August Announcements
8/31/18 Announcement
Happy Friday, scholars! Can we just say how proud we are of you! We know this Nanodegree program can be challenging at times but with each little step you’re learning new skills that will continue moving you forward in life. Keep up the good work! Celebrate the small wins! We are here beside you all the way!
A reminder that Career Month continues until September 21st! We hope you’re able to partake in the many interactive and informational career webinars to prepare for the job search process!
You can find more information on Career Month here:
Cohort Challenge #5: Share your Career Story
Speaking of careers, this brings us to our next cohort challenge! Cohorts, your team can earn +50 points for every career story submitted and an additional +200 points if every active team member submits their story before the Sept. 16th challenge deadline. Full challenge details here:
Live & Recorded Technical Webinars
Did you know that we have 7 live technical webinars and 23 recorded ones coming from our amazing cohorts? :shock: Hot topics such as Digital Accessibility, Learning Kotlin, and more!
Mark your calendars and join these live webinars:
- Saturday, 9/1 @ 10 AM PT - Using Git for Projects
- Tuesday, 9/4 @ 1:30 PM PT - Service Workers - Progressive Web Apps
- Wednesday, 9/5 @ 6 PM PT - Learning Kotlin
- Saturday, 9/8 @ 8:30 AM PT - Digital Accessibility Part I: Focus on HTML and CSS
- Saturday, 9/8 @ 10 AM PT - Closures/modular pattern with the timer project
See the full schedule and get the event links on our Grow with Google site here
[Note: I’m a bit behind in adding challenge #4 points to the leaderboard, but will be catching up on this next week. Thanks for your patience!]
Get Ready to Jam
Our next Study Jam is Saturday, Sept 8th from 8AM to Noon PT. That day is “Pardon Day” so ask forgiveness from your family and friends so you can devote the full four 4 hours for some serious project work.
I’m looking for some extra muscle (aka Study Jam Leaders) :muscle::muscle::muscle: to join me on Saturday and help answer questions from other students. Just one hour of your time is needed! The best way to understand a concept is to explain it to someone else. Sign up here:
HEY!!!! Can I get a little extra help?
We are offering 1:1 mentoring sessions to FEND students as part of a pilot program. If you find yourself falling behind, take advantage of this personal help!
Request a session here:
We’re also looking for mentors! If you’re considering mentoring, here’s some feedback from @Carlos F. [FEND]:
“I can't tell you how awesome it is to show what I'm doing as I dig around code and fix stuff, and be able to explain what I'm doing in the process.”
Interested students, apply here!
Monday, September 3rd is Labor Day and the Udacity Offices will be closed for the holiday. Have a wonderful long weekend. We’ll see you back here on Tuesday!
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8/30/18 CAREER MONTH ANNOUNCEMENT
The second week of Career Month starts on Monday. Are you ready? Don’t forget your commitment to make progress towards the job you want! This week’s resources will be focused on the applying for that dream job.
We want to hear what you've learned so far. Make sure to post the *most helpful tips and tricks* on social media with the hashtag #udacitycareermonth
Reviewing Your Resume
September 5 - 9 AM PST|| 12 PM EST
Join Us Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DqfwoazCQY
Submit your Resume: https://goo.gl/forms/wQNl9rTCeJCyKnuB3
Kathleen Hunt, a Udacity Community Manager, will review three example resumes highlighting what is done well and how the resume could be more appealing to potential employers. Kathleen will also go over how to add your Nanodegree to your resume and utilize the Resume Review tool in the Career Portal.
Building Your Portfolio
September 4 - 10 AM PST|| 1 PM EST
Join Us Live : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3ENbWiTkNQ
Submit your Questions: https://goo.gl/forms/vn3C4E4BXRpPMMN93
Mike Salem has roughly 10 years of experience across multiple domains. He has worked in roles including instructor, software engineer, scientific developer, data analyst and more. Mike will discuss the fear you may encounter while job hunting and how to develop an eye-catching portfolio.
Crafting Your Story
September 7 - 11 AM PST|| 2 PM EST
Join Us Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er8li5J8MtM
Submit your Cover Letter: https://goo.gl/forms/ax6dkkByRS1gav8a2
In this 1 hour webinar, Udacity’s Annie Wang will focus on helping students looking to transition into a technical career, or launching their career for the first time, craft a compelling narrative for their cover letter. She will workshop 2 student cover letters in real-time, and share her tips for what hiring managers expect in successful candidates.
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8/27/18 Announcement
Happy Monday Scholars!
