Adaptability: My Andela bootcamp experience
Before I proceed to the main topic of this blog post, I will want to propose an addendum to the old adage that says ‘Change is constant but progress is optional’, and that is “adaptability is simply the catalyst agent that makes progress possible in times of change, and without it progress is impossible”. That looks long but brings us back to the main issue of this write up, if I would give advice on how to make it through the andela rigorous boot camp, I will say the more adaptable the more chance you have of actually making it, because it is an experience that actually displaces you off of your initial comfort zone. This past weeks has not been easy, if you have seen/been an addict in a withdrawal period (not an addict), you will know how hard it has been for me, because adaptation has to do with shedding off old bad habits and embracing effective new ones. Let me breakdown my 2 weeks adaptation process into three habitual sections.
Firstly, Improve time management, prior to the boot camp my time management skill has always been a challenge for me, putting off urgent and important task to the very last minute or not even doing them at all. During the first week of the boot camp, each day was filled with a bazillion tasks that has to be completed; and I knew if I have to survive I have to shed off this old habit and embrace a new effective one. So I went on a journey to research how to be an effective time manager when 24 hours is no more enough, because I must confess this is the most fast paced environment that I have worked with. After all research, I had to adapt to Steven covey’s time management framework, I won’t go into details how it works but is a framework that makes you an effective result oriented person., which has really helped me to be acquaint myself with andela fast paced workspace, evidence shown in the success of the first week (not that I am bragging)
Secondly will be the learning resilience, to be adaptable is to be resilient and vice versa. The policy of You Own Your learning process that is preached by andela is not for the faint hearted, it means you need to be open minded when learning and fast enough to immediately apply what you learn. This translates to long hours and sleepless nights. If you know me before now, you will know how I can use long hours sleeping, but that has changed for the 1 week plus because I barely have 3 hours of night sleep. This has helped achieve more in this short span of one week than I would achieve in a year. The boot camp energy has been great extending even when you are not within the andela premises. This attitude is norming on me, exposing me to irrepressible attitude I never thought I had.
Lastly will be my seamless submersion into a driven and intelligent group of people, permit me to rephrase the adage When in Rome, you act like the romans with ‘when in Rome you have to learn and be like the Romans’. It is surprising how andela is filled with the smartest people I have met, from the co-ordinators, BFAs, fellows and even pre fellows. It is not easy to adapt to such high standards especially when you barely have one. I had to work extra hours to fit into the Andela Rome Empire; this has been flexing my brain muscles to the point of no return and assimilating so much in so little time.
With all these adaptive processes I have to go through I must say it has been thrilling so far and quite revealing. Andela is like a code monastery that has made me released that to be a world class Software developer, a total tectonic shift has to happen in your life, shedding off old bad habits and embracing effective new ones. The boot camp just introduces you to what you are to expect when you make the fellowship
