Work

alert( ‘Hello World!’ )

10/22/2020 by John 5 Comments

In computer code, alert( 'Hello World!' ) creates a pop-up window on the screen that says “Hello World!” Consider this post me as that pop-up box. Back in May and early June, I wrote a post a day about moving to New Zealand. And then…

Cue the crickets.

So what happened? Maybe you’re wondering if we have the internet in New Zealand? The answer, of course, is yes. We have the internet and it has been the focus of most of my attention for the past four months. I recently completed an intensive 15-week long, coding boot camp at Enspiral Dev Academy in Wellington and have now begun working there.

In one of my previous lives, I was a computer coder. In between stints working for North Carolina Outward Bound and guiding bicycle tours, I obtained an Associates Degree in Web Technologies. I then worked full-time as a software developer for a year before deciding to sell the house and go nomad. That was five years ago.

In that time, my wife and I have lived in six different locations in the United States, have had two extended stays in Spain, and moved to New Zealand, back to the States, and now back again to New Zealand. Whew!

During all that movement, the idea of being a full-time software developer has travelled with me. Along the way, I’ve built a few websites for friends and pottered away on various learning platforms like Udemy, freecodecamp, and Codecademy. I was interested in working in technology but had not fully committed myself to it.

That started to change in 2018. When we first decided to move to New Zealand, I intended to enroll at Enspiral Dev Academy. I went there to watch a graduation ceremony and the space and atmosphere instantly felt like home.

It seemed perfect: a fresh start for my life in a new country. One problem: they could only accept New Zealand citizens and residents, and I did not fit into this category. So I spent that first year in New Zealand wondering who I was and working as a cook.

But the idea of a coding boot camp was ever-present, and I started to research doing one online. I was close to signing up for one when we rather abruptly decided to return to the United States in 2019.

When we arrived back in New Zealand this past June, I again was unsure what I would be doing for work. About a week into our quarantine period at an Auckland hotel, we received the news that our application for a Skilled Migrant Visa had been accepted. We are now officially residents of New Zealand, meaning I was eligible to enroll in the coding boot camp. I did so immediately.

It was a great decision. I learned so much about software development, but more importantly, I got to build strong connections with a small group of participants and staff during an intense period of learning. It was an experience similar to being on an Outward Bound course.

My days were full: up by 5 a.m. at the latest to go for a run, at Dev Academy around 6:30 to study before class started at 8:45, and home around 6 p.m. to eat and relax a bit before an early bedtime to do it all again the next day. Dev Academy emphasizes personal growth alongside the technical skills required to get a job as a software developer. We would begin each day with a few minutes of mindfulness and twice a week participated in yoga sessions. My first impressions were correct. This place felt like home. Fortunately, even with boot camp over, this is a home I won’t have to leave for a while.

This week I am transitioning from the role of a Dev Academy student to that of being a boot camp Facilitator. This means that I’ll be aiding the Lead Teachers with delivering the program to students. It’s an incredible opportunity for me to be able to keep learning while helping others.

It has been a whirlwind since we landed in Auckland. I have not been this busy in years and it feels great. It is a reminder to me that having the courage to try something I’m not sure I can succeed at usually leads to unimaginable positive outcomes.

Countdown New Zealand Day 18

05/19/2020 by John 1 Comment

This is a series of posts that will log some of my thoughts in the month leading up to my moving back to New Zealand.

Yesterday I completed an event I’m going to call the 12-Hour To Do Relay. From 6 am until 6 pm, I ran a lap of about a mile. After completing the lap, I had to spend the remainder of that hour working on my To Do list. This mostly involved checking off items in preparation for moving back to New Zealand.

It was a rainy day and the trails I was running became streams at times. I had to get used to the sensation of putting on wet socks and shoes every hour on the hour. By the end, I ran 14.5 miles and scratched 18 items off my to do list — well worth the small discomfort of putting on squishy shoes and soggy shorts.

This idea was inspired by a YouTube video I stumbled across. In it, Beau Miles completes a marathon and gets a whole lot done by following the same formula I outlined above for 24-hours. This was my original plan, but I backed down to the 12-hour version because the weather was not ideal and I figured I could maximize some of the benefits of the activity while minimizing the downside of being awake for 24-hours.

For me, this experiment proved to be a great way to get things done. It provided structure to the day by breaking up the work I needed to do into small 40-45 minute chunks of time. Getting outside and moving my body between these task periods kept me energized and engaged. It also allowed me an opportunity to pause and plan what task to do next. I was able to stay busy and engaged all day because I knew that at 6 pm, I would be done and then could rest and do what I wanted the rest of the evening.

So if you’ve got an overwhelming list of things to do, I recommend making up your own To Do Relay. Let it be whatever works for you. A walk around the block every hour on the hour for however long you can spare will give the same benefits as running a mile. Or 15 minutes of yoga every hour followed by tasks. 4, 6, 12, or 24-hours, it doesn’t matter. Just do what you can and you might be surprised by how much you get done and how much fun you have while doing it.

Here’s the video that inspired me.

What Do You Do?

02/02/2019 by John 7 Comments

When people ask me what I do and I tell them I work in a restaurant, the conversation often stops. Why is this? Is it me or is it them? Is it because the way I answer the question indicates to them that I don’t want to talk about it, or do they just not know how to respond? I feel like I’m being judged, but by who? Myself, them, or both? This did not seem to happen when I told people I was a bicycle tour guide or that I worked for Outward Bound.

What do you do? Most of us assume that what the person asking really wants to know is what do we do for money. And isn’t this usually what we mean when we ask others what they do? The question is a culturally programmed response to meeting someone new. It is a quick way for us to categorize each other.

I think the conversation needs to shift. I need to change my answers. And I need to ask better questions.

“What do you do?”
“I like to write, run long distances, travel, cook, spend time outdoors, and learn new things. What do you like to do?”

Wouldn’t this make for the start of a much more interesting conversation?