Like all springs, I have some extra time – this spring, more than most.
Curriculum and lesson plans are written for the year, can't work on next year until new staff development and requirements by others are written. Students take longer to do assignments and there is more time between questions.
I’ve been looking to fill some of it, and to expand my ability. I experimented with free lancing, and so far have found that very unsatisfying. The things I feel capable of doing either feel like a scam, or the person isn’t interested in hiring me. Same thing is happening with tutoring.
What has been satisfying is working on Python. Oddly, it isn’t a language I have done much with, though I’ve seen it at some workshops – computational media for example. And I’ve played with it on Code Academy but haven’t seen much of it to be of use yet.
I’ve only been working on the project for two days, but everyone has been extremely helpful and I have started working in an area that I am comfortable – Windows and documentation.
Right now, I’m going through all the Windows docs, have added what I think is missing.
It’s been a real stretch for me, and I’ve learned a ton, just in the two days. I also think I will be working on this or other FOSS projects for a while. It’s very satisfying work. In fact, it gives me a bit of the feeling I got when I went to Grace Hopper.