Angela Yang

2020 was an interesting year to say the least – it was a year of challenges, changes and more. Thankfully, when I started we were back in the office as normal... or so I thought.

Since then, it has been a mixture of working remotely and working from the office (and a lot of tea drinking).

8.30 AM

Wake up – get dressed and into comfy ‘home’ clothes. Make a coffee and read up on the morning news.

9.00 AM

Start my day by checking emails and Slack messages.

9.15 AM

Start planning my day ahead – here is where I usually go back and re-look at what I did the previous day and get in some coding time on my kata (coding challenge) before stand-up, lunch and my mentor meetings.

11.00 AM

Online stand-up meeting with my cohort in Auckland and Sydney. Here is where we each talk about what we were working on the previous day and what our day ahead looks like.

This is a great chance to discuss any problems you might have with your kata (or any concepts) and see if anyone has ideas or suggestions to help.

11.30 AM

Go over some tutorials – this can range from articles or short videos. I try to squeeze in time in-between coding throughout the day to go over resources, as I prefer to block out chunks of time for coding.

What’s great about this role is that no two days are the same – each day you’re faced with new challenges so it’s fair to say that you just take it as it comes!

12.00 PM

Lunch! I usually find something to throw together in the kitchen if I’m working from home, otherwise I would usually prep something the night before to take in – on the occasion we would do a Protégé lunch if we are all in the office.

Make a tea (peppermint or something herbal is usually the go to during the day)

1.00 PM

Online check-in with my mentors. This is where we all catch up and discuss what I’ve been working on the previous afternoon and that morning. Also, if I’m stuck on anything or have any questions which we can work on together during a pairing session.

Here is also a chance to talk about concepts I may have come across and want to learn more about.

1.30 PM

Start prepping for pairing, by either trying to start working on the coding problem on my own or reading/watching about it.

2.00 PM

Pairing with my two mentors.

3.15 PM

Have another tea and a short break. One important thing about working remotely is to have short breaks or time away from the desk. I find that I am much more productive and also feel less drained this way

3.30 PM

Block out time for coding. I work further on the concepts from the pairing session, as my mentors usually leave me with enough guidance to continue on my own.

5.30 PM

Grab more tea and start looking at wrapping up for the day. I usually write up notes of what I learnt and gather any tutorials or resources to go over the next morning.

6.00 PM

Finish up for the day! (and start thinking about dinner prep)