When I heard about Dev Bootcamp I was skeptical. Ingrained in me is the traditional mentality that one needs to go through the drudgeries of education to find a job or be considered proficient in anything; having ventured out into the world, I learned that this is not always true. There are a variety of paths, each with its' own experience, that a person can take to arrive at a location. It's not always the quantity of time, that one spends on a craft, that determines his/her proficiency, occasionally the quality of time is a factor.
Sometimes I wonder if my decision to attend Dev Bootcamp was the right decision. Will it aid me in finding a job as a web developer? Did I make an investment that won’t provide me with the intended returns? It’s a risk that both scares and excites me. I see why Dev Bootcamp has produced strong, successful, and curious junior web developers. The workload is heavy but organized for slow and steady stacking of techniques, the environment is full of curiosity and energy, and the staff members are accomplished developers. I can see the path towards becoming a web developer; the goal is visible, but so is all the work that needs to be done.
As much as I enjoy working alone and figuring things out by myself, I realized that bashing my head against the wall and grinding out an answer is detrimental to my learning. The benefits from the time that I save by asking for help and moving onto another concept is greater than spending a whole day on a single question. Balancing between pushing through a problem and asking for help is a skill. Also knowing how to timebox a problem and move onto the next is valuable. It's not always the specific question that is of importance but the overarching concept that encapsulates the problem that is of merit.
The “we’re all in this together” mentality is a refreshing environment to be in. From grade school to college it’s usually about ranking higher than the other and using others for your personal benefit. That approach is still in Dev Bootcamp but it’s out in the open, so we’re all aware of what we’re getting into. Keeping this concept open and aware fosters a symbiotic relationship with one another. If we all go in with the mentality to help one another as much as we want to help ourselves, awesome experiences can come out of it.
I’m looking forward to growing as a person and as a developer and the best way to do that is to meet many different kinds of people, butt heads with them, and code. I want to become better than what I was yesterday. Dev Bootcamp is definitely a way to test myself and grow. I’m nervous. I’m excited. I’m ready as I’ll ever be. Let's go