Thoughts, tips and highlights

Blog

> "The capacity to learn is a gift,
> the ability to learn is a skill,
> the willingness to learn is a choice"

I'm a Software Engineer at TryNow, using my Front End development knowledge to bring Try Before You Buy software to 40+ Shopify e-commerce stores.
Always interested in opportunities that allow me to grow personally and professionally, help others, and build a community around learning.

In 2020, I dived into learning Computer Science, forming myself in software development, proficient in English in professional environments, and soft skills in Platzi, the best Spanish-speaking e-learning platform. Who recently selected to form part of the top 1% student program, called Platzi Master, taking my practical learning to peak level.

As a mechanical engineer, I initiated myself in the path of technology and automation as a project manager at an engineering solutions enterprise while working at a seasonal job in music events, which in due course led me to a position as Technical Leader at the FinTech responsible for the most emblematic mass events in México in 2019 and 2020.


Probably a bit longer than an elevator pitch

About me


### How I dealt with it

First, I took a deep breath and tried to understand what had happened. I tried to understand what was going on and why it happened. I tried to understand why so many amazing people got laid off and why it wasn't happening to me.

Even though I was not directly affected by the layoffs, I was still affected by them. I was still affected by the fact that I could not help my friends, and I would not be able to see them daily anymore.

I'm not going to lie; I'm not feeling great. I'm not feeling great because I'm missing my friends, my team, and the people I've been working with for the past year and some months.

But I'm trying to be positive and look at the bright side of things.

That's why I decided to write this post, share my experience with you, and share my thoughts on navigating through this if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.

### How to help your friends

The first thing I did was, actually, **nothing**. I didn't do anything. I didn't do anything because I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what was going to happen from now on. And that was probably the same way my friends were feeling. So, just let them wrap their heads around it and take the time they need to process it.
We would have a last EOD meeting, and I would be there for them. I was going to be there for them to talk to, to listen to, and to try and navigate through this together.

After the meeting, where we had some time to talk, I decided to send them a message on Slack and thank them for everything they've done for the team and me. I thanked them for being the best team I've ever worked with.

From there, it was a matter of just being there for them. Get their phone numbers, and keep in touch.

And then it hit me; I had all this appreciation for them, and I wanted to share it with the world because I wanted to tell everyone how amazing they are and how they'd improve any team they'd be part of.

I wrote them a recommendation on LinkedIn, which was an excellent way to let them know how much I appreciated them, and the time we spent together. Plus, it would help them find their next opportunity.

So far, that's all, and I'm feeling better about it because from now on, I will be able to keep in touch with them and keep them in my life.

---

### A letter of appreciation to my friends

I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me, but it won't be for lack of _trying_.

Pun intended.

The team has changed quite a bit since my first day at TryNow. However, you've managed to make us have the best chemistry, inner jokes, and fun activities that always had everyone laughing, learning, and enjoying each other company, even on crazy and busy days.

Nothing stays the same, and that's something that has always frightened me. But you've helped me overcome those unexpected challenges and embrace them as they come.

And I haven't always been this confident about it; I remember being anxious before implementation started, getting worried about what the tech stack might be, and wondering if I could even manage to get the project to the finish line within the estimated time I requested for development.

It's tough to say goodbye to you because it is a decision that was out of your hands.
It was always something extraordinary with you, as you taught me how to navigate around unknown terrain and kept me on my toes with a merchant's ever-changing projects, and just making part of a team that always gives its best and trusts each other will do the same.

You all went above and beyond at every turn, and I'm deeply grateful for meeting people as striking and unique as you are.

I can't stop feeling sad about it, and at the same time, I'm trying to be positive and look at the bright side of things.

And this is not a _goodbye_; it's a _see you later_. I'm sure we'll meet again, and I'm sure we'll be in touch.

I take a lot from you with me, pieces of every one of you that I will forever cherish and try to share with every person I interact with, hoping I can make such a positive impact on someone's life, just like you did with me.


