Tag: bootcamp

Don’t be afraid to “fail”

This is a guest post from Cierra Nease. Enjoy.

Dear new developer,

“Failures” as a new developer are plenty — but you might be asking, why is “failures” in quotes? To fail something is dependent upon one’s perspective. The only true failure is to quit working towards success. Every failure brings a small success in that you learn what the right answer is not. How can you problem solve without a way of marking off solutions that do not work? A failure is simply a solution that didn’t work at that specific time.

We can all talk about how learning and growth come from having failures, but it’s hard to remember that when you feel like you are a failure. Failures do not inherently make the person a failure, and it can be hard to make that distinction in the moment. Sometimes we need someone else to remind us of this.

I’ve had a lot of people in life reiterate this concept to me. The most recent person was a fellow developer named Mike on the Denver light rail. It’s funny what will happen when people participate in communicating and interacting with each other, but that is for another blog post entirely. For now, let’s go back to Mike. Mike overheard me talking to another passenger about being in a bootcamp. When I finished my conversation, he handed me a card and said he’d love to answer any questions I have about becoming a developer. I elaborated on some of my bootcamp experience, which happens to be full of failures.

Mike expressed his number one piece of advice for any developer, telling me: “whatever you do, don’t be afraid to fail.” We started talking about this in depth, and it really resonated with me for the rest of the evening. As a new developer, you really only see senior developers’ successes. Each developer goes through their own learning process which does include failures.

The failures that lead to success don’t stop when you become a “better” developer. If you are looking for a point when you quit failing as a developer, then you are looking for the wrong thing. The more you fail, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more you grow. The more you grow, the better the developer you become.

As a newer developer, I look forward to all of the opportunities to learn, grow, and accept my failures as the wrong solution instead of accepting them as a personal characteristic.

Sincerely,

Cierra

Cierra Nease is currently studying software development. She blogs at Cierra Codes 101.

It will turn out mostly fine… if you have the passion

This is a guest post from Jenn Chu. Enjoy.

‘Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you’re passionate about something, then you’re more willing to take risks’
~Yo-Yo Ma

Dear new developer,

I’ve always taken the quote above to heart… fast-shooting myself into the named camp of ‘Career Switchers` when talking about entry into the world of development. I’ve majored in Mechanical Engineer, spent 10 years in the Oil Industry, and just the last year and a half, really immersed myself into development.

I started at a Bootcamp part-time, got the certificate, quit my job, moved to a new city, worked as a Bootcamp TA and then finally landed my first job as an Associate Developer. It definitely wasn’t an easy journey, but I was passionate about this new life decision and I became obsessed. If not for the passion that led to a slight obsession, it would have been 10x harder to get to where I am.

For a new developer starting out, I’d love to tell you that it will turn out just fine… it mostly does… if you are passionate and have the drive. Learning new technology is not the only thing you should do to give you the edge. You must also go out, meet people, network, make projects, breathe… and then repeat. Learn the technology by finding out how it works more so than just watching tutorials. Meet the community and find coding and project buddies. Make projects for ideas to improve your life, or the life of others.

What I found most helpful in this whole process is having a mentor. Find a like-minded individual that is genuine and genuinely wants to be invested in your new journey. There is so much experience and knowledge that can be shared between both individuals, it truly is a beneficial experience for all involved.

Again, never stop learning, doing, networking and above all, doing what you do, what you are passionate about. The light at the end of the tunnel starts to get brighter and brighter with each passing day, have faith and take the risks! Life is too short otherwise.

– Jenn

Jenn Chu is a software Developer passionate about good design and building simple solutions that will enhance the end user’s experience. She is most excited to bring the diverse community together through collaboration, communication, and connections.