Coding bootcamp is hectic…
Firstly how the heck did I end up here? It never crossed my mind ever in life to become a software engineer, full stack developer, coder…whatever you choose to call it, it was NEVER in my plan. I knew software developers existed but none of them ever looked like me but mostly I didn’t think I had the brain power or the patience to do such a thing. Randomly I ended up in a group chat with a couple of women on Instagram who were tired of their dead end jobs, or unfulfilled careers or were recent moms trying to get back into the work force. The woman that started the chat was a software engineer and she explained to us how tech is such a fast growing job market. Software Engineers can work in so many different industries! Well I was one of those women who was sick and hella tired of her job that not only didn’t fulfill me but didn’t challenge me! I told myself eventually a computer is going to do my job (sales), and guess what that computer needs someone to tell it how to do this mundane unfulfilling job and I’m going to be that person!
Fast forward 3 months here I am 3 weeks into bootcamp at the Flatiron school. I was really excited about the idea of going to bootcamp at the Brooklyn campus, the location looked so cool and full of energy but thanks to Miss CoVid, I’m doing bootcamp from my bedroom. I knew this was an immersive program, actually; I THOUGHT I knew…I had no idea. The first day of bootcamp through Zoom and Slack, I was so excited and so nervous! By day 3 I had to ask myself “What were you thinking !!?? Did you really think this was going to be as easy as getting the CLI to return ‘Hello Word!’ and that’s it??”
Well of course not!! Very quickly I realized the way that I traditionally learn which is through memorizing, was not going to work with coding. First of all there’s waaaaaaay too many things to memorize! I want to talk to a computer not be one! Things I need to work on is organization, time management, and practice. I hate asking for help but the moment I reached out to a fellow student and asked for help it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Coding wasn’t hectic(yes it is) but I was becoming hectic. Trying to learn in an environment that can be very distracting. I often found myself losing my train of thought.
I would be hearing lectures but not actually listening because I start thinking about all the other things I need to do outside of learning to code. In addition to thinking about all the things I need to do with code, like catching up on all my labs!! Also this was only the first week!
But I’m figuring it out! Things that I suggest to get through a bootcamp?
- Tell imposter syndrome to keep it moving ! It will show up and the force will be strong with this one!
- Write down the things you’re not clear on but also write down the question you’d like to ask about it. I often found myself not even remembering what my question was or even how to ask. You will often find yourself saying “How do I ask this question so that I’m understood?”
- STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER
Sometimes you just don’t get it and that’s fine! But staring at the screen and reading the same thing over and over again isn’t going to insert everything into your brain. There are moments where you will have to step away and clear your mind, stretch, walk around, hydrate, maybe do a little dance sequence to loosen yourself up!
- Get some sleep, coding, reading, doing labs, whatever it is for hours at a time can be draining, very draining. You can end up spending hours maybe even days on one thing because your brain is just tired and not interested in learning or retaining anything that doesn’t include a pillow.
My last 2 weeks haven’t been as stressful and dramatic as my first week but it’s because I’m learning to implement the things I’ve mentioned while also not being so hard on myself. I failed my first coding challenge not to my surprise but I wasn’t doing the things I’m doing now. I feel way more confident for my second challenge and that confidence feels good.