Coming back on Monday to a new team

Layoffs and missing my friends


If you have an interest in learning software development and want to enter the Platzi Master program, you are in the right place.
If you just want to read a story of someone who didn't quite knew what the next step could be, you are also in the right place.

Sounds somehow easy, right? It is just a couple of tests and a few hours of practice, and you are good to go.
Then why would it be hard?

Well, the program is designed to prepare you for the next step in your career.
But to enter you've got to take the firsts on your own.

And here it comes the advice I encountered everywhere.

> "You have got to fail, to break your code, and then you have to fix it on your own; you have got to fail fast, to learn fast."

It may sound like a good but kind of ambiguous advice, so let me explain it.

Yes, you have got to fail, but ultimately, you have got to start.
We all start somewhere.
And that somewhere might be different for everyone, no one learns at the same pace.

> We have got to start, if not we are never going to finish.

You are no longer competing with the best, you are competing with yourself.
And trust me, you are already the best for taking that first step.

It happened to everyone, and it happened to me.

I reached the Platzi Master program in May, and I was so happy because I was eager to be seleted.

But I panicked when the first test was coming. And I didn't even take it.
I kept thinking about it, maybe I was not ready, maybe I could have done it just fine, but I felt like I was not prepared.

In the end, it was only my choice to make.

So I kept on learning, and I kept on failing.
It was great because I was able to learn something new every day, and that only made me more confident.

Then September came, and I was selected to the next test thanks to a challenge I was taking at the moment.
Suddenly I was only remembering that I let that chance go, and now I was ready to take it.
It didn't matter if I was not ready, I was going to give it my best.

And so I did. I took the test, and got a bit nervous after that. Just thinking if I could get it.

The rest is the best thing that could have happened to me.
After these months of practice, isolation, and the constant struggle to try and get better, I finally reached what I was looking for.

A program that is designed to prepare you for the next step in your career.
A program that is specifically designed for you.
That means, no matter what kind of work you do, what your skills are, or what your goals are, you will be prepared for the next step.

And that is exactly what I got.

A massive challenge in the form of a MVP, definitely an experience that I will never forget.
A support team that is always there for you, always helping and always sharing.
A community like only Platzi has got, but 10 times more than that.
A team of experts ready to share everything they know with you, and want to be able to eventually work along side you.
A program that feels more like a dream than a real thing.
But it is a dream I know I won't forget once it is over.


Fail fast, learn fast

My way to Platzi Master

So, I knew [@platzi](https://twitter.com/platzi) was all about the community.

And after almost two years with the platform, a couple of challenges, a ton of meetups and now that I am in the [@PlatziMaster](https://twitter.com/PlatziMaster) community, I think I can paint you a good picture of what you'll find with them by your side.

If you've heard of Platzi, of its platform and the community around it, you probably know it's huge!

And there are tons of reviews out there, whether it is about a certain professor, a specific course or just a quick tweet that hopes to tell you whether Platzi is for you or not.

But the "part" I want to talk about is the community around every step of the journey that I've had with Platzi.

And I say "part" in quotation marks because it gathers every single person that is Platzi, whether they are teachers, team members, guests at a workshop, or users.

I'm not gonna lie, I was scared at first because of the decision I was taking with Platzi; changing my career after being fired because of the pandemic, going back to my parents house, and not having a personal computer anymore.

Still I used my dad's computer whenever I could, I installed my IDE, everything I needed to get on track, and for a couple months I was doing what I wanted and feeling confident about it!

Then I guess I got tired of being isolated and just stopped.

And that's how I ended last year.

> But still, I wanted to become a developer.

It was about the beginning of this year that I hardly knew the fundamentals of web development.

Eventually I met Platzi Master, they were receiving applications, so I got mine, filmed me introducing myself, took the English test, and when it got to the technical tests I got scared I couldn't do what they were asking for, so I didn't do it.

I was mad about it, because I just missed a great opportunity for not knowing what to do.

