Basecamp Perspectives: Camilla Bartell (21)
The first selection month at 42 Wolfsburg is nearing the end. On February 1st 2021, 174 participants from 18 countries embarked on a 26-day journey into the world of programming. We talked to a few of them to find out who they are, all about their motivations, goals and learning journey. We already shared Jürgen’s perspective, and today it’s time to get to know Camilla (21). This social butterfly is always eager to help fellow campers if they are stuck on projects or need to be cheered up, and the epitome of the 42 spirit.
Who are you and why are you here?
Hi! I’m Camilla Amalie Bartell, 21 years old and from Ganderkesee in Germany. I applied to 42 Wolfsburg because it sounded like an absolutely incredible learning environment. I was really lacking the peer-to-peer aspect in my regular university and thought 42 Wolfsburg sounded perfect for me.
What has been your favorite thing so far during this experience?
I’ve really enjoyed the peer-to-peer learning. Discussing exercises with others and having evaluations has really helped me learn a lot. I think my favourite moment in the piscine was when I passed the first project. I’d been struggling and was feeling a bit defeated, but once I passed it, I felt so accomplished and it felt like I could do anything! It taught me that you learn so much by failing, that I can always ask my peers and that there are no stupid questions. This was super important to me because it’s a much different way of learning than what I was used to, so this little win kind of confirmed “yes, I can totally do this” and I’ve been feeling super optimistic and excited about the whole thing since.
What are you most looking forward to and hoping to achieve after Basecamp?
Starting at 42 if I get in! It would really be a dream come true. I hope to become a really good programmer. I would really love to work on a lot of different kinds of projects and contribute to the advancement of technology. Someday, I would like to start my own business.
What are you hoping to do with Code?
With code, I would really love to go into game development. I’m an avid gamer myself and I always get lots of ideas that could improve the games I play, so I thought “why not learn to code myself so I can create my own games for people to enjoy?” On top of that, I would really like to dive into AI, as I think it’ll continue to play an important part in the advancement of technology.
Have you already seen a difference in your learning process or your coding skills within the Basecamp?
I’ve definitely seen a huge difference! I’ve always had a hard time learning from lectures and not really getting to work with the material. I’ve always had to put so much work in outside of the lectures to really learn everything. But during the Basecamp, the approach has been so much more hands-on than anything I’ve done before and I’ve had to teach myself and discuss with peers which I’ve found to be a much more effective way of learning and I’m understanding things so much faster. I had programmed a little before, but I’d never done anything with Shell or C before participating in the Piscine and I really feel like I’ve already learned so much. I’ve gotten a pretty good understanding of the core principles and feel like I have a good foundation that I can continue to build on top of throughout the rest of the Basecamp and afterwards.
How would you explain this experience to someone who doesn’t know about 42 Wolfsburg?
It’s difficult but absolutely worth it. You’re always only competing with yourself and trying to improve instead of competing against other students.
Thank you very much for your time Camilla!
▷ You may see the word “Piscine” and “Basecamp” throughout 42 Wolfsburg’s website and social media, but what exactly are they? “Piscine” is French for “pool” and it is the only part of the admissions process at 42 Wolfsburg. It is an intensive 28-day coding challenge in which only motivation, willpower, and hard work will keep you afloat. Because of the current Covid-19 situation, we took health and safety precautions and decided to host our Piscines completely remote. Since nobody can ‘dive into’ the Piscine at the location in Wolfsburg, we adapted the remote version from 42 Sao Paulo, which is called “Basecamp”. Instead of a 28-day coding challenge, we have dedicated 1 week to community building where our campers get to know each other and 3 weeks to the coding challenge.
Inspired by articles written by 42 US as well as Codam, in this interview series we talk to people who participated in our Basecamps. They share with us who they are and what brought them to 42 Wolfsburg.
