Not a Designer: Design bites for devs
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Introduction and Sponsor Acknowledgment
- Introduction and Welcome: The host introduces the Codingcat.dev podcast and welcomes Saon, who is featured in the episode.
- Sponsor Message: A brief mention of the podcast sponsor, Cloudinary, highlighting their AI-powered image and video APIs.
Saon’s Journey into Technology
- Non-Technical Beginnings: Saon shares her experience working in marketing and sales roles in a startup environment and her fascination with the technical side of product development.
- Transition to Coding: She discusses her self-taught coding journey, decision to quit her job to focus on coding full-time, and eventual enrollment at Flatiron School’s boot camp.
Boot Camp Experience
- Overview of Flatiron School: Saon provides an overview of her immersive education at Flatiron School, emphasizing the importance of community and support in her learning experience.
- Challenges and Rewards: She highlights both the difficulties of learning to code and the exhilaration of building functional products, emphasizing the net positive experience despite hardships.
Building Code Newbie Community
- Twitter Chats to Podcast Transformation: Saon describes how she started building communities through #CodeNewbie Twitter chats and eventually transitioned to podcasting to delve deeper into individual stories.
- Sustainability and Growth: She shares the evolution of Code Newbie, including the introduction of various initiatives like meetups, newsletters, and conferences, culminating in the acquisition by Dev.to in 2019.
Educational Background and Diverse Interests
- Academic Journey: Saon discusses her time at the University of Maryland, initially pursuing pre-med and later obtaining degrees in English and Psychology.
- Pivot to Tech and MBA: She explains her decision to transition from medicine to technology, driven by her interest in coding, and her eventual pursuit of an MBA to deepen her understanding of the business side of tech startups.
Integrating Code Newbie into Dev.to
- Acquisition Experience: Saon talks about her relationship with Ben Hopbper of Dev.to and the smooth transition of Code Newbie community initiatives into the Dev.to ecosystem.
- Ongoing Projects: She reflects on the sustained success of Code Newbie post-acquisition, highlighting the community’s ongoing activities and newly launched projects.
Not A Designer Initiative
- Concept and Purpose: Saon introduces her newsletter, Not A Designer, aimed at providing design insights to developers while documenting her own journey of learning design.
- Tools and Platforms: She discusses the use of Beehive for newsletter distribution and the benefits of its features in managing and growing her audience.
Discussion on Entrepreneurship and Lessons Learned
- Failed Attempts and Learning: Saon recounts her experiences with various failed product ideas, emphasizing the importance of emotional resilience and persistence in entrepreneurship.
- Pivoting Strategies: She reflects on the valuable feedback from investors and mentors, leading her to pivot her startup ideas and eventually focus on Disco and new initiatives like Big Cash Money community.
Perfect Picks Segment
- Saon’s Book Pick: Saon recommends "The Happiness Project" and discusses its impact on her approach to finding daily joy and happiness.
- Host’s Game Pick: The host shares his experience playing "It Takes Two" with his son, highlighting its unique cooperative gameplay and ability to bring them closer together.
