Sources and Methods is a podcast hosted by Alex Strick and Matt Trevithick in which interesting people doing interesting things get to talk about the what, how and why of what they do.sourcesandmethods.com
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A podcast about coding, education, and mastery. We'll interview current Launch School students, employers in the tech sector, and industry veterans to talk about how to succeed on a journey to mastery and becoming a professional software engineer. Conversations will revolve around learning, programming, expertise, study habits and many other topics related to mastery based learning.
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S5E16: Student Spotlight - Battling Self-Doubt, A Student Transformation with Sherece
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In this episode, Brandi has a conversation with Sherece, a current student nearing the end of the core curriculum. They spend the first part of the conversation discussing how Sherece managed to overcome her extremely low confidence to not just progress through the core curriculum, but to even enroll amid self-doubt and fear of failure. Though she …
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S5E15: Daniel Nalesnik - Founder of HackChinese and Core Graduate
1:21:21
1:21:21
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In this episode, Chris interviews Daniel Nalesnik, the creator of Hack Chinese and a core curriculum graduate. Daniel used the fundamentals learned in the core program to build his own business. They spend the first part of the episode discussing Daniel's winding journey to Launch School in which he left a successful career behind. Daniel quit his …
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S5E14: Student Spotlight - The Ups and Downs of the Core Curriculum with Patrick
58:57
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In this episode, Brandi chats with current student Patrick about his journey thus far through the core curriculum. They discuss what it's like coming from a background of feeling completely incompetent with a computer to gaining the confidence to lead SPOT sessions and encourage other students to do the same. Patrick also shares some of the more di…
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S5E13: Setting Students up for Success - Smooth Start Program with Karis
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Sign-ups for Smooth Start 5 are open now! Read more and Apply here In this episode, Brandi has a conversation with Karis about Smooth Start. Karis is part of the Launch School staff and is largely responsible for creating Smooth Start, an introductory program to help students overcome common hurdles that are often faced at the early stages of Launc…
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S5E12: Missy Lovegren - From Fine Arts to Software Engineering
1:20:48
1:20:48
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In this episode, Chris interviews Missy Lovegren, a Capstone grad and software engineer at New Relic. Missy was a TA at Launch School and part of a 2022 Capstone cohort. They spend the first part of the episode discussing Missy's transition into software. She comes from a background in fine arts and went through several difficult, low paying, and, …
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S5E11: Student Spotlight - From Coasting to Excelling, a Student Transformation with Nick
41:37
41:37
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In this episode, Brandi has a conversation with Nick Perry, a current student and active member of the Launch School community. Nick shares his background and how he was never a 'good' student previously in high school and university. When he began Launch School, like many students, he wasn't sure if he could succeed and had to reevaluate his perce…
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S5E10: Felicia Bacon - A Lifelong Learner Thriving at Starbucks
1:26:28
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In this episode, Chris has a conversation with Felicia Bacon, a Capstone grad and Software Engineer at Starbucks. Felicia made a trajectory change after studying to be an architect for several years. Her core curriculum journey was one of perseverance, spanning three and a half years. She shares candidly about her experience receiving a 'not yet' o…
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S5E9: Student Spotlight - Climbing the Learning Curve as a New Student, with Katelyn
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In this episode, Brandi interviews Katelyn, a current student finding her footing in the first few courses of the core curriculum. Katelyn is in a career transition, with a background in project and construction management, having majored in civil engineering in college. We reached out to Katelyn to see if she wanted to share her story after she wr…
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S5E8: Alex Strick van Linschoten - Open Source Machine Learning, based in Europe
55:33
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In this episode, Chris interviews Alex Strick van Linschoten, a Capstone grad working in machine learning. They spend the first part of the interview discussing his background and Capstone experience, and later on discuss the field of machine learning. Alex had a full career before he transitioned into machine learning. He has a PhD in history and …
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S5E7: Launch School Explained with Chris Lee
1:23:12
1:23:12
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In this episode, recorded at the end of 2023, Brandi asks Chris the most frequently asked questions that current and potential students have. Chris starts the episode with a recap of the story of Launch School, and how his journey into teaching software over 10 years ago led to the Launch School curriculum as we know it now. This story explains how…
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S5E6: Julia Martin - The Journey from JS101 to Databricks
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52:24
