The two weeks of the Bootcamp and the first project
Some rough advice, first impressions, struggles, and how to not “just survive” the first three weeks of Ironhack’s Web Development Bootcamp
I joined a Web Development Bootcamp in March, 2019. If you’re curious about my how’s and why’s, feel free to read about them here: My path towards web development.
Before the Ironhack Web Dev Bootcamp — The pre-work marathons
The pre-work of Ironhack’s Web Development Bootcamp has a lot of information. Not only about HTML, CSS, and Javascript(“basics”, they said!), but also about Git, GitHub and getting our whole computer ready for what was about to come.
After consulting a developer friend on whether or not I should keep Windows as my OS, she replied: “Carla, I don’t even know what Windows is by now.” So I decided to make the change — also because I didn’t want to get to the Bootcamp and have something else to deal with. I got quickly used to Ubuntu — still getting used to the command line, and I’m sure you’ll struggle with that too, but that’s totally normal!
I always thought of the pre-work as a “bonus”, an opportunity to get into the pace of the Bootcamp before it actually started — and get ready for a really tough rhythm of learning. If you can go deep on your pre-work, do it. I would recommend going through some FreeCodeCamp’s Responsive Web Design and Javascript Algorithms & Data Structures Certification exercises — In case you have the time to spare!
Because the campus staff felt like people were struggling with the pre-work tasks and concepts, they got us all together twice before the Bootcamp started. They called them “pre-work marathons”. This way not only we could get a general feeling of the classes and the environment, but also some faces began to feel familiar to us.
Sooner than expected, the first day of Bootcamp finally arrived.
First week — Javascript (revisited) and Responsive Web Design
Pre-work completed or not — The first week was a shock for pretty much everyone.
The first weeks were all about reviewing very briefly some trickier parts of the pre-work, particularly Javascript, and then moving on already to more advanced topics, such as Functional Programming, Javascript Object-Oriented Programming, CSS Flexbox & Animations, Responsive Web Design, and DOM Manipulation.
And additionally: You have to get used to looking at a computer all day (which is not usual for every student’s previous professions), grasping new concepts at lightning speed, new tools, programs, and even people you have never met before.
It’s uncomfortable, and threw us all off balance, one way or another.
Second week — Object-Oriented Javascript, Bootstrap, Canvas and DOM Manipulation
The second week felt without a doubt, lighter than the previous one. Now, if that was only because people got used to the crazy rhythm of Ironhack, I’m really not sure. Maybe it was because everything got a bit more visual, and less “I can only see things on my console log” — mostly thanks to bootstrap and canvas.
We also had our first talk on career services, and this is something every good Bootcamp should have — I encourage you to look for a good network of support for your future job.
They talked to us about the importance of CVs, LinkedIns, Mediums, and everything else, and that they would help us out with all of it.
For me, it was mind-blowing, to say the least. So many things to think about, so many things ahead! Fortunately, we had some one-on-one’s that helped with all the confusion and slight panic.
By the end of the second week, starting to plan our own projects gave us an unexpected burst of energy, even though most of us were feeling quite tired. Some already had a very clear idea of the game they wanted to code, but most of us felt clearly lost.
Nonetheless — We all found our way through that confusion mist — Enters week 3!
Project week — Coding our first game
The first thing is — all the project weeks go by in a minute, and this I can guarantee.
Really, suddenly you’re on your presentation day, trying to wrap it all up and crossing your fingers for the bugs you missed not to show up in the last minute.
Every single day was intense. Some people were very clear about what they were doing, others were still figuring it out, other people totally changed their minds on the second day (and they still managed to code an amazing game).
The Teaching Assistants (TAs) were a big help into figuring out the possible problems, how to structure the game, to use Canvas or DOM manipulation, and what should be the Minimum Value Product (MVP).
And the Lead Teacher was essential when big problems appeared, to simplify our code or restructuring it, and to solve problems we still didn’t have the experience to deal with.
My game: Tetsu Biru, a Sokoban puzzle-style game.
I called it Iron Beers, or Tetsu Biru — A hopefully correct translation to Japanese since Sokoban is also a Japanese name (Fingers crossed, Google Translate!).
