How to survive the first sprint as an Adalaber
By Andreina Vargas and Anna Branco
Surviving the first weeks as an Adalaber is probably one of the most exciting and terrifying experiences a novice student goes through. For most of us, everything is new. The amount of new content that we have to learn makes it almost impossible to relax. As a result, anxiety is the most common feeling among newbie Adalabers, specially during the first sprint.
Despite these challenges, it is indeed possible to survive it — and to enjoy the process. Here, we humbly give a few tips about what worked for us and hopefully we can help our fellow and future colleagues:
Don’t rush it!
Be patient with the content, don’t rush and trust the natural process of the class
Consider that you are not going to learn EVERYTHING about the topics you study. The path to achieving your goal is a looong yellow brick road. Each little part of the path is full of intriguing, yet beautiful and scary creatures, landscapes and objects. Allow yourself to gaze around, but be sure not to lose your focus. Just keep moving, step by step, and if possible enjoy taking those dance steps together with your fellow travellers. :P
Trust Adalab’s Agile Method. Afterall, 91% of the former students are currently working and they experienced the same difficulties and anxiety as you (source?). Stress and exhaustion can be your worst enemy. Do study at home, but do not overdo it. Limit yourself to a maximum of 3 hours daily and please do not forget to feed your dog.
Trust your teammates!
Always count on your teammates and your friend Google to help you out
If you’re hyperventilating with your code, don’t look for a bag; try first to ask a classmate. A fellow classmate can give you the tips and shortcuts that you need and — most importantly — in your own not so technical language.
We all have very different backgrounds and experiences, we can’t all have the same ways to deal with coding. Keep in mind that if you feel stuck on one specific topic, it could be a piece of cake for the girl sitting next to you. And surely you can also help her when she is the one looking for an oxygen mask about a topic in which you are confident.
Try to make your fellow programmers part of your life, they’re not just classmates. Get involved with them, get involved with the community. Make it little by little a part of you, but on the other hand, maintain your friendships outside of Adalab, get outside, go to the movies, have dinners, date, and have fun.
If you are completely stuck without any solution, then just Google it, it’s free after all!
Oh, and yeah, of course… there is the teacher. :P
The future is unknown!
Dealing with uncertainty about the future
It’s normal to be afraid, probably you´ve left your previous job, and your friends and family secretly — or openly — think that you are crazy, but NO!!!! If you want a radical change in your life you must change your old habits and leave your comfort zone. The future is always uncertain but with a solid knowledge and training your possibilities are limitless. Adalab helps you to achieve both.
Remember that it’s never too late to start something new, maybe you are dealing with a late career switch, but don’t panic, because in this field you don’t need to be in your 20’s to get your first job as a programer. According to El Clarin, each year 5,000 job vacancies as programmers are left unoccupied and according to El Confidencial, in the third semester of 2017 nearly a quarter of the vacancies on the labor market were job offers for developers. So relax, because in this new world, there will always be a place for you, even if you are over the age of 30..
Have fun!
There’s always time and opportunity for fun
Learning to code can be a fun task, there are a lot of free games that can give you the “mindset” for the process… Here is a list:
And above all, don’t forget programming should be fun! So go with the flow and enjoy the process.
