As I wrap up my very last week of software engineering bootcamp, I am going to use this blog post to reflect on my goals coming into the program and the progress I have made towards achieving them.
My goals coming into the program:
- embrace: your work is not your worth
- embrace: if you want to go somewhere fast go alone, if you want to go far, go together
- get through the program
- make friends
- write clean code (stretch goal)
Embrace: your work is not your worth
Grade: 3.5/5
This is something I struggle with a lot. It took leaving my job to realize how much self worth I put into being good at what I do - driving tasks to perfection and inevitable burn out. Faced with a fast-paced learning environment with a short turnaround, if I wasn't careful, this bootcamp would be a recipe for burn out. I went into camp prepared, having thought through daily structure to maximize hours away from the screen and keeping the coding, as much as possible, to 9a-6p.
I was able to leave the screen, but I wasn't always able to turn off my mind - and the guilt that came with not leading a project to perfection. My tendencies caught up with me on the final project. There is so much todo! And a pesky bug can take up too much time, and all of a sudden you're behind on your self-imposed timeline.
While I still struggle, I found what worked best for me, to pull me out of a state of paralysis, was consistent re-evaluation at a high level. I let the ideas flow, collecting them in a spreadsheet, but reviewed frequently. Which of these tasks were highest priority to get my app out the door? Which would enhance the app but didn't need to be there if I didn't have time? Having all ideas in one place helped drift my mind to other things in my time away from the screen and gave me bite-sized tasks to focus on .
That perfectionism is still nagging at me but I'm finding more purpose outside of "work" giving me more peace and motivation when I am behind the keyboard.
Embrace: if you want to go somewhere fast go alone, if you want to go far, go together
Grade: 4/5
This was a collaborative experience and I am grateful for it. Our cohort of 9 people grew close over the 15 weeks. Bugs and current "thorns" were inevitable in conversation. Rubber ducky moments abundant. This lead to intertwining ideas, solutions, etc. I'm trying to embrace the collaborative process required for what can feel like such individualized tasks in software engineering. Soft skills fascinate me - I took note on how others around me asked for help and when I appreciated how people gave help. While holing up in a corner, beating your head against the keyboard, not asking questions or for collaboration can be feel less vulnerable, I appreciated my experiences that demonstrated a richer path by involving those around you. I hope to continue that vulnerability and communication through to my next role.
Get through the program
Grade: 5/5
What you are reading, my dear, sweet reader, is the last stop between me and finishing the program. Honestly, I'm proud of myself. Tearing up as I type. This has taken guts to get this far (all of us in this bootcamp path) and is going to take more guts to keep going. But I passed all my coding challenges (with flying colors B-) ), re-discovered an interest in learning, and solidified a love of coding and logic problems along the way. I'd have a big smile showing up to bootcamp in the morning, truly (except for the days that I didn't; see above your work is not your worth turmoil). But if I do say so myself, I crushed it and can't wait to keep going.
Make friends
Grade: 5/5
My cohort was the absolute best. I was anxious coming into the bootcamp. Secretly, one reason I wanted to be in person was to meet some new people. I can be shy to make friends and I feel so lucky to have been in a small, tight-knit cohort. They are part of what made this bootcamp such a success. We all created a safe ecosystem that pushed us to achieve and support each other. Slight tear up, love my cohort.
Write clean code (stretch goal)
Grade: 3.5/5
Clean code, I am coming for you. I had an introduction reading Clean Code by Robert C Martin but I still want to see how that is put into practice in large company codebases. I crave the structure and best practice that clean code creates and more examples of how to implement it. I am just getting started though, and clean code development is what I believe I will be chasing for many years of my software engineering career.
All of this feels so surreal and like I just started but also like it's been in the works for a while. I'm so happy and so proud. Please send any spare good energy my way as I journey on to land my first Software Engineering job. I'm excited to see what this future holds.
Peace out,
Lucy
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