimsy to your designs, these fonts are a must-have. Plus, they were all created in 2023!

Click on the font cover or name to see its Creative Market page.

Pin me for later!

If you’re as in love with those fonts as I am, why not pin them to your Pinterest board? That way, you can always find them when you need a little pick-me-up in your designs. Happy pinning!

8 Playful New Summer Fonts (2023 edition)

Show us your work!

We would love to see what you create with those playful summer fonts. If you make something using them, share it on social media, and make sure to tag Designer Blogs! We can’t wait to see your amazing designs. Let’s spread the joy of creating together! Don’t forget to let us know which one is your favorite.

Still looking for a perfect font? Check the list of 10 Top Fonts with Best Ampersands.

P.S This post includes affiliate links. By clicking them you are supporting us. Thanks!

Tiny Love Stories: ‘I Never Saw My Parents Kiss’

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Tiny Love Stories: ‘I Never Saw My Parents Kiss’

Growing up in the ’50s, I never saw my parents kiss, hug or say “I love you.” Instead, their marriage, like my childhood, was steeped in sarcasm and silence. After my father’s winter death, my mother asked for a copy of their answering machine messages — still blinking from when he was alive. Copying the original tape, I overheard them whispering: “Sweetie,” “Darling,” “Dear.” Their promises interspersed with kisses, smacking the air. Their longest message contained the memory of them necking in the back seat of their old white Pontiac Bonneville, their love fogging the windows. — Margaret Mariam Rosenthal

A night at a Tokyo goth club changed my life. I met Yukiro, a 6-foot-1 Swedish drag queen who dressed like the Bride of Frankenstein and cackled “O-ho-ho-ho!” After we tore up the dance floor, I asked Yukiro if he wanted to hang again. He answered with his catchphrase, “Why not?” A decade later, we’ve cackled and vogued at nightclubs in a dozen countries. Yukiro opened my eyes to countless others who share his fierce courage, from Lebanon’s trans artists to India’s hijra (third gender). When outsiders wonder why a drag queen is my best “ghoul-friend,” I reply, “Why not?” — La Carmina

Sometimes with queer love, you don’t realize it’s love until it’s gone. The last time I saw her was almost a year ago at our college graduation. She sat just a few rows ahead of me. Through the corner of my eye, I kept seeing her glance in my direction, maybe inadvertently, maybe not. As she rose to join the procession of graduates, she looked back at me, this time, directly. I refused to meet her gaze. Now that we are states apart and have lost all contact, I can’t shake the gnawing feeling of a missed opportunity. — Grace Del Vecchio

The first time we met, all four young faces stared at me with great uncertainty. My boyfriend’s children, they ranged in age from 2 to 12. With time, the children and I stopped being strangers. Eventually, they accepted me. Soon, I began to love them. It has now been 13 years since their father and I split, but my relationship with them didn’t break. Rather, it has grown stronger. I’ve been invited to a wedding and many graduations, and I’m always glad to be there. I was never their stepmother, but I am their family, just as they are mine. — Connie Minsky

The youngest son’s college graduation (he is wearing the lei). I am in the middle.
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