Battle scars and Bootcamps: My Battle with Imposter Syndrome while Learning Web Development
I’ve been a full time student for most of my first 25 years in existence. It took me seven years to complete my Bachelor’s, and I never took a gap year after high school. Hence, when I graduated into a job market recession thanks to COVID-19, I was spinning my wheels on what to do next. Thankfully, that’s when Lighthouse Labs came to my attention and I decided to give it a go.
The Coding Bootcamp, as a concept, has been on the rise in the last decade. Do a quick search for coding bootcamps and you’ll be pinged with at least a dozen different ones (like this list posted on Switch Up). In my world, I associate the word “bootcamp” to fitness. Vigorous, intensive, and huge payoff if you stay committed. Okay, I get it. But how could a 12 week bootcamp be any harder than a regular semester in a design program in university? (Famous last words.)
Hello, imposter syndrome
First of all, let’s talk about imposter syndrome. We’ve all felt it in some form or another. As a teacher, I felt it every day I got up in front of students to talk about a subject that I only vaguely knew about. During bootcamp, however, my imposter syndrome evolved. Because the experience of bootcamp was so different from what I experienced in academia, my brain decided to skip over all the knowledge I gained in university and start from square one. Transferable skills? Erased. Decent knowledge about the tech industry? Gone. My experience as a UX designer? Bye-bye.
So how did I get over this intense bout of imposter syndrome, you ask? It took a few sleepless nights to reframe the position I was in. When you’re hit with 12 hour schedules, six days a week, your body also needs time to readjust. I had to come and realize that I’m coming into bootcamp with my own set of skills (and those are good skills to have). I had to remember that the learning process is uncomfortable, and it’s okay to lean a little into that discomfort, as long as you have the energy to persevere. I had to keep the light at the end of the tunnel in focus so that I wouldn’t forget my personal reasons for joining bootcamp in the first place. This is how I did it, with the help of mentors along the way.
I had to remember that the learning process is uncomfortable, and it’s okay to lean a little into that discomfort, as long as you have the energy to persevere.
To dive a little into the bootcamp process, I want to say that I am a firm believer in the curriculum that Lighthouse Labs has set up for their students. Although I had to use every stress coping mechanism in my arsenal, and come up with new ones, the curriculum is manageable and you can do it.
As someone with very little coding knowledge beyond HTML and CSS, I was skeptical that the curriculum was designed with the beginner in mind. As the weeks progressed, I found myself gradually speeding up and that my approach to solving problems was in fact, the right approach. Coding lingo started spilling out of my mouth, as I tried to describe the problems I was having to classmates and mentors. Being immersed in a space to simply learn is really something that’s unique and special. And I felt the growing pains of trying to grasp new frameworks and coding languages week by week.
The Lighthouse Labs website provides a curriculum overview package that I would encourage you to go through, if you’re curious. The curriculum is always updated based on industry trends, which is something that I find immensely useful and it helped build a lot of trust. The instructors were always adjusting their lesson plans based on student feedback, and the mentors would receive student feedback so that they could also learn and adjust their teaching methods. The team at Lighthouse really supports their students, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for them.
Not only did I come away with the technical skills that they market themselves for, I also came away with a network of friends and mentors that will be there with me as we enter the job market and tech industry as developers. I came away with the confidence that I can overcome tasks that I once deemed impossible. I learned about the importance of sleep and routine, especially in a remote-working situation. Setting boundaries at the start and sticking to your word when it comes to availability were important lessons to learn in the world of learning and working remotely.
I’m wholeheartedly excited to dive into the tech industry with my new attitude and skill set. Thank you Lighthouse Labs for all that you’ve taught me!
