The second day was harder than the first…
The Iron Yard announces it is closing.
I just finished my first full week teaching as an Associate Instructor for The Iron Yard Austin. I have been working hard to stay ahead of the lessons, assessments, activities, and projects the students are working on. I am so glad I have been reviewing things I learned months ago. When I started my adventures in coding back in January, I never could have imagined I would be here in July.
I had been employed for a week and a half. I had no clue The Iron Yard would be joining the list of tech start-ups to go under. The news was definitely not real when our Campus Director explained what was happening, the timeline for communication, and answering questions about benefits. I was shocked. I went back to helping the students of the cohort with trouble-shooting like nothing had changed. I drove home. I told my fam.
And the next morning, I was watching Karly tell the class. That’s when it hit me. I have no idea what I said during the morning review. Or what we did during the activities. I have experienced loss before, bad things have happened before, but this was my shiny new beginning. I was changing my career, my life, my future. And now this organization is going away. I very selfishly thought about what this means for me. Then about whether the students would still have the same confidence in us. Are they all gonna quit today? Ahh, please don’t.
Then the staff was checking on each other. How are you doing with the news? Is there anything I can do to help? That is when I realized that The Iron Yard is really about the amazing people that it has attracted. The staff and students I have met are so kind, giving, and genuine. When I was a student, they helped me begin setting up a secure network of people that I will still be able to talk to after my last day on staff.
The outpouring of kindness from the community has been amazing as well. People have been reaching out with help, kind words, and encouragement. After 35 years, I know that this world is not so big. There have been so many chance meetings and too many coincidences for me to have doubts about what will happen when our campus closes. I know we will be busy with our lives, but there will still be coffee and coding and meet-ups. I am so grateful for the people I have met.
I am also so thankful for the students in our last cohort. They are all so kind, generous, and hard-working. They are persistent with their own learning and always willing to help each other. I am inspired every day by how amazing they are. I am truly lucky to be a member of the last Instructional Team at The Iron Yard.