Career Month - Week 1
Career Month is finally here - are you ready for the first week? We hope you can join us for the two live webinars and several networking events that we will be hosting. You should have received an email from us earlier this morning, you can find all the information there! Make sure you fill out the survey at the bottom of the email (linked below) so we know how you are feeling about the job hunt. https://bit.ly/2LxIJtM
Study Jam Sign Up
Thank you to everyone who joined for the wonderful Study Jam this Saturday. A huge shout out to Study Jam leaders who took time out of their Saturday morning to help their fellow students. If you have not already, please “sign in” for the Study Jam so we know who attended: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x4gM-BpR8OZOSoY5kbwKOC6u879t4_HWa6vk5wbbOoo/edit?ts=5b817906#gid=0
A reminder that our next Study Jam is Saturday, September 8th from 8AM - 12:00PM Noon PT
Webinar Wednesday
If you’re in FEND, don’t miss an opportunity to ask questions during the weekly live webinar with Ryan Boris. Register to receive the Zoom event link here:
https://goo.gl/forms/gMZPJDPG4dW67DMD2
Brenda’s Back
If you need Brenda - she’s back in the office!
As always, please reach out if you need anything
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8/25/18 Announcement
WELCOME TO STUDY JAM
Happy Saturday Scholars! We are happy to see you online and ready to go early on a Saturday morning. We encourage you to take these next four hours and delve into your projects. This time is reserved for you to get stuff done! :muscle: Remember, there will be live help in Slack so make sure to ask your questions! No matter where you are in the program, there is no shame in reaching out for help. That’s how we all grow and learn!
Sign in so that we know that you were here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x4gM-BpR8OZOSoY5kbwKOC6u879t4_HWa6vk5wbbOoo/edit?usp=sharing
See the full list of student leaders and when they will be live answering questions here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tt4MdKKNzL-J5ECZyb-fBCnBH-Ptdy8BIfTE51rhYBk/edit#gid=813437883
If you need anything at all during the day, send me a DM!
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8/24/18 Announcement
CAREER MONTH
It’s finally here, everyone! Career Month will be starting this coming Monday and will go for four weeks. Those four weeks will be packed with webinars and events to help prepare you for the job search. Students from every scholarship program will be participating, so you’ll have the opportunity to meet students from all over the earth! If you are pumped for the the next four weeks, give us a “:celebrate:” on the announcement.
Here is the agenda for the week (you should also receive this via email today):
My (not so straightforward) Path to Software Development
August 28 - 8:30 AM PST|| 11:30 AM EST
In this 1 hour webinar, Lizzie will be sharing 5 tips for aspiring developers and career changers. She will also be answering questions from students.
Join Us Live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgC9B-XQTkI
Nanodegree Alumni Resources
August 29 - 9 AM PST|| 12 PM EST
What happens after completing your Nanodegree program? Explore the Udacity Alumni Network in this live webinar from Jane Sheppard, Head of Alumni at Udacity.
Join Us Live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAlRLPGVsL8
Virtual Networking Event
Udacity will share with you the reasons that networking is valuable and a few exercises to help you grow your networking skills. Requires Zoom - please download. If you are interested, please find more information via the event registration form.
*Register Here: https://goo.gl/forms/rLquiaMa7YXcjNV33
If you’d like to submit questions for any of our speakers, please do so here: https://goo.gl/forms/ochypigu5MpUKc2u2
STUDY JAM TOMORROW - 8AM - 12PM PST
Are you ready for another great Saturday together? Us too! We hope you are able to take these 4 hours out of your Saturday to work on your projects. Remember, working a little bit each day is how you make it to that finish line. Here’s what you need to know for our study session on Saturday:
>-@Nickb will be online ready to cheer you on! Stop by and say hello to him
>- There will be *live* help during these 4 hours, if you have a question you will get an answer. If you aren’t hearing back from anyone, tag Nick and he will make sure a Study Jam leader sees your question.
>-To see the full list of Study Jam Leaders go here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tt4MdKKNzL-J5ECZyb-fBCnBH-Ptdy8BIfTE51rhYBk/edit#gid=0
MWS Students - Webinar Coming Up
Hey MWS students! Doug Brown will be hosting a project walkthrough webinar on Sunday at 2 PM PST. If you want to see what P3 is all about, please join us for this live session. Doug will be taking live questions at the end as well. Join us here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7i0U1aCBok
1-on-1 Sessions with Iip
Going forward, Iip will no longer be offering help for the Scholarships program. :disappointed: We are sad to lose him, but know he's on to great things! With that said, Brenda and I will be working hard to fill his shoes and get other 1-on-1s scheduled for you. Stay tuned for more information
Please let me know if you have any questions at all! Have a fabulous weekend!