So when a JavaScript challenge was about to happen I knew it was for me.

This is where everything became clearer.

The courses were amazing and the teachers as well, but what really stuck with me from those live classes, was the moment [@fjuandc](https://twitter.com/fjuandc) told us how we could never tell someone that they were not made for learning something.

Nobody has that power over us.

It was great to hear it because I had been telling that same thing over and over to myself.

And the fact that someone with much more knowledge in the topic than any of us in that class was telling us that, felt like it was also addressed for that part in me.

So I kept on going with the challenge and eventually the famous Platzi Master email came to my inbox inviting me to apply for the next Cohort!

I was thrilled because I hadn't forgotten what happened a couple months ago, and so I got selected!

It was overwhelming to be part of this program, and I started to feel the impostor syndrome already growing in me.

But they were also so supportive, and made me feel like I was in the right place, from the very beginning and sent me some resources to get even better.

My Professional Growth Expert told me it was great to be be centered and know what I was still missing but to also never underestimate what I was worth.

My Student Team Lead helped me with new ways to look at things I already knew and helped me to learn the ones I didn't.

My English teacher truly cared about my story and we shared some common likes on books.

But the cherry on top of it all was today when a management workshop that talked about empathy, shared a story about how important it can be, gave us a summary of a great book about it, and when I shared a story from my past job that still stung, she listened and gave me some great advice and the support I needed It even made me wish to one day work with her team more than anything in the world.

She's truly a great leader and human being!

And it made me think, of how people within the Platzi community helps each other in one way or another.

Just from today, I could take more than five people that made me feel more confident, comfortable and happy even when I still had to deal with something from my past, this everlasting imposter syndrome and a ton of work to get our first prototype of the project!

I worked today with two members of my squad from Colombia and they are far better than me at web development, but still worked with me like I was at the same level!
Even offered their help for what's yet to come.

And to finish the day, I got in a breakout room with a dev from Venezuela, where we talked about self-sabotage and what stopped us from achieving something we really wanted.

And he went the extra mile and sent me some resources to get better at as a frontend dev.

But that's not it!

I thought of how I've kept on learning and every single time, there has been someone there that's somehow connected to Platzi.Remember when I thought of changing my career? It was a blogpost written by a student at Platzi that had done the same thing!

Remember when I was doing great and learning at the end of the past year? I just had joined a Python-from-scratch challenge and their Telegram group!

When I eventually bought my own laptop with my savings even though I was unemployed, it was after a Platzi Live that talked about its processor!

When my girlfriend got excited learning about photography, we were doing a challenge about it!

That eventually turned into her brothers purchasing their own subscription and got us talking about courses!

My mom listening to [@freddier](https://twitter.com/freddier) on Thursdays afternoons and eventually getting her subscription to finally learn English and improve her soft skills!

The endless blogposts that always share a story, some tips, the latest technology, the best practices!

And my notes that have always been feeded with all the help, recommendations and resources of the forum section of every course I've taken!

It's amazing how a community is so well developed around Platzi, that one day I joined and now I'm all the way into it.

I think that's best part. I didn't even noticed when I joined, but can always tell they'll be there to help.

**I can't thank you enough for how you helped me**.


Sharing is learning

The Platzi community


I'm going to say it, I never thought I would be able to contribute to Open Source. It felt like this vast sea of projects was not meant to be open. At least not for me. Not with the experience or knowledge I could contribute.

And that, friends, is exactly why I kept on looking for ways to contribute.
I mean, if I can land my dream job, code daily, and contribute to other developers' projects, I can contribute to Open Source. It's as if I had done it all this time, just not that "open" and "free", right?
So here I am. Searching for a way to do it, this is it, I repeat to myself, I am going to do it.

Aaaaaand I didn't even know what I was looking for.
Every time I looked at someone else's project, it felt overwhelming, like "Damn, I should be able to do this already", or "TypeScript is my way to go".
I kept founding setbacks, and I kept finding ways to improve.
But none of that helped me to contribute to Open Source.
At least not until I found something I care so much about.