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In this episode, Chris interviews Julia Martin, a Capstone graduate and software engineer working at Databricks. Julia shares her story about deciding to make a career transition from business to software. Her interest in software was piqued during her work as a business analyst, where working with SQL was part of her role. She spent some time cons…
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S5E5: Student Spotlight - Imposter Syndrome and Recovering From a 'Not Yet', with Trisha
35:28
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In this episode, Brandi interviews Trisha, a current student who is about two-thirds finished with the core curriculum. Trisha opens up about receiving a 'Not Yet', a non-passing grade, on her first assessment over a year ago. She talks about the aftermath of doubt and insecurity. Trisha's trajectory changed drastically when she immersed herself in…
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S5E4: Jon Kulton - From Software Engineering to SRE
57:59
57:59
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In this episode, Chris interviews Captsone Graduate Jon Kulton, a software engineer at Datadog. Before Launch School, Jon was a UX designer in a role that included some programming. Ultimately, Jon decided he wanted to transition into a more software-centric role. Jon was part of the 2019 fall cohort and began his job hunt at the start of Covid. Be…
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S5E3: Student Resources - The SPOT & GatherTown
54:30
54:30
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In this episode, Chris meets with JD and Daniel, two SPOT Admins and current students. They chat about what the SPOT is, who it's for, and how it can complement your Launch School studies, both technically, but also as a jumping-off point for joining the community. The SPOT, which stands for Study, Practice, Overlearn, Teach, is a student-led commu…
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S5E2: Student Spotlight - ADHD and Parenthood with Benjamin
37:34
37:34
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In this episode, Brandi has a conversation with Benjamin Walker, a current student, nearing the end of the back-end portion of the curriculum. They discuss Benjamin's approach to balancing full-time parenthood and his journey as a neurodivergent student. Benjamin was a high school math teacher for 12 years. After becoming a father, he decided he wa…
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S5E1: Ginni Pinckert - Ancient Greek to AI
1:08:59
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In this episode, Chris interviews Ginni Pinckert, a software engineer at Sudowrite. Ginni is a recent capstone graduate, finishing in early 2023. She has a diverse background pre-Launch School, having studied classical languages, literature, and linguistics with a mild obsession with Greek mythology and Sci-Fi. She worked in the fashion industry fo…
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A quick introduction to this season with a peek at what's to come.By Launch School
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In this episode Chris and Karis discuss the latest Capstone Salaries page update. Chris shares important data to look out for on the new salaries page, and provides advice when comparing other career-launching programs out there on the market. This discussion is to be used as a companion guide to the salaries page, and is especially helpful for tho…
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In this bytes episode Karis asks Chris and the Launch School community "What was some of their biggest takeaways this year at Launch School?" After the students and staff share their takeways, Karis closes with some Launch School announcements and upcoming events. to listen to the podcast click on the play button above the RSS and SHARE buttons Int…
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S4E6: Programming Essentials Workshops Q&A and Catchup with UK Capstone Graduate Kelvin
56:25
56:25
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In this episode Chris and Karis conduct a Q&A session about Launch School's new Programming Essentials Workshops, what they are why new programmers would want to attend. Karis then catches up with Launch School Alumnus Kelvin, who shares his experiences as a UK Capstone student and what it's like working as a software engineer based in the UK. The …
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S4E5: Transforming at Launch School
1:19:54
1:19:54
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In this episode Chris and Karis discuss a recent inspirational talk given by Core graduate student Jake. Chris answers some additional Launch School-related questions including how ISAs work. Karis interviews Capstone graduate and Launch School Alumna Catherine, who shares what life has been like as a software engineer a year and a half on from her…
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S4E4: Capstone Salaries, Recession & The Younger Students of Launch School
1:14:46
1:14:46
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In this episode Chris discusses the latest 2021 Capstone salaries, and provides some advice for students that have concerns about the recession. Karis catches up with younger students, Ethan and Tyler, and learns how their Launch School studies are already making an impact on their software engineering journey. Karis ends the episode with a few ann…
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In this episode Launch School Student Felicia interviews Chris as he shares the origin story of how Launch School came to be. He also offers his unique perspective on how Launch School approaches learning, coding education and software engineering. The show includes several new announcements that students should be aware of. Show Notes LS181 Assess…
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S4E2: Latest News, Interviews and Catch-up with Mandy
1:12:26
1:12:26
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This episode Karis and Chris discuss the all the latest Launch School interviews and presentations. Karis also catches up with the co-host from last season Mandy who now works at Mozilla. Finally they leave you with a number of new announcements that students should be aware of. Intro Agenda Felicia's Interview with Chris Felicia's Interview with C…
