Sean is Coding #15: Code, Coffee, and Career

It's been a minute, but I'm back.

Aaaand, I’m back!

Time's certainly flown in the past few months. Now that things have calmed down a bit, I'm thrilled to reconnect and share more about my ongoing coding journey. I last left you on May 15th, so let's get you caught up. Here's a quick rundown/TL;DR:

1. I graduated from Rithm School

2. Took a trip to Spain

3. Began part-time work as an engineer at Smol AI

4. Currently scouting for full-time engineering opportunities

5. Now, free to catch up over coffee! Let's chat.

Rithm Recap

Mid-June marked the end of my time at Rithm School. And while I still keep in touch with many of my classmates, and it's been a unique shift transitioning from student life to a more independent routine. 

Graduating from Rithm wasn't just a milestone, it was a massive leap in my coding journey. The extensive learning packed into those 16 weeks was intense, and I'm proud of the progress I made.

In a recent LinkedIn post after graduation, I shared my Rithm by-the-numbers:

• → 251,495 lines of JS and Python code in class-related work

• → 696,925 lines of JS and Python code in personal projects

• → 1,806 commits in 83 repositories

• → 231h 48m in my programming notes app

• → 173h 31m in VS Code

• → 56h 42m in ChatGPT

• → 29h 38m in the terminal

• → 3 frontend + backend web apps built and deployed

• → 14 15 email newsletters sent (and counting!)

Starting Small at Smol AI

As you may know, I've started working with Swyx at Smol AI as a part-time contractor. The hands-on experience with production code and a fantastic team of engineers has been phenomenal. 

Smol AI is part of Vercel’s first AI Accelerator cohort, which connects us with an exceptional community of AI Engineers shaping the future with cutting-edge models and tools.

Keep tabs on my LinkedIn or Twitter for updates on the Smol Menubar, an LLM aggregator project I've been refining:

I'm planning a detailed post about refactoring Menubar. It's been a real-life lesson on how coding principles like encapsulation and polymorphism improve scalability, extensibility, and maintenance.

Job Hunt

Outside my work at Smol AI, I'm also actively seeking full-time software engineering roles. The job market in the Bay Area is showing promising signs after a challenging start to the year. 

I'm taking my time, ensuring I bring my A-game to each application, while also building a portfolio showcasing my work across a diverse set of technologies.

If you come across any roles in the Bay Area that might align with my skills and aspirations, please feel free to share. I'm always eager for opportunities to grow within a team.

Well, that's all for now! You can expect more frequent updates, and please don't be a stranger if you fancy a tech chat.