Lessons learned from a coding bootcamp grad.
As I wrap up 15 weeks of intense coursework at Flatiron’s web development bootcamp, I am finally able to reflect on everything that flew by so quickly. The lack of reflection up until this point is also a great representation of what a bootcamp really is after-all. Loads of coursework, tons of new topics, and a short time frame to absorb it all. At the end of every 3 week “mod”, you’ll get tested on the material, and then you’ll create a project showcasing the technologies you just learned.
Flatiron gave me the tools and resources to continue on and I know I wouldn’t have learned as much on my own with independent studying. If you end up attending a bootcamp, you’ll probably have a lot of the same doubts and as I did. You’ll surely have your own problems as well and thats just the individuality of learning.
Imposter Syndrome
This one is huge. Imposter syndrome is addressed a lot in the development world and for good reason. No matter how many times an instructor or colleague will tell you they have struggled with this, you may still feel alone with your thoughts of doubt.
It’s important to remember that everyone comes from a different background, whether you’re an ex-surgeon transitioning to the tech world or even a previous developer that wants to learn more through a structured program such as Flatiron. Maybe you’ve never touched a terminal until your first week of the bootcamp? Your life before the bootcamp was different than the next persons, which means you can’t compare yourself to others. Doing so will only sew more doubt into your already oversaturated bootcamp brain. This moment is about you, and the last thing you should be focusing on is other people.
Realizing what topics that you’re struggling with is also important in overcoming imposter syndrome. Become aware of what you need to work on and then dedicate time to improving those skills. Once you finally do, you’ll feel a bit more confident in taking on the next challenge, which will eventually snow ball into more confidence. Eventually you’ll be saying “whats next?”
Event though its hard to take a moment to breath and reflect during your intense coursework, it‘s paramount to recognize your accomplishments every once in a while. I can say with some embarrassment that I didn’t even know how to open my terminal at the start of this program. Now I am ripping through it with ease, leaving my partner to wonder if I am trying to hack our neighbor’s computer when she catches a glimpse of my screen.
Keep Learning!
When its time to take off that graduation cap, thats when it’s also time to sit back down at your computer. At the end of your 15 weeks, you will sadly not be an expert in whatever languages you were taught. You will however be pretty darn good at learning, and that is perhaps the most important take away of all. The goal of your bootcamp is to expose you to many technologies and to foster learning, not to produce a world class engineer. Software development is an evolving organism and to understand it, you’ll have to keep exposing yourself to it.
Even though I haven’t mastered a language as I had once imagined before starting my bootcamp, I know I am closer than I was a not too distant 15 weeks ago. Its exciting to dream up where I’ll be a few years from now and I know to become the developer I aspire to be, it will only be accomplished through dedication and continued learning.