The Secret to Code Bootcamp Success
As “code school” bootcamps steadily grow in popularity as a career change catalyst or credible college alternative, more people are asking themselves, “Could this be right for me?” Obviously there are a ton of individual-specific factors at play, but from a high-level perspective, my answer is “It could be!” While not the most concrete answer one would hope for, it’s the truth — and where your answer ultimately lands is dependent on something well within your control; your attitude.
In my personal experience, the “classes” are composed of individuals of all backgrounds and extremely varying levels of experience. I’ve studied with classmates who had undergraduate computer science degrees and others who had never written a line of code prior to the course pre-work. Despite the gaps in pre-existing knowledge, an individual’s level of experience surprisingly holds little bearing on their level of success in the program. The majority of students who thrived during their bootcamp tenure approached each day with an optimistic attitude and faith in the process. It’s easy to write off this observation as overly fluffy or not a realistic adjustment for certain personality types, but with persistent intention and practice, it’s absolutely attainable. Here’s my advice on how to get there.
- The learning process is uncomfortable. It’s not supposed to be easy, and you’re not supposed to instantly understand each new concept. Just like your muscles are sore after a tough workout, your brain will probably feel like mush at the end of a bootcamp day. Internally categorize this feeling as a positive one and a sign of hard work, and then strive to reach this point every day.
- Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone learns at a different pace and independently reaches their “a-ha” moments. I was rarely the first student to master a new topic or start asking advanced questions during a lesson, but I firmly believe that my patience and grace with myself helped me maintain positivity and avoid useless comparisons.
- With all of the highs inevitably come the lows (in every aspect of life). It’s unrealistic to expect each day to be filled with rainbows and sunshine. Let yourself recognize and experience your feelings of disappointment, learn from the situation if possible, and then leave those feelings behind and start the next day ready to do better.
- Be kind to yourself. Even if you’re an extreme Type-A perfectionist, it’s vital to be your own cheerleader. Avoiding negative self-talk is an important aspect of this kindness. I do my best to internally pump myself up for a new challenge and tell myself “I got this.”
- Celebrate the small victories. While it’s important to be humble and keep your ego in check as a new developer, it can also be very powerful to have pride in each new skill or concept that you grasp. Whether it was my Mod 1 CLI app or my capstone mobile app, I let myself feel proud of the final product and let that amazing feeling serve as motivation for the next challenge on the list.
*In this context, I’m not defining success as “making it through” each module and passing each of the assessments on a short timeframe, but truly learning or mastering each of the concepts that make up the course curriculum.
