Q3 Project is a Wrap
Day 73 is in the books and Q3 projects are “done”. Well, nothing is ever really done when we’re talking about software. I definitely have a lot more to do with my app. However, the pressure of getting the project done is behind me. Now I get to make improvements over time without a deadline which will be nice. I have a few more features to add before I can deploy my app to a mobile device. I have been running everything in a simulator so far which is cool, but not as rewarding as actually seeing it run natively on a mobile device.
What I Learned From This Project
I’ve mentioned before that I think reflection is really important. Especially after any sort of milestone. It’s always good to look back at what you learned, what struggles you had, and what you learned in the process. I learned a ton this week and I will do my best to recap everything for you guys.
- Teaching yourself is much harder than learning from an expert.
This week we were challenged to take on something that we’ve never tried before. The goal was to demonstrate how much we’ve learned through our ability to tackle an unfamiliar environment. I feel like this week was really successful, but I also realize now more than ever what a great decision it was to attend galvanize. I hear conflicting opinions from different people about whether or not coding schools are worth the investment or whether it’s better to teach yourself. I definitely think that the school is worth the investment. I know that everyone is different, but I know that for me personally galvanize has accelerated my education exponentially. I don’t think that I could have taught myself the things that I’ve learned in five months over the course of two or three years. So I’m more grateful than ever for the opportunity to be in this program and to be learning from an expert.
2. TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More)
I know I know that’s super cheesy, but hear me out. We had the choice to work solo or in groups for this project. I chose to work solo only because I wanted to do something specific and no one signed up to join me on the app that I was making. There are pros and cons to working solo on a project, but in hindsight I wish I had chosen to work with a team even if that meant working on an app that I wasn’t as excited about. I did get to collaborate with some other groups here and there and that made me realize how much more fun it would have been to build something with a group of people. I think that the experience I could have gained from collaborating with others would have been more meaningful than the skills that I gained from choosing the tech stack that I did. I don’t necessarily regret my choice because I learned a ton, but if I had to do it over again I would strongly consider working with a group.
3. You Can Learn a Lot in Five Months
I honestly can’t believe how much I’ve learned in this program. If I would have tried to take on an unfamiliar environment like this a few months ago I wouldn’t have stood a chance. I realized just how much of a foundation has been established in the last few months, and I feel really confident in my ability to tackle new challenges and to pick up new technologies quickly. To anyone who might be considering whether or not a program like this could really work for them I would like to encourage you that it can. If I can do it anyone can do it. I genuinely believe that.
4. React Native is Cool
Learning new technologies is challenging and there are some things about React Native that I don’t love. However, I just can’t get over the fact that I can write an app in Javascript and it will be compiled to Objective C or Java and run natively on Android or IOS. That is really amazing if you stop and think about it.
5. I’m surrounded by Talented People
This week really opened my eyes to the fact that I’m surrounded by people who are incredible. The ideas that my classmates have and their ability to tackle some pretty wild challenges is remarkable. Also my instructor is unbelievable. I watched this guy go around to random project after random project this week and he was able to understand and provide instruction about things that he has never tried to learn himself. He helped me personally with several things that I know he has never seen before. That was really impressive to me.
Summary
After taking a few minutes to reflect on this past quarter I’m feeling more grateful than ever. So many things had to happen for me to be here and so many people have helped me along the way. I am definitely looking for opportunities to pay it forward. Next week is a break week. I am actually moving next week so I won’t be doing as much coding as I would like, but I am hoping to get some reading & code wars in when I have the chance. I may try and get a post or two up as well, but no promises. At the very least I’ll be back here the week after next with an update for you guys. Until next time…happy coding.
73 down 27 to go
