Hooray! The Learn to Code With Me Podcast has finally arrived. It’s literally been months in the making. And I am excited to share it with you today.
This very first 000 episode is different from the usual shows. Instead, it’s an introduction to me, the show, and what you can expect. You can listen to this very first episode below in the podcast player, or over in iTunes.
About me – Laurence Bradford
Hi – I’m Laurence Bradford. (FYI: my first name is pronounced like “Luh-ronze” – I know, it’s a little confusing!)
I am the creator of the Learn to Code With Me blog and the Tech Careers Expert at About.com. My writing can be found on other sites, too. However – this wasn’t always what I was doing.
If you rewind just a few years ago, you would see that I was living in Thailand, working as an English teacher. While working as a teacher, I was in the middle of the country, completely by myself. Back then I thought I wanted to go to graduate school for economic development. So, I spent lots of my time studying for the GRE. For those unfamiliar with the GRE, it’s a standardized test that you usually have to take in order to go to grad school in the US.
Long story short: I ended up getting a job in economic development following my teaching stint – right in Bangkok. It’s what I thought I wanted. But once I got there, I realized it was nothing like I thought it would be. In fact, I became bored quickly.
This boredom, coupled with several other factors like starting a travel blog, realizing how bleak my career options were, etc., drove me to start teaching myself how to code.
And, it was like the stars had aligned. I thought I would hate it. But boy was I wrong. And within less than two months I found myself moving back to the US, to focus on coding.
Still, my first year learning was rough. It was like a love-hate relationship. Some days I loved it. Others, I would get so frustrated that I felt like quitting altogether. In fact, there were a few periods of time where I stopped coding for a few weeks on end.
After months of this on again off again style of learning, I became fed up with myself. And, sort of at a breaking point, I decided to create learntocodewith.me. The idea was simple: I was going to blog my way through the journey. I always loved writing, and I felt like maintaining a blog would help me stay motivated as I kept pushing through.
As you can probably tell, things have changed a lot on the site since. Soon after I began blogging, I had a realization that so many others were struggling to learn—just like I was. And instead of centering on my journey, I decided to pivot and focus on helping others on their journey learning to code.
And this new podcast is part of that mission: I created it to help others on their learn to code journey.
About the Learn to Code With Me Podcast
Unlike many other podcasts, the Learn to Code With Me podcast will follow a seasons format. (Think of it like a TV show with seasons!)
This first season is going to focus on how to make money with your coding skills. For that reason, I have dubbed it “Season 1: From Code to Cash”.
Throughout this first season I will be interviewing 15 different people on a range of topics that relate to making money with code. Some of these topics include:
- How to get started as a freelancer
- Tips for acing your first technical interview
- How to start your own dev agency
- Resume and cover letter tips for techies
And a whole lot more.
The show format
The episodes will be interview-based, each between 25-35 minutes in length.
Consistency/show schedule
Aside from the podcast launch (where I published three episodes), one new episode will come out every Tuesday at 7:00 AM Eastern Time. Once the first season comes to a close at the end of July 2016, there will be a break before the second season starts up.
Where you can listen to new episodes
You can listen to the Learn to Code With Me podcast on the following platforms:
- The LTCWM website (https://learntocodewith.me/podcast/)
- iTunes
- SoundCloud
- Stitcher
Episode transcripts
All season one shows will be transcribed. You will be able to access all the transcripts in one place. (See further down on this page for details!)
Show feedback
This is my first time podcasting, and I have a lot to learn. That said – I would love to hear your feedback. What you like, what you wish was different, how you think the show can be improved, and so forth.
The best way to reach me is via email at laurence@learntocodewith.me.
Links and mentions from the episode:
- About.com
- Skillcrush
- Mashable
- SitePoint
- Codecademy
- MIT OpenCourseWare
- Find me on Twitter: @learncodewithme
- Reach me by email: laurence@learntocodewith.me
- Subscribe on iTunes
- Listen to the next episode with Skillcrush co-founder Adda Birnir
Get this episode’s transcript!
Sign-up below to gain access to this episode’s transcript!
Episode transcript
Enter you email address below to gain access to this episode's transcript as well as every other LTCWM podcast episode.
Thanks for listening!
Thanks so much for tuning in! Remember, you can listen to the Learn to Code With Me podcast on the following platforms:
- The LTCWM website (https://learntocodewith.me/podcast/)
- iTunes
- SoundCloud
- Stitcher
If you have a few extra minutes, please rate and review the show in iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show. I would really, really appreciate it!