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How to Successfully Learn in This Bootcamp

Learning Objectives​

  • General advice and how to prepare yourself emotionally
  • Some qualities of the most successful students
  • Classroom culture
  • Overview of "grit"
  • Overview of common student concerns

Emotional Framing​

  • Things will not go as you plan
    plan vs reality

  • Deal with chaos in your head. Being confused/lost is NORMAL. No one pays you because you know all the answers. The job is about jumping into confusion and being able to find a solution. Make a friend with discomfort

  • The maximum point of learning is right at the edge of learning and panic.
    learning zone

  • This experience is a roller coaster.
    informed optimism?

Successful students​

  • The most successful students find programming fascinating. They don't think of it as an obligation or chore.

  • The most successful students go above and beyond what we teach. If there is something they feel they should know, they will go and learn it. If there is a problem for which they think they need more information to solve, they go and find that information.

  • The most successful students don't wait for instructors to hand them the answer.

  • Successful students quickly see that programming is not about learning a recipe, it's about developing a mindset to solve unforeseen problems.

  • Hard Work: the equivalent of two full-time jobs (~80 hrs per week).

  • Be open and ready to receive constructive criticism

Classroom Culture​

  • Open safe environment
  • Take ownership of your experience
  • Check your ego at the door
  • Empathy
  • Be courteous calm and patient with others. Don't let the stress get to you!
  • Don't compare yourself to others, compare yourself to who you were yesterday

Mentorship / Collaborative Culture in the Classroom​

  • Take care of each other
  • Benchmarking: some are good at one thing, others at another. Leverage each other's strengths.
  • Teaching is the best way of truly solidifying your understanding of a concept.
  • Your classmates will be the best foundation for establishing a professional network in tech!

Grit​

Jill

  • Jill's example is being used only because of the great photo. Her story is not unique.
  • This is like three months of "cramming for finals"
  • Watch this video on Grit

Common Student Concerns​

  • I'm making a lot of mistakes

    • mistakes are a part of life as a developer

  • I don't feel comfortable with the material

    • you probably will never feel the material is easy, but you should be able to do the work
    • by the end of each unit project, you should feel mostly comfortable with the material

  • I feel good during class, but it's difficult to innovate on my own

    • There are three stages to learning something:
      • Imitation (follow along)
      • Assimilation (repetitive simple tasks: homework and labs)
      • Innovation (build something new on your own - project time)

  • Everyone at work will realize I know nothing

    • this is called the imposter syndrome, and it's very common
    • nobody knows everything, it's about how well you learn

  • I don't "do" math

    • that's why we have the computer do it for us!
    • programming is more about thinking logically than doing equations

  • What's the best practice? What's the one "correct" answer?

    • Best practices change constantly and from company to company
    • If you think properly, you'll probably naturally arrive at a best practice
    • All that matters is "Does it work?"
      • A company that hires someone with 3 months of experience doesn't really care about code quality
      • Use your time to learn new technology or strengthen your problem solving

  • I don't have a perfect understanding of everything

    • Class is set up to accommodate students of all abilities
      • We create lecture notes, homework, and projects so that advanced students can have something to work on
    • We make sure you understand at least the most important concepts
    • Only the people who write the specifications for the language understand everything about the language

  • I want an amazing portfolio and to complete all my labs/assignments

    • all projects will be prototype quality - they are the start of a great idea, they won't be fully featured: most apps/websites take a team and at least 6 months to launch
      • You will only get a few days to work on a project
      • You are learning how to build things, it takes time
      • You're working on your projects on your own and not on a team Remember these things and don't be too hard on yourself
      • what matters is the ability to think and that you are learning
    • don't worry about completing every lab/homework
      • this is an adult learning environment thus we have a broad range of skill levels entering the course. We strive to have material for everyone to get the most out of this class.
      • Naturally, students who have already been coding for a while will get through more labs/hw. If you are newer to coding, many times you won't get to the bonus activities and that's ok.
      • You'll get feedback on your hw - if you are struggling, we'll coach you to help you get the most out of the material and this course

You are trying to make a career 180 in just 12 weeks. This is a massive undertaking in a very short amount of time.

  • We expect you to work hard, but never to the point where you are sacrificing taking care of yourself
    • completing and sleeping for 2 hours is worse than sleeping and not completing
    • if you come into a new day tired and sleep deprived you won't be able to grasp the concepts as well
    • we have a lot of repetition and reviews built in to our curriculum, a lot of learning comes from practicing and repeating.
    • It's ok if you don't get something right away, or on the first day or week. A lot of concepts come together by the end of the unit.

For more tips and tricks, feel free to reference this document that has been compiled by Matt Huntington (GA SEIR Instructor)