Themes ✨

Yep, you might be right, this can be an unnecessary project, I mean, you don't "need" a theme to code better or faster, but it's something I've always taken the time to set up.
Like, I couldn't work on my machine until everything was in dark mode. Or how my way to make friends on Platzi Master was by sharing theme recommendations.
And the list only goes on and on. Setting and icon pack and wallpaper to match the theme I'm currently on until I found a way to make it all work together.
I know you know where this is going, and that was my way in.
Just embrace that thing that you care the most about, it doesn't have to be super complex or even something you completely and utterly love. It just needs to be something you can relate to and that you want to spend some time on improving.
And that's what I'm going to do.

At this very moment, I'm writing this, I'm halfway through my PR to add this implementation to the theme's repo.
And I constantly feel like I'm missing something or that someone else is going to chime in and beat me with a better way to do it.
But even though I might not be the very best at it, I'm going to try.
And that's all I know for now. Will keep you posted.

_Edit on 2022-04-08_: Kind of panicked when I couldn't find a repo to ask for a PR. Even wrote them a tweet asking for some guidance.

Glad to say I did it.
Probably minutes away from receiving a direct link to the repo I was looking for.

![my-pr](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/64607766/162589267-6df265ac-4760-4845-bc28-3316b6f10d4f.png)

Now, I'm happy to share that my first ever contribution to Open Source was the theme I use daily on almost every piece of software. And even happier to say that, even in more apps thanks to my contribution.

Check out Rosé Pine's [theme](https://rosepinetheme.com/) if you want to try it out.

Here's my contribution for JSON Viewer: [GitHub's repo](https://github.com/emlez/json-viewer).


Soho vibes for JSON Viewer

Contributing to Open Source through themes

### Hi there!

Thank you so much for your interest in working together.

 Please send me an email at [emlez.dev@gmail.com](mailto:emlez.dev@gmail.com) or write me a message in [Telegram](https://t.me/emlezdev/).

 Also, you can find me almost everywhere around the internet [in here](https://linktr.ee/emlezdev/).


Contact

I'm a Software Engineer at TryNow, using my Front End development knowledge to bring Try Before You Buy software to 40+ Shopify e-commerce stores.

Always interested in opportunities that allow me to grow personally and professionally, help others, and build a community around learning.


Hey! I'm Emilio Sánchez

Personal projects and more

Recent Work

>Try, fail, learn, refine.

That's probably the best way to describe my journey, and the greatest thing is that I can always keep on learning because of how immense JavaScript is.

I'm currently working on multiple projects to improve my skills and try new things, like Astro.js and Tailwind CSS.


JavaScript

I've been using TypeScript for over a year now, and it has enabled me to write better code, and to catch bugs before they even happen.

I've been able to use it in a wide variety of projects, from React components to Core Team projects at TryNow.

I'm currently working on a TypeScript project to help me improve my algorithmic and data structure skills.


TypeScript

Creating components and building apps with React is a joy, and I'm always looking for new ways to improve my skills and learn new things.

I've been working with React for over three years now, and I've been able to work with a wide variety of clients, projects and developers.

I'm currently working with Next.js on the Core Team at TryNow.


React.js

I code in Liquid daily, Shopify's templating language, to create custom features and functionalities for clients.

I've developed features from scratch, and I've also worked with existing themes to customize them to the client's needs while bringing the Try Before You Buy experience to 40+ stores.

I'm currently working on prototyping experiments to improve the Try Before You Buy experience.


Shopify

Technologies under my belt

Tech Stack

Thoughts, ideas, and experiences

Latest from the Blog

Home

Batata Bit is the next revolution for Latin America in cryptocurrency exchange, and this is its first landing page.

> Crypto prices made simple.
> Exchange rates made visible and easy to understand.
> The most accurate info for 5 coins and 10 brokers.
> Make decisions with confidence.
> Get ahead of the market and recognize real trends in real time.

