Two weeks from now my time in the Juno College bootcamp will be over: all the lessons learned, all the tests taken, and all the projects submitted. It will mark the end of a short but very significant period of my life. But as with all endings, it will also be a new beginning. A new period shaped in no small way by the experiences that I’ve had over these nine weeks and yet an entirely new adventure that right now seems foreign, mysterious, and downright terrifying.
As I ponder the stage to come, I am reminded of how I felt just nine weeks ago. Equal parts excited, hopeful, nervous, and unsure. I remember wondering whether I would fit in with my fellow students. Whether we would form a meaningful bond or whether we would simply sit next to each other for several weeks and remain strangers. I am very grateful to be able to now answer that question with the former. This bootcamp has proven to be a transcendent experience for so many of us and we have taken this ride together, hand-in-hand and back-to-back. This has been without a doubt one of the most supportive groups of people that I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. I will cherish my time spent with them for ever after.
I am also reminded of the uncertainty that weighed heavily upon me for a long time leading up to the start of bootcamp. I would question and second guess my choices, my abilities, and most importantly, my future. Would I discover that I no longer had the stamina to start over from scratch? Would I be crushed by the pressure? Would I find myself in over my head? I am relieved to be able to answer each of these questions with a resounding “No!”.
However, while I relish in the relief of these results, I cannot help but feel some of these uncertainties rearing their ugly heads yet again. I have taken great comfort, catharsis even, in having a place to go every day. A place where I am confident in what to expect and what is expected of me. A place where I know the people and they know me. A place that has felt more like a second home than an academic institution. But in two weeks, I must begin the search for a new second home. I know that Juno will always be there for me, as will the people that I’ve shared it with, but it will no longer be my daily destination. To borrow a tired analogy, I must prepare to leave the nest.
The thought of looking for work is not the most pleasant prospect. Rejections are inevitable and disappointments just as likely. It will be a far cry from the warm and welcoming atmosphere that I’ve come to expect from going to school every day. But as I sit here reflecting on my feelings from just a few short weeks ago, I cannot help but recognize the parallels. I am once again wondering: will I fit in? Will I be crushed by the pressure? Will I be in over my head? So far, it has turned out that my worries have all been for naught. Perhaps they will be yet again? It would be a lie to say that I wasn’t nervous, of course, but I must admit that the uncertainty isn’t quite as palpable as it once was.
I have learned a lot throughout the course of this bootcamp and not just about coding. I have also learned a thing or two about myself and my place in all of this. Namely, that I have one. Juno has taught me that I don’t need to second guess my choices or my abilities anymore. As one stage ends, another begins. And though my journey is far from over, I know that I am on the right path.
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