March 22, 2021 Honghao Deciphers the Code to Holding a Full-time Job and Copiloting – The Topcoder Nation Show #2
“I enjoy this lifestyle. In my day job I focus on game development, while in Topcoder I can access various types of different projects. It’s a very good window for me to learn from other industries”
— billsedison on coping with a full-time job and Topcoder
Our talented guest for the second edition of The Topcoder Nation Show, Honghao [billsedison], taught us about professional possibilities that open up when you are passionate about game development and the opportunities available through Topcoder.
This educational episode enlightened us on interesting topics directly from a code competitor, copilot, TCO multiple-time finalist, and MVP. Living in China, Honghao shares his advice on making a living through Topcoder, how to approach learning, using indirect mentorship from the platform and so much more.
TAKEAWAYS
- Honghao holds both a day job and a copilot role.
- He enjoys his lifestyle while using Topcoder to broaden his knowledge base by having access to work with different industries.
- He learned from books and from reviewing his code scorecards and those of other competitors.
- Favorite coding tool: Visual Studio code for programming multiple types of applications.
The first programming language he learned was Pascal.
Topcoder Nation Show #2 is up on Youtube. See timecaps below for a summary.
TIMECAPS: GATES TO WISDOM
- Honghao’s Journey: started with SRM and moved to development: 02:25 – 05:03
- What kept him motivated to compete even if he didn’t win at first: 05:30 – 06:30
- How to approach learning something new: 07:00 – 08:10
- How to learn from code scorecards: 09:14 – 10:15
- Common mistakes that hinder winning challenges: 10:55 – 12:20
- Value of working with Topcoder: 13:30 – 14:14
- How to manage a full-time job with Topcoder work at the same time: 12:25 – 15:53
- Game development compared to web application development: 17:51 – 20:32
- Using cocos creator to win challenges in Topcoder (game development): 21:35 – 22:08
AMA
We held an AMA (ask me anything) with Honghao. Curious members from the community asked him questions for him to ponder on. Watch the video from 22:19 until the end to check out the replies to questions such as:
- Who has been your toughest opponent in a competition?
- What tools do you use to compete?
- I’m from China too. Is it worth dedicating full time to Topcoder to make a living?
- How do you improve your coding skills?
- What’s the project you feel most proud of working with Topcoder? What did you do there?
- What is your motivation for multi-tasking?
Peace out.
TOPCODER NATION
Are you living the gig economy lifestyle at Topcoder? Want to join fellow members? Share your story, your travels, and experiences about the ultimate goal of working at Topcoder; the freedom, the flexibility, and the earnings that make it happen! Join Topcoder Nation.
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