The Coding Diaries

How to create multiple forks of a git repo?

Thanks to https://adrianshort.org/create-multiple-forks-of-a-github-repo/ for the instructions.

1. What’s your name, when did you first start learning to code, and what technologies are you most familiar with?

STEPHANIE: I’m Stephanie H. Chang. Because my name is so dang generic, I go by @stchangg on the internet. I first started trying to learn how to code the summer after I graduated high school.

2. What was a turning point/lightbulb moment for you when you first started learning?

STEPHANIE: One big “aha” moment happened when I was working on a little project to scratch an itch I had. I like making visual art and wanted 1) to learn JavaScript, 2) to learn how to work with an API, and 3) to showcase my art on my personal website. I was disappointed with many popular Flickr plugins, which to me felt too slow and over-stylized.

4. What’s been the most frustrating thing about learning to code or being a developer (if you work as one professionally)?

STEPHANIE: As a developer, I’d say that there’s always a healthy tension between writing good code and shipping. You don’t want to over-engineer a solution, but you also don’t want to write horrible code that, while functional, will make it harder to iterate and improve on the feature. It’s frustrating at times because without more experience, it’s really hard to know the answer.

5. What advice would you give to someone just starting out?

STEPHANIE: Internalize growth mindset. Talk to yourself everyday to internalize it, if that’s what it takes. Do it wherever – on your lunch break, on your commute to work. (Nothing to be ashamed of! I did it and still do it.) If you’re not a person who struggles to maintain a growth mindset, the most important thing you can do is to create a safe space for you to learn.