The Post-DBC Post
Dev Bootcamp Recap
"Nobody tells this to beginners..."
March 16, 2014
Reflection is a pretty inspiring thing. If I look back a year ago in my life and imagine someone telling me I’d soon be a bona-fide web developer (and explained to me all the ‘powers’ that go along with that), I’d have been incredulous. Not that long ago, I was nothing more than a former journalist searching hard for a way to put my reporter skills – attention to detail, work ethic, and creativity – to work in a new career. I had finally ‘read the writing on the wall’ about the career path of a newspaper reporter and was beginning to feel doubtful about finding another field that really fit my skills. I had never been exposed to programming until a foray into technical writing brought me to some practical programming skills. After somewhat stumbling into programming, I trusted my initial interest and jumped into it head first. I can now say without exaggeration that it’s really the career I was looking for. It genuinely fits my strengths and skills, and I’m now a proud Dev Bootcamp grad excited to get the work and build – as DBC preaches – ‘beautiful and meaningful things.’
I graduated from Dev Bootcamp about a month ago and in that time have been so busy coding and hitting the job trail that I’ve had little time to reflect. Reflection is always a helpful tool when moving to a new phase, and now taking the time to gaze back on my experience at DBC has given me confidence, optimism, and real passion for building things. In short, I’m astounded and amazed at the amount we were able to learn in a few months at DBC. I know I still have a lot to learn about the ins-and-outs of the field, but I now know that I can be a great programmer. I have the drive and curiosity and it’s just a matter of putting in the time.
Every DBC alum I’ve talked to says it, but it’s not until you graduate that you fully realize what DBC really teaches you. It’s all about is learning how to learn quickly, which is an essential skill in the ever-changing tech field. I came out of DBC with the confidence that I can dive into a completely foreign concept and eventually learn it. I know that, despite how much I may struggle, I will eventually emerge with understanding. It’s a powerful feeling, and really takes down a lot of barriers in your mind. I’m going into the job search as someone humble and wanting to learn, but I’m also completely confident I can get up to speed in this new industry and start building right away. That knowledge is undoubtedly one of the most valuable things I took away from DBC.
Now that I’ve been out of bootcamp for a while, what’s really guiding me is the need and desire to work a lot. Ira Glass’ now-famous quote about doing something often in order to eventually do it well is at the top of my mind. As I start getting out on the job trail and interviewing, I’m making sure to constantly work on personal projects, coding challenges, and algorithm practice. I’ve talked to some very interesting and inspiring companies (including many in the EdTech field) and look forward to finding a company that really fits my background. There’s a lot more work to be done, both on the job search front and in sharpening my skills, but mostly what I’m feeling is a strange sense of calm, confidence, and the desire to keep up the appetite for constant learning that DBC instilled in me.
