Bootcamp challenges and how I have adapted in the last few weeks
A challenge is something new and difficult which requires great effort and determination.
An adaptation is a process of changing to suit different conditions
Since my childhood, I have always been always anxious about any kind of strange things or anything that requires me to put in a lot of effort. But when it comes to technology Programming, in particular, I never mind how difficult it is for a certain task.
Bootcamp! I was very excited when I got invited to Andela Bootcamp because it was my first time I attended any sort of Bootcamp. From the foregoing, I thought everything was just normal as long as I haven’t deviated from my career. On the first day of the Bootcamp, everything was ok. However, as the days went on things became tougher. We had a lot of tasks to accomplish in a short period of time, everything was almost new to me, new friends, new environment, a new model of doing things, etc.
Martin Luther King said that the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenges.
Let me dig down some of the challenges I had and how I adapted.
Self-learning
My lifestyle hadn’t been able to work under a condition where I feed myself with new skills. At the time I came to the Bootcamp, I thought they would teach us everything and then we apply the skill on ADC (Andela Developer Challenge). So far I have been able to adopt this new condition of self-learning constantly. Adapting to this challenge has given me the ability to tackle problems and quickly look for effective solutions on my own, from the internet, my colleagues or my Learning Facilitator Assistant.
Time Management
Time has always been something I’m scared of. In Andela Bootcamp, We had a really small time of completing a task or responding to certain feedback.
I remember on the fourth day of the second week of the Bootcamp. They gave us a short presentation about Scrum framework. After the presentation, We were put into teams of 3–5. I was really surprised by the work we were given. We had to think of a unique project idea, design it with a web template, create pivotal tracker stories, push it to git, in only 60 min. Amazing! this really sharpened my mind on time management though. I came to overcome this challenge by applying a method of doing the right things at the right moment instead of focusing on a certain blocker.
Writing professionally
Can writing be a challenge? Yes, everyone can come across this question. I used to say that I will be a good writer. However, things changed when I came to Andela after being asked to write my first blog post. I remember I took like two and a half hours googling, drafting the blog post that I will submit. This was a hard time for me, I knew that I know nothing about writing though it’s one of my favorites. Afterward, I came to face this challenge of writing professionally by putting much effort into writing my own things other than always getting relevant writings to make my own.
During the Bootcamp, I faced different challenges and most of them were even tougher than I expected, but in the end, I realized that they were all just for the transformational purpose.
The only use of an obstacle is to be overcome. All that an obstacle does with brave men is, not to frighten them, but to challenge them. — Woodrow Wilson
Thank you for reading!
