How to Succeed in a Coding Bootcamp
By: Gabriella De Francesco
Tags: Web Development, Codingbootcamp, Coding, Programming, Learning To Code

How to Succeed in a Coding Bootcamp

Growth Mindset is Key

My first week, I thought the bootcamp staffs’ emphasis on approaching everything with a growth mindset was overkill (we talked about it at least 5 times). But, at this stage in my bootcamp journey I almost think it could have even been emphasized more! When you’ve been staring at the same problem for 45 minutes and no closer to a proper solution, you will doubt yourself. When new syntax leaves you sweating, you will doubt yourself. New concepts take time to become comfortable. It’s only natural. The key is to remember that even though a concept or tool may be confusing to you know, it won’t always be. You will grow. It will get easier. It’s important to keep these encouraging thoughts in mind. I promise that curriculum that seems overwhelming to you on day one will be second nature by week two and I’m becoming aware that this is true of learning to code in general. Things get easier. You just have to continue persevering and the comfort will come.

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Learn to Balance Collaboration with Independent Work

You will make friends. I promise. Even those of you who think you’re on the socially anxious side, you will. I began feeling close to my cohort somewhere in week 2 and I’ve only been bonding with them more and more. I think collaborating with your peers is a really crucial part of the learning process. It’s amazing how much I’ve learned from explaining things to others or from having someone explain something to me. Teamwork is part of the professional world just as much so it’s great to be practicing talking about code right now. That being said, I’ve found that working independently is crucial as well. It’s a balance but working with others can sometimes be distracting as well. If you aren’t making enough progress around others, I’d recommend finding a secluded corner on campus, putting on a good focus playlist (I like Brain Food on Spotify) and get into a flow state where you can really focus.

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Prioritize Your Life Outside of Bootcamp

I’m surprised at how quickly these first three weeks have flown by. It makes me realize that the hangouts with friends I have had were not the best use of my time. And, at least for me, I should have spent my break time getting to the gym or spending quality time with my significant other. Your priorities will be unique to you but there isn’t a lot of free time when you’re in an immersive program. Be intentional about what you want to do in your limited free time. Take it from me, that your bootcamp experience will fly by. You want to make sure when you walk away, you know you gave it your all and didn’t cave into distractions.

Be Aware, But Don’t Compare

There is one difficult part of the human psyche that has the capacity to derail you during this journey and that is the ego. Your ego will tell constantly whisper in your ear:

“You should know more by now.”

“Their project is so much more advanced.”

“Their code looks different, I’m clearly taking the wrong approach.”

Though I’ve found it helpful to be aware of the skillsets my classmates have (because it’s great to know who to ask for help!), it’s best to keep your mind focused on what you are learning and not to make judgements about where you should be or how your journey should look. Everyone came in with different knowledge and skill sets. Everyone learns at a different pace. Don’t waste your energy comparing yourself to your cohort mates. You need all that energy for working and learning. Trust me.

Strategically-Timed Breaks

To prevent burnout, use a productivity timer (I use Productivity Challenge Timer) and break up your coding time into Pomodoros. Work for 25 minutes and take 5 minute breaks or maybe 45 on and 15 off. This method has allowed me greater stamina for difficult work. I am able to put in more hours overall when I strategically time my breaks. Sometimes, when you get stuck, you really just need a quick walk or a coffee break and the solution will be clearer when you come back.

Image Credit: twitter.com/siegelvision

Try it yourself!

Another thing I’ve learned is to just dive into new material. Watching endless videos and tutorials will not help you as much as just getting started. Problems and questions will arise of course, but you won’t even truly understand the gaps in your knowledge until you’ve experimented and found them through trial and error.

Breadth Not Depth

For now, don’t despair if you feel like you’re becoming a sort of jack of all trades but master of none. Keep in mind that bootcamps are meant to be an intensive exposure to tools and concepts — to gain a breadth of knowledge. Don’t despair, you’ll have time for depth later. The brilliant thing is that the exposure you’ve gained will clue you in to the topics and tools that fire up your passions! So, post-bootcamp you’ll know more about what you’d like to learn more about or what kind of development you’d like to pursue.