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Santiago N
Santiago N

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Bootcamp Done. Next Steps Into A Tech Career

So it has been a long time since I made the time to write something on here, the reasons? Maybe I was busy, maybe I didn't actually take the time to do this or maybe I was fighting some inner conflicts that made me hold myself back.

Alright, first thing first, let me give you a little background... About 4 weeks ago I finished a coding bootcamp I was doing since October. It was definitely a challenge but totally worth it and without it and my awesome teachers I would not be here.

This bootcamp was absolutely free for me, online and possibly the best experience learning I have ever had. A huge thanks to LaunchCode who organized everything in NorthWest Arkansas (they do them in many other places so please look them up) and to everyone who has sponsored and keeps sponsoring their activities.
Not only this but the teachers were out of this world, honestly super grateful for this experience, may need to do a separate post to truly express my gratitude.

Ok, got off topic for a little bit there, getting back to the main thought...

After this bootcamp we have an option to be enrolled in a program called "Liftoff" with our teachers guiding us through personal projects, training us for future interviews and most importantly making us feel like we are bringing something to the table, as many already know, impostor syndrome is real and will mess you up.

So, right now I am doing this program and creating a personal project, but I have to admit it is actually harder than the bootcamp was. Probably because now it is truly up to us to show our potential and push forward, keep learning by ourselves exploiting every resource that we can.

VERY big challenge this is, at the moment I am trying to adapt to all of this. When you work all day and you know you have to keep working I tell you, it is not an easy task, even if you enjoy coding, being a newbie like me, you have to do a lot of research, spend time figuring stuff out that you don't know and much more.

I won't lie, if I didn't have such great mentors behind me, motivating me, pushing me, annoying me lol I really don't know where I would be. One of the best advice I can give right now at the stage where I am is find someone that you like to hang out with and ask them to be your mentor.

Reflecting and looking back, it can be hard to believe how far I've come and looking forward how much I have left to go.

Here are some of the big takeaways that keep me sane:

--Focus on yourself
--Be proud of what you have accomplished no matter how small
--Do an activity that takes you away from everything
--Lean of people you look up to

That's all for today folks, hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading.

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