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8/22/18 Announcement
Hey Everyone - Happy Wednesday. I apologize for the missed announcement on Monday, but here are the things you need to know coming up for the rest of the week (and next!) :sunflower:
Study Jam - Saturday 8/25 8AM - 12PM
We have another wonderful Study Jam coming up this weekend! Remember, this is an opportunity to take time out of your busy weekend and work on your projects. What feels better than being productive on a Saturday morning? On top of that, we will have a *special guest* hosting this jam sesh. @nick.udacity will be here to say hello and answer questions if you need anything. Brenda and I won’t be online - so make sure to reach out to him directly! There will be *LIVE HELP* from 8 AM - 12 PM so you can get your project-specific questions answered.
If you are ahead on your projects and would like to be online answering student questions this Saturday, we’d love your help! Please pick an hour slot that works for your schedule here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tt4MdKKNzL-J5ECZyb-fBCnBH-Ptdy8BIfTE51rhYBk/edit?usp=sharing
Career Month
Have you heard about Career Month yet? This is a *big* deal and we are excited for all of the great content that’s headed your way. We know that the job hunt process can seem daunting - especially as a career changer. Regardless of where you are in the search, we want to provide you the tool necessary to succeed. You will receive an email from us on Friday with the schedule for the upcoming week. Make sure to check that out! Every scholarship program will be participating, so we will have students from all over the world live with us :world: If you’d like a sneak peek at the FULL schedule, you’ve got to submit the story form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf176HGqa94cyECXMtuDKTNpArWVQxTn4xgArSm080csaZeGA/viewform by EOD tomorrow.
MWS - P3 Walkthrough
Project Coach Doug Brown will be hosting a live walkthrough of MWS P3 at 2 PM PST this Sunday (8/26). Join us live to get your project 3 questions answered! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7i0U1aCBok
As always, reach out if you need anything!
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8/17/18 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Hi scholars,
We know you have questions around what options will be available if you have not completed your Nanodegree by the October 24th deadline. We’d like to share some information concerning those options now. We will have pricing details finalized as we get closer to the end of the program, but here are the important things to know:
For FEND, ABND, and AND Students:
Between October 25 and December 31, 2018: You will have the option to purchase a month-by-month subscription Nanodegree. Your project status from this Scholarship program *will* carry over, however this option will no longer be available after December 31st.
Starting January 1, 2019: You will need to purchase a term Nanodegree if you wish to continue. Your project status will *not* be carried over and you will need to re-submit any projects that you had completed during the Scholarship program. You will be responsible for the full payment of the term Nanodegree even if you finish your Nanodegree before the term has ended.
For MWS Students:
Starting October 25, 2018: You will need to purchase a 6 month term Nanodegree to continue as there are no subscription Nanodegrees for MWS. Your project work will *not* carry over so you will need to re-submit any projects completed during the Scholarship program. You will be responsible for full payment of the term Nanodegree even if you finish your Nanodegree before the term has ended.
We cannot stress enough the importance of finishing your Nanodegree during this Scholarship program! Use the resources available to you - the #live_help & #project (e.g #abnd_proj_1) Slack channels, the technical webinars, your project coaches, your mentor in Study Groups, Knowledge, and STUDY JAMS! (The next one is August 25th!).
Complete your projects! Get them passed! YOU CAN DO THIS!
Challenge #4 update:
We’ve updated the challenge guidelines for “Plan a Webinar”! You can read the updates on the Challenge Details page. Because of these last-minute changes, we are *extending* this challenge deadline by one week! Remember to submit the completion forms by the new deadline of Sunday, August 26th for your points to count! Check out the Challenge Details page for all the updated info.
Have a good weekend! I am OOO until Monday, 8/27 but @drunkenkismet [FEND] will be taking care of FEND and @Kelsey.Udacity will be here if you need her!
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8/13/18 Announcement
Hey scholars! A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who came to our Breakfast Club Study Jam on Saturday. Whether you were in “Detention” as a teacher, student, or webinar host, you helped make the event a smashing success. It was incredible watching the live help interactions and seeing people from both GwG Scholarship programs working together. Great job! Special shout-out to those who took on our social media challenges!
If you were with us on Saturday, please stop *right now* and fill out the sign-in sheet HERE with your login and logout times. This will give us an accurate number of how many attended and help us plan for future events! :thumbsup_all:
We are hosting Study Jams to help you work on your projects every 2 weeks until the program ends on October 24th. Our next (Slack) Study Jam is set for Saturday, August 25th from 8AM to 12 PM Noon PT. Mark your calendars!
