6 Things I Wish I Knew before Starting My Coding Bootcamp
Tags: codenewbie, beginners, todayilearned, devjournal
Published: 2022-01-06 04:32:30

I recently graduated from a full-stack software engineering bootcamp. Woohoo! 🎉 However, as someone who had never written a line of code in her life, I definitely felt lost and confused at times. 🥺 And, not just content-wise, emotionally—it can be a roller coaster. Coding bootcamps are for people who are making big changes in their lives, and change can definitely be overwhelming.

Here are 6 things I wish I knew before I began. So, if you're about to start a bootcamp experience, read on, my friend! 💪

## #1. 🙅‍♀️ Don't compare, just share! 
Do not—I repeat—**DO NOT** compare yourself to others. If your bootcamp experience is anything like mine, it is going to be a mix of very diverse people. That's awesome! 🙌 But, that also means that **there will be individuals who know much, much more than you** going into this experience. Just accept that as a fact of the world. 🌍 There are going to be people who catch on to concepts seemingly faster than you. It's okay. You will get there. In fact, seek these people out and **learn from them**. Ask them questions, see if they can re-explain a concept or two to you, get advice. They are a part of your learning community now! How lucky are you! And, guess what? You also bring a unique skillset, background, or strength to the table, so they're lucky to have you, too! 

## #2. 👯 Find your people. 
In addition to surrounding yourself with people who know more than you, find people who you feel like you can be honest with, **who make you laugh**, who have similar learning styles as you do—find some buddies! 🤗 The pessimist in me definitely did not think it was possible, but, I really did make some life-long friends during my remote bootcamp experience. Even through the digital screen! 💻 I cannot stress how important it is to **have people who can make you feel less alone**. You will need them to get you through this experience, and they will need you.

## #3. 📝 Get organized, stay organized.
You are about to be exposed to a firehose of information. **You need a system** for **1.** saving resources (links, tutorials, videos, cheatsheets, "stuff for later," etc.) and **2.** taking notes (important: notes that can include `code blocks`). 🧐 You need to implement this system as soon as possible, **start building your organizational system from day one**! I wish I had figured out a system that worked for me much sooner. In the end, because so much of my communication with other students and instructors was over Slack, I actually just started using the self-chat (where you literally message yourself 😂) as my primary note-taking system. In retrospect, I wish I had created a system of organized ReadMe files, but... I didn't know what a ReadMe file was when I began, so... 🤷‍♀️? 

## #4. 🙋‍♀️ Ask questions.  
 ❌ Delete this phrase from your your vocabulary: "This might be a stupid question but... " Nope. You're not allowed to say that. I am that person who always asked at least 5 to 10 questions a day (and that's probably a very conservative estimate). 😬 Guess what? **I don't regret asking any of my questions**. In fact, oftentimes someone else would say: "Thanks so much for asking that question, I was wondering the same exact thing." If your cohort and instructors build a supportive learning community, **no one should feel embarrassed to ask any question**. 

## #5. ⛔️ Copy and paste with caution.
There are going to be times when you have some code—from a lecture, or a code-along, or a group activity, or your new best friend named [StackOverflow](https://stackoverflow.com/questions), and you do not totally, 100% understand how it works. 🥴 That's okay. But, do yourself a favor. Write a comment before that code which says:
```md
// I do not totally understand how this code works. 
// What I do understand is _______. 
// What I need to figure out is _______.
```
Be careful with copy and paste. Type everything out that you possibly can. **Build that muscle memory**, it will help you actually remember the syntax of the languages you are learning and the common ways problems are solved. 🧠 Your friend might have code that works, but **if you don't understand it, don't copy and paste it**. There are a million ways to solve a coding problem, find your way! You will actually remember it, learn from it, or at least understand it, if you wrote it. I promise.

## #6. ❤️ Treat yourself like you would treat a good friend. 
I cannot emphasize this enough. **Self-talk matters.** 💬 You do not have to understand everything the first time you see it. Or, the second. Or, the third. It's okay to struggle. How would you speak to a friend who was struggling? You would pump them up; you would remind them that they are strong! 👏 How would you speak to a friend who just got their code to work after spending 4 hours on a missing semi-colon? You would celebrate their victories; however small! 👏 This experience will be challenging to different people, for different reasons. **Show yourself kindness**. We can be our own worst enemies sometimes, try being your own best friend. 

Finally, I would like to say: **I am proud of you!** 🙌 You're taking the first step into the unknown, maybe you're making a big change, or maybe you're finally doing something you've been thinking about for a while now. Those are some brave acts. The good news is: you're about to be surrounded by individuals who are also willing to take a courageous first step. You are going to laugh, you might cry and you'll learn a lot. **You got this.**