The goal would be, not as the old game, to push crates to their storage location, but to push kegs to their empty beers and therefore generate a full beer (inspired by the traditional IronBeers Friday we have at Ironhack).
What follows is a general overview of the 5 days of the project week.
Weekend — High Hopes
I finally decided on the game I was going to code, created my GitHub repository which I would update as the project would move along; Wrote down questions to the TAs; And read a few too many articles which scared me about how game coding works.
Day 1- Absolute Despair
I decided on specific goals and created my backlog of tasks to achieve until Day 3. I made my plans so that by the end of that day I would have my first level constructed and my bugs cleared. This way, on Thursday I could do the leveling up part.
By the end of day one, I was desperate. I had a blank screen and a square to represent my game board, my functions laid down but nothing was moving, and I felt like crying.
Day 2 — Re-strategizing
Some things were moving on the screen, but the interactions between objects and the player were tougher to get than I thought. After a meeting with the Lead Teacher he advised me to move completely to a matrix-style and to use array manipulation and conditions for everything. At this point, I was still desperate. We had just learned about classes and I was NOT feeling confident about those, either.
Day 3 — A New Hope
Here things were looking a bit better when it came to interactions. I encountered major bugs but at last, I felt like it was going somewhere. At night, my boyfriend helped me with the design and I finally had some good looks on day 4.
Day 4 — Light at the end of the tunnel
I was desperate almost the whole day. I had major bugs I didn’t expect to have and I couldn’t deal with, and I was confused by my own code. The Lead Teacher finally sat with me and basically helped me reducing my code more than 50%. I got home around 23:00, but I was incredibly happy. It was going to work!
Day 5 — Adding additional levels and Final Presentations
In the last day, I was basically just trying not to screw things up. I was able to still create two additional levels in the morning, and to add some interactions when the player would “win” and “how many beers were left to fill”.
The game was ready in time — I somehow pulled it off! And, in fact, we were all able to code a full game in a week! Whichever was our type of choice (In my Bootcamp, we had asteroids, snake, write the lyrics, adventure, educational, platforms, quiz… All the games were very different from each other, creative, and all of them, fun!).
Trust me — My end result is still far from perfect, and there are many things I would like to change: Refactoring of the code, different “winning” props, fix the final bugs, and finding a better method of scaling it to additional levels, to name a few.
My main difficulties
- Basically, navigating through several lines of code — But lacking the structure, experience or knowledge to do any better;
- Applying recently acquired knowledge on classes and manipulating matrices;
- Changing through trains of thought looking for the best way to develop the game and finding the appropriate structure;
- Trying to disconnect from the project after leaving the campus.
Major lessons learned during these first three weeks
- You will not be able to learn everything they give you with the depth you wished. But at least try to go as deep as you can;
- Work the extra hours, stay for recaps, ask questions. Arrive early and leave late, but try to go to bed early;
- It’s really not a competition. But if you want it to be, compete with yourself;
- Eat well, drink water, exercise — Really, do. Apparently, a lot of people get sick during Bootcamps. You want to be your best at all times — And you want to make sure you don’t miss any classes;
- Go all the way. Go for the pitch, the slides, the details. Be your best version, always.
But, eventually, you WILL fall behind, feel tired, lost, confused and need to rest a couple of days. And that’s totally OK.
Things will come together when you’re doing your projects, and don’t worry if you cannot grasp everything — In a Bootcamp sometimes you just have to move on to the next topic → This was a tough one for me.
I would also advise you to ask yourself if you want to “just pass” the Bootcamp or if you want to take the most out of it — and dedicate yourself accordingly, your own choice, at your own risk.
So, at the end of the week, enjoy those Iron Beers — And make sure you truly deserve them!
You can also read about the following weeks and my second project here.
This represents my own opinion and experience with the Ironhack Bootcamp in Lisbon. I sincerely believe that when you enter a Bootcamp, you get as much back as you put in as an effort.
I am by no means an expert in any of the topics presented here, but I am studying towards that specific goal. I hope that this helps anyone considering doing a Bootcamp, either with Ironhack or a similar company.
In case of any questions, not hesitate to get in touch with me.