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This season Chris kicks off our first episode by introducing Launch Schools new podcast format and new co-host Karis. Together they discuss the latest events happening at Launch School and some quick reminders students should be aware of. Karis also catches up with previous host Callie in a 1 on 1 interview. Introduction - 0:00 Agenda - 4:33 Buddy …
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In today's episode, our podcast hosts Chris, Callie, and Mandy share their end of the year reflections on Season 3, new updates on where Mandy and Callie are going, upcoming ideas for season 4, and ambitious goals for Launch School in the New Year and beyond. Chris, Callie, and Mandy wishes everyone a joyous and wonderful holiday season! You can li…
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In today's episode, Callie chats with Launch School TA Pete about his journey to and through Launch School. He shares about his beloved cats we see glimpses of, what brought him to Launch School, and why he enjoys being a part of this community. He also sheds light on what makes a good Core student and talks about someone who made a lasting impact …
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In this Thanksgiving episode, Mandy talks to students who have been at Launch School for over a year. These students share what they are grateful for and how the community has helped them throughout their journey at Launch School. Special thanks to the stories shared by the wonderful students: Alfonso Gonzalez, Felicia Bacon, Charles Hartman, Anne …
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In today's episode, Callie chats with three Launch School students in three very different life stages. They share how they came to Launch School, what seemed to come easy to them, and what was harder. Without hearing one another's interviews, they paint similar pictures that are still unique. Whether you've been here awhile or have just joined the…
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In today's episode, Callie chats with Launch School TA Srdjan as he shares his journey to and through Launch School. He generously shares about a wide range of experiences, from how his cats lovingly torture him to what scared him the most as a student/TA at Launch School. He shares lessons learned from being a student, and what he believes makes a…
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S3E5: Women Who Code (WWCode) at Launch School
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In today's episode, students from Women Who Code share what the group is, what the meet-ups are like, and how they've found a sense of belonging and community. These students talk about the importance of having a supportive community while going through the ups and downs of online learning at Launch School. They generously share their thoughts and …
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S3E4: John and Adam Isom -- Skipping College, CS Degree vs Launch School, and Making Six Figures Together
57:43
57:43
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In this episode, siblings John and Adam Isom come chat about their journeys working together through Launch School. Adam had completed a different coding bootcamp and was in the midst of completing his CS degree when he switched to focus on Launch School. John walked away from a college scholarship to study CS to do Launch School. Why did they do t…
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S3E3: Bytes — Why Did You Choose Launch School?
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Today's episode is the first of a new series called Bytes: a collection of sound-bites from the Launch School community that answer a focused question. A question we've all asked at some point or another is why should I go to Launch School? Maybe you're past that point, or maybe you're still trying to figure it out. Either way, listen in to hear th…
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S3E2: An update from Gabe, Arthur, and Ben on friendship and teamwork through Capstone, the Job Hunt, and as professional Software Engineers
56:31
56:31
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Previously in Season 2, Chris talked with Gabe, Ben, and Arthur to share their story on how they, as a group, supported one another through the Core curriculum. That episode highlighted the importance of community and friendship. In this episode, Gabe, Ben, and Arthur are back with us to share more! They update us about their journey through Capsto…
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S3E1: Barbara Oakley on Learning How to Learn & How Fundamentals Make All the Difference
1:07:03
1:07:03
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In today's episode, Launch School students Jenae and Mandy interviewed Barbara Oakley. Dr. Oakley is no stranger to Launch School students — her Learning How to Learn course is a required part of the preparation to being a student! The conversation has many gems, including what it’s like being a woman in STEM and how programming is a form of art. S…
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S2E11: Q&A Capstone, Assessments, DPP, & 2020 Salaries with Chris
1:07:06
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In this episode, Staacy and I held a Zoom Q & A. I was happily surprised by the wide-range of topics that we got to dive into. Questions ranged from knowing if you’re on track for Capstone, when and how to get a job, how your age affects a career in tech, how to know if Launch School is for you, and how the Deferred Payment Program works. Whether y…
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S2E10: Conference on Study Habits by The Social Network with Liz, Jesse, and Katarina
1:00:19
1:00:19
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In this episode, I caught up with Liz, Jesse, and Katarina to chat about another peer-led community group at Launch School called "The Social Network". We previously chatted with The SPOT community leads here on the podcast, but The Social Network differs in that its mission is geared towards social events and having fun. Last month, The Social Net…
