Tips and Things to Expect to Survive A Coding Bootcamp
Published: 2020-06-21 05:37:31

Coding Bootcamps are intensive and immersive coding programs that typically runs for a few months. In other words, it is very fast paced and can be overwhelming. I decided to write this post to help those of you that just starting your bootcamps or maybe starting soon. I finished my program at Flatiron School a few months ago. My experience is based on my time there.

###Make the Most Out of Your First Week
My pre-work and even recruiter for the program kept telling before I started the program that it was very important to hit the ground running from the beginning. Unfortunately, I had this idea that I could slack a bit in the first few days and yes, as expected, I ended up paying for it. I understand that this trap is easy to fall into because in regular college or grade school courses, this would be case. The first few days are relaxed. That is not the case with bootcamps. 

Remember that they are condensing years worth of knowledge into your brains within a couple of months. Even if things are going kind of slow, find something to do. For example, my first day had a small project and the rest of the day was setting up. Some people took longer than others to set up. If you are finished setting up, then look at the week ahead. Make a plan of attack. Familiarize yourself with the environment and your laptop. Ask your instructors what else you could or should be doing if you are not sure. Stay productive! 

The first mod was the hardest for me. I came from a non-tech background and coding is a very different mindset than my background. It took pretty much the whole mod to immerse myself into this mindset which is why I wish I could have managed my time better in the first mod and the first week. Once you get yourself into this mindset and the flow of a typical bootcamp day, it will be easier to move forward into the bootcamp.


###You Are Here to Learn
I'm sure you all know that but what does it really mean in a bootcamp? It means leaving your ego at the door and accepting when you are wrong. In most cases, you will be. BUT! That's okay! You are there to learn. So being wrong and making mistakes will help you improve your code. During lecture our instructors would ask us to answer questions that we had a vague idea about. Most of the time our answers were wrong and he or she would further explain a better way to write a certain function. This also helps you think of more ways than one to write code. Bottom line is, it's okay to be wrong, you are there to learn.

###Ask Questions!
No seriously...ask questions until you annoy your instructors and yourself in the beginning! Okay maybe that's an exaggeration but this is one of the things that I wish I did more in the beginning. Let me spell this out IT IS A NORM TO ASK QUESTIONS in programs like these! If you don't ask questions and end up not understanding key concepts, you will fall behind. This isn't like college or high school where if you do bad on a topic, maybe you'll do better on another. Everything builds on each other and even if you aren't using a concept that you didn't do well on the past, it's going to come back sooner or later. Ask questions and make sure you understand the key concepts.


###Stop Comparing Yourself to Your Peers
Yes, this sounds like high school but really don't do it. Everyone will have their strengths and their weaknesses throughout the program. What matters is if YOU, yourself is actually understanding the concepts and gaining the ability to produce actual code and products with these abilities. It doesn't matter if your peer can do master level functions. What matters is what can you build and are you learning and progressing on the main topics?


###Connect with Your Peers
Connect NOT compare. The program was structured to teach us to eventually stand on our own and be able to find solutions by ourselves without help from instructors. BUT that doesn't mean you do everything by yourself. Much like in the real world of development, you'll be in teams and you will need to communicate with your team. In other words, you may not be okay asking questions to your instructors later on in the program but you most certainly should be asking and discussing topics with your peers. It's easier to build connections in your cohort early, so that you can get comfortable asking questions and also sharing solutions.  


###It's a lot of Code and a lot of Reading
It will be long hours of coding and a lot of reading. We did not have any videos other than the lectures. I highly recommend recording the lectures if they are not recorded for you. Fortunately for us, they were recorded. I watched those lectures religiously. They are incredibly helpful and a good break from reading and coding. So be prepared for that! Take a break every now and then. You'd be surprised how much 15 minutes of just staring at a white wall and not a computer can refresh your brain. 


###What You Give is What You Get
I am talking about TIME. The more time and effort you put in, the more you are going to get. What does that mean exactly? It's going to be varying degrees of output because people have different backgrounds and experiences. My school expected us to be there 9 hours a day with 1 hour break. However, most of the time my cohort coded during our lunch break. For me, I stayed or came early almost every day, outside of school hours. On some weekends I came in both days depending on how I was doing with the material. I am not including this experience to scare you but to give you a reality check. This is what it took for me to succeed. It may be different for you if you've had previous tech or code experience but be prepared to DEDICATE TIME to your program.


I hope these helped some of you get a better picture of your program and helped in some way to plan out your time there. Thank you for reading!