- Git Cute Newsletter
- Posts
- Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!
(Have you been forwarded this email?)
Happy Thanksgiving!
I realized that this weekend I am going to be extremely busy with studying and preparing for a series of iterviews that I have next week, so I was not going to have time to give you the newsletter that I wanted.
I wanted to take a moment and let you know that I am extremely thankful for all of you. Supporting me through being subscribed to my newsletter, the lot of you that have become my Patreon Patrons, laughing at my bad Tweets... It all means so much, and I could never explain to you the profound impact that you have had on me this year. So, thank you, for being a constant source of happiness when the days are not so bright.
There are a lot of cool tech Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals that I wanted to let y'all know about beforehand and some other personal updates... Anyway, you know the drill. Onward!
Updates
I have officially relaunched the Conquer System Design website! It is very cute if I do say so myself. The hardest part was muting my color palette and making it feel cute enough for me while keeping it professional enough for people to actually buy from me. The best part is that because of the launch and Black Friday/Cyber Monday, I decided to take $100 off the course and sell it for $99 until Tuesday, November 29th! Yay! I also offer Pay-in-4 payments now for people and that discount is also applied to that as well. Enjoy!
As I mentioned in the intro, I have interviews that are happening after the holiday that I am very excited about. I have a really good feeling that I have manifested this opportunity for myself, and that this sabbatical to focus on my mental health and rediscovering my purpose in tech have led me to this. If you believe in spirtuality, all good vibes are welcome!
No book updates as of right now! We are still in the editing phase and the end of the year is always a large push for publishers. I hoping to set up a preorder for the book through Apress to be able to share with with you, my faithful newsletter readers. I'll keep you updated.
Sponsor
This week's email is again sponsored by Audible Plus!
Audible offers customers more selection with access to a robust catalog of fresh and original audio entertainment and superior programming. The unbeatable selection and Audible’s award-winning app offer your readers the ability to listen to their favorite content anytime, anywhere.
We Are Exploiting Our Most Vulnerable
The topic that I wanted to talk about in Sunday's newsletter that I was not able to because of ongoing article writing and litigation was My Tech Best Friend. I have always vocalized that I came from a coding bootcamp, and that I was proud of what I accomplished there because without it, I would not have my career. In fact, you would not be reading this newsletter, however, there are bootcamps that take advantage of people that were in my circumstances: low income, ambitious, desperate for a way out to break the gneerational cycle of poverty. My Tech Best Friend is one of those bootcamps.
Dominic Madori, Senior Reproter for Tech Crunch, wrote an article that dropped today called My Tech Frenemy. She has done the critical research to give us a thorough deep dive into what it was like for the students that were and are still currently enrolled in My Tech Best Friend. She even goes into Mary Adowele's alleged anti-Blackness against Black Americans since she herself is of Nigerian descent — which is an important angle to pursue when her target audience were Black Americans. It would be a disservice of me to rewrite that article her article, so go read it here.
The issues of My Tech Best friend is many, but, for me and others, the main issue is that Mary is allegedly targeting low-income Black people. People that had to take out loans, quit their jobs, in order to dedicate their time to the bootcamp with no guarantee of a job. It was the perfect storm of promise, ambition, and opportunity for both entities. One was pure and the other opportunistic and social media served as the breeding ground.
We are proud members of Tech Twitter. I enjoy the community that I have found there and the bonds that I have formed with people that I did not think were possible in my same career. However, most of us dropped the ball on becoming informed about the person that we were retweeting, defending, or watching silently from the shadows. I will admit that I have had her muted for a month or more, but I was ignoring my own advice of "being silent is siding with the oppressor," but the only difference is that I was not watching it happen. I turned my eye and therefor I turned away from people that needed the help the most.
It is important as social media users to take note of our influence and make sure that we are not supporting bad actors -- which is easier said than done. I can mindlessly hop on Twitter or TikTok, shit post, scroll, retweet, like, and then go on with my day. A signifier of "likes and RTs do not mean endorsement" in a profile is a weak deflection at best, and takes away our responsibility for letting this pass. Mary presented My Tesh Best Friend in the best light to those who knew her and to strangers. There is a reason why that the bootcamp was so successful in terms of enrollments and payments.
While the fall out of My Tech Best Friend is the doing of the creator and owner, the impact that it has had on hundreds of individuals is a share responsibility. From liking the Tweets, commenting on the LinkedIn posts, and recommending for business opportunities, letting ourselves be bullied into silence. We cannot go back and change our actions, but we can continue to support those that won't let this deter them away from joining the tech industry. All things done in the dark must come to light, but let us be the lanterns to lead the affected to the right path.
Links That Made Me Happy (Holiday edition!)
Some of these link may be affiliate links for me, but no one mentioned has told or paid me to mention their products. If you do not wish to use them, you don't have to!
My hardcover copy of Engineering Management for the Rest of Us came today, and I promise you that Sarah is not requesting me to promote this book. It's just. So. Damn. Good. Get it while you can!
I love my Elgato Stream Deck, and it is currently 20% off trough Amazon. I got mine before there was this amazing white colorway, but either color will help you tap into your Twitch streaming or computer macros with ease. A must buy.
My friend Lindsey owns Lindsey Created, an amazing Black owned, candle business. When I tell you that I have every single candle that she has ever made, I am not exaggerating. Her candles are a most purchase every time that I see a Tweet or an email alert. Go forth and choose a scent that taps into your true self. Shop here.
For me, the holidays mean that I get to treat myself to decadence, and there is nothing that screams decadence to me than buying myself anything that I want. This year, I desperately want this sweater. Is it just a sweater with sheep? Yes. Is it the only thing that I have pined for this entire year? Also yes. Let's be twins and wear the sheep together!
Java Facts
Did you know that Java can be used to create a front end? For a programming language that is typically known for it's backend capabilities, Java has been used with frameworks like JavaFx to tackle the user interface for desktop applications. Look out, React. We're coming for you. (Jokes, all jokes. Please don't yell at me.)
Thank you to Katy and Michael for becoming a Git Cute Patron! If you want a shoutout in the newsletter, you can sign up here.
Have an amazing extended weekend. Eat all of the turkey that you want and send me some pictures of your spreads on Twitter!
xx Josie