[Here you can see it deployed in GitHub Pages 🐙🐱.](https://emlez.github.io/Batata-Bit/)


Batatabit Mobile-First landing page. 

Batatabit 🥔

Along the [Say My Brand 2.0 challenge](https://platzi.com/p/emlez/curso/2528-saymybrand/diploma/detalle/), I worked on my presence around the web; from social media accounts to my professional objective.

As a part of the challenge, I worked on my website and developed it with a blog functionality using Jamstack.

> "The expert in anything was once a beginner."

I always felt like this kind of work could take me a lot of time to develop, but thanks to a Low-Code tool such as Stackbit, I was able to make it happen and continiuosly grow as my web development skills improve too.

This particular site is built with React,js and Next.js, using Netlify for its deployment and GitHub for its version control.


My personal website

emlez.dev

**Platzi Master** is an online education program aimed at technical deepening and professional growth in software development.

During 5 months of immersed training in five different parallel scenarios of comprehensive training that include English, professional growth, product development with software, technical leadership and tech community.

Additionally, receiving feedback on my process through interviews and technical tests led by Platzi Master team of experts.

We’ve developed a tool that receives data from real-life job offers and shows it as a bell curve chart with the salaries currently offered for their profile. As well as allowing them to compare this chart against a second professional profile.
All of this while being able to show and filter the job offers that apply to the user.

## What we did

- Created a community design system and deployed it as a package available at NPM
- Developed an interface to calculate and compare salary from a tech stack
- Presented the salary range available from real-life job offers as a dynamic bell curve chart
- Created APIs to return requested salary ranges and convert its currency to almost any in the world
- Displayed   a   list   of   job   offers   that   filters   those   relevant   to   a   specific professional profile

## What we wanted to achieve

Create a tool to help tech professionals know what salary range is available for their profile in the current market.
And compare it against another skill set, so they can make a well-informed decision on how to grow professionally.

## How it works

Our component receives data from job offers in our platform and shows a bell curve chart with the  salaries  currently  offered  for  the professional role and skill set the user entered.
Allows them to compare this chart with a second profile.
Being able to show and filter the job offers that might apply to them.

## What we learned

- Work asynchronously as a remote team
- Translate a product idea into a design, and only then into code
- Create a development environment following best practices
- Learn and apply a new tech stack to deliver a better product
- Better communicate, give and receive feedback, and mentor others

[Our repository on GitHub](https://github.com/Platzi-Master-C8/gethired-jobplacement-salaries-frontend).

[See the project live!](https://salaries.get-hired.work/)



Our project in Platzi Master Cohort 8

GETHIRED 👨🏽‍💻

This challenge was part of a technical test for **Platzi Master** where I had to make a graph from two parameters that you receive by inputs from the user as follows: 

1.  Enter X-axis value.

2.  Enter Y-axis value.

3.  Show point in a visual Cartesian plane where the location given by the Axes. 

Additionally, the user can create a static bar chart of 5 series in X: 

1.  Enter 5 sets of values for \[x,y] 

2.  Show bar chart with the values that were provided in the previous step. 

3.  The user will be able to delete everything and start over with other values as many times as possible Want. Values and graphs should not be stored.

I used a JavaScript library, called [Chart.js](https://www.chartjs.org/), to be able to create a chart from JavaScript using a canva element in HTML.

> [You can see it live in here.](https://emlez.github.io/Graphing-in-JS/)


A graphing calculator made with JavaScript & Chart.js

Graphing Calculator 📊

Here are my projects as a web developer

Portfolio

**Platzi Video** is a web development project by [Platzi's JavaScript School](https://platzi.com/escuela-javascript/), where we learn to apply CSS animations and transformations to real-life ideas.

> [Here you can see it deployed in GitHub Pages 🐙🐱.](https://emlez.github.io/Platzi-Video/index.html)


A video site to sharpen my CSS skills

Platzi Video 📼

**Practical JavaScript** is a series of projects by [Platzi's JavaScript School](https://platzi.com/escuela-javascript/), where we apply JavaScript to solve several challenges and try different kinds of calculations, using only Vanilla JavaScript.

1.  First Workshop: Geometric Figures 🟨 🟡

2.  Second Workshop: Percentages & Discounts 🧮 🤑

3.  Third Workshop: Mean, Median and mode ➗ 💛

4.  Fourth Workshop: Wages Analysis 

> [Here you can try it for yourself](https://emlez.github.io/Practical-JS/).


A series of projects in JavaScript

Practical JS 💛


Check out Rosé Pine's [theme](https://rosepinetheme.com/) if you want to try it out.

Here's my contribution for JSON Viewer: [GitHub's repo](https://github.com/emlez/json-viewer).


My contribution to Rosé Pine theme

Rosé Pine theme for JSON Viewer

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# This is an H1

Quisque facilisis erat a dui. Nam malesuada ornare dolor. Cras gravida, this is marked text ornare, erat elit consectetuer erat, id egestas pede nibh eget odio. Proin tincidunt, velit vel porta elementum, magna diam molestie sapien, non aliquet massa pede eu diam. Aliquam iaculis. Fusce et ipsum et nulla tristique facilisis.

## This is an H2

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Morbi commodo, ipsum sed pharetra gravida, orci magna rhoncus neque, id pulvinar odio lorem non turpis. Nullam sit amet enim. Suspendisse id velit vitae ligula volutpat condimentum. Aliquam erat volutpat. Sed quis velit. Nulla facilisi. Nulla libero.

### This is an H3

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Morbi commodo, ipsum sed pharetra gravida, orci magna rhoncus neque, id pulvinar odio lorem non turpis. Nullam sit amet enim. Suspendisse id velit vitae ligula volutpat condimentum. Aliquam erat volutpat. Sed quis velit. Nulla facilisi. Nulla libero.

#### This is an H4

Quisque facilisis erat a dui. Nam malesuada ornare dolor. Cras gravida, diam sit amet rhoncus ornare, erat elit consectetuer erat, id egestas pede nibh eget odio. Proin tincidunt, velit vel porta elementum, magna diam molestie sapien, non aliquet massa pede eu diam. Aliquam iaculis.

## Quoting

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit.

>Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Design is knowing which ones to keep. <cite>Scott Adams</cite>

Morbi commodo, ipsum sed pharetra gravida, orci magna rhoncus neque, id pulvinar odio lorem non turpis. Nullam sit amet enim. Suspendisse id velit vitae ligula volutpat condimentum. Aliquam erat volutpat. Sed quis velit. Nulla facilisi. Nulla libero.

***

## Unordered Lists

+ Donec non tortor in arcu mollis feugiat
+ Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit
+ Donec id eros eget quam aliquam gravida
+ Vivamus convallis urna id felis
+ Nulla porta tempus sapien

## Ordered Lists

1. Donec non tortor in arcu mollis feugiat
2. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit
3. Donec id eros eget quam aliquam gravida
4. Vivamus convallis urna id felis
5. Nulla porta tempus sapien

## Video Embeds

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wEG7x7jRhNQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## Code Blocks

Blocks of code are either fenced by lines with three back-ticks, or are indented with four spaces.

```

body {
  color:red;
}
```

## Tables

<table>
    <caption>Table with thead, tfoot, and tbody</caption>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Header content 1</th>
      <th>Header content 2</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Body content 1</td>
      <td>Body content 2</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
  <tfoot>
    <tr>
      <td>Footer content 1</td>
      <td>Footer content 2</td>
    </tr>
  </tfoot>
</table>

The style guide provides you with a blueprint of default post and page styles. The style guide is also a great reference for suggested typographic treatment and styles for your content.

Style Guide

Thank you for contacting me! I will get back in touch with you soon.

**Have a great day!**