Halfway there! #100daysofcode
If you took the #100daysofcode pledge when it was announced in late June, then you will be reaching the halfway point *this* week! To help celebrate, @JaniceM made a special emoji for everyone to post on their Day50. Here it is: :50daysofcode:
Post it with pride! It is NEVER too late to take the 100daysofcode pledge! Make the public commitment of coding every day by pledging here, All the details on #100daysofcode here.
Wednesdays with Ryan
FEND Students - Ever wish there was a weekly webinar to help you through those tough concepts and projects. Well your wish has been answered! Every Wednesday evening from 5:30 to 6:30 PM PT FEND scholar, Ryan Boris will be holding a webinar to discuss everything from “where do I start?” to topics like: “objects, multidimensional arrays; higher order functions, this, and Promises and then some overall skills such as using npm, planning and pseudocode before code.” This webinar will take place on Zoom. Ryan's first webinar on "debugging tips and tactics" happens this Wednesday, August 15th. The link to register is here.
Sneak Peek
Exciting news! In collaboration with the Udacity Careers team, we will be hosting Career Month — four weeks (8/27 — 9/21) full of extra support, webinars and events focused on helping you advance your career.
Do you want to learn more? While we'll be sending details over in the coming weeks, you can get the inside scoop early by filling-out the career story form below by Monday, August 13th. We'll share all the insider details early with any Grow with Google scholar that submits a career story by this date.
Why the emphasis on student stories? We're here to help you grow your career. We want to hear about your current professional status and how what you're learning has helped you grow. We would love to hear about an interview you've had, a project you're working on, a promotion you received or a new job you've landed! Submit your career story here
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8/10/18 Announcement
Hey, hey, hey hey! Have you registered for our *Breakfast Club Study Jam* that's happen' tomorrow, *Saturday, August 11th*? We’ve got 4 stellar hours starting at 8 AM PT devoted to helping YOU finish your project. Join us on Zoom for live help from some of the raddest scholarship grads and student leaders, gnarly project-focused webinars, way cool social media 80’s challenges, and kickin’ surprises from your Community Managers.
Students and Community Managers from the EMEA Grow with Google Scholarship program will be joining us to make this a most excellent international event. EMEA students are just weeks away from graduating, so bonus! Get their tips and insights on how to finish strong.
The Breakfast Club Study Jam page on our GwG site has the 411 - including the day’s schedule and how to get your free (no way!) Zoom account.
Register HERE - This event is NOT to be missed!
@Shannon Crabill [MWS] has been listening to a lot of 80s jams and put together a 80's Spotify playlist to get you through your upcoming day of detention! She says “It should be collaborative if you want to add to or edit what’s here”. Thanks Shannon!
1:1’s with Iip
FEND, ABND, and AND students can now sign up for a free 1:1 mentoring session with Iip from the Udacity team. Please use the calendry link below to schedule your 30 minute session. This is a great opportunity to have Iip’s personal help to work through project roadblocks, review core concepts, overcome lesson hurdles - anything to help you finish your projects and move 1-step closer towards completing your Nanodegree. Scheduling link here.
Cohort challenge #4 - a little over 1 week left!
We’re going to RAISE THE STAKES and increase the point value for Challenge #4. If your cohort signs up to host a webinar you will now earn *500 points* per webinar instead of 100 points. Your webinar just needs to be scheduled with Kelsey and Brenda _before_ 11:59 PM on Sunday, August 19th and held _before_ October 14th to qualify. Here’s your chance to make a BIG jump on the Leaderboard and move into first place for that Udacity swag. Challenge details here.
MWS *NEW* Project Coach
Hey MWS students! I’d like to introduce you to your new Project Coach, Doug Brown (@Doug Brown [Project Coach]. Doug, a MWS Nanodegree graduate, is currently the UI Engineering Manager for Academy Sports + Outdoors. You will see Doug around answering questions, hosting AMA sessions and leading project walkthrough webinars. He is a wealth of knowledge - so say hello and don’t hesitate to reach out with questions.
See you online tomorrow from 8 AM PT to 12:00 PM, Noon PT for Breakfast Club Study Jam Saturday!
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8/7/18 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Mentorship - Updated Services
As you may know, our Mentorship platform chat function has been down for a few days.This issue arose due to technical issues with the vendor that provides the messaging infrastructure. We apologize for this situation and we are working hard on a good solution to support your continued progress in our platform. Towards this end, we have been building our own, in-house infrastructure to power a new, stronger model of mentorship, called Study Groups.
