From Denver with Love: My Journey to the Flatiron School
Tags: bootcamp, coding, programming, codenewbie
Published: 2020-06-01 21:32:26

My road to the Flatiron School was anything but traditional. I earned a certificate in digital filmmaking from the New York Film Academy, a BA in philosophy from the Metropolitan State University of Denver, and have worked as a bartender for several years. I have always been fascinated by computers and technology, but, like many people, I bought into the myth of the stereotypical programmer that Hollywood has been perpetuating for as long as I can remember.

It was studying formal logic that first piqued my interest in programming. I learned that programming evolved from the very logic proofs that I was solving on a regular basis. I loved the eloquence of the rules, and how if your proof came out wrong, it was because you made an error in your reasoning somewhere. A fellow classmate of mine was majoring in computer science, and she told me that if I really liked logic I should check out some of the free coding resources on the internet and give it a shot. 

That evening I Googled "free coding resources" and, like so many others, found myself on the Free Code Camp website. I worked my way through all of the HTML, and CSS curriculum within a matter of days. The JavaScript section was much more difficult, but I found the challenge exciting. Never before had I felt such positive emotions when it came to problem solving. Learning to code, and coding in general, can be extremely frustrating, but nothing beats the feeling of getting your code to run. 

However, I still had to deal with the challenges of working 30 hours a week and completing my philosophy degree, which is an intellectually rigorous subject in its own right. Because of this I wasn't able to devote as much time to learning to code as I would have liked. I did manage to squeeze in an intro to computer science course my last semester before graduation. 

After graduating with my philosophy degree, there was no way I could afford the time and money needed to earn yet another degree in computer science. At the same time, I was looking for a career where I could utilize the critical thinking and writing skills that I had recently acquired with my degree. I had also hit a wall with my programming self study. 

The bootcamp option seemed like my best bet, but which one to choose? I visited several campuses in the Denver metro area, and only one stood out to me as exceptional, both in perceived quality of education and cultural fit. However, the price tag was steeper than I wanted to spend, and the length of the program was nearly double the length of all of the others. I decided to wait a little longer, and decide if something that required such an enormous commitment of time, money, and mental energy was worth it. 

As luck would have it, my waiting turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It turned out that the Flatiron School was planning to open a campus here in Denver. It was while doing my bootcamp research that I came across a Youtube video by Avi Flombaum, a co-founder of the Flatiron School. His thoughts about programming and learning in general really resonated with me. The price and length of the program fit with my budget and time constraints. Now all I had to do was apply to the program. 

Having worked for a few more months and continuing to learn to code on my own, I finally felt that I was ready to apply to the program. I submitted my online application, and heard back shortly that they would like me to come in for an informal cultural interview. I remember being both nervous and excited the day I went to the campus for the first time. I was greeted by one of their admissions counselors, and was given a tour of the amazing WeWork facility that houses the Denver campus. 

It's hard to explain, but the campus immediately felt like home. It felt like a place where I belonged, and I just got a really good vibe from that entire initial experience. Now all I had to do was prepare for and pass the technical interview. 

I spent the next month going over the material my admissions coach provided me with, and I finally felt ready to go in for my technical interview. I met with Josh Couper, the awesome Denver campus director. We chatted for awhile and he informed me that Kat Scriver would be administering my technical interview. I was nervous, but once I met Kat I was immediately put at ease. We went over my solutions to some JavaScript problems. She asked me to demonstrate different ways of solving some of the problems, and asked me to explain my thought process as I worked out the solutions. At the end of our meeting she informed me that I was accepted, and that she felt that I was a strong candidate. 

I left that afternoon feeling elated, and also extremely nervous. This major life decision was now fast becoming a reality, and I now had a ton of pre-work to finish in a short amount of time. I also had to put in my two weeks notice at my current job and get all of my financial ducks in a row. 

I'll never forget how I felt walking to the parking garage after my last shift at the restaurant where I had been a bartender for the last several years. It was the first time in a long time where I was both nervous about my future, and excited at the same time. A good friend of mine told me that having butterflies in your stomach meant that you were on the right path, and that anything worth doing involves risk. 

Three days later I was sitting in the lobby of the WeWork building with a bunch of strangers waiting to start our first day in the program. I chatted with some of the other students and we were finally lead back to the lab to get started. We played the "name game" which was a super fun way of getting to know each other. I won't go into any details about it though, so as not spoil it for anyone who may be thinking about attending the program. Later we had lunch and I remember thinking it was an awesome first day. 

No great story is without struggle, and struggle I did my first trip through Mod 1 of the program. The speed at which you cover difficult and abstract technical concepts at a coding bootcamp is lightning fast. You know that going into the program, but nothing can really prepare you for it until you actually experience it first hand. I remember feeling extremely overwhelmed that first week, and by the time I had made it to that first Friday, I felt that I had been hit by a freight train. The phrase "drinking from a firehose" gets tossed around a lot when describing coding bootcamps, and it is an extremely accurate metaphor.  

The Flatiron School allows you to repeat one Mod free of charge, and by the end of my second week I took an honest survey of where I was and how I was feeling, and decided to repeat the Mod. I met with Josh and he told me that, in his experience, the students who successfully repeat continue to show up and learn while waiting the three weeks for the next cohort to begin. He also told me to embrace being uncomfortable, and to make peace with the fact that I cannot know everything. No one can when it comes to the world of software development.

Be scrappy is one of the Flatiron School's core values, and it is the one I utilized the most while I waited for the next cohort to start. I was determined not to waste my time, so I continued to show up to campus everyday and study for eight hours. I worked through the Mod 1 curriculum on my own, and continued to check in with and instructor every couple of days. I also utilized outside resources to really solidify the concepts. I even started skipping ahead to the Mod 2 curriculum. 

All of my hard work paid off my second time through Mod 1, and I even passed my code challenge on my first attempt. I learned a ton about my own learning style, and, most importantly, I learned to embrace change and overcome challenges on my own. However, if the Flatiron School was not set up this way, I might have missed out on being able to pursue this field that I am so passionate about. 

The rest of the program was just as challenging, but none of the other Mods were as difficult for me as that initial first one. Instead of feeling anxious about not knowing whatever topic we were covering on any given day, I learned to be comfortable with that initial uncertainty. There is a quote by Patrick McKenzie that I found that I return to again and again when I am faced with a new problem to solve, which is everyday for a web developer. "Every great developer you know got there by solving problems they were unqualified to solve until they actually did it." 

Having recently graduated from the program I wonder where the time went? If you are considering attending a bootcamp I hope you seriously consider the Flatiron School. You will be surrounded by topnotch instructors who genuinely care about you and want nothing more than to see you succeed. You will meet some of the brightest and friendliest students, and you will be mentally challenged like you have never been challenged before. 

The program is difficult, there will be many emotional highs and lows, but if you stick with it, you will learn how to be a developer. The Flatiron School does more than teach programming languages and frameworks. The Flatiron School teaches you how to think and solve problems like a developer. You spend 15 weeks devoting your life to a career that takes a lifetime to master. After you graduate you are equipped to take your journey and learning to the next level. You can show potential employers what you were able to achieve in just 15 weeks. Imagine what you will be able to achieve in another 15 weeks, in another 6 months, or in another year? 

I wish you all the best, and please reach out to me if you have any further questions. I am always down to geek out on all things JavaScript. I also love to chat about philosophy and I'm a huge film nerd. Happy coding!