A few lessons learnt from my time at the School of Code.
Before School of Code, I had taken part in several coding courses ranging from two-day introductions to eight-week evening classes. I got a great overview of the fundamentals of web development — HTML, CSS and I was aware of JavaScript. I had experience using these tools to build simple web pages, so I thought going into the bootcamp I would be okay for the first week at least.
Fast forward to the end of bootcamp day one. It felt as though we had covered the extent of my knowledge. A two-fold reaction occurred, panic on the one hand; had I done enough research into this new career path before I quit my job? On the other hand, these feelings were offset by sheer excitement that there would only be learning from here on in!
I have had the most incredible learning journey at The School of Code. It has been a rollercoaster of emotion, code, and Ben’s smile-inducing jingles. All in all I have loved every moment of the past 16 weeks, so I thought I would share a few of the lessons I have learnt whilst on this, dare I say, life-changing journey.
Zoom can be exhausting, but remote learning isn’t all bad.
Adapting to remote learning has been a whole new world. It’s hard enough learning how to code but throw in building relationships online, and it’s a whole new challenge. Unlike social media interactions, I had to learn how to manage diverse teams with different backgrounds often using technologies that we were all not 100% familiar with. Thankfully, The School of Code did a great job including workshops and guest lecturers that taught techniques to solve this problem. I feel confident I now have a great toolbelt of skills to ensure everyone’s ideas are heard even through the computer screen.
Remote learning can have its perks too. Huge thanks to our amazing coaches who kindly gave up their evenings in various code clubs and help sessions.
Community is key
The School of Code has somehow created this incredibly supportive online community. You can post a problem on the ‘dev-help’ slack channel and within minutes someone in the local tech scene, a previous bootcamper or any kind individual will respond.
This cohort we started thinking about expanding that community. We started a new series of community coding classes. Only 12 weeks into our learning journey myself and a handful of other bootcampers were excited to start sharing our knowledge with others. I really enjoyed our introduction to HTML and CSS class and teaching helped to solidify my learning too.
Outside of the School of Code, I have also discovered an amazing community that exists on social media. Just as I was starting to give up on my Instagram and Twitter accounts, they proved to be a great learning resource. On the back of the #100DaysOfCode Twitter challenge, I discovered an international community that reminded me of the positive side of social media. Between the School of Code’s diverse cohort and ‘Tech Twitter’, I have managed to find a whole host of people facing the same challenges as me and that’s been pretty comforting.
Document your progress
My typical week on the bootcamp went a bit like this: Sunday scaries were common because Monday to Wednesday I was on the struggle bus. Thursday I’d often have an ‘Aha moment!’, leading nicely into a Friday Hackathon where I’d either think: ‘hmm maybe this isn’t what I thought it was’, or on occasion; ‘I can actually build something with this!’ Only to start the cycle all over again with a new topic the following Monday.
In short, 16 weeks will come and go at lightning speed. I absorbed so much knowledge in such a short space of time. On days when imposter syndrome creeped in, I had to work out my own way of maintaining perspective and staying positive. I’ve always enjoyed keeping daily journals at different points in my life. I think one of the best ways to understand how far you have come is by reflecting on where you started from. Especially on those tough days (during OOP week) where I felt like maybe I was not cut out for the dev life, watching or reading back on my old reflections helped paint a positive picture for the future.
Document however you feel comfortable, short videos, social media or blogging. If nothing else, I’ve found it useful to explain what I actually get up to all day to my family and friends.
A whole 16 weeks, and it’s only tip of the iceberg
It wouldn’t be a reflective blog if I didn’t end with this point, but I feel like it is worth repeating. Learning is continuous in the technology industry and it’s vital to keep up with all the constant changes. Initially, a scary thought, but now I realise these changes usually make developers lives easier. It’s amazing being a part of an industry that is continuously innovating at pace.
I’ve learnt a lot these past 16 weeks and I have nothing but thanks for the amazingly patient Coaches, Chris and my Mentor Dan. It’s been an incredible journey and I’m looking forward to making an impact in my first Software Developer role. Best of all, I no longer fear Mondays.
PS: For updates on my journey please follow me @kunmicodes on Twitter, and follow @theschoolofcode as well!
