In November 2018, I graduated from Udacity with a Front-end Web Developer Nanodegree that was sponsored by Google’s Grow with Google program. It was an incredible opportunity that not many get and I want to share my thoughts and experiences about what it was like participating in the program.
How it Started
A little background first: I had been semi-deep into web development for about 2 years now. I began teaching myself how the web works, how websites are built, and how to code. But I kept running into a “wall” with my learning. I had learned all the basic syntax and structure of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript but I couldn’t grasp how they all flowed and connected. That’s when I found the Grow with Google program.
I stumbled on their scholarship program by chance one day when I decided to check out Udacity’s website and put in my application. After about a month of waiting I got an email saying I was accepted (WHOO!) and began a few weeks later.
Challenge Course
The course was structured so that we had to complete a 3-month long challenge course first where we went through basic HTML, CSS, and JavaScript classes and built some basic projects like a Trading Card with HTML and CSS all the way up to a Pixel Art Maker using JavaScript.
There was also an interesting second part to the challenge course: they wanted you to be part of the community. So not only did you have to finish all the classes and projects, you also had to be active on the forums and Slack. I thought that was a pretty awesome way to get the people that were truly passionate about this opportunity involved and a great way to build a strong community.
Over those 3 months, I participated in answering/asking questions on forums, finished all projects, and successfully was accepted into the full Front-end Web Developer Nanodegree program! 👍
Nanodegree
I’m not going to lie, the nanodegree was tough. The projects started off semi-easy and quickly ramped up. I started off building a Memory Card Game and a Frogger clone, but from there, the projects became much more involved and challenging. Luckily for me, there was a dedicated Slack for the Grow with Google Nanodegree recipients where you could go to get community support. There were also dedicated times where community members would set aside and volunteer their time to give dedicated support to those who needed it and that was incredible. One of my favorite parts of this experience was the community that evolved with many incredible people always willing to help.
And I needed help. The next few projects were focused on HTTP requests, browser caching, getting familiar with React and interacting with APIs. It was incredibly hard to grasp all the new things being thrown at me, but with the amazing people available to answer my questions I was able to power through all the projects (with some sleepless nights) and finish the program on time in November 2018.
Conclusion
I am more than thankful for this great opportunity I got to be a part of. I was able to get my first job in technology and move into a full-time developer role because of this course. If there is anyone interested in getting into a tech field I highly recommend a Udacity program and you can keep an eye out for a scholarship program here. You can also reach out to me with any questions you have about Udacity or Grow with Google and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
This post is long overdue, but I wanted to share my experience and hopefully someone curious if this is the real deal will read this and be inspired to participate in either a Grow with Google opportunity, a Udacity scholarship opportunity, or just get interested in technology in general. It’s a long and tough road, but it is possible to succeed with determination and the right guidance. 💪
I want to end this by saying thank you to Udacity, Google, Community Leaders and everyone else in the program that went out of their way to help others succeed. I’m grateful for this experience and I’m very excited for my future in technology.