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Welcome to another episode of the Launch School podcast. This is a slightly different episode in that it’s a recording of a webinar we did a few weeks ago about our Deferred Payment Program. Now why would we include a webinar in the podcast? Well, the reason is because this webinar is actually a panel of Launch School students and the conversation …
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S2E8: Community Learning at The Spot with Leena, Rodney, and Christian
44:19
44:19
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In this episode, I caught up with Leena, Rodney, and Christian who started a peer-based study group within the Launch School community called SPOT, which stands for Study, Practice, Overlearn, and Teach. This is, arguably, one of the most important topics for us as a mastery-based learning program. I’ve been observing this group for a few months an…
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S2E7: Sunny Beatteay on Landing a Dream Job and Getting Promoted
1:08:28
1:08:28
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Welcome to Season 2, Episode 7 of the Launch School podcast. In this episode, I had a chance to chat with Sunny Beatteay, a senior software engineer at Digital Ocean and Capstone alum. This conversation was recorded a few months ago back in March, 2020. Many of you who hang out in the Launch School chat room have probably seen his name there. Sunny…
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S2E6: Michael Mentele - From Launch School to making $250k at Facebook
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42:45
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In this episode, I asked one of our very first Capstone graduates to share with us what’s been going on a few years removed from graduating Capstone. Michael joined Launch School in 2016, finished Capstone in 2017, and is now making a “quarter of a million” at Facebook working on the Oculus VR team. We always talk about Launch School being a long-t…
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Sebastian is co-founder of Ultraworking, a company that runs timed group work sessions on the internet (among other things). We get into the things he’s discovered really help improve productivity as well as the world outside pure ‘productivity’ gains. Follow Sebastian on Twitter here. Learn more about Ultraworking at https://www.ultraworking.com/…
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Tiago is a writer, thinker and trainer in productivity systems. He runs the online course ‘Building a Second Brain’ and we discuss the techniques he developed to support knowledge work. We also get into the weaknesses of the ‘deep work’ trend. Follow Tiago on Twitter here. Follow Tiago’s work at Forte Labs. Check out the ‘Building a Second Brain’ c…
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S2E5: Nick Calibey on landing a six-figure remote Software Engineer role
47:42
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In this episode I got a chance to speak with Nick Calibey, a Capstone graduate and software engineer at TimescaleDB. We talked about how he went from getting his Masters in Theological Studies to now working on Cloud Infrastructure making 6 figures all working remotely from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Nick is one of the first remote people we took into Capsto…
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Lýdia is a polyglot, mentor and inspiration to language learners. We discuss language learning methods, her experiences running online education programmes as well as what it’s like to work as a simultaneous interpreter in high-stress situations. Watch her TED talk here. Learn more about language mentoring and her methods at https://www.languagemen…
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Eva Hagberg is the author of a new memoir entitled ‘How to be Loved’. We speak to her about her experience of chronic illness, grief and her career in architecture and criticism. Learn more about Eva at https://www.evahagberg.com/ Follow Eva on twitter at https://twitter.com/evahagberg/ Buy Eva's book here…
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S2E4: Gabe, Arthur, and Ben on the importance of studying together and community
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I asked Gabe, Ben, and Arthur to come on the podcast today to share their story about how they, as a group, are supporting and helping each other through the Core curriculum and talk about the importance of community. To me, they’ve cracked the code with regards to mastery-based learning. There are so many positives to mastery-based learning and if…
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S2E3: Sasha Prodan - 3 year journey to software engineering
55:10
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I catch up with Sasha Prodan, who describes her multi-year journey to her high-paying software engineering role. Sasha arrived in the US as an immigrant, worked retail jobs to support herself, and spent 3 years completing her transition to a software engineering role in San Francisco.By Launch School
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S2E2: Julius Zerwick on path to Software Engineer at DigitalOcean, writing a book, and comparing coding bootcamps
48:27
48:27
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Capstone graduate and frequent Launch School Tech Talk speaker, Julius Zerwick comes on the podcast to chat about his Software Engineer job at DigitalOcean, software salaries in NYC, the importance of soft skills, pros/cons of coding bootcamp vs Launch School, and his upcoming book Make Sense of Distributed Systems from Manning.…
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S2E1: Tannr Allard - $120k job first, college after
42:41
42:41
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In this first episode of Season 2 of the Launch School podcast, I chat with Capstone graduate Tannr Allard about his reflections on going from leaving college to a $120K job to working in blockchain development.By Launch School
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