Here's My 2023 Plan to Become a Web Dev
Tags: webdev, javascript, productivity
Published: 2022-12-13 14:33:52

So far my journey to becoming a web developer has been one spotted with some active and some not so active time periods. This will be changing for the rest of 2022 and going into 2023. 

**So far,** I've spent a lot of time on freeCodeCamp going through their free web development content. Learning HTML, CSS and JavaScript has been a difficult and exciting challenge. 

The remainder of my study time has been spent on the Zero to Mastery platform which is where most of my time learning to code has been spent. Their web developer bootcamp has proven very useful and dense with information. With just these two resources, and Google to boot, I think anyone could become a self-taught developer with enough time. 

**But I don't have time.** My schedule is busy and distracting. With two kids under the age of four, living in an apartment can get a bit crowded and it makes for difficult study sessions.

**I also lack the discipline to go the self- taught route.** As someone who runs a family, a business, has a regular workout schedule and enjoys playing video games, there is no shortage of reasons not to sit down and pound away at a project. Even though I enjoy coding, I can pretty consistently find myself preoccupied with other distracting and less productive pastimes.

**Third, I lack community**, which is a bigger deal than I originally thought it would be. As a self-taught programmer, you are on your own. Any successes you have, you have alone. Likewise, any challenge you have, you ultimately have to face yourself. This can get frustrating after a while. Don't get me wrong I love a good challenge but I have studied part-time for several months and it just occurred to me this morning that I haven't EVER consulted a real human regarding a coding problem. The amount of communication skill I've missed so far is not something I want to continue on going forward. I'd rather come into tech having had some practice in this area than having to back-fill all that communication experience.

**So bootcamp it is!** Yes, indeed I've decided to go the route of a coding bootcamp. I couldn't be more excited to announce that I'm attending one next Spring. There are a few reasons the one I chose stood out for me and I'll cover them briefly here before concluding this post.

First, it has a great structure. Unlike a lot of other bootcamps, the one I've chosen is in person, on campus. I find this to be a huge upside for the last reason stated, community. I'll have the opportunity to meet and network with my classmates and instructors every day. It also uses a model of teaching called **pair programming**, where two or three students code together, taking turns driving, while the other watches, gives feedback and uses detached critical thinking to help develop the app. I am a firm believer that learning is done by doing and that is exactly what this boot camp provides. Full time coding with others to iron out the skills required to be job ready. 

Second, it is close to family. The bootcamp I have chosen is within a close proximity to my in-laws, which is a huge upside for my wife and I to have the support necessary for me to attend this bootcamp full-time with limited income. We will be continuing to support ourselves and live on our own, but help with child care and access to their large property is something my wife and kids will benefit greatly from. 

Third, the internship. That's right, along with the in class structure and convenience of location, the boot camp I've chosen includes an internship. This position is 5 weeks of real world experience to hit the ground running with my newly developed skills. After interning, I am confident I will feel much more prepared to attend interviews, network and search meaningfully for a full time position.

**My primary concerns ** regarding boot camp are the primary downfalls I've heard about on the web. I don't want to get ripped off, which due diligence has taken care of. I also want to do my best to leave bootcamp having learned some fundamentals of CS, not just a coding stack or two. I have a plan for this, more on that in later posts. I also want to make the most of my time in bootcamp which will involve some daily and weekly planning frameworks. These are all things I'll be leaning more into over the next few months leading up to bootcamp. 

All said, I couldn't be more excited to get started and I am regaining my momentum of studying until that time comes.