Study Groups are hosted directly in your classroom and have a laser focus on student progress and project completion. Chat channels are organized by project, which you unlock as you pass projects. In every project channel you will find Mentors in each channel who are also active Reviewers for the project, as well as your classmates who are working on or have already passed that project. Your new Study Group will be an immersive, 24/7 help experience where multiple Mentors and students help push each other to the finish line and accomplish their goals.
The mentorship team is working on transitioning your Grow with Google classmates and you over to this new updated Mentorship model. Some of you may have already been switched over and received update emails from the team. We are working on switching everyone over and you will receive an email from us in the coming days with more information about study groups. Please feel free to reach out to Brenda and me with any questions in the meantime!
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8/6/18 Announcement
“I’m thinking of tryin’ out for a scholarship.” — Bender
Scholars! We are SO stoked because our _Breakfast Club_ Study Jam is just FIVE (5!) days away! We’ve got some *major* things planned but for now, make sure you sign up for a free Zoom account so you can get in on all the gnarly action (no duh!). We’ll post the Zoom event links later this week.
Zoom sign up here
Breakfast Club 411 here:
Cohort Challenge #4
Hello lovely cohorts! We hope you made some new connections and had fun sharing your stories with Challenge #3 *Meet New People*. I will say this - You guys really shook up the Leaderboard with this last one! Quite a few teams took up new positions. Take a look at who is on top now!
Your next mission cohorts, if you choose to accept it is this…
Challenge #4: Plan a Webinar
Details: Does someone on your team have a skill, resource or knowledge that other students would benefit from hearing about? Each cohort should plan one webinar that will benefit their track or the entire scholarship program. The webinar does not have to happen in the next two weeks, but must be:
- Scheduled with Kelsey and Brenda before the challenge deadline on Sunday, August 19th
- Held before the cohort challenge program ends on Sunday, October 14th
Points earned: 100 per webinar
Deadline: 11:59 PM PT Sunday, August 19th to have your webinar scheduled
Challenge Details here.
Calling All MWS Students
Doug Brown will be hosting an AMA session on Thursday at 10 AM in the #mws_proj_1 channel. If you are working on the first project, please join us!
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8/3/18 Announcement
‘Sup Scholars! Kelsey and I are practicing our best 80’s lingo for the outrageous Study Jam we’ve planned for next Saturday. Read on to find out what’s happen’en...
Don’t you, forget about… this event!
Dudes! Is everyone ready to for our Breakfast Club movie themed Study Jam on Saturday, August 11th from 8AM - 12:00 PM Noon PT?!
We are going back in time to 1985 and putting each track in Zoom “Detention”. Cool Scholarship grads will be with you in Detention to answer any questions and there will be breakout rooms for project walkthroughs. Dress up as your fave character from Breakfast for our Social Media challenges and join us back in Slack for “recess”. The day will be gnarly, for sure!
Don’t be a flake and miss this tooh-tally tubular event. Get the 411 here!
Where to go for help
Remember to click the Channel’s header in the left sidebar on Slack to see and join your track’s #live_help and project channels (e.g. #fend_proj_1, #fend_proj_2). We have scheduled coverage in FEND and ABND so you can get immediate help. If you’re available to lend technical support for your track, please sign up below!
#fend_live_help channel:
- Mon, Wed, & Sun 3-5 PM PT with @drunkenkismet [FEND] (Jason)
- Tues & Thur 9-10:30 AM PT with @Kehinde (FEND) [FEND] (Kehinde Onadipe)
- Friday - 10-11 AM PT with @Seleah (Seleah O’Connor)
#abnd_live_help channel:
- Mon & Tues 5-7 PM PT with @TheBaileyBrew (Matthew)
- Mon, Wed, & Fri 7-8 PM PT with @Charles Rowland (Charles)
#live_help Sign-up sheet here.
AND Projects 2 & 3 Walk Through
Join AND scholar Robert Basmaji (@Bob) for a P2 & P3 walk through this coming Saturday, August 4th at 10 AM PT. Here is the link to join the event. Bob will share his slides after the presentation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6wkUPt86JI
Last Days for Cohort Challenge #3
You have 3 fabulous days left to complete the “Meet New People” cohort challenge and submit your form by 11:59 PM PT this Sunday, August 5th for 50 points! Challenge details and completion form here:
Mentorship Update
Thanks for your patience! We'll post as soon as we have a formal update. Feel free to check Udacity's status page here: https://status.udacity.com/