I pivoted from rocks to code
Early on in my career as a Geologist, I was buried under an avalanche of manual processes, something was at fault, it was a bore and it wasn't very Gneiss
I knew there had to be a better way. So I taught myself how to code. All of a sudden I had superpowers, automating processes left, right and center, with some staff not even knowing what to do with their time anymore, I was the schist
It wasn’t enough; I wanted more superpowers. So I spent the next 6 months studying coding after hours, much to my wife and dog’s dismay - not only because I had less availability but because they were forced to look at all the things I had built, “See how I just made that text turn red!”
But eventually I did it! I got my first job as a real live web developer, making websites on the internet! Although even that wouldn’t quench my insatiable thirst for automation…
Shortly thereafter, during a chance encounter with my wife’s employer’s neighbour, I discovered the many gross inefficiencies lurking in the medical industry. This encounter led to me spearheading the development of a mobile app for one of South Africa’s largest hospital networks, Mediclinic, which they used to replace paper at hundreds of sporting events across the country, streamlining operations and saving the planet, #winning
My journey has been fuelled by a passion for automation and shaped by three guiding principles: simplicity, practicality and fun, that I have brought to every endeavour. Fast forward 8 years and many projects later, in the words of Pinocchio, I shout from the rooftops, “I’m a real boy!”
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed my Geology puns
- How do you typically manage stress throughout the day?
- How do you currently manage the interplay between staying productive and mindful?
- Are there specific features or tools you wish existed to make this easier?
I'm also looking for early feedback on the concept. Any insights you can provide would be incredibly valuable.
P.S. “Calmulate” is my take on blending calm with calculate/simulate/elevate. Wifey cringed when she heard it but I love it.
I submitted a PR review containing an async function in a React useCallback earlier and our tech lead mentioned that:
"You can't async useCallback, it can cause unexpected behavior. To achieve a memoised async function instead use useMemo".
It was always my understanding that useCallback returned a memoised function and useMemo a memoised result or am I missing something here?
The asynchronicity should also be irrelevant or?